Motivation

Are your New Years' goals further away than you anticipated? Are you lacking motivation, desire or the knowledge to improve the quality of your life.

Do you feel unsure of: how to use the equipment, design your training program, what heart rate you should exercise at, how to work around your bum knee, whether or not you are "allowed" to eat past 5pm, or have any other uncertainties?

If so, please let myself or Steve know. Email us, text us, ask us. Stop feeling frustrated.

Dont let a little snow this weekend slow you down.

Here is a low carb chili recipe to keep you warm

1 cup fresh onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, minced3 tbsp olive oil2 lb of lean beef, chopped small (Not ground beef!!)2 cups tomatoes, undrained (fresh is best, but one 14 oz can diced tomatoes works too)2 cups of beef broth (one 14 oz can)2 tsp salt2 tsp black pepper2 bay leaves1 tsp oregano1/4 tsp crushed whole cumin2 1/2 tbsp chili powderFor the lean beef, I use my grocery stores "lean stew meat" be sure you buy the lean variety however as it make a huge difference in taste. I also chop this meat or whatever meat you buy) into about 1/2 inch squares.. the stew meat I buy is much bigger chunked and too big. It takes some time to chop it up, but it is worth the effort!In a pan, cook the garlic, chopped onions, olive oil, and beef together over medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes or until all the red in the beef has turned gray or brown (no red showing as you stir it)Next turn down the heat to low, and add tomatoes, beef stock and stir in all the seasonings. Cover with lid, and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is very tender. (Also be sure you don't drain the beef or chili at any time - the juices are sooo yummy and make it so flavorful!) Remove the two bay leaves. Serve and Enjoy!Makes 9 servings at only 5 carbs per serving. * Note that using tomatoes in canned vinegars or oils could raise the carb count significantly. Use only plain diced tomatoes if in a can. Also, more tomatoes used in the recipe would cause more carbs per serving. You could reduce the tomatoes to no tomatoes at all, add another can of beef broth instead and further reduce the carb count per serving to about 3 carbs per serving.

Amino Acids and fitness

What are amino acids, and why are they important?

You may have seen the term “Amino Acid” or BCAA (standing for Branched Chain Amino Acid) floating around on the label of your favorite protein supplement, or in the ever-popular Xtend drink mix, but do you know what an amino acid is, or why it is important to you?

At the most basic level, Amino Acids are (as nearly every high school biology teacher of all time has stated) the “building blocks of protein.” What this means is that a protein molecule is made up of a series of individual Amino Acid molecules bonded together into a chain. The human body, through various metabolic pathways, is able to build proteins from these individual pieces, and use said proteins for energy or to build and repair muscle tissue.

There exists a very large multitude of Amino Acids, ranging a wide gamut of uses from both a nutritional standpoint, as well as having certain industrial applications (such as the production of plastics). Some of the more familiar Amino Acids that we see commonly in food substances include:Phenylalanine – a naturally occurring amino found in mammalian breast milk, used most commonly in diet sodas or as the artificial sweetener Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet). It is also sold in pill form as a dietary supplement due to its reputed antidepressant effects.
Glutamic Acid – usually seen in its salt form Monosodium Glutamate – used as a flavor-enhancer in many processed foods. This amino acid should be avoided as much as possible, as a number of possible health risks are associated with high levels of MSG consumption, including increased Asthma symptoms, Obesity, and Neurotoxicity.

The most useful Aminos to fitness enthusiasts and athletes are the Essential Amino Acids (EAAs), and the BCAA group, which are used in protein synthesis. EAAs are Aminos required by the body for metabolic functions, but are not naturally produced by the body in sufficient quantity, and so must be acquired via food or supplements. There are 8 EAAs: Leucine, Isoluecine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan (yes, the substance in Turkey that makes us sleepy every November!), and Valine. Many protein supplements have high levels of these Aminos, but they are also found naturally in meat, eggs, and milk. Perhaps the most important of the EAAs are the BCAAs Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. Roughly 1/3 of the skeletal muscle system in humans is made up of chains of these 3 Amino Acids. This fact alone is a powerful indicator that Amino Acids are extremely important in human nutrition, and especially in those who participate in weight training or athletics. Another important Amino Acid involved in muscle repair is Glutamine. This is a very popular ingredient in sports supplements, as it speeds along recovery. By ingesting Aminos via quality food sources or supplements, the body has a good supply of them to repair muscle tissue damaged during exercise, and can do so more efficiently – making you less sore after a tough workout, maximizing your workout’s effects.

