Focused on Sacrifice…
As I awake just before sunrise each morning, I think of every possible reason to remain asleep. Did I rest enough? most likely no; should I get up for an early morning cardio session? ..yes; will I? ..probably not. Soon enough I realize how far along I could have and should have been towards my transformation – still I feel as though I’ve gotten nowhere.
No shame in self-blame. I was extremely lazy on countless mornings and bullshitted plenty of nights. I could have won. I could have been at top shape by now. But where am I? …the answers could go on forever but I’ll leave it simple: lazy.
My focus has shifted away from peer recognition onto self recognition. I’ve now seen myself in the mirror. I am not satisfied. I made a promise to myself on the first day of this year to be in the best shape ever by the last day of this year. My results are shitty. The hell is wrong with me? How the hell did I allow this to happen?
I have to remain focused on the ultimate goal: to be healthy, in shape, and highly active but well balanced. This is not about how I look — it is about how I feel. Fuck what everyone else thinks.
On a positive note: my strength has gone up incredibly; my definition has improved, and my overall size is immaculate. Last I checked I was sitting at 235lbs with only 18%bf which means I carry around 193lbs of hard earned muscle. This is no contest look, not a model body, no comparison, no challenge, none of that – this is simply who the fuck I am.
I challenge each rep evenif it leaves vomit on my pallete; the point is I defeated what I could not defeat one week ago. That’s self-accomplishment. Turn-around results in just seven days. Meals are eaten from the time I awake until I pass the fuck out. As I approach push/pull exercises with weights heavier than my body weight, I call it my bitch then proceed with my defeat. No weight can stop me, never.
In exchange I get a better physique. People acknowledge me for it but, quite honestly, I don’t care. Those that question my lifestyle will never relate anyway. Most of these people are no where near the level of self-discipline required to get what’s wanted in life, so why the fuck even care to answer? By default, my answer is, “take care of yourself …it’s an acurate measure of what you are and how you live.” Reminder: you are what you eat.
What I’ve experienced this year first hand is the reality of simple math: the symmetric property–input = output and output = input. If you want something, work towards it. Do everything right. In this case, never miss a meal, never “forget” a workout; always finish your set. Trust me, your physical appearance WILL NOT lie to you.
Until next time…
Finally nutrition information on ground meat/poultry…finally
According to WebMD, nutrition information is to be included on most ground meat and poultry (this was reported back on March 1, 2012). Before now, USDA did not require us to know specifics, but now we have the following changes:
- Ground meat and ground poultry must carry a nutrition label.
- If the ground meat/poultry product shows the percentage of lean meat, it must also show the percentage of fat. For example, if a ground product says it’s 80% lean, it must also say it’s 20% fat.
- Small businesses that grind meat and poultry are exempt from the rule, provided they offer lean and fat information and do not make any other nutritional claims on the package. The USDA estimates that 95% of grinders are small businesses, providing about 25% of such packages.
- Nutrition information for 40 popular cuts of meat and poultry — beef porterhouse steaks, chicken breasts, and pork chops, for example — will appear either on individual packages or on charts posted near the point of sale.
- Nutrition information on non-ground cuts of beef and poultry will be based on average nutritional values for that cut.
- Nutrition facts panels will include the number of calories and the grams of total fat and saturated fat a product contains.
- Nutrition labels do not have to include the grams of trans fat in a product. The USDA estimates that 75% to 80% of nutrition labels voluntarily list trans fat.
Where's the nutrition information?
Simple Ways to Eat More Veggies!
- Toss veggies with pasta dishes. Chop or grate zucchini or yellow squash with marinara sauce for more fiber
- Veggie omletes taste better! Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach or onion in eggs for a better bite!
- Start with a salad. Make a small side salad to start the meal off so you get more veggies in your day!
- Healthy appetizers. Spinach dip or tomato bruchetta are delicious, contain veggies, and packed with nutrients!
The $0 Date — Healthiest Ever!
What’s the one thing you think about when you arrive to work in the morning?
Hint: It’s the same thing you’re thinking during/after your lunch break…
Okay, it’s the same thing you promise yourself to once you get home…
Yes, it’s sleep!
Sleep is the one date you never have to pay for AND it could actually end with lifelong benefits. There are thousands of sleep studies available for review that prove the importance of adequate sleep. For some reason we are not too informed on its vital significance to our lives; some of those reasons include:
- Weight Gain (lack of sleep)
- Weight loss (adequate sleep)
- Weakened immune system
- Hormone dysfunction
- Memory Loss from lack of sleep but memory gain from adequate sleep
- Risk of high blood pressure
- Inability to comprehend
- Decreased SEX DRIVE!
