One of the casualties of hosting holiday events is that I always find myself saddled with a plethora of desserts which are difficult to resist. For example, I still have homemade fudge, vegan brownies, and vegan banana bread sitting in my fridge which I cannot throw in the trash, because I know all too well how delicious they are. The strange thing is that I have only a small quantity of savory leftovers from Thanksgiving, so I never ran the risk of getting tired of eating turkey and stuffing. Years ago, I would have indulged in whatever leftovers remained without much consequence, but now that I am firmly entrenched in the fitness world, there is no possible way that I would risk unraveling my efforts to remain shoot ready year-round. I hope this proves to people that it is possible to have decadent desserts around without feeling the need to indulge in them. I am not saying that there is no temptation, but I try to ignore the fact that they are in my house. I have a photo shoot in five days and keep reminding myself that it is right around the corner!
Category Fit Attitudes
Healthy Grocery Shopping
Regular grocery stores in the United States are notorious for putting processed foods in alluring packages and displaying them prominently on grocery shelves. If you are in the habit of reading ingredient labels like I am, you probably know that the most processed foods are located along the aisles in the center of the store, while whole foods are found at the perimeter. As a result of this, I advise patients and clients to do the majority of their shopping around the perimeter in order to maximize the chances of making the healthiest food choices.
Think about it. If a food item can be stored in a box, bag or can at room temperature, it means that it probably has preservatives which keep it from spoiling. Start reading ingredient labels and you might be shocked at what you find. If ingredient labels are excessively long or have long names which you can’t pronounce, you probably should steer clear. Remember that the least processed foods will be assimilated by your body the most readily.
Grocery stores are designed to lure you in like a rat in a maze, but instead of getting a reward at the end of the maze, you might be signing up for health issues if you are distracted by all the colorful advertising found on the most popular food items. You are far better off avoiding the maze and selecting fresh meats, produce, nuts and whole grains. Happy shopping!
How Can You Forget To Eat?
Every time I hear someone say that he or she forgets to eat, it blows my mind. I could never forget to eat because I am so in tune with when my body needs fuel that my body reminds me that it is time to eat. Such fine tuning only comes with feeding the body properly with the right foods at the right times. I understand that most of us lead very hectic lives and that it can be difficult to stop everything just to get a meal in. But I do not understand how some people can work for 6, 8, 10 hours straight without a meal and feel no immediate physical repercussions from it. What about the churning, growling stomach? What about the impaired concentration or slump in energy? I get GROUCHY when I haven’t eaten my scheduled meals, and my body yells at me to eat.
Every time you skip meals, you prime your body to devour the most readily available foods, which in most cases means a trip to a fast food drive-through window. By this time, you are probably so ravenous that you will end up ordering far more food than you should. In all likelihood you will dip one hand into the bag of food while holding onto the steering wheel with the other hand, munching away rapidly and mindlessly, without allowing your body to respond to its satiety cues. If you make such fast food runs a habit, you increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Why wreak havoc on your health by engaging in such behavior?
If you are prone to forgetting to eat regular meals throughout the day, do yourself a favor and reprogram your eating habits. Set a timer to go off every 3 to 4 hours to remind you to eat. When the timer goes off, don’t continue to work, but put everything down and make sure to eat a balanced meal. Pack healthy snacks and meals to take with you and make sure that you have easy access to them. Some of you may be wondering how many meals are ideal and when to eat those meals. If you can get 4 to 5 meals in per day, evenly spaced apart, you will optimize your energy levels and re-set your metabolism.
New Ab Video Series on RxGirl – Exercise #5: Decline Bench Crunch
Fit For Stage…There Is A Difference
Original post can be found here: http://www.rxmuscle.com/blogs/the-life-inspiration-and-dedication/9699-fit-for-stage-there-is-a-difference.html
We all know that the general population is pretty resistant to the idea of packing on the massive amounts of muscle which are seen in men’s and women’s bodybuilding. This has made the men’s physique and bikini divisions incredibly enticing since these divisions are represented by a lesser degree of muscularity. However, it drives me nuts when I hear people proclaim that they are going to jump onstage and compete simply because they are reasonably fit.
I am not referring to people who have realistic expectations and who understand that there is a tremendous amount of work and prep that must go into delivering a great package onstage. I am referring to the self-assured, short-sighted individual who thinks that he or she represents the division without recognizing areas which need to be fine-tuned.
I have recently heard a number of fit individuals tell me that they feel they are ready to hit the stage without any preparation or fine-tuning since, in their minds, there is no distinction between what they have to offer and what competitors work so hard to achieve. To me this is an extremely disrespectful approach to the sport.
