A Couple Reads and a Food Chart

Well, everything this week was coming along beautifully until I was ninja'd by a flu on Wednesday. The pesky fever hasn't left me yet (I think it's due to the recent lack of vegetables and deadlifts in my life), so needless to say, I don't trust my brain with putting anything remotely close to intelligent or informative on paper today. As such, I've allowed a few other people to do the writing for me today:

What Women Should Never (but often) Do While Trying to Get in Shape: Part 2 - Dieting by Juliet Deane this one's a bit of an oldie but I thought it would be of great benefit to the women (even the men, too) in the crowd that seem to never make progress in the "dieting" realm.

Top 20 Bodyweight Exercises for Building Muscle & Strength by Jason Ferruggia Jason recently wrote this article on bodyweight training and, given that I've increasingly fallen in love with bodyweight exercises, and have been doing them more and more in my own training, most of what he said resonated home with me.

Lastly, here's a pretty funny diagram on how to make wise food choices at the supermarket. It was tweeted by us yesterday. It's actually scary how true this picture is and many would be smart to pay attention to the first box on there ('Does it have a label?').

The Ron Reed Project

It's been awesome to see the number of adults training at SAPT consistently growing. I tip my hat to all those who work all day, drive their kids to every nook and cranny of NOVA, keep their kids from killing themselves on a regular basis, and still make time arrive at SAPT ready to get after it! It's very inspiring to see, and I'm excited to see more and more adults making vast improvements with us. One of our clients, Ron, recently went through an incredible body transformation that I wanted to share with you. Ron had been training with us for a little while already, but he told us that he wanted to enter a focused fat-loss plan as his health was beginning to suffer due to some weight he had put on.

We gave him an individualized nutrition plan, and tweaked his workouts so they would be a bit more "fat loss" oriented in nature. His results were nothing short of fantastic! See the video below.

I'd like to point out a few things that may be helpful to those of you reading:

1. Ron works full-time, both in the business world and at home as a dedicated father and husband. So, a transformation like this is certainly possible if you consider yourself a busy person (and I don't know anyone that doesn't).
2. Ron FREQUENTLY has to travel for work - often for 5-7 days at a time. So, even for those you that travel, you can definitely make worlds of progress with a schedule that demands regular travel. Ron would tell me what equipment he had available at the hotel (sometimes the hotels didn't even have a gym), so I would give him some "hotel room workouts" in which he could still get in some training with just his bodyweight, a chair, and a bed as his gym equipment. Your improvements in the physique realm will never depend on what fancy gym equipment you do or do not have available. It's the mindset that is going to be the difference maker.
3. Honestly, most of Ron's success was due to his consistency in the kitchen. I've said it before and I'll say it again: You can't out train a bad diet. Ron was constantly emailing me to make sure something was "approved" before he picked it up at the grocery store or added it to his meal. When he was on the road, he was sure to pick items on the restaurant menus that were going to help his progress, not hinder it.
4. He did not count calories, eliminate carbs from his diet, or partake in anything extremely complicated. It's important to note that nutrition plans really don't have to be as complicated or tedious as many may make it seem.
5. We did not do any carb cycling or sodium depletion leading up to his "After" picture (or at any point in his program).
6. Ron did not do a single crunch or sit-up throughout his program. Proof that you don't need to (in fact, you can't) sit-up your way to a lean midsection. It won't happen.
7. He performed zero steady state running throughout his program. Again, it is unwise (and unnecessary) to prescribe long distance running for someone in need of weight loss. Considering that all of Ron's blood levels returned to healthy levels during his program, this also goes to show you don't need long distance running to improve the health of your heart. Can it help? Absolutely. But I wouldn't recommend it as a modality of choice for a weight loss client.
8. He not only maintained, but increased his strength during this phase. I can't tell you how many times I talk to people (primarily males) that are frightened they're going to "lose all their muscle" if they enter a fat loss program. It's not going to happen if you design the program appropriately. As shown in the video, Ron hit a 40lb PR on his weighted chinup, a 30lb PR on his front squat, a 15lb PR on his close-grip bench press, and a 20lb PR on his trap bar deadlift. Note that these personal records occurred during this particular 16-week program (not throughout the few years he's been training with us).
9. Ron just turned 51 years old. 'Nuff said.

Here are his Before and After pictures (the before picture was taken while he was on vacation shortly before the start of the program):

Before

After (front)

After (side)

After (back) Congratulations, Ron! Who is ready to join him?

if ex gf is having bad day what to say

what makes an ex come back andhow to get back ur ex after a break up or how to show i want my ex back.

how to make your ex boyfriend love you want you back

what does mean if my ex boyfriend message me howdy, i need my ex lover back, etc.

Hold up! Before you read one more word, please consider following us on Twitter, watching us on Tumblr, and/or Like-ing us on Facebook!

