Pomegranate Juice Reduces Muscle Soreness?

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research published a paper entitled "The effect of pomegranate juice supplementation on strength and soreness after eccentric exercise" in July of 2011. Here is the abstract:

The purpose of this study was to determine if pomegranate juice supplementation improved the recovery of skeletal muscle strength after eccentric exercise in subjects who routinely performed resistance training. Resistance trained men (n = 17) were randomized into a crossover design with either pomegranate juice or placebo. To produce delayed onset muscle soreness, the subjects performed 3 sets of 20 unilateral eccentric elbow flexion and 6 sets of 10 unilateral eccentric knee extension exercises. Maximal isometric elbow flexion and knee extension strength and muscle soreness measurements were made at baseline and 2, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 168 hours postexercise. Elbow flexion strength was significantly higher during the 2- to 168-hour period postexercise with pomegranate juice compared with that of placebo (main treatment effect; p = 0.031). Elbow flexor muscle soreness was also significantly reduced with pomegranate juice compared with that of placebo (main treatment effect; p = 0.006) and at 48 and 72 hours postexercise (p = 0.003 and p = 0.038, respectively). Isometric strength and muscle soreness in the knee extensors were not significantly different with pomegranate juice compared with those using placebo. Supplementation with pomegranate juice attenuates weakness and reduces soreness of the elbow flexor but not of knee extensor muscles. These results indicate a mild, acute ergogenic effect of pomegranate juice in the elbow flexor muscles of resistance trained individuals after eccentric exercise.

Sometimes... okay, lots of times... I find strength and conditioning research to be quite limiting and, in the end, not that helpful. It's been well accepted and practiced for years that the best post-training meal to consume is a liquid meal with roughly a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of carbs:protein.

Pomegranate juice really has nothing more substantial in it (for exercise recovery) than any other fruit juice or a sports drink. It's ALL sugar.

Take this study for what it's worth: further proof that something is better that nothing after you train. I'm sure the study participants would have been better served and demonstrated recovery in the "knee extensor muscles" if they'd been given a pomegranate drink that also included the proper ratio of carbs:protein.

Here's a SUPER simple recipe for a recovery drink I make for myself:

3-4 tbsp Nestle Quick powder

1/2 scoop protein powder

Water

Dunzo.

FREE TRAINING & delicious Cauli Couscous!

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Cauli Couscous Recipe; taken from Jen Comas-Keck from elitefts.com:

Ingredients: Head of cauliflower 2 - 4 cloves of garlic 1 TBSP olive oil Green onions Purple Onion Red pepper Green pepper Couple Tablespoons of low sodium organic stock - veggie, chicken or beef will work

Seasonings: Dash of sea salt Dash of pepper Dash of cumin Dash of chili pepper I threw in some shredded carrots and jalepenos, too because I'm a fan of the muy caliente.

First, cut the cauli florets off.  Then shove'um in the food processer, a couple quick pulses will do...you don't want to end-up with cauli-mash...

Next, heat up the tablespoon of olive oil and toss in your garlic and onions and get those warmed and carmelizing.  Next, add the other veggie accoutrment to soften them up.

Lastly, add your cauli, along with the stock and seasoning (season to preference).  Let simmer, flip your steaks, cut-up your avocado, a little red wine never did anybody no harm, and alotta made most pretty happy.  All aboard the flavor train. 

Enjoy,

Chef Boyaromo

Avoid Fatigue, Improve Your Sleep, & Manage Body Weight

By being aware of two things – 1. That your body has a pH, and, 2. That you should be striving to achieve pH balance – will help your body to avoid and manage stress more effectively while helping you to stay full of energy, have restful nights sleep, and manage your weight.When an acidic environment is sustained in the body (via diet and external stressors), health is affected as deep as the cellular level. Once this becomes the “norm” for your body, daily fatigue will exist. And because an acidic environment is a stressor in and of itself, cortisol levels will then rise and that will impair sleep patterns… so, now you’re fatigued from a poor diet and can’t even get a good night’s sleep. And if all this weren’t enough reasons to make a change, here’s the long-term bad news: acidic diets/bodily environments play a huge roll in America’s obesity problem AND will basically open the door and usher in disease into your body!

