Workout Log: Monday June 18, 2012

I feel lazy and not too good for a few days. I did not exercise much and today as well. I can not go my normal strength. I can do only soft exercise. I want to recover my health from back and leg injury, so I decide to do light weight but many reps again. I start my exercise with barbell squat. Even though I do just warm up weight, my back start to feel pain again. My husband recommended me to do high bar squat instead. I had to keep my back tight and straight. I felt a bit better than my first set (lower bar squat).

In addition, my next exercise for today is barbell bench press. Honestly, I do not like bench press too much. I feel like it is a bit difficult to do. I can not lift much weight for this exercise. I down the weight to 70 lbs and I try to do perfect form with this weight. I can do it perfectly, so I plan to lift higher next time.

Moreover, my last exercise is barbell deadlift. I know this exercise is a bit easier. Most people can lift heavier with this exercise. I know some younger and lighter than me can lift heavier than me. I try to catch them up too. I will try my best. :)

Barbell Squat

• 45 lbs: 20

High Barbell Squat

• 45 lbs: 20
• 75 lbs: 10
• 100 lbs: 5,5,5

Barbell Bench Press

• 45 lbs: 15
• 60 lbs: 5
• 70 lbs: 5,5,5,5,5

Barbell Deadlift

• 75 lbs: 10
• 100 lbs: 10
• 140 lbs: 3,3,3

Banana Protein Shake

My husband has a hard workout schedule. I want to help him a bit, so after his hard workout, I made this protein drink for my husband. I mixed one medium banana, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of yogurt, 1 scope of whey protein and lemon.  I did not use blender I just mashed banana and then added everything after that just shake.

I made this one first time and it turned out not bad. It is very yummy and healthy.

What Counts As A Cardio Workout?

You've probably heard it everywhere: you have to get some cardio into your daily routine in order to burn fat and stay healthy. But what exactly counts as a cardio workout?

Cardio Workout Definition

In layman's terms, a cardio workout is pretty much any aerobic activity that gets you breathing faster and gets your heart pumping faster. Cardio workouts are divided into three different types, and these are low intensity, moderate intensity and high intensity workouts.

Low intensity workouts are those that slightly raise your heart rate, but still allow you to breathe pretty easily and carry a conversation without much effort. These include activities like walking, yoga, swimming, and so on.

Moderate intensity workouts, on the other hand, are those that moderately raise your heart rate and increase your breathing rate significantly enough to cause you to halt once or twice every time you speak a sentence. Examples of moderate intensity workouts are brisk walking, jogging, light aerobics, and some form of calisthenics.

Lastly, high intensity workouts are those that send your heart racing to about 70 or 80 percent of your maximum heart rate, and do not allow you to carry a conversation easily or at all. These include running, circuit training, high intensity interval training, jumping rope, and more.

What Counts As A Cardio Workout

Cardio workouts of any intensity count as a workout; so the real question here is what counts as a good workout. This varies according to the exerciser, but here are some general guidelines:

* For beginners to exercise, it is recommended to do at least 30 minutes to an hour of low intensity cardio every other day (or even better, daily) to get the body used to the exercise first.

* For those looking to lose weight by incorporating exercise, start with the beginner's regime above and slowly increase the intensity to moderate or high, but aim for 45 minutes to an hour of exercise every day. The higher the intensity of the exercise, the more calories you burn, and you will watch the fat slipping away.

* For general health, experts recommend 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio three to five times a week.

So as you can see, the right amount of cardio for each person varies, but the more cardio one can get into their daily lives, the better. You don't have to get the required duration in a stretch; you can also break it up into smaller segments of time which you carry out throughout the day. At the same time, try your best to do more and keep moving all day!

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Counts-As-A-Cardio-Workout?&id=7110293] What Counts As A Cardio Workout?

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Food Flavor

According to traditional Chinese medical texts. The flavor of all foods is important for virtually all organs of the human body. You will receive the benefits of all the food flavor if you have them in the right amount.

Sweet

Advantages - Sugar and carbohydrates in foods make energy to the body immediately. It is refreshing also help stomach and spleen performances. Sweet taste has benefit in health. We can use sweet to relief muscle pain, fatigue and thirst.

Disadvantages - Sweet foods are a result of diabetes. When body receive sugar too much, it can not control blood sugar levels to normal. In addition, the body receive too much energy causing the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, tooth decay, etc.

Spicy

Advantages -  Spicy food helps the lung and intestine performance, stimulate blood flow, release sweat, expel gas in stomach and intestines. It also helps in the metabolism.