Ok now that I’ve scared you enough, don’t forget to schedule a nightly date with that pillow! At LEAST try for 7 hours. I know it’s hard because of family, traffic, work schedules and so forth, but lets try getting better at sleep…it’s WORTH it, literally ($0)!
Here’s two studies with a breakdown of side effects based on the amount of sleep we get. Now, I cannot say this information speaks for all of us, but it’s very interesting information since it relates to all.
Click
<– Read from ‘SELF’ regarding sleep | WebMD facts on sleep –>
14 Best and Worst Foods for Digestion [You Need to Know!]
Have you ever felt bloated or full or even constipated for a long period of time? When this happens, what do you do? Do you eat more, less, or do you find something to help push things out?
You’d be surprised at this list of best and worst foods for digestion. Trust me, you NEED to know about these items before you INgest because it might just be too difficult for them to DIgest.
How many of you have experienced difficulty digesting some of these items on the “worst” list? I know I have!
Click on the picture to see the 14 best and worst foods for digestion
Where'd my food go!?
Expert Tips on How to Stop Emotional Eating and Achieve the Body of Your Dreams
On this episode of Health Demystifed's Expert Interview Series, we are here with emotional eating expert Sheila Viers (www.sheilaviers.com). She’s the Co-Founder of Live Well 360. Her work been featured in several health and fitness publications including Yahoo! Shine, Glo MSN, FITNESS magazine, LiveStrong, the list goes on and on….
She’s helped thousands of women stop bouncing from one diet to another, to end the self-sabotage, and in the process to gain energy, clarity, and focus in their lives…
Top 10 Health Benefits of Drinking Water
The amount of water you consume is extremely important to ones health. Here are the top 10 benefits of drinking water:
1. Weight Loss: Drinking water helps you lose weight better then anything else in the world. Water flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. Drinking water can also reduce hunger and acts as an appetite suppressant so you’ll eat less.
Very Important Meal – The Pre-Workout Meal
Breakfast is by far THE single most important meal of the day; however for those of us who are physically active, we need to make sure we properly fuel our bodies with the right nutrients prior to exercise. Take a moment to research the role of simple/complex carbohydrates, protein, and GOOD fats. Most of your other nutrients fall under one of those three categories, so lets take a look at the picture here:
For today’s pre-workout meal I am having grilled chicken breast (my fav spicy bbq rub!), half of a yam, and some almonds. Later (as I’m going to the gym) I will probably have a scoop of Jack3d or whatever samples I have in my bag. My purpose for today’s pre-workout meal is to make sure I am able to make it through my heavy lifting session. Folks, FOOD IS FUEL and we must always fuel our body!
Yam: The yam is a complex carbohydrate meaning it is a slower digesting than (lets say) white rice. It should be used as a source of energy during my workout so that my body doesn’t start to eat my hard earned muscle for energy.
Almonds: I added a few almonds to the mix because of its fat content. Almonds are monounsaturated fats that provide energy and help with vitamin absorption. I also hear that nuts can help regulate cholesterol levels (i get to eat more eggs!) but I’ll do more research. To give a better visual as to WHY this is so important, your body usually uses energy in this order: Carbs (yam), fats (almonds), protein (chicken…muscle…big no no). Note: this is general info but NOT exactly always the case.
Chicken: Oh I love chicken. Chicken = Protein! Really we shouldn’t eat a meal without protein. We also shouldn’t have carbs without protein! This one is very simple: protein is the building block of new muscle; it contains amino acids, and it is important to your life, period.
Egg Yolks – To eat or not to eat?? What’s the verdict?
What’s the verdict here folks? Egg yolks are “bad” for you, “good” for you, AND overall, eggs smell like fart.
I personally enjoy whole eggs w/yolk for breakfast on my ride to work but starting to get concerned with the cholesterol “scare” in yolks. With anything, you can read pros and cons. I found a fairly unbiased write up on bodybuilding.com (click picture below) regarding the topic.
Share your thoughts with me! What do you think?
Hard Boiled Eggs w/Yolk - To eat or not to eat?
Supplements I Use
Here’s the supplementation I use: multivitamin, flax, flax oil, caffeine (sometimes it helps), fish oil, kre-alkalyn, fiber, whey protein (after workout), casein protein (before bed w/flax), and gotta have a food scale!!
