Protein Shake Ingredients
Making a commitment to fitness is something that can change your entire life. You can become a better friend, worker and creator. Fitness helps keep you focused and disciplined. It brings balance to your life.
I came across a good article about how fitness helps people recover from addictions. It puts their focus into a new, healthier arena and gives them a renewed sense of self.
As you workout and force yourself to hit the gym, remember the crazy good impact that your commitment to fitness has on your entire being! Forcing yourself out of bed at 5am on a cold morning is good for you in more ways than you realize.
There’s a reason that a lot of people in the fitness industry find success elsewhere in life, whether that is as a motivational speaker or business professional. The habits you form through working out carryover to every aspect of your life.
Now get to the gym!
How many protein shakes should you drink each day?
Protein Shake Ingredients
A common question I get is how many protein shakes should somebody be drinking each day? This is a tough question to answer because it depends on diet, what type of shakes you are drinking and body type.
A lot of people believe that protein shakes alone make you stronger or build muscle. That’s just not true. The reason people drink protein shakes is to easilly get more protein into their daily diet without having to eat an entire meal full of calories. Protein shakes can be used as meal replacements and that can work very well for people as well.
Muscle tissue needs protein as a key building block for it to grow. Other nutrients (and water!) are also important as well, but protein is your most important muscular fuel.
In the end, the number of protein shakes you need each day all goes back to how much protein you want to take in every day. A lot of body builders try to have at least as many grams of protein per day as they do carbs. The average diet is very carbohydrate-heavy so protein shakes can help offset that ratio.
For me, I shoot for 40 percent protein, 40 percent carbs and 20 percent fats. Depending on my training and daily schedule, I’ll have between 1 and 3 protein shakes each day. On most days, I’ll have one protein shake between breakfast and lunch and then another shake in the afternoon between lunch and dinner. I’ll then have my final one post workout.
I like this because it helps keep me accountable between meals and I am able to avoid snacking on sugar. For me, having a “meal” between solid foods keeps my metabolism running at a faster rate. It took me several years of experimenting to find what my body responded to the best.
What’s the right amount of protein shakes for you to drink every day? That depends on all the factors above. Take a look at your macros and see how many calories you want to be consuming every day. Look at your ratio of protein/carbs/fats. Then look at how that ratio aligns with your current diet and schedule. Protein shakes are a great way to boost energy and carb intake during the day to keep you hitting your magic numbers every day. It helps keep what you are putting into your body consistent.
Stay in Shape While You Travel
Protein Shake Ingredients
The Traveling Workout
Many people these days travel all over the world for business or leisure. However, one thing has constantly been interrupted by travel is my routine workout that I prefer to stick to. It is so easy to get off track if you go on vacation for even just a few days. Keeping to your routine is extremely important if you want to stay in shape. This is why figuring out a way to continue working out is important while traveling. Staying in shape while traveling is directly related to three different things: your workout, running, and your diet.
Your Workout
How can I pump some weights while I’m away? There are many different ways to get your swell on even without a gym. Most hotels offer some kind of gym to workout in, though they are usually small. If the hotel gym isn’t going to do it for you, there are a few other options. For one, there are different video workouts that don’t require any gyms or weights. Some simple variations of pushups would even do the job. There are also ways to workout with elastic bands. These bands pack extremely easily and can provide quite a workout. You don’t necessarily need the gym to keep up with your routine. If you have to change it up a little bit, that’s ok too. The change of workout is good for your body! If you absolutely need to have a gym and weight room, some local gyms may have one day/weekend passes to take advantage of.
Going for a Run
Your road you usually go for a jog on is at home. Fortunately, there are ways to go for that jog while traveling as well. Lots of hotel gyms do have a small gym with maybe one or two treadmills. That is an option but it just isn’t the same. However, most hotels usually have a swimming pool as well. There are a lot of exercises you can do in the pool to get your aerobic exercise that way. Some local gyms or hotels might even have a fitness pool as well. If you need to get outside and run take a look at Google Maps and see if there are any large parks around that you could take advantage of. There are lots of alternatives for going on your run, but it is most important that you keep up with your running schedule especially if you are training for a race.
