Subscribe to Stay FitPostsSubscribe to Stay FitComments

Browse > Home /

Nutrition First, Supplementation After…

December 27, 2011 by  
Filed under The Fitness Bug

2 Comments

It’s a new week folks. It’s getting colder, darker and Christmas is right around the corner. And… I’ve always got some presents on the way to give to you all. Will you get them early? Well, you’re just going to have to wait and see.

Any how, today marks the release of the first ebook, of a series of ebooks. All of which focus on a specific aspect of the fitness lifestyle.

The Guide To Necessary supplementation

I won’t bore you with any more text blurb. Watch the video instead. British accent and all :-)

+

119 Page Cookbook

100′s of recipes to take advantage of

Note: $9.99 for the next 72 hours ONLY!

Picture Preview #1

________________________________________________________________

Picture Preview #2

________________________________________________________________

Picture Preview #3

________________________________________________________________

Picture Preview #4

________________________________________________________________

Picture Preview #5

Incoming search terms:

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why The Process of Building Muscle (Skinny) And Losing Weight (Fat) Is Equally Hard?

December 6, 2010 by  
Filed under The Fitness Bug

6 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about body comparisons and what body types have it harder than another to achieve great fitness results, whether that be weight gain (muscle) or weight loss (fat). In fact, I can show you which posts those were here…
Muscle building from Fat, Muscle building from Bone

Building Muscle For Bulk Is Un-sexy/ Build ‘Ripped’ Muscles Instead

Building Muscles for Tall Men vs Building Muscles for Short Men

Now, I could easily just defend the hardgainers of the world by stating that the skinny people have it the hardest in the race to build a better body compared to the fat folks of the world, seeing as I started off as a hardgainer (And the fact that I am the author of this particular article).

But after all these years of comparing, experiencing and watching those who take up the fitness lifestyle, I’ll no longer defend my fellow hardgainians any more.

Why?

Because today, I believe that both the skinnys and the fattys of the world have it equally hard to gain optimum fitness and muscle building results. And today I’ll explain why that is.

#1 Both body types take time to achieve ‘major’ results


Just as you need to burn 3,500 calories to drop a pound, it also takes an extra 3,500 calories to gain a pound. However, achieving optimum fat losing and muscle building results takes time. So just as you can’t expect to pack on huge amounts of muscle mass in a matter of days, is the same as not expecting to get fat over night from pigging out the night before. This is the reason why you should not be avoiding fats and carbs like the plague throughout your weightlifting diet.

What you ‘need’ to be avoiding is eating ‘excessive’ fatty and carb heavy foods on a ‘regular’ basis.


That is what will really destroy your ability to reach muscle building or weight loss success. The answer?

#2 CONSISTENCY!


That is the key element of the cycle. Everything else that you follow to achieve the body of your dreams will just be sub categories of that element. Most of which I spoke of in this post…

The Top 8 Reasons Why You’re Scrawny And The Other Dude Is Not!

  • If you are complaining about your lack of gains, its because you are failing to be consistent with your diet (under eating on a regular basis).
  • If you are complaining about your lack of weight loss results, it’s because you over eating and not being consistent with your workouts (over eating on a regular basis).

The Build a 6 Pac: From Flab to Flat ebook will give you an idea of how to structure your workouts based on your body type.


The concept behind both processes are exactly the same!

  1. To increase body mass you need to consume more calories than you use.
  2. To lose body fat you need to consume fewer calories than you use.

Note: Low fat foods are not always the answer!

  • That low fat ice-cream you like to buy still has a ton of sugar in it. Which may of course spike insulin levels when it really doesn’t need to be spiked, which will then lead to unnecessary fat build up (After a workout is the best time to spike Mr. Insulin).
  • You still have to moderate your intake. What’s the point of buying low fat to only then eat twice as much of the stuff? Duh!!
  • Eating a ton of low fat stuff may make you want to eat more.

#3 But I notice a difference the next day?


… After pumping hard at the gym (Hardgainer)
… After pumping my guts full of ALL kinds of foods at last nights party (Fat person)

Well… in this scenario…

Muscle building = Temporary pump
Weight gain = Water weight, which will eventually drop right off

That’s all you are experiencing when you notice the above after a hardcore training session, or a night out on an extreme binge.