What should you do to improve your body’s pH profile? Take a look at this chart and start eating lots of foods from the alkaline-forming columns while making an effort to minimize/reduce/balance-out the acid-forming columns.

Highly Alkaline-Forming

Alkaline-Forming

Neutral

Slightly Acid-Forming

Highly Acid-Forming

Asparagus

Squash

Flax seed

Adzuki beans

Commercial breakfast cereal

Beets

Sweet potatoes

Hemp seed

Black beans

Pasta

Bell peppers

Amaranth

White chia seed

Black-eyed peas

Refined wheat flour

Broccoli

Buckwheat

Coconut oil

Chickpeas

White rice

Carrots

Millet

Macadamia nuts

Lentils

Beef

Cauliflower

Quinoa

Walnuts

Pumpkin seeds

Pork

Celery

Wild rice

Buckwheat flour

Sunflower seeds

Poultry

Chicory

Sesame

Agave Nectar

Brown rice

Shellfish

Cucumbers

Apples

Dried Herbs

Oats

Butter

Dill

Avocados

Miso paste

Spelt

Cheese (all types)

Dulse

Bananas

Spices

Chickpea flour

Cream

Green beans

Berries

Hemp flour

Milk, pasteurized

Leeks

Cantaloupe

Cold-water fish

Artificial sweeteners

Mixed Greens

Cherries

Venison

White sugar

Onion

Dates, Figs

Wild game

Candy

Parsley

Grapes

Milk, raw, unprocessed

Coffee

Peas

Nectarines

Synthetic multivitamins

Margarine

Sea Vegetables

Oranges

Peanuts (roasted)

Zucchini

Peaches

Prescription drugs

Stevia

Pears

Soft drinks

Gingerroot

Persimmons

Soy protein isolate

Green tea

Pineapple

Whey protein isolate

Fresh herbs

Pomegranates

Rooibos

Flax Oil

Yerba mate

Hemp Oil

Pumpkin Seeds

Almonds

Coconut

Peaches

I’ll leave you with a bit of – as a professor of mine always said – “Cocktail Trivia” - Did you know that it is impossible for cancer to form in an alkaline environment? Think about it.

I'm Ready to Admit a Few Things

I wanted to give an update to my plant-based dietary efforts this week and also thought there were a couple other things on my mind worth acknowledging/admitting to. Thank goodness people tend to become wiser as they get older…

1. Plant-based diets do not make you stronger, that’s for sure. BUT, they do keep you healthy and help you maintain a healthy body-weight. I’ve been eating a plant-based diet for about 18 or 19 months now. I won’t call myself a vegan or a vegetarian as that’s not completely accurate, but I will tell you that I consume animal products (dairy, meat, poultry, pork, etc.) only about 2% of the time. Here is what I’ve learned:
   • Plant-based diets always get big criticism for their cost, well, let me tell you we spend about 35% less at the grocery store each week than we used to. When you’re not buying family packs of chicken breasts each week, plus all the other animal protein products, your grocery bill takes a nose-dive. We used to spend around $100/week on groceries and now we average between $50-70/week.
   • I eat copious amounts of carbohydrates and maintain a lower body weight than I have in about 10 years. Read into the details there however you want, but I have zero cravings as compared to the way I used to eat (high protein, moderate fat, low/moderate carbohydrate).
   • I’m reducing my risk of a variety of diseases – cancer being the most notable. Cancer risk has been (via credible research) linked to the consumption of animal products, especially dairy. The cancer reason is 100% why I started this endeavor in the first place as cancer has left its mark on my family.
   • You can also reduce your risk of a variety of diseases by eating lots of plants and lean meats.
   • Here’s the biggie: MY STRENGTH LEVELS ARE NOTABLY LOWER than they were before I embraced this dietary lifestyle. Initially, I thought this was a pregnancy by-product issue, but Arabella is now 16-months old, so clearly, that’s no longer the problem. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t morphed into a weakling, I am usually the strongest female in any room (unless Kelsey is around…), just not by such a large margin anymore! Honestly, I’m not surprised I haven’t been able to gain strength, but I am shocked I haven't been able to come close to achieving pre-pregnancy strength levels.