One other function of Amino Acids, aside from protein synthesis, is as a source of energy. When the human body is lacking in energy to burn from dietary fats or carbohydrates, it can turn to Amino Acids as a fuel source. It generally does this under intense workloads, while the body is in a calorie-deprived state (Extreme dieting and training like that commonly undergone by Bodybuilders or Wrestlers who strive for low levels of body fat or to make weight classes, or when people exercise first thing in the morning without eating beforehand, thus having been in a long fasted state after sleep) The body will sometimes turn catabolic in this state, and start to burn its own muscle tissue as a fuel supply. To prevent this, an amino acid supplement such as Xtend can be ingested before and during exercise to supply Aminos to the body as a fuel source, helping to prevent muscle loss.
So, what does all of this mean to us? Aminos play such an important role in human nutrition that we should ensure that we consume a healthy supply of them via good nutrition, and, if necessary, dietary supplements such as Protein supplements, BCAA products like Xtend, or Amino Acid tablets like those found in nutrition shops. By getting an adequate Amino intake, we help to ensure better recovery from exercise, and a strong, healthy body.

Gotta Love Intervals

Interval Cardio:Interval training is a great way to relieve the boredom of steady-state cardiovascular exercise, has great cardiovascular benefits, and is also more time-efficient and effective for fat loss. Interval training consists of alternating between periods higher intensity work (such as sprinting, or bicycling at a very fast pace) and lower intensity "recovery" work (walking or light jogging, or slower pedaling, for example). Because of the intense nature of the "working" periods of interval training, the body's response is very similar to that of a weight-training session in that the hormones released during the workout tend to boost the metabolism for a period of about 12 to 36 hours. This effect is not possible with longer duration, slower paced cardio, as the body returns to its normal resting rate almost immediately upon finishing this type of exercise. This is the concept of Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) that some of you may have learned from Chris' nutrition seminars. As the body consumes oxygen, it uses calories (generally, these calories come from fat stores, as fat oxidizes more efficiently in the presence of increased oxygen in the body) to oxygenate the blood and carry nutrients to body tissues. If the amount of oxygen consumed is higher, so too is the number of calories burned. So, by doing intervals for a period of 20 minutes, you can effectively elevate your metabolism, and an increased resting metabolic rate (RMR), simply put, burns more calories, and helps you lose weight. Interval training, aside from allowing you to burn more calories throughout the day, can also burn more calories than a steady-paced workout if enough effort is put into the working periods.All of this metabolism, EPOC discussion may have left you thinking "That's great science, but how do I use it?" Well, look no further!


Beginner's Interval Training Plan:-warm-up with 5-10 minutes of walking or light jogging-sprint as fast as possible for a period of 30 seconds-jog at a light pace for 1 minute-repeat for a total of 5 intervals (meaning that you sprint 5 times, and recover 5 times)-cool down with another 5 minutes of walking or light joggingThis whole routine should take no longer than 30 minutes, and will yield greater fat-loss than a much lengthier cardio session at a slow, steady pace.As you advance and adapt to this type of exercise, gradually begin to increase your number of intervals to 10, and also slowly increase the duration of your working periods to about 1 minute when you feel that you need more of a challenge and are able to handle that level of intensity. Remember, intervals do not neccessarily need to be done with running, but can also be done on a bike, elliptical, stair-climber, or cross-trainer. The most important thing is to alternate between very high intensity work periods and lower-intensity recovery periods. The mode of exercise here is up to you.Steve Decker