Temporary pump

Is a nice experience, because you look good for that moment in time. Hence why some people are a fan of the 15 min workout. One of which I posted here…
15 Minute Workout For A Few Hours Pump

But to look like a temporary pump guy/gal for the long term takes time.

Aka, building mature muscle mass.

This is muscle that sticks around, yet takes years to build (consistency). But once you have it, you’ll probably keep it for a long time. Even long after you stop working out intensely as you reach your 60-70s. But only if you still maintain a healthy lifestyle. Otherwise it will indeed all fade. Just like it did for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Water weight

Really isn’t something to worry about, because it will drop right off (Unless you ‘consistently’ binge).  But like someone who has appeared to lose their gains from training and dieting incorrectly (For prolonged periods of time), looking in the mirror the day or two after a binge can wreak havoc on your self esteem levels. Because when you look good, you feel good, it will show and people will notice. When you look bad (In your eyes) you’ll feel bad, it will show and again, people will notice.

The main point here is that these random days are just fine. Have fun in this fitness lifestyle. Just be consistently good.. NOT consistently bad!

#4 There is no magic pill


Muscle building = Steroids
Weight loss = Crash diets

You all know the saying that success doesn’t happen over night… right?

Well, it’s the same in this game of building the ultimate physique. Reducing yourself to one of the above solutions will give you what you want initially, and you will look the part. But not for long. And once the honeymoon period is over, everything will indeed come crashing down in front of your eyes.

Steroids

Are bad…

Why?

  • Sterility in Males and Females
  • Kidney problems
  • High blood pressure
  • Virilization (Development of male characteristics in women)
  • Can cause acne
  • Gynocomastia (Development of breast tissue in males)
  • Inhibition of natural hormones

Crash diets

Are bad…

Why?

  1. Rapid fat loss also equals rap lean muscle loss
  2. Lean muscle loss equals slower metabolism
  3. Less muscle tissue equal less calories to be eaten
  4. = more fat storage
  5. back to square one!

Harsh!

One supplement that is actually good at helping you protect your lean muscle mass is glutamine. You can read more about it here. Or if you want a No B.S take on what supplements can help you out, whether your goal is muscle building or weight loss, then watch this video.

To conclude

If you want uber fantastic superfragilisticexpialidocious results, whether that be for building muscles or losing weight, then you’re just going to have to work your ass of for it. Your body type is not an excuse to start making excuses for your lack of results. Start doing more of what works, be consistent, cut out the magic pill mindset and get to work!

Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Incoming search terms:

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Christina Adler Video Interview with Stayfitbug.com

December 1, 2010 by  
Filed under The Fitness Bug, Video Interviews

2 Comments

Learn how an attorney COMPLETELY transformed her body in just 2.5 years and turned figure competitor all from an idea suggested by one of her two baby daughters.


Today’s guest is someone who I now refer to as the fiery figure competitor. There are a couple of reasons why… just watch the interview below to see why that is.

She is also someone who nearly didn’t make it into the interviews section of the site. She would have ended up in Stay-Fit Bug progress stories, but I guess you could say she’s a progress to transformation to figure competitor success story. And is living proof that hard work really does pay off.

Watch the interview to learn how she is switching careers and the mindset that she has created to help her do that with frightening ease!

Christina Before and After

The Full Program

About Christina



Christina is a figure competitor (Attorney turned figure nut), a mother of two and someone who I’m sure will set the fitness world on fire… literally.

(Click the images to enlarge)


Before and After (For some final inspiration)


Connect with Christina

Bodyspace page

http://www.redheadlaw7.com

The articles mentioned in this interview

Find Hardgainer Bodybuilding Success with: Tweak and Repeat

It’s Good To Tweak….

Nutrition First, Supplementation After…

Gym Partner Or No Gym Partner?

Related interviews

Natalia Muntean (Fitness Model) – A/k/a The Glute Master! Video Interview With Stayfitbug.com

Miryah Jade Scott Video Interview with Stayfitbug.com

Video Interview With Belinda Benn (Fitness model/writer)

Dannii Minogue Video Interview With Stayfitbug.com

Got a question?


Got a question about the topics covered in this interview?

Do you want to leave any feedback?

Then be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments.