Disadvantages - Spicy food can cause irritation of the stomach as well. Also, spicy foods such as curry paste is a mixture of salt, sodium glutamate, which is cause the risk of kidney disease and high blood pressure.

 

Salty

Advantages - Sodium is the main component of salt. It plays an important role in controlling the balance of body fluids, blood pressure to normal levels, control level of acid and base blood.


Disadvantages -When the body get sodium from salt higher than normal, the body tries excreted in urine. As a result, we feel thirsty, parched throat and water retention. In addition, salty will slow the flow of blood in the body, high blood pressure and makes the heart work harder.

 

Sour

Advantages - The acid helps to stimulate the liver and gallbladder to release the digesting juice. It helps in the absorption of the body as a mild laxative, blood purifier and helps the pituitary and the scurvy.


Disadvantages -Eating too much sour cause diarrhea and problem in lymphatic system. The wounds heal slowly and can cause decayed tooth.

Whey Protein Smoothie Recipes

Whey protein is made from cow's milk during the cheese making process. Whey protein contains a high amount of essential   amino acid that are used in many body functions including repair of injuries, building of muscles, provide a good source of energy, as well as helping with metabolism. Whey protein smoothies are great for athletes for energy and muscle growth, vegetarians as a good source of protein, dieters as a very good source of protein with little fat, and anyone else who needs protein. Whey protein smoothies can help achieve many goals such as muscle building or weight loss.
 

 

Fruity Whey Protein Smoothie Recipe

• 1 banana cut into chucks
• 1 or 2 scoops of whey protein( according to the brand)
• 3 large strawberries
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/2 of skim milk
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1/2 cup of yogurt

Directions:

1. Blend the banana with the milk, ice, protein and yogurt until a slushy texture is formed. 
2. Add the strawberries and blueberries and blend till slushy. Blending the fruit last will keep their flavor fresh. this whey protein smoothie is full of protein and antioxidants. 
3. Other fruits can be added or replace the ones above as well.

High Whey Protein Smoothie Recipe

This whey protein smoothie recipe optimizes protein amounts by using soy milk and almonds.

• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 banana cut into chucks
• 1 or 2 scoops of whey protein( according to the brand)
• 1 cup of soy milk
• 1/2 cup ice cubes

Directions:

1. Blend the almonds, raisins, banana, whey protein, soy milk, and ice cubes until a smooth texture is formed. Make sure the almonds and raisins are well blending. 
2. This whey protein smoothies contains a lot of protein and the raisins should provide sweetness.

Source: [http://www.smoothie-recipes.com/healthy/whey-protein.html]

Cooking: Baked Chicken with Homemade Mashed Potatoes

Nowadays, chickens are cooked and prepared in so many ways. Fast food chickens have been one of our favorites but it's not that healthy. Normally, we buy them for the taste and for convenience when we do not have time to cook. Fast food chickens contain a lot of cholesterol which cause health problem. Chicken can be cooked in so many techniques such as frying, steaming, roasting, jerking, baking, barbequing, etc. I like baking chicken most.

Baked chicken is a healthy and delicious dish. It is very tender and tasty. I like to season with some soy sauce, pepper and black pepper. Sometime I add herbs or other spices to give the chicken more flavors. Some people like to have skin on when baking, but for me I like to rip it out. I do not want an extra fat even though it helps my chicken more juicy and more flavor.

My baking directions are so simple. I just wrap seasoning chickens with foil and then bake in the preheat oven (preheat at 350 degree Fahrenheit) for 50-60 minutes. When the chickens finished, they are very tender. You can have baked chickens with some homemade mashed potatoes, french fries, salad or bread.

Daily Exercise for Always Keeping the Body in Good Shape

Doing exercise every day will always keep your body in good health. You can also improve your body shape by doing fitness exercise. If you want to use an exercise machine for training, you can go to the gym to work out with the fitness equipment available from the fitness center.

If you want to improve your health, you can do aerobic and combine with weight training. Use treadmill to strengthen your muscles on your lower body. And work with rowers to build the muscles on the upper part of the body.
Exercising with an exercise bike can be a good way to increase your stamina as well.

Generally, aging decreases muscle strength because the loss of muscle mass. If you seldom use your muscles, they get weaker and weaker. However, there is a great solution to stop it by doing fitness exercise to replace the muscle mass. You should do it routinely for the best result.

The gym is the best place for training your muscles and improving your health. There are a lot of fitness equipment you can choose, which suit your needs. You can follow the guidance of the instructors and meet people who share their experiences of losing their weight.