     

2. Speed squats and/or speed deadlifts triumph over Olympic lifts each and every day of the week in terms of the MOST efficient way to improve explosiveness and strength (I feel like I preach this at least once a week). But, if you consider yourself a strength coach, you better have an excellent knowledge base about how to implement all aspects of strength-speed training – and this includes the Olympic lifts.
3. In the past (thankfully, this is years in the past) I may have been overheard saying something to the effect of “I don’t get it why parents always use their kids as an excuse for not getting to workout. Just commit the time.” And I guarantee whatever variation of this statement I actually used would have been laced with some pretty heavy cynicism. But, I will now admit – as a parent myself – that fitting training into the details of every day is quite a challenge. But, I often remind myself that while I'm training for a lot of personal goals, I'm also training to set an example for my daughter. I want her to see that training is an essential and healthy part of being a responsible adult and something I want her to learn to embrace over time. So, if you’re a parent who fits training into their daily or weekly routine, give yourself a pat on the back!

Rely on Strategies, Not Willpower, Part 2

strategies

In Part 1, we discussed how a major key to success in fueling our bodies with good foods is to rely on strategies. A good plan of action will trump willpower, every time.

While there are many strategies one can use, I'm going to give you seven right here and now. Aren't I awesome?? Let's get right to it:

1. Hold Yourself Accountable.

If things are looking pretty dire, holding yourself accountable to someone may be exactly the kick in the pants you need. I recently wrote about this in detail HERE, so no need to elaborate much for the moment.

2. Pre-chop Your Vegetables.

Pretty self-explanatory, yet astonishingly effective. This blew my socks off when I first tried it and saw how effective it was. I don't know about you, but I find it rather annoying to cut veggies (especially those large broccoli bushes) . This being the case, it's guaranteed I'm not going to chop them when I arrive home, tired and hungry, from work at 9pm.  However, if I've already chopped them, then they're all ready to go to throw on a frying pan, into a pot, or whatever. Tossing in a generous portion of herbs and spices will make them actually taste good, too.

DCIM100SPORT

On a Saturday or Sunday, simply take a bit of time to chop of a ton of veggies. Onions, peppers, carrots, squash, you name it. Then you can either divide them into separate containers, or just mix them all into one. This makes it a piece of cake to intake plenty of vegetables throughout the week. A personal favorite of mine is to keep a container of sliced bell peppers (various colors), and sliced onions to throw on the frying pan in the morning for egg omelets.

3. Always Have a (Nutritious) Meal Handy.

This takes a bit of planning, but will really help those random bouts of hunger that suddenly hit you. A recent favorite of mine has been to mix chopped carrots, beans, chick peas, asparagus, brussels sprouts, and canned chicken in a big baking dish:

DCIM100SPORT

Douse the dish with spices (I use cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder), mix in olive oil, and then top with some honey-flavored goat cheese (*the magic maker*) and bake in the oven for thirty minutes or so. I'll then divide up the dish into a bunch of tupperware containers to use on an as-needed basis.

It tastes better than it may sound, and is going to get you much closer to fitting into those skinny jeans than a bagel will.

4. Make Smoothies.

I have at least one of these every day. Super easy to make, and you can toss virtually anything in them. Not to mention, they're a great way to satisfy a sweets craving. Take them with you to work on a car trip and you're good to go. See the video below for one of my favorite recipes. If you have a cat to help you (like I did), even better:

5. Eat a Good Breakfast.

While scientists and dietitians may debate on which meal of the day is really the most important, I'm convinced that what you eat for breakfast will set the tone for the rest of the day. Simply put: If you gobble down a quick bowl of sugary cereal on your way out the door, then you're more than likely going to crave other sugary foods and sweets throughout the remainder of the day. Conversely, if you fuel your body with some lean proteins and healthy fats, then you'll be less prone to cave in to "problem foods" later in the day.

6. Give the Inside of Your Cupboards a Makeover.

If it's in your home, you're going to eat it. Plain and simple.

As such, if you have any "kryptonite" foods (you know what I'm talking about) that you tend to binge on for comfort, throw them away. If it's not in your home, you can't eat it.

7. Plan to Break the Rules 10% of the Time.

This is a staple guideline of John Berardi's Precision Nutrition system. Oftentimes, aiming for 90% compliance will get you much further than aiming for 100% compliance. When we shoot for perfection, we tend to enter a fail-->guilt-->fail-->guilt-->fail further-->guilt cycle that spirals us down to a place worse than where we started.