Incoming search terms:

Tags: , , , , , ,

Great Execution YES/ Rushed Muscle Building Diet Plans NO

November 29, 2010 by  
Filed under The Fitness Bug

4 Comments

A well executed and thought out workout/diet plan is better than a rushed one.

Why?

Because A rushed executed plan will just leave you with more crap to clean up. In this case, more fat to get rid of.

This actually applies to many other things you want to achieve in life too. I won’t go into what those could be here, because I really do want to stick to the topic at hand.

But the key point here is that you need to be diet precise, while at the same time tracking your…

  • Appearance
  • Bodyweight
  • Rate of metabolism

Along the way…

You will need to do this because everyone’s bodies/ and rates of metabolism will vary. Yes, it’s all good following websites like Stay-Fit Bug and consuming all of this written information that’s provided. But you also need to step away from the computer screen and track what happens in your real day-to-day life. Which is of course what I tell you in the Build a 6 pac: from flab to flat ebook.

The other reason you need to be diet precise is because of how the body works. Speed is not in your favor, hence why a rushed plan in order to build muscle fast is a flawed plan.

Great execution

Is what’s need… every time!

Note that down, because it will apply to many things in your life along side living the fitness lifestyle.

How the body works

The body doesn’t respond well to rapid changes. Overnight success doesn’t exist. If you try to do this, by stacking your guts full of food everyday (5-6000 calories per day), the chances are you’ll start poking Mr. Insulin in the butt, causing him to get all fiery and start spiking. Your muscle receptors will start to get sick of this (The folks who control how much food goes into your muscles. Kind of like the bouncers at the front door of a club) and they’ll eventually shut the doors. This is when food gets stored as fat, which is the usual normal bodily process, but in this case, more often than usual (Can lead to diabetes in the most serious of cases). So moderation will always be in your favor.

The rule

To increase body mass you need to consume more calories than you use.
But only what your body needs in order to put on muscle (250-500 calories above maintenance levels).

If you consume more than what you need, you will run the risk of putting on extra fat, which of course kills your muscle definition, making you look fat.

And which of course defeats the whole objective of this article…

Building Muscle For Bulk Is Un-sexy/ Build ‘Ripped’ Muscles Instead

Plan, execute and lap up the results.

  • 6 months of planned execution = success
  • 3 months of rush + 6 months (Or more) of fat clean up = failure (9 months or more)

And I can tell you now, trying to shift fatty weight and get cut again is not easy. In fact, it sucks… big time! But you already knew that, didn’t you? Of course you did, otherwise you wouldn’t have stumbled upon this article.

Read this post for the extreme example.

Building Muscle For Bulk Is Un-sexy/ Build ‘Ripped’ Muscles Instead (The guy on the right)

And follow this post for a known approach to keep the fat stores at bay.

The 4 Crucial Steps To Shred ‘Core’ Fat And Build Lean Muscle

So, after all is said and done, we once again get re-directed back to the headline of this post.

Great execution YES/ rushed muscle building diet plans NO



Take your time, follow everything you read above (including  your own personal tweaks) and build that sexy ripped muscle mass… without the fat!

And if you need a solid approach on how you should be structuring your weightlifting diet, then be sure to check out the guide to necessary supplementation.

I explain what it’s all about in the video below

See you in the comments.

Incoming search terms:

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The Tyre (Fatty Waist) vs. Mr Insulin vs. Mr ‘I Wanna Be Ripped’

November 17, 2010 by  
Filed under The Fitness Bug

4 Comments

Now, I’m not sure what part of the world you are from, but if I go by this websites statistics and the relationships that I have with many of you, It’s safe to assume that the majority of you who read this will be from the west side of planet earth. Which means you are now living in the brutal winter months. Brrrrr (The chills).

Hopefully,this hasn’t put you off working out and I hope you are still training insane. After all, this is the season where the true gains are made, in order to get you ready for summer.

However, this is also the season that most of us will go wild with Christmas festivities.

  • Food
  • Drink
  • Alcohol
  • Partying

Although I encourage both (Seeing as it’s the only time of year where we really get to have a break), we still have to keep it under control. As one string of wild nights really can cause havoc on your muscle building results. And yes, you hardgainer/ ectomorph types need to watch out too. Read this post to find out why.

With that being said, I thought it would be a good idea to remind you of what you should look out for when trying to keep that fat off of your waist, whether it’s Christmas or not. Re-introducing you to 3 of your familiar friends.