If you do not have time to work out at the gym, you can just jogging or hiking. You can also buy an exercise equipment for training your muscles at home. Having a fitness machine at home will save your time for going to the gym, and you can do it any time you need it.

Choosing The Right Exercise For You

Choose the type of exercise you like to do. If you choose the exercise that you do not want to do, then you are not going to do it for a long period of time. So, if you did not find something that suits you, choose something that you really hate the least.

Consider that walking is a good choice for someone who does not like paying membership fees or does not want to buy a fitness equipment either.
Walking is also a great exercise because it suits all ranges of exercises. You can start your walking plan at any time. And it is not difficult to find a partner who wants to do it together with you. And walking with partner will certainly make time goes faster.

Start practicing in just a short time and build it up over a period of weeks, which is necessary to the durability of your exercise program.
Do not ever begin with too hard exercise, as it will make you get injured. And for getting recovered from the pain will take quite a long time as well.
Just start your exercise by walking for about ten minutes a day. Therefore, after some periods you can increase it by five minutes every two or three weeks. Take different tracks every few days to avoid from getting bored. You can also take different friends to walk with you each day in the week.

Here are some tips to exercise safely and effectively:

1. First, do not forget to do stretching and warming up before exercising.
It will avoid your muscles for getting harmed.
2. Always read and follow the instructions from the professional trainer.
It will lead you to get the best result.
3. Always make sure the safety of the equipment before using.
4. When doing weight lifting, you should always use the spotter.
5. Exercise your muscles in a secure program.
6. Do the exercise with the correct manner. Do not over training because it will make your body being exhausted.
7. It is better to drink lots of water during the day, especially when you do hard exercises.


Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Daily-Exercise-for-Always-Keeping-the-Body-in-Good-Shape&id=7089425] Daily Exercise for Always Keeping the Body in Good Shape

Workout Log: Tuesday June 12, 2012

I have a lower back pain and now I feel sharp pain through my left leg. I think I have this problem because I gain weight. I try to lose weight, but still no luck for me. I have ight work out day. I do not want push my body to hard.

Walking

• 1:05 hour || firm surface || 1.6 km

Stretching

• 3 minutes

Squat

• 45 lbs: 20
• 75 lbs: 10,10,10,10,10 (sharp pain on my left leg)

Even though I lift only 75 lbs, I still feel pain sometime between set.

Reverse Hyperextension

 

This exercise can help me build more stomach and back muscle. I wish when I have strong back muscle my health will be ok.

• 0 lb: 5,10,10
• 2.5lbs: 5,10,10

Workout Log: Monday June 11, 2012

Aerobic Warm Up

• 5:30 minutes

Video Game Exercise

• 30 minutes || sweat

Wow, I sweat after playing video game. I don't play for a long time. It's very great.

Workout Log: Sunday June 10, 2012

Body Weight Squat

• 10

Squat

• 45 lbs: 20
• 75 lbs: 10
• 100 lbs: 5
• 120 lbs: 5
• 140 lbs: 3,3,3

Bench Press

• 45 lbs: 15
• 60 lbs: 5
• 70 lbs: 3,3,3,3,3

Workout Log: Friday June 8, 2012

Stretching

• 5 minutes

Squat

• 45 lbs: 15
• 75 lbs: 10
• 100 lbs: 5
• 120 lbs: 5
• 140 lbs: 3
• 165 lbs: 1 *failed at 2nd rep
• 142.5 lbs: 3,3,3 *my left leg start to kill me again.

Bench Press

• 45 lbs: 12
• 60 lbs: 5
• 70 lbs: 3

Main

• 80 lbs: 3
• 75 lbs: 5,3,2,3
  • failed on 3rd rep, 3rd set

Deadlift

• 75 lbs: 10
• 100 lbs: 10
• 140 lbs: 3,3,3

Push Up

• 10

Workout Log: Thursday June 7, 2012

Walking

• 2:03 hours || 7 km

Cooking: Omelet Breakfast Recipe

Recently, I start my day with omelet for breakfast. Omelet is so easy to make and tastes so  delicious. I try different ingredients and they turn out good. Sometime I want to eat cheesier, so I  add some cheese to omelet and let it melt a bit. I like cheese smell.

My husband does not want to have any carbohydrate in the morning, so he prefers to have omelet in the morning. I think it is a good breakfast high in protein.