Those of us who compete are constantly aware of the need to achieve a personal best and take being onstage and representing our divisions very seriously. We understand that the work needs to be put in if we need to round out pec development, work on taper, or fine tune our level of conditioning. So when some newbie comes along expecting to grab a spare pair of board shorts, slap on a Mystic tan and rock the stage, I can’t help but snicker. I know that the newbie who adopts such a cocky attitude can be found dejected post-contest, shocked that his fit body didn’t take down the rest of the competition.
If you have yet to compete and have yourself convinced that you have nothing to learn about the division or the culture, you need to abandon such an attitude and instead learn some humility. There are so many outstanding representatives of the sport who are willing to guide new competitors and offer constructive criticism that you would be foolish not to avail yourself of their experience and knowledge. Make the journey one in which you LEARN and GROW.
List Of 2014 Pro Bikini Events
IFBB LEGENDS PRO BIKINI CLASSIC
Feb 1st – Las Vegas, Nevada
BIKINI INTERNATIONAL
Feb 28-March 1st – Columbus, Ohio
AUSTRALIA PRO
March 7-8th – Melbourne, Australia
MUSCLECONTEST.COM PRO
March 8th – Culver City, California
ST. LOUIS PRO
March 8th – St. Louis, Missouri
NEW ZEALAND PRO
March 15th – Auckland, New Zealand
BATTLE ON THE BEACH
March 28-29th – Daytona Beach, Florida
EUROPA SHOW OF CHAMPIONS
April 11-12th – Orlando, Florida
PITTSBURGH PRO
May 3rd – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
IFBB EUROPA DALLAS
May 9-10th – Dallas, Texas
NEW YORK PRO
May 17th – New York, New York
TORONTO PRO SUPERSHOW
May 30 -31st – Toronto, Canada
IFBB DENNIS JAMES CLASSIC
May 31st – Phoenix, Arizona
IFBB NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PRO BIKINI
June 7th – California
Promoter: Ted Williamson/John Tuman
GREATER GULF STATES
June 20-21st – New Orleans, Louisiana
IFBB PATRIOTS PRO BIKINI CLASSIC
July 5th – Las Vegas, Nevada
TAMPA PRO BODYBUILDING WEEKLY CHAMPIONSHIPS
August 8-9th – Tampa, Florida
ORANGE COUNTY MUSCLE CLASSIC
August 9th – Culver City, California
IFBB DALLAS PRO
August 16 – Dallas, Texas
ST. LOUIS PRO
August 23rd – St.Louis, Missouri
IFBB PITTSBURGH MASTERS PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
August 30th – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
BIKINI OLYMPIA
September 19-20th – Las Vegas, Nevada
IFBB KOREAN PRO
September 27th- Korea
EVL’S PRAGUE PRO
October 4th – Prague, Czech Republic
IFBB NORDIC PRO
October 11th – Lahti, Finland
FORT LAUDERDALE CUP
October 18th – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
EUROPA PHOENIX
October 25-26th – Phoenix, Arizona
SACRAMENTO PRO
October 30-November 1st – Sacramento, California
IFBB IOWA PRO
November 8th – Davenport, Ohio
IFBB IRONGAMES PRO
November 8th – Culver City, California
IFBB TIJUANA PRO
November 14-15th– Tijuana, Mexico
IFBB RUSSIAN PRO
November 28-29th– Russia
IFBB FERRIGNO LEGACY
November 28-29th – Santa Barbara, California
Another Amazing Beach Image From LHGFX, August 2013
Sexy Beach Image From August 2013 – LHGFX Photography
New Ab Video Series On RxGirl – Exercise #4: Ball Crunch
http://www.rxmuscle.com/video/rx-girl-video/9659-the-ab-series-crunch-on-ball.html
Do you want a 6-pack or just a flat stomach? Then “The Ab Series” is for you. Check out today’s exercise: The Ball Crunch!
Want Shapely Legs? Try This Routine
If you have good upper body definition but are noticing that your legs are lagging behind in the definition department, try the following routine two to three times per week to add lean muscle mass and shape. Perform each exercise in a superset in order without resting. Once you are done with a superset, pause for 30 to 45 seconds, then continue with the next one.
Stacey Naito’s Leg Blast For Shapely Legs:
SUPERSET #1:
4 x 15 leg extensions
4 x 15 jump squats
4 x 15 plie squat holding dumbbell between legs (Go very low so end of dumbbell touches floor. Come up only partway.)
SUPERSET #2:
4 x 15 prone leg curls
4 x 15 one legged lunge jumps (Hold onto Smith bar for support. Perform all reps on one leg, then switch.)
4 x 15 one legged leg presses
SUPERSET #3:
4 x 20 butt blaster machine
4 x 15 outer thigh machine
SUPERSET #4:
4 x 20 seated calf raises
4 x 20 non-weighted one legged standing calf raises