  • The Tyre (Fatty waist)
  • Mr. Insulin
  • Mr. ‘I wanna be ripped’

AKA

  • Mr victim
  • Mr control
  • Mr ultimate

OK, fat control is the game and Mr. Tyre is the name we will begin with.

Now, if there is one part of the body that everyone seems to struggle with, regardless of sex or body type, it will be the tyre aka that annoying layer of fat that sits around your waist and lower gut. Now, we all know about the rule…

  • 30% gym
  • 70% diet

Right?

Well, that is mostly true. What this means is that you could be working your ass off in the gym, training insane and the like. But all of it will be pointless unless you have a controlled diet. Controlled meaning, eating the right foods at the right time.

Now, they say that carbs are the enemy when it comes to building that ‘ripped‘ physique. And that you should avoid them at all costs (Because carbs in it’s basic form is just sugar).

Which of course is not true.

We need carbs to re-fuel  and replenish our muscles. The key is to eating the right type of carbs at the right time of day. e.g fast digesting carbs right after your works to replenish your muscles from the nutrients it would lose from an intense workout.

Two types of carbs

Simple -- Fast digesting -- Explodes into your blood stream (literally… like fireworks)

Complex -- Slow digesting -- Moves into your blood stream like a mini earthquake that eternally erupts

Now, when people say carbs are bad, what they really should be saying is that simple carbs are bad. These are the type of carbs that will promote Mr. tyre around your waist.

Why… how, how… why?

Because these are the type of carbs that  like to pick a fight with Mr. Insulin who is responsible for controlling the blood sugar levels in your body.

Mr. Tyre vs Mr. Insulin


Earlier I mentioned that simple carbs digest like an explosion into your body. This increases Mr. Insulin’s work load into overdrive, and what happens when you spread yourself to thin with extra tasks? You begin to fail, and that failure is the result of Mr. tyre… extra fat around your waist.

Now, I don’t want to bore you with some biology lesson. Instead, let me give you a real life example of this scenario. One that I know all of you will be familiar with.

The event


This battle is kind of like a large queue to an event such as a concert, football match or even a night club. You have

  1. The boss and his men (Mr. Insulin)
  2. The guards (Muscle receptors)
  3. The people queuing up (The carbs -- complex *good* or simple *bad*)

All it takes is for a few bad people to kick up a fuss (simple carbs) for a big fight break out. The boss and his men (Mr insulin) loses control and begins throwing all the bad people into one corner (In this case, into your muscles. Which is actually good). However, what we really want to do is keep the Boss under control and tame his temper. Then we have a good smooth process for the rest of the night. So they begin to only let good people in (complex carbs).

If too many people coming rushing in too fast, The Boss and his men then need to up their game and give the thumbs up to the guards to open up the doors wider (This is where Mr. Insulin spikes and where muscle receptors open up the doors for the carbs to be let in to the muscles more quickly).

Now, if we go back to where the Boss (Mr insulin) throws everyone into a corner. This would usually cause even more of a fight, more people trying to get in, causing even more havoc. The Boss say enough is enough and tells the guards to let no one else in, sending everyone else elsewhere.

(It is at this point where your muscle receptors say enough is enough. These insulin levels are spiking far too often. At which point they begin to shut the doors, letting no more sugar into your muscles. Where do the rest of the excess carbs go? They get stored as fat)

But even worse is that those guards won’t even consider letting those people back in. They beat them up and threw them out, almost for good. And the club stays empty for a while. They will just go for a different crowd. They still have to bring the money in after all.

(So Mr. Insulin switches off the fat burn, stores fat, and leaves nothing behind. That is no more carbs. Once that happens you are even worse off than before you ate, because your blood sugar levels would have dropped even lower. Which means you are still hungry. The body needs to then go somewhere else for energy. It can’t go to the stored fat, because Mr. Insulin has switched that off for the time being. So it goes for the next best thing. The protein in your muscles. But the part you really need to be careful about is the fact that too many high sugar rushes will cause your muscle receptors to stop letting sugar in entirely. Which is not good, and can lead to diabetes).

And that is why there needs to be some control in terms of managing insulin levels.

And this is also why you need carbs in your system. To prevent your body from going into a catabolic state (Muscle break down). But the right type of carbs at the right time.