Achieving 90% adherence to a good plan will still deliver outstanding results, while still allowing ourselves not to be miserable. Going out for a special dinner? Get dessert and don't feel guilty about it. Ate well throughout the week and hit some benchmarks at work? Grab a burger and beer with your buds on Friday and enjoy it.

Just keep in mind what 90% really is. If you eat six times a day (42 feedings a week), this means that 38 of those 42 feeding opportunities can't contain crap. Or, if you eat three times a day (21 meals a week) then that leaves you only two, yes two, opportunities to indulge.

Most people think that they're at 90%, when really, after doing the math, they're only at 80% or so. I remember Rachel Cosgrove saying (paraphrased) that getting from 80% to 90% is one of the toughest barriers to break, yet also the biggest difference-maker when it comes to body composition and health.

Well, there you have it. Athletes can use the above tips to ensure optimal performance on game day and speedy recovery between training sessions. Everyone else can use them to feel better and keep body composition in check. Now get to it! After all, information without action is merely entertainment.

Rely on Strategies, Not Willpower, Part 1

It seems that people are often under the impression that I'm a sort of fearless and incorruptible freedom fighter when it comes to eating healthy and staving off temptation in the food realm. In fact, when I worked in the physical therapy clinic, all the therapists even brought in hard-boiled eggs and/or veggie+fruit platters for my birthday (instead of the typical cake+brownie+muffin celebratory nibbles). This meant a lot to me, as not only did they think of me on my birthday, but it showed that they knew it would mean more to me to eat snacks that "do the body good" than the usual birthday foods. I've been asked on many occasion - be it throughout college, out at dinner, or at the workplace - how I consistently eat well. How I always seem to pack healthy lunches, snacks, and at the same time avoid the belly-busting items on restaurant menus.

• How do you DO it?

• Man, I wish I could do that....

• Wow, you have such great self-control!

• I want your babies.

But the point of this post isn't to gloat. In fact, it's the exact opposite.

You want to know a deep, dark secret of mine? A skeleton in my closet, so to speak? I do NOT have the best self-control when it comes to food. In fact, it's terrible. Absolutely terrible. In reality, my sweet tooth is larger than the state of Kansas, and it is absolutely no sweat for me to crush a garbage disposal in a race to demolish a pint of ice cream. Not kidding. (To those that know me well, I know this doesn't come as a surprise).

However, despite this sad truth, I do still manage to fuel my body with foods that will benefit it rather than destroy it, the majority of the time. And my struggles to prove victorious in this area can help you.

I don't think any of you reading will deny that whole, unprocessed foods and vegetables will provide our bodies with steady doses of energy, allow us to recover faster from lifting sessions or athletic competitions, boost our immune systems, and keep body fat stores at bay. Nonetheless, many of us fail to act on this truth on a daily basis, right? Why?

Why is that, on a given weekend, we can plan to eat healthy throughout the upcoming week, only to find ourselves having consumed more oreos than antioxidants at the end of the week? I'll tell you why. The answer came to me when I was attending a business seminar put on by Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove. Rachel, while discussing client adherence to nutrition and exercise plans, said something I'll never forget:

Rely on Strategies, Not Willpower.

So true. I mean, how many times throughout the week are we hit with unexpected events that cause to gravitate toward shoving crap down our pie holes? Whether it's being held up at the office for an extra hour (or three), unexpectedly needing to pick up your child at a soccer game, running a few extra errands, getting stuck in obscene traffic (for those that live in NOVA), or saving a vulnerable, homeless kitten from the perils of the wild (if you happen to be a SAPT strength coach), there's no doubt that numerous events can knock us off track.

Countless stressors and time-consuming events are GOING to happen that will tempt you to make a poor decision in the kitchen, and relying on willpower isn't the answer. Willpower is just too fragile for us mere mortals in the crowd. Instead, we need strategies. Strategies are the key to success.

Not to leave you hanging, but I need to stop here. I'm out of time, so I'm going to touch a few critical strategies on Wednesday. Plus, I'm over 600 words for this post so I may have already lost some of you anyway :) Until then, start thinking of some strategies YOU can use - be it related to your nutrition OR training - that can take you where you know you need to go.