Here’s an amazing food you’ll want to add to your diet IMMEDIATELY. If not sooner: Maca. I first discovered it about 2-months ago while searching for foods to help fight adrenal fatigue...

This first bit of information I pulled from www.raworganicmaca.info

Background

Maca is a root that grows high in the Peruvian Andes at altitudes of 14,000 feet (3500 m) above sea level.  It has been cultivated for 1000s of years and used by indigenous people to boost their energy while living at such extreme elevations where oxygen is in short supply.   It looks similar to a radish or turnip and comes in a variety of colors ranging from white to dark purple.

Peruvian maca root has the distinction of being the highest growing food plant anywhere in the world.  The extreme climate and conditions where it grows include freezing cold, intense sunlight and strong winds.   The soil is probably some of the worst anywhere for growing food.  And yetmaca root is a survivor and thrives in these inhospitable conditions.  Perhaps it is this tenacity to live that is imparted to those who it eat, giving them increased energy and ability to survive in intense conditions. No doubt it has made a productivelife possible in the very high mountains for generations of indigenous people.

Peruvian farmers tried the maca root on themselves (after they noticed positive changes in cattle) and found that it made them much more energetic, strong, better able to withstand the high altitude, harsh climate, and also that it made them more sexually active and fertile. Since then, there has been widespread knowledge and facts about the reputed ability ofmaca root to be a true aphrodisiac, and a fertility enhancer as well as a very effective energizer, strengthener, and giver of overall well being.

Commonly reported benefits:

• Increased energy and endurance
• Increased stamina
• Alleviated chronic exhaustion (fatigue) syndrome
• Improved sexual function and libidoin bothmen and women
• Enhanced fertility in people and animals
• Reduced hormonal dysfunction during menopause & andropause
• Balancedhormonal irregularities
• Alleviateddepression
• Reduced anxiety and stress
• Improved circulation leading to reduced anemia and faster wound healing
• Enhanced memory, learning, and mental ability
• Improved and more youthfulskin appearance
• Healthy teeth and bones

Maca also:

• Acts as a fungistatic and bacteriostatic
• Acts as an anticarcinogen and antioxidant
• Is an alternative to anabolic steroids, helps to build muscle

How Raw Maca Works:

Nutritionally,  maca root isrich in amino acids, phytonutrients, fatty acids, vitamin and minerals.   According to nutritional researchers, [information] published in the Journal “Food Chemistry” in 1994 and 2001 maca contains the following:

• Composition: 59% carbohydrates, 10.2% protein, 8.5% fiber, 2.2% lipids
• Essential Amino Acids: nearly all including Aspartic Acid, Glutamic acid, Serine, Histidine, Glycine, Threonine, Alanine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, HO- Proline, Proline, Sarcosine
• Free Fatty Acids: 20 have been found of which the most abundant are linolenic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid
• Vitamins: A, B1, B2, B3, C, D
• Minerals: iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, sodium, potassium, calcium
• Macaenes and macamides: novel polyunsaturated acids and their amides
• Sterols: campesterol, stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol
• Alkaloids: Aromatic glucosinolates including: benzyl glucosinolate, p-methoxybenzyl glucosinolate
• Isothyocyanates: benzyl isothiocyanate, p-methoxybenzyl isothiocyanate

That alone makes maca a true nutritional powerhouse and amazing daily supplement.

But maca root, like ginseng, is also an adaptogen.  Adaptogensaresubstances that raise the physical body’s state of resistance to diseases through physiological health and emotional health improvements. This makes maca a broad based healer able tosupport and rejuvenate overwhelmed, tired adrenal glands eventually resulting in much greater energy, stamina, clarity of mind and spirit, and the ability to handle stress.

One other important note is that scientistshave also discovered that maca root has the ability to regulate, support, and balance the hormonal systems of both men and women for optimal function. One of the very great things about Peruvian maca root is that it is not “gender specific” and works equally well at the hormonal changing benefits for both sexes equally.

To confirm these claims, I went ahead did a bit of my own research to see if these claims are legit. In fact many of them are – here are the PROVEN benefits I found in scientific research that has been published:

1. Stimulation of body metabolism
2. Control of body weight
3. Increased energy
4. Stress reduction and anti-depressant activity
5. Memory improvement
6. Enhanced sex drive and the production of sex hormones
7. Reduction in prostate size and weight
8. Reduction of psychological symptoms of post-menopausal women (including anxiety and depression).
9. Unlike supplements, maca is a whole food so there are no side effects.

Lastly, this stuff is easy to use. Just add it to any beverage and drink up!

It doesn't matter who you are, there is something in numbers 1-8 that could stand some improvement. - Sarah

Rethinking Saturated Fat?

Here is a pretty cool post a collegue just forwarded to me. Apparently, the nation's nutritional "experts" are finally starting to put some things together.

- Sarah