Watch What You Eat
Another important factor of traveling is watching what you eat. It is very easy to overindulge while you are traveling. The fancy meals in the big cities are really good, but they usually aren’t the healthiest. It is very important that you stick to your diet or eating habits that you have from home. Just a day or two out of this cycle can put anyone in a tailspin of unhealthy living if not carefully watched. If you are staying at the hotel for a few days, maybe you should go to the grocery store to get a few things that you could make yourself like sandwiches or salads. Avoid the big buffets and cheap fast food no matter how tempting it is to get a quick meal when you’re out and about!
The important thing here is consistency. Stick to your gut when you need to travel. Be smart about where you are staying and what you are eating. It’s not going to be easy, but working hard to stay healthy is always worth it and your body will thank you when you get home back to your normal workout.
(Guest Post by Dan Shaffer)
Videos: Best biceps workouts to gain mass
Protein Shake Ingredients
Biceps are a classic muscle when it comes to bodybuilding or fitness in general. They are one of the more noticeable muscles and while other muscle groups are more functional, guys want to build their arms up when they hit the gym. This is especially true for the summer when men spend their time at the pool, riding their motorcycle and playing sports.
There are a number of different techniques to building bicep muscles. The key is finding the type of muscle movements and exercises that work for you. Try different things and experiment in the gym to find what works best for you.
Here are some videos from experts, pro bodybuilders, fitness models and more. In my opinion, these are the best biceps workouts out there. Use these videos to get ideas and put together the ultimate biceps workout for you!
Rob Riches – Biceps Workout
Steve Cook – Swoldier’s Right To Bear Arms
Charles Glass & Tobias Young – Biceps Workout
Ronnie Coleman – Huge Biceps Workout
Gabriel Davidson – MusclePharm 28 Method
Christian Guzman – Full Arms Workout
America’s Big Fat Health Crisis
Protein Shake Ingredients
Some crazy, eye opening facts in this killer video put together by Clarity Way Rehab. Nothing like some hard facts to give you some extra motivation to get both yourself and your loved ones to the gym.
Always Uptight? Learn Progressive Muscle Relaxation to Unwind
Protein Shake Ingredients
Have you ever had a headache because the muscles in your back and neck were too tight? Or maybe you’ve experienced other stress-related physical problems such as rapid breathing, feeling like your heart is pounding, or an upset stomach. Where does all this stress come from?
Stress Is All Around Us
There are sources of stress all around us. Some, like being yelled at by your boss or undergoing a painful medical procedure, are easy to spot. Others, like telephones ringing all day or your kids playing their music too loud may fade into the background until you are hardly aware of them.
Is All Stress Bad?
There are times when stress works to our benefit. Athletes often talk about harnessing their stress before a big game and channeling all that nervous energy onto the playing field. Small to medium amounts of stress may also make you sharper and more alert in meetings with clients. If you are selling high ticket products like ultrasonic transducers or a piezoelectric sensor, for instance, a little stress may make you more aware of your prospects reactions so that you can tweak your presentation accordingly.
When You Should Stress about Stress
Stress becomes harmful when it overwhelms you, paralyzing you so that you cannot complete the activities required by your life or your job. Chronic stress — anxiety that you feel all or most of the time — can also interfere with your health and quality of life.
If you feel that the stress in your life is harmful to you, you may want to learn some basic relaxation techniques. One of the easiest techniques to learn is progressive relaxation.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive relaxation usually takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes the first time you try it. As you get more used to relaxing, and your body learns what relaxation feels like, you will be able to achieve a relaxed state much more quickly. There are CDs to guide you in learning this technique, but most people find they don’t need outside assistance.
The first step is to sit or lie down so you are comfortable. Close your eyes. First, focus on your feet. Try to tense every muscle from your ankle to your toes. Hold the muscles tense while you count to ten, then allow them to relax completely. Next, do the same thing with the muscles in your lower legs, your upper legs, your torso, and so on. Continue until you have tensed and relaxed every group of muscles in your body, even the muscles of your face.
After you are finished, check in with all your muscle groups. Has the tension crept back into any of them? If so, allow them to relax.
If you practice progressive muscle relaxation at least once a day, you will learn how to tune into your body and keep yourself from tensing up during stressful moments. Gaining control over your anxiety can improve both your health and your quality of life. Why not give it a try?