Simple carbs

Such as dextrose, post workout. You will cause an insulin spike yes. However, you will be filling up empty muscles, because you would have used up all of the carb storage that was in your muscles in your workout. Which is the only time of day when it’s a win, win to spike insulin levels high. 

Complex carbs

Such as pasta, rice, potatoes, and oatmeal. Because they spike moderately throughout the day.

The Mr. Insulin vs Fat storage fight is also the same reason why it’s impossible to build muscle putting on fat. Because you will never be able to maintain perfect insulin levels. Fat will always be stored. How long that fat get’s stored for depends on the level of the insulin spike.It’s all about balance.

So if you want to keep fat at bay, then ease off the candy bars (Unless you’re going for a quick run) and stack your system full of complex carbs. That way you can keep your system running, Mr. Insulin happy, which in turn prevents you from putting on unnecessary fat and burning that precious lean muscle mass.

Enter Mr. ‘I wanna be ripped’

(70% diet)

Enter training insane

(30% gym)

Tips

The best way to make this practice a reality is by creating habits.

  • Get rid of all the simple carbs in your house. Buy them and consume them only when you need them. Don’t bring them home.
  • Cook pasta, rice and potato meals, but leave some left overs that you can carry and pre-heat with you the next day while at work. That way your hunger strikes can be fed on the go with complex carbs.
  • Add creatine to your post workout shake. It will latch on to the carbs you consume at this time, making for an even more effective absorption of creatine into your muscles (Which of course is energy).
  • And last but not least. If you want a complete DONE-FOR-YOU no B.S guide on how you should be structuring your diet for maximum gains, then you need to look no further, as I have created a guide that does just that with The Guide to Necessary Supplementation

Any how, that’s how you win the fight between The Tyre (Fatty Waist) vs. Mr Insulin vs. Mr ‘I Wanna Ripped’.

Now get to work already.

Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Incoming search terms:

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Miryah Jade Scott Video Interview with Stayfitbug.com

September 13, 2010 by  
Filed under The Fitness Bug, Video Interviews

7 Comments

Learn how she went from NOTHING to conquering the fitness world in her rookie year.

We all want to develop the ultimate body… right? Of course we do. And the benefits that come along with that are much more than just ‘looking’ good!

And that’s exactly what has happened in Miryah’s case. You see, like many of you, Miryah was living a life as a young corporate world professional and indulging freely. Especially on Friday evenings… living life (nothing wrong with that). In fact, she still lives the corporate lifestyle (Yes… she is super multi-tasking!)

But then one day, she looked in the mirror and realized that she had put on a few pounds, and this definitely was not the person she wanted to be. Especially being a person that had quite an active background in fitness in previous years.

So she decided that things had to change. But little did she know, how much that one change in building a better body and lifestyle would improve her life beyond her wildest dreams.

  • Competing in fitness contests
  • Appearing on multiple magazine covers
  • Sponsorships

and more

Watch the video for the full low down

The Full Program

About Miryah Jade Scott



Mirah is a Fitness competitor, writer, EAS sponsored athlete who has also been featured on the front cover of magazines such as Inside fitness, status fitness and others

Rookie year achievements

WBFF Dive Fitness Pro World Champion 2009

(Click the images to enlarge)

Connect with Miryah

http://www.miryahscott.com

http://twitter.com/MiryahScott

Miryah’s Facebook Page

Miryah’s Physique


Front

Back

Side

Pose

______________________________

Miryah the Fitness Competitor


Miryah The Sponsored Athlete

Miryah and Fitness Fun

The articles mentioned in this interview

The Only Way To Train Is To Train Insane

Stay Ripped By Building Mature Muscle

Why You Are ‘Ripped’ And Why Your ‘Friends’ Are Not (Negative B*****ds)

Got a question?


Got a question about the topics covered in this interview?

Then be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments.

Incoming search terms:

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Video Interview with Natalie Minh – Learn How She Set Up Life As A Stranger In A New Country And How She Found Success As A Fitness Model In The Process.

May 12, 2010 by  
Filed under The Fitness Bug, Video Interviews

7 Comments

Natalie Minh may not be a female bodybuilder, but her drive and story on how she changed her body for the better is no different to those that are. Listen to how she structured her mindset to do just that, which eventually lead her on the path to becoming a fitness model.

