One Big Health Nut

It is rare for people to actually plan meals in advance.  Meals are generally planned on the run; on our way to work, to run errands, or to attend to other responsibilities.  Even the best intentions go to the wayside as daily tasks consume all of our time, making it impossible to try to plan meals ahead of time.  It’s not that people aren’t interested in nutrition and health.  In fact, it is quite the opposite.  Many people eat foods they believe to be healthy and try to include foods they know will provide nutritional needs.   

It is easy to find foods that are generally considered healthy.  Stores are packed with products marked with health emblems and touting nutritional claims.  Many of the claims are probably true.  But some foods provide a nutritional gold mine.  If you could eat foods you know provide you with at least twice the nutritional value for half the fat and calories, which products would you eat?  The answer is obvious.   

So here are a number of nutrient dense power-house foods you can add to your regular diet.   

1.     Oats are extremely high in fiber and help keep cholesterol low.   

2.     Walnuts provide Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamin E. 

3.     Chicken thighs, though higher in calories, will provide much higher doses of iron and zinc.  The dark meat also provides myoglobin protein which stores oxygen in muscles.   

4.     Strawberries are packed with folic acid, vitamin C, and fiber. 

5.     Asparagus can help prevent heart disease, reduce water weight, and is high in folic acid. 

6.     Kiwi contains high amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. 

7.     Collard greens include are loaded with calcium.  

8.     Lean beef cuts are great sources of iron, magnesium, and are lower in saturated fats than regular beef cuts. 

It may sound crazy, but researchers claim it’s true.  Eating a diet high in fat can lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and the percentage of visceral fat in your stomach.  Lowering the visceral fat in your stomach will yield a smaller waste line.  The fat in question is called monounsaturated fatty acids, also known as MUFA.   

Studies performed on individuals have shown that a diet high in MUFA did affect the LDL levels of the participants.  Other independent studies found a significant reduction in the percentage of visceral fat in participants’ stomach.  Both studies found a reduction of inches around the participants’ waist lines.  

Diets high in MUFAs have also been credited with lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.  Researchers credit MUFAs with lowering LDL levels without decreasing HDL levels or triglycerides, which is generally a consequence of high carbohydrate diets.  These factors increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and are considered a drawback of high carbohydrate diets. 

So where do you find these life saving, waist shrinking MUFAs?  Currently the research has been performed using olive and canola oils.  Experts recommend using these two oils regularly in your diet.  Research is still being performed on other MUFAs to determine their effectiveness.   Until the results are in, add olive and canola oils to your daily diet and reap the benefits! 

Building muscle mass requires dedication, time, and a substantial measure of effort. You must develop and adhere to a strict exercise and diet regiment that is specifically designed to increase muscle development. There are several fundamental elements that are crucial to a serious pursuit of muscle growth.

Weigh training is an obvious factor in building muscle. Building muscle mass is contingent on the amount of weight, number of reps, and type of exercises you perform. You must use a weight load that you will work to failure within 4 to six reps. If you are able to successfully complete more reps, the weight amount is to low to stimulate muscle growth. You must focus on compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once. And you should focus on exercises that are performed with free weights as opposed to other resistance equipment. Most of the resistance equipment available will work a limited number of muscle groups which will in turn limit your muscle growth.

Diet is crucial to increasing muscle mass in the body. Where weight training tears and trains the existing muscles, it is the nutrients in your diet that restore, repair, and build muscle. Without the proper nutrients, your body will not be able to increase your muscle mass.

•Protein is the nutrient credited with building muscle. Protein develops the necessary amino acids essential for muscle growth. The harder you work during your weight training, the higher the demand for amino acids will be by your body. To build muscle mass, protein should be the focus of your daily meals.

•Calories are necessary for weight gain. Your body needs calories just to maintain your normal body functions. If your goal is to gain weight, you have to eat substantially more calories than your body requires daily. But you do not want to eat empty calories. Your goal is to gain muscle, not fat. So you want to make sure that the foods you eat are stocked with nutrients (especially protein).

•The number of meals per day that you consume should increase. You do not want to pack all of the additional calories in a small number of meals. You need to spread the calories out over the course of the day.

