I Think I'm Going Nuts

Almond nuts make great snacks and are convenient enough to carry in my bag and have while I am at work, in the classroom or on the go. Not only do they taste great, they are packed with many health-benefitting nutrients and vitamins. Just a small handful, about 30-40 grams will provide me with some protein and a lot healthy fats to satisfy some of my dietary requirements for training. They also contain serotonin which helps suppress huger so I don’t feel hungry. I choose to snack on nuts because I can consume them easily and quickly when I am busy.

Almond nuts have long been revered as a symbol of wellness and health and are available all year round. While buying, look for the nuts that feature bright brown colours, compact and uniform in size, and feel heavy in hand. I choose almond nuts over the others because they offer more nutrition and are better for your cholesterol than the others. When buying then make sure they aren't roasted which cause them to lose their inherent values due to oxidisation which takes place from roasting.

These nuts are calorie dense, as with most foods, almonds are good for you or healthy, but only if you consume the right amounts. Otherwise, the nutrition value of almonds can work against you instead of for you. Make sure to keep your consumption of almond nuts in check, not much more than one ounce.

Image Source
123rf.com

References
nutrition-and-you.com
nutsforalmonds.com
training.fitness.com
livestrong.com
drclay.com

Finding Some Big Shoes to Fill

Looking to buy a new pair of running shoes to workout in. My old pair is due for a replacement and I am looking for pair that won’t hurt my heels when I run. I would also like the shoes to look good as well as being comfortable. Most important of all it has to be a good pair of shoes to run in.

A lot of my friends recommended Asics because they had a friend or relative that owned a pair and was happy with it. The Asics Gel Keyana 18 is the 18^th version of Asics flagship Structured Cushioning model that made the series an icon and looked like a good choice.This would be my first purchase of the brand. Here are some customer reviews about the product from various websites and blogs.

solereview.com 4/5 

epinions.com 5/5 

drshoereviews.com 5/5 

sportsman.com.au 0/0 (Not Yet Rated)

amazon.com 4/5 

zappos.com 5/5

run4nf.blogspot.com.au No Ratings

www.runnersworld.com 1/5

dadgeekgamer.com No Ratings

Image source

directsportseshop.co.uk

Memorable Moments

After returning to training I seem to have undergone some noticeable physical changes. It is not just obvious to me but I get comments from others telling me how much different I look and how much I have changed since I began working out again. I believe over the last 6 weeks I have gained a total of 4 kilos in overall body mass. That might not sound like a lot but considering that I am not very tall that is actually quite a lot. In the process I would have changed my body’s composition by losing weight and replacing it with muscle mass.

I could thank myself for a job well done at the gym but I know that the reason for that dramatic change have something to do with what a lot of weight trainers call Muscle Memory. After all this time training I don’t really know what it is exactly and how it really works. I suppose now is as good a time as any to find out more.

The Wiki says that muscle memory is a form of memory procedure that is stored in the brain. This memory is accumulated by the brain over time to perform certain activity more effortlessly without any conscious thought. It all happens in the brain and not from the muscles itself, from enough repetition of a task/activity either from practice or from learning. The activity gets easier over time as your brain learns to encode this information to communicate with the nervous system and the physical body better. Your brain then stores this data for retrieval in the form of emotion and memory. 

Because I have already develop these memories all my brain needs to do is retrieve this data so I can use it. This is why I get bigger and stronger more quickly. It is because my brain has the necessary instructions to help communicate with my body more effectively when compared with someone who has never worked out before.    

Muscle memory can also work against you. For example if you spend a lot of time repeatedly doing a process the wrong way, then you will build muscle memory with those mistakes and can have a hard time relearning that process the right way. Kinda makes me wonder why I have a hard time improving at certain things and are good at others. This is one reason why the saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is often true.

Image Source

smithsonianmag.com

References

thecoryhollyinstitute

wikipedia.org

lifehacker.com

3-2-1 Go

Started integrating cardio into our workout today and thought we will kick of the cardio session with an adapted version of the three two one training method. Me and my training partner attempted to consistently do 3 minutes of jogging followed by 2 minutes of running and then again followed by 1 minute of sprinting with no rest period in between until the circuit was completed. We rested for 2 minutes after each circuit and then repeated the process until 45 minutes has passed. We both felt very exhausted by the end of the training session and at the very same time we both felt very good high.