Recipe for my omelet

• 1-2 eggs large
• small onion,, chopped (can less or more)
• tomatoes, chopped
• mixed vegetable (frozen or coleslaw)
• light soy sauce 1 teaspoon for 2 eggs
• black pepper to taste
• pepper
• some meat

Preparation

1. Heat the pan and pour oil 
2. Cracked eggs and then beat it in bowl with wire whisk or fork.
3. Add light soy sauce, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes and pepper.
4. Pour mix ingredients to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Adding meat on top of egg and then cooking one side until dry and loosened from surface.
5. When egg almost done, roll it and serve with black pepper on top.

Workout Log: Tuesday June 5, 2012

Walking

• 3:45 hours || 10 kms || 2 kg backpack

Diet and Exercise Tips for the Extremely Busy Person

I used to preach to people about no matter how busy you are, there is always time for exercise. While many people may still agree with that statement, I have to somewhat disagree. It was easy for me to say "no excuses" when it came to fitness - that is until I ended up working two jobs (one full-time, one part-time) as well as freelance work. When my time isn't taken up with work, I have to split my free time between family and friends. It seems that 24 hours a day is never enough!

However, I started putting on weight that I had dropped earlier in the year and I stopped exercising completely. My energy level had decreased and I feel like a big slouch. I finally put my foot down and made a plan to eat healthier and get fitness in any way I can. Below are some of the steps I am taking to reclaim a healthy lifestyle.

Bad Carbs

1. Eat 3 Meals and Still Lose Weight

I sit all day at work, yet I find myself starving at breakfast and lunch. Starvation isn't good when you're not prepared. I took the easy way out and grabbed meals at fast-food places nearby work. Believe me, after a few weeks, I was noticing the effects of constantly eating out. Now I prepare my breakfast and lunch in the evenings. I stick to protein and vegetables, cutting out the bad carbs. I pack my meals in food containers and warm them up at work. By cutting out the bad carbs (white flour, sugar, any processed food) I worry less about fat and calories.

2. Fitting in Exercise

When you're on a tight schedule, making it to the gym is near impossible. It's one of the last things you want to do after a long day. Getting up extra early to go takes a lot of motivation. I've decided to work out at home for 30 - 45 minutes on the evenings that I do not work. I perform interval training because the exercises are effective and combine resistance training with cardio.

On the evenings that I have free but still need to work from home, I set the timer on my phone for every 5 or 10 minutes. When the alarm goes off, I perform a set of exercises such as push-ups, squats, or walking lunges. I get in a workout while I am getting my work done.

As you can see, when you hear there are no excuses when it comes to health and fitness, it is true. It may seem difficult but it can be done. Make the commitment and you'll be amazed at the results you can achieve.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Diet-and-Exercise-Tips-for-the-Extremely-Busy-Person&id=7102436] Diet and Exercise Tips for the Extremely Busy Person

3 Weight Training Exercises To Get You Ripped Fast

There is an obesity problem in the country, but there are also a lot of people looking at weight training exercises. Weight training exercises are the ones that will give you the muscles that you have been looking for. It is not surprise that everyone wants to learn which weight lifting exercises will be the ones that will get those muscles here fast. After all who has time to waste when you have a beach to go to this summer? You need those muscles here as soon as possible so that when you wear a sleeveless shirt you attract attention for the right reasons.

Work All Of Your Body

When you are starting a weight training routine, you must make sure that you work out every muscle in your body. If you work your arms you will be strong, but if you have no definition on your legs and torso you will just be the strong fat guy. Because that is not something you want to be known as, you should start working your lower body. Lunges and squats are perfect to building your lower half. You should also listen to your personal trainer when doing squats because there is a small risk of injury if not done right.

Upper Body

The upper body is very important when doing weight training exercises. That is because the upper body is the first thing that people see when you go to the beach or wear less clothing in the summer. To get the most muscle buildup in the upper body you should try pull ups. A lot of people think that pull ups work the arms only, but the fact is that you are working arms, back and forearms. If you are just starting pull ups may be difficult, but given a few days you will do them without a problem.

Weight Lifting
Weight lifting exercises should be a part of your routine. Free weights when done right can build muscle and strength fast. There really are not that many exercises that are as effective as free weights. You should take your time with them, because they are exercises that you do not want to rush through. Weight training exercises may feel a bit difficult at first, but if you have a little patience you will be building big muscles in no time. That should be your goal and it is an achievable one.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?3-Weight-Training-Exercises-To-Get-You-Ripped-Fast&id=7113613] 3 Weight Training Exercises To Get You Ripped Fast