•A multivitamin will ensure you receive the nutrients your body needs to increase muscle mass. There are numerous and various types of multivitamins. You want to choose one that is specific to your needs. A vitamin specifically intended for active adults should meet your needs. You may also want to supplement the vitamin with additional supplements that may not be present or is present in a small amount in the multi vitamin.

•Water is a basic requirement for everything your body does. The harder you push your body, the more water you will require. Water is necessary to process and break down all of the food and vitamins that you consume throughout the day. It is also important to building muscle. Your body cannot successfully complete any function properly without the assistance of water.

•Carbohydrates are an energy source. Their function does not directly relate to muscle growth. You want to be careful when choosing which carbohydrates you consume because some do not break down slowly enough to properly fuel your body.

Belly fat is a huge concern to anyone that has it.  Losing the belly fat is a priority.  You want to eliminate belly fat because you want to look good and be healthy.  And you know that eliminating the subcutaneous fat covering your abdominal region will bring you closer to six pack abs.  But there is another type of belly fat that presents another more compelling reason to lose the fat.  A second type of fat, called visceral fat, will cause significant health risks.   

Visceral belly fat surrounds your organs.  The visceral fat will increase your risk of heart disease and ultimately can lead to type 2 diabetes.  A condition known as metabolic syndrome is related to the presence of visceral fat around your internal organs.  Visceral fat can cause high cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.  This condition was found to be prevalent in overweight and normal weight people who had high percentages of visceral fat.   

It is evident that belly fat can be dangerous.  Even if you are not overweight you may be at risk.  Visceral fat is hidden, surrounding your internal organs.  This type of fat causes health problems that can be irreversible.  It is important to take steps to eliminate this unseen threat.  As with many other health related conditions, exercise and diet are key.  So if your New Year’s resolutions included better eating or more exercise, this is just another reason why your successful completion of these goals is so important.   

Exercising requires a significant commitment from you.  You dedicate time, effort, and in many cases money to your fitness and weight loss efforts.  These are usually very precious and limited commodities to most people.  Due to the valuable nature of your sacrifices, you expect to see results.  If your goal is reached, i.e. weight loss, toning, the reward outweighs the sacrifice.   

How do you ensure that you will reach your goal and not waste your time and efforts?   

1.     Make sure you are doing enough to warrant results.  Your fitness level determines the amount of effort your body requires to produce results.  If you are only exercising for twenty minutes a day three days each week you may not see results.  The first eight minutes of a cardio work out burn the excess calories present in your body.  After the calories are used, then the body begins to burn fat.  If you only exercise for a short period of time, you are limiting the actual amount of fat you burn.  You should exercise at least thirty minutes every day and at least four days a week.  If you do any less then you may just be wasting your time and efforts. And increase the time, speed, or distance at regular intervals to ensure your body doesn’t become accustomed to the work out and quit burning fat. 

2.     You must add a weight lifting workout to your exercise schedule.  This is essential to weight loss and toning, both.  If you exercise with weights, the percent of lean muscle mass in your body will increase.  Lean muscle burns at least 10% more calories when you are at rest than fat.  Your metabolism will increase.  You only need to work with weights two days a week to benefit.  If you aren’t sure what exercises would be good for you or how to develop a program, you can find articles on this site that will help.  And if you still need assistance, just ask your question on the site and you will be answered. 

3.     When you work out, use the correct form and perform the exercise slowly.  This cannot be stressed enough.  If you rush through a movement, you may not use the muscle.  You are more than likely, using centrifugal force.  Since you are not using your muscles to perform the movement, you will not burn calories or fat.  If you perform the movement slowly, you are more likely to use correct form and will receive the maximum benefit from the movement.  Slow controlled movements should always be used. 

4.     Drink Water.  I know this sounds simple.  But water serves an important role in everything you do.  Your body requires water for every function it performs.  If you are dehydrated, your metabolism will be affected.  If you are adversely affecting your metabolism by depriving your body of a vital component, then you will limit, if not impede, any progress you could make.  Drink water throughout the day.  To determine the amount of water your body requires, take your height in inches and convert that to ounces.  So if you are 5’3”, which converts to 62 inches.  You need to drink 62 ounces of water a day.