The 3-2-1 Method is considered to be a good and effective way to train any body part because it adds variety to your workout by keeping things interesting. It is an effective combination of cardiovascular and strength exercises that will increase both your endurance and your explosive power. The method is favoured and used by a lot of celebrities to help keep them looking good and stay in good physical shape. It is a good choice for me as I am not very fond of jogging long distances for a long period of time. 

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NOW its Euro Training

Terry Cruz is a American actor and a former NFL player, some of us might remember Terry Cruz from films such as Friday after Next or as the big guy from White Chicks. He also appears in a lot of other popular sitcoms and movies as well. He usually plays roles that bring a lot humor to the audience which is one of the many reasons why his popularity as a actor has him acting alongside other Hollywood stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Mickey Rourke, Steve Austin, Randy Corture, Eric Roberts, Dolph Lundgren, and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie The Expendables.

He is physically strong and very athletic as you would expect from a former professional NFL player, in other words the guy looks like he lives and sleeps in the gym. Below is an interesting training regime Terry uses to train Damon Wayans in the sitcom My Wife and Kids where he did a small cameo.

image credit

Can It Be a Little too Green For Me?

I have been drinking green tea for awhile now primarily to burn fat and to boost my immunity. It is cheap to buy and you can find it almost anywhere. I have been consuming up to a minimum of three cups a day daily and sometimes more, as well as receiving additional doses of it from supplements to assist weight loss so I keep my resting metabolism going for longer. 

It seemed like a good idea and until recently I never thought it would do me any harm in the short term. How can this harmless green herb cause any problems for me now? I am not overweight and I am quite active as well so I was confident I will get away with some of the risks associated with high doses of caffeine in green tea or any other side effects. 

 I decided it was about time that I find out more details on how much green tea you can consume  safely and how much was too much. I wouldn't be too surprised if I happen to already be in the above recommended daily dose.

• Too much caffeine can cause nausea, insomnia or frequent urination.
• Scientists have warned the users that intake this tea in large amounts can pose danger to the kidney as well as the liver.
• Derived products from this kind of tea can pose a threat to your health as they contain polyphenols in large quantities.
• Pregnant women have been advised to lower their intake of these types of teas or eliminate it from your diet completely. EGCG can interfere with the child's growth which can create complications.
• Low birth weight
• Premature birth In some cases fatal death.You are sensitive to caffeine: If this is the case with you then restlessness, irritation, sleeping problems, tremors, heart palpitations and loss of appetite can be the problems you can face.
• You have a sensitive stomach:  Stomach related problems are very common with people consuming green tea. So you should add more milk and sugar if you notice these symptoms.
• You are young: Young children are advised not to drink coffee or tea because their body may not be comfortable and it may over stimulate them.
• Caffeine in green tea cause dehydration.

sources credit
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Finding My Eye Of The Tiger

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I was browsing through You Tube recently for anything exciting and motivational to help me train and I came across an old clip from the movie Rocky 3. There is a scene where Apollo Creed gives Rocky a pep talk about rediscovering the fire inside of himself “eye of the tiger” and overcoming his own self doubt to get back the things he lost. Rocky was feeling defeated, he had just lost his heavyweight championship title to Clubber Lang, an opponent who was more bad ass and determined than him and he also lost his mentor and trainer Mickey who he was very close to.

Apollo invited Rocky along with wife Adriane and brother-in-law Paulie back to his gym in LA to help train him for his upcoming rematch with Lang. Apollo is a very positive motivator who believed in Rocky's strengths and he always encouraged him to believe in his abilities even when Rocky didn't himself. Apollo to me represented and reminded me of my own positive self talk and Paulie in contrast represented the negative ones that conflicts with it. Off course it is not enough to just think positive thoughts but to follow them up with action, lucky for Rocky he had Apollo's help, without Apollo Rocky would never have won.