Adapting to Change

She went from living a normal corporate life (like most of you) to then leading a new life in fitness and modeling, as a stranger in a new country and continent. And she done this  by using principles from my very own personal fitness mantra,

‘The only way to train, is to train insane! ‘

This is the mentality that I want you all to have in your goals towards living a great bodybuilding life style, and Natalies achievements to date is proof of what can be achieved once you do adopt the ‘train insane’ mindset. As you can see… It’s more then just about training!

Entrepreneurship

You all remember the article,

15 Things Successful Bodybuilders And Successful Entrepreneurs Have In Common

Right?

Well, Natalie represents the message I tried to get across in that post, which listed the similarities between bodybuilders and entrepreneurs. Natalie has has shown that she has both. The entrepreneurial drive and bodybuilding drive.

Natalie may not be a bodybuilder, but the divisions that she trains in to compete require the same drive in order to change your body for the better. It’s a drive that both entrepreneurs and bodybuilders have and need in order to succeed or make a huge change in their lives, or whatever it is they set out to achieve.

Martial arts, Tennis and other sporting activities

Natalie has achieved in sports such as martial arts, tennis and swimming in her rise into the fitness world. Both of which are important if you are,

1) Too young to start lifting weights

2) Want to keep your fitness life fun and engaging

Natalie also reveals some of the best places where she has travelled to have fun with fitness on her globe trotting adventures.

The Full Program

Embed The Video:

<embed src=”http://blip.tv/play/AYHgi3kA” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”320″ height=”270″ allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true”></embed>

About Natalie Minh

Natalie Minh is a fitness model and an internationally published photographer whose goal is to further her modeling activities in the fitness world by representing the fit, educated, ambitious woman niche who are positive role models for others.

Connect with Natalie

http://www.natalieminh.com
http://blog.natalieminh.com
http://www.myspace.com/motownnat
http://www.modelmayhem.com/motownnat
http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Natali…
http://www.twitter.com/natalieminh
http://www.facebook.com/NATALIEMINH1
http://www.wathletic.com
http://www.facebook.com/natalieminh

The articles mentioned in this interview

How to increase your metabolism

The Only Way To Train Is To Train Insane

15 Things Successful Bodybuilders And Successful Entrepreneurs Have In Common

4 Top Destinations for Workout ‘FUN’

Now that i’m ripped, should i try modelling?

Got a question?

Got a question about the topics covered in this interview?

Then be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments.

Incoming search terms:

Tags: , , , ,

7 Stress Beating Foods (A Day In The Life At Work)

January 25, 2010 by  
Filed under The Fitness Bug

2 Comments

In last weeks post, I went into detail of how you can overcome the things that can cause delays during your life as a bodybuilder. One of the things I covered was how you can overcome stress from work, and how not to let work interrupt your weightlifting routine by ‘Identifying the office athlete’.

But today, I’m going to take things one-step further. I’m going to take you through

‘A day in a life at work’

And I’m going to share with you 7 foods that you can eat at 7 key points of the working day that will help ease stress.

7.00am -- The Morning Rush/ Gridlock

Regardless of which city you are in (London, New York, Tokyo, Beijing), that morning commute may often come to a halt because of some ‘signal failure’ on the train and add an extra half hour to your commute ‘time to call the office’. That would have just given you extra unnecessary worry. Since you are already running late, you might as well take a pit stop and drink something to calm you down.

Agony Antidote

I do like Starbucks and I have my favorite picks every time I go there. But when you find yourself stressed first thing in the morning, try this for starters.

Skim-milk chai latte and half a bagel with cream cheese

The bagel = Carbs = Energy

The Milk = Protein = Alertness

That should get you back on track for the next few hours ahead.

10.00am -- Your Time to Shine… Gets Screwed Up

You have a big presentation in your department meeting and for some reason, the IT support guy forgot to reserve the projector for you the day before, leaving you running around like a headless chicken looking for alternatives. That will stress you out for sure, especially if you have a point to prove to the head honchos.

Agony Antidote

Serotonin = one of your bodies stay calm chemicals

Tryptophan = this helps build up levels of serotonin

When you are stressed, the levels of serotonin in your body may drop considerably. When this happens you will want to quickly build up your levels of Tryptophan. All you need to do here is drink Milk!

