How to Get the Nutrition You Need In Your Diet

When it comes to getting the right nutrition in our diets, many of us don’t know the first place to start. Sure, we all realize that there are certain things we need to have in our diets in order to be healthy, but a lot of us don’t have a clue what they are. Millions of people in North America alone suffer from a number of health problems, including obesity, just because they do not have a good understanding about good nutrition and the role it plays in good health.

Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is really important, not just for losing weight, but also for being healthy in general. And it is actually pretty easy to learn how to eat right. Basically, we all need to have three macronutrients, in certain amounts, in order to survive and be healthy. These macronutrients are proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

Aren’t Fat and Carbohydrates Bad Things?

In recent years, we have been taught that we should avoid fat and carbohydrates. But we need both of these macronutrients, it’s just that we need the right amounts and types of these macronutrients from the right food sources and prepared the right way. We also need to take into account our body types and lifestyles. Athletes and other very active people with high energy demands need more fat and carbohydrates than people that lead very sedentary lifestyles. When it comes to carbohydrates, the ones most of us should be avoiding or limiting are the sugary and starchy carbohydrates, especially those that come from processed food sources. This can include most breakfast cereals, breads, crackers, desserts, candy, cookies, store bought fruit juices, soda, energy drinks, white rice, noodles, pizza, etc. What we do need in our diets are low glycemic carbohydrates primarily from raw or lightly steamed leafy and cruciferous vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, and kale; low glycemic raw fruits, and in moderate or limited amounts from starchy or root vegetables such as beets or sweet potatoes, starchy or high glycemic raw fruits such as bananas and tropical fruits, and unprocessed whole grains such as brown rice or whole oats.

Fats are another supposed no-no. We need to have polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats in our diets, and yes even to some extent some saturated fats as well from the right sources. If you look at the fat content from some healthy fat sources such as fish, eggs, nuts, avocados, or coconuts, they all contain in varying degrees all three different types of fat, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated. What we need to avoid are trans fats such as hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, processed, over heated, and over cooked fats such as those in doughnuts, pastries, fried foods, and other desserts and junk food. Just because olive oil is healthy when it is raw, doesn’t mean it is still healthy if you deep fry something at high temperatures in it. The closer your fats are to being raw the better. Just use good judgment when consuming raw foods. Personally I do use raw eggs in my protein shakes, I’ll eat sushi to get my raw fish fats, I eat raw nuts, and I’ll use avocado and raw olive oil with my salads.

How to Find Out What You Need In Your Diet

If you are unsure about which foods you should be eating and which ones you should avoid based on special dietary needs or concerns, you may want to discuss it with your physician, who should always be informed when you are making any dietary changes. Your physician should be able to help you based on your medical history and lifestyle, and between the two of you, you should be able to come up with a diet that is healthy. Or, you can also make an appointment with a nutritionist or dietitian, whose job it is to help clients create diets that are not only healthy, but suit your lifestyle as well.
Written by Darren Cobin and Anna George of Ultimate Fitness Gear, your best source for the Insanity program. www.getinsanity.com

June 27th, 2010
Categories: nutrition . Author: admin . Comments: 1 Comment

There are a lot of people who seem to think that it is necessary to go out and buy the latest and greatest pieces of workout gear, not to mention all of the latest workout fashions. But all of this stuff doesn’t really matter. There is workout gear that has been around for years, that is proven to work, and these items are all you really need. And, you can actually make a lot of these items yourself, and use other household items to create fun and easy workouts.

Making Your Own Ankle/Wrist Weights

Many people like to walk or run for exercise, and a lot of these people use ankle weights (and sometimes wrist weights) to really get the most out of their workouts. A decent set of ankle or wrist weights can run around $20, but you can make your own with an old pair of jeans, kids’ modeling clay, and a few pieces of Velcro. Here’s how you do it:

1) Cut the legs from the old jeans (measure the size you need to go around your ankles, making sure you allow for expansion with the “weights”), and sew up one end of each, creating bags.
2) Sew some Velcro at the other ends to create closures.
3) Sew some Velcro strips to each end of the bag, so that you can wrap it around your legs
4) Take a hunk of modeling clay, and weigh it, adding or taking away until you have your desired weight (if you make a few different ones, they can be interchangeable so you can increase the weight as you need to).
5) Roll out the clay so it is a long rectangle that will fit nicely inside one of the bags you just made. Then, repeat with another piece of clay.
6) Slide the clay pieces into the bags (you may want to wrap them in plastic wrap to protect the fabric), seal the ends with the Velcro, and your ankle weights are now ready to use. And, they didn’t cost you a thing (except maybe the modeling clay and Velcro, which are both available at dollar stores).

Other Items from Home You Can Use for Workouts

There are all kinds of things you can use to make your home workouts fun. If you have kids, there are bound to be all kinds of toys you can use, including balls for stretching, and hula hoops, which are great for working the waist and abs. If you don’t have kids, these items are pretty cheap to buy in most department stores. Use your imagination, and you can create a really fun home workout without spending a lot of money. And, when you make your own gear, you are recycling items so they don’t end up in landfills. What a bonus!
Written by Kevin Adams from the ExtremeHomeWorkout. Get Insanity Workout now, 60 days to get you in shape.

May 18th, 2010
Categories: Workout . Author: admin . Comments: 2 Comments

Although grocery shopping is a necessity, it can also be a major cause of weight gain. To prevent your shopping trip from adding inches to your waist line, go in with a plan.

A great way to avoid buying things that you do not need and things that are tempting to snack on, is to make a meal plan. This is a great way to plan healthy meals, and if you have a plan you will be less likely to pick up unhealthy prepared foods.

Before you leave for the store, always make a list. Lists are great because they help you stay on track, and they help you remember what to buy. When you are preparing your list, make sure you include all of the ingredients you will need throughout the week, according to your meal plan. Once you arrive at the store, stick to the list. There are several distractions placed throughout the store.

Stick to the outer perimeters of the store. Most of the essentials can be found here. Once you begin going up and down every aisle, you are more likely to pick up things that can add those inches and sabotage your healthy eating.

Avoid candy and drinks at the checkout. Grocery stores place these items at the register in hopes that you will add them onto your purchase. Resist the urge, leave the junk in the store, and you will feel much better.

Following these simple steps can help you keep your home clear of those fat filled temptations that add inches to your waistline. One simple tip to remember is, if you do not have, you will not eat it. If you don’t have tons of junk food and sugary drinks in your home, you will not consume them while you are there. Rather than stocking up on bad stuff, while you are at the grocery store, pick up some healthy snacks.
Written by Jesse Davis with Extreme Home Workout, get all the info you need about the Insanity Workout here.

May 14th, 2010
Categories: nutrition . Author: admin . Comments: 1 Comment