12.00pm -- Unexpected Invite to Lunch by the Boss

Because this is an unexpected invite, you have no idea what the Boss man has on his agenda for the next hour or so.

Agony Antidote

When it comes to food, go for a ‘manly’ salad. Add chicken and fish to the meal. Those foods will tickle his taste buds and appetite.

But why a salad?

Leafy greens -- Arugula, chard, spinach

All are rich sources of vitamin B, which are known for activating your feel good hormones. Lack of vitamin B can actually leave you feeling quite nervous or even sometimes stressed. If you both have the feel good factor running in your veins for the next couple of hours, good things may just swing in your direction.

4.00pm -- You F**k up a Pitch to a Client

When a pitch to a client goes smooth and well, you will feel like running into the men’s room, taking a look at yourself in the mirror and kissing it. But when a pitch goes horribly wrong ‘ironically on one of your biggest clients’, it will feel like death has just warmed up. Stress!

Agony Antidote


M & M’s (Peanut flavor)

Why?

The chocolate = Triggers the release of ‘instant’ relax endorphins

The nuts = Refills your protein stores and helps you regain focus

7.00 pm -- Your lady is Angry (At You)

Your Lady ‘ What time do you call this! It’s like the second week that you have worked late now. I think you are prioritizing work over ME!’

Very hostile! This probably means no sex too. :(

Agony Antidote

Grilled salmon

I’ve talked about the benefits of eating fish before back in Brain Foods for Working Out with salmon, mackerel and trout containing the highest level of fatty acids (Omega 3) of them all. But serving up a meal for two of this stuff will help reduce hostility in her by up to 20-25%

Your favorite (Baseball/ Football/ Basketball) Team is About to Lose

If you are a fan of sport and a devoted fan of a team, then I know you will be feeling edgy at this crucial time in the game. Stress!

Agony Antidote

Grab an Orange

You will probably be quite fixated at this time, and what you will need is a little sugar rush for a short burst of energy. Grabbing an orange will help keep your hands and mouth busy.

11.30pm -- Can’t Sleep?

Your team won the match, you called on your friends to gloat, it’s time to hit the sack but realize you are wide awake from that sugar rush.

Agony Antidote

What you need to do is re-active your sleeping hormone, melatonin. And this is what you need to guzzle down to do so

That is oatmeal and bananas.

Everyone’s day in a life at work will be different for sure, but all of you will face similar situations as the ones mentioned above. When you do, you now know what actions you need to take.

Stress? I don’t even know the meaning of the word! ;)

See you in the comments.

Incoming search terms:

Tags: , ,

5 Water ‘Alternatives’ For Your Bodybuilding Routines

January 14, 2010 by  
Filed under The Fitness Bug

8 Comments

When you were young, your mummy probably taught you that you must always drink 8 glasses of water a day so that you stay fit and healthy (And to have clear coloured pee). ;)

As you got older, that would have naturally changed and drinks such as these would have poisoned your body.

  • McDonalds -- Milk shakes
  • Coca Cola – Fizzy drinks
  • Alkopops
  • Beer

If you managed to avoid all of those things, you either had pushy parents that trained you vigorously from a young age, or you have just lived in a cage all of your life and are quite simply an uncharismatic bore!

None of the above drinks are completely bad, as your body does need to be exposed to some ‘bad’ at times and there’s nothing wrong with breaking the rules.

You Enter the World of Bodybuilding

You decide that you want to build muscle and become fit and buff. Like magic, time starts to rewind itself and you start listening to mummy again and start guzzling your 8 glasses a day… again. Time passes and you find that drinking water is boring, yet you don’t want to compromise your weightlifting diet plan.

Well, now you don’t have to, as I have listed 5 tasty alternatives that will give you the same benefits of water with some extras to add.

Iced (Caffeine free) Herbal Tea


Decaf tea ‘in general’ is a great source of the fluid you need to look and feel great. Try my favorites,

  • Peppermint (Morning)
  • Chamomile (At night)

And you will find that they will hydrate you the same way that water does. If you get bored, just change the flavours. Simple!

Lemon Juice and Water

When life gives you a lemon… squeeze it, mix it with six ounces of distilled water and drink twice daily. Well, you don’t have to drink it twice daily, but it is a great alternative to drinking water. Lemon Juice does have some extra magic up its sleeve too.

  • Prevents disease and assists in cleansing your system of impurities
  • Get’s rid of indigestion, heartburn, bloating and burping.
  • Helps you S**t more efficiently.

Fill a pitcher with –
Sliced cucumber, lemon slices and fresh mint. Let it steep overnight.

You can mix any variation of fresh fruits and vegetables for this and your drink will be packed with vitamins and nutrients that promote health. But this is a mix that I drink often. And as you might have guessed (knowing me)… it sure is a tasty alternative.

Chocolate milk


I covered this back Killer foods for fitness and this is still a favorite today. It is both healthy and tasty and is even better than water for hydrating your body. Chocolate milk also provides your body with the perfect balance of carbs, protein, and fat for speedy muscle recovery. But most importantly, it is a great alternative for a drink when you find yourself getting bored of drinking water.

Soup

Why soup?

The broth in soup is mostly made up of water, and since water is ‘very hydrating’ why should you not guzzle down a bowl of soup?

Although soup is a great alternative, you must make sure you drink low-sodium soup, so check the labels before hand.

Note: High-sodium soup will dehydrate you rather than hydrate you

Remember!

Although these all taste great and are cool alternatives to drinking water, the main benefit for doing this is to keep your diet plan fun and exciting. Keeping it fun and exciting is what will prevent you from cheating too much during your weightlifting workouts.

What water alternatives do you drink?

See you in the comments.

Incoming search terms:

Tags: , ,

Bodybuilding Diet Mistakes To Avoid

January 12, 2010 by  
Filed under The Fitness Bug

8 Comments

Not Eating Enough Fats

Eat Fat? Isn’t that suicide?

Not if you are eating the right kind of fat. Most people will avoid fat at all cost throughout their bodybuilding routines, but what they don’t realize is that this is actually doing more harm than good. What you need to do is eat the good fats and cut out the unhealthy fats.

Healthy Fats

  • Egg yolks
  • Virgin olive oil
  • Canola oil
  • Flaxseed oil
  • Natural peanut butter
  • Fish oil

All of these will help in maintaining a healthy metabolism and provide healthy calories for your diet. You will want to stay away from all saturated fats. Those are what will destroy your healthy bodybuilding diet.

No variety in your diet

Ok… so you decide that you want to bulk up, take a food shopping trip, stack up on all the great bodybuilding foods that you have found on stayfitbug.com and then eat the same thing week in, week out. That’s actually not a bad plan. But after doing that for a month you will get bored and what once tasted good will now taste like crap because you consumed so much of the stuff. Too much of anyone thing is not good for you… ANYTHING!

So what you need to do is find even more food variations and a nutrition plan on how you will mix things up for the long term. This will keep things interesting and you will cheat a lot less. If you have problems finding what to eat, take a look at this cookbook.

Gourmet Nutrition

This is the only one I can really recommend to you as it’s the only cookbook i have really tried. but it will give you some good ideas for sure.

Treating supplements as a meal

This is a common mistake that many bodybuilders make, especially those who are new to the game. Now, supplements are great and you can read my reviews to the right of this page to see how I have used them and what they have done for me personally.  But what you must understand is that supplements are just that. They are there to ‘supplement’ your exiting diet which should consist of a great meal plan of 5-7 meals a day. Add a good training program to the list and you are on to a winning solution.

Eating very little or excessive protein.

Protein is the key nutrient in any bodybuilding diet plan. In order to build muscle one should consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. Less protein can actually hinder one’s progress significantly and result in frustration and lack of results. On the other hand excessive protein calories in a diet can be stored as body fat or in some cases used as energy. One gram per pound of lean bodyweight spread over 6 nutritious meals is a great starting point. If you want to build more muscle or you train harder OR you find that you are not recovering as fast, you can slowly increase your protein intake to 1.1 grams per pound or 1.25 grams. Protein is the building block for muscle tissue and if you want to build mass OR get ripped you have to start eating more.

Stay tuned fo for part 2 where I show you even more mistakes to avoid in your weightlifting workouts.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Incoming search terms:

Tags: ,

Next Page »

Plugin from the creators of Brindes :: More at Plulz Wordpress Plugins
Name: Email: