What is the Best Way to Kick-Start Your Day or Your Workout?

 

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants

PEANUT BUTTER-MOCHA PROTEIN SHAKE (DAIRY-FREE)

Need some caffeine to kick-start your day or workout?

This dairy-free protein shake can double as breakfast, or a pre-workout boost.

I religiously use caffeine in the form of coffee for my pre-workout (with a dash of beta-alinine). Energy drinks overload my central nervous system and make me feel like crack-cocaine had intercourse with clenbuterol (hardcore weight-loss stimulant).

Enough silliness, let’s get right to it! Vegetarian bodybuilders will love this concoction.

Chia seeds (superfood) provide fiber, quality protein, zinc, and B vitamins. Banana protects against muscle cramps during workouts, and provides complex carbs and electrolytes. Peanut butter provides protein, fiber, electrolytes, Vitamin E healthy fats, and…the texture and taste that only peanut butter has.

Ingredients

• 2 shots espresso, or 1 cup organic iced coffee
• 1 tsp all-natural, no sugar added peanut butter
• ½ ripe banana
• 4 tbsp. rolled oats (use 2 tbsp for lower carb)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 serving chocolate protein powder
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• 6 ice cubes

Serves 1

For more ideas on how to kick-start your day or your workout, watch this video - How To Start a Vegan Diet for Fitness: Foods To Eat + Tips

8 REASONS TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FARMERS MARKET

Supporting farmers markets has a high positive impact on your individual heath, animals, the community, and the planet. Here are eight good reasons to give it a try:

1. Highly Nourishing Foods

Most of our “food” found in grocery stores is highly processed and grown using pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and genetic modification. Some of it has been irradiated, waxed, or gassed in transit. These practices may have negative effects on human health. In contrast, most food found at the farmers market is minimally processed, and many of our farmers go to great lengths to grow the most nutritious produce possible by using sustainable techniques and picking produce right before the market.

2. Sustainable Practices for the Environment

Food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,000-2,000 miles to get to your dinner table. The shipping alone uses substantial amounts of natural resources (especially fossil fuels), contributes to pollution, and creates trash with extra packaging. The processing methods of conventional agriculture also uses many more resources than sustainable agriculture. Not to mention, this process pollutes our water, land, and air with toxic agricultural by-products.

Fruits and vegetables from the farmers market is transported 1/10 the distance in most cases and is mostly grown using methods that minimize the damage we are making on the planet.

3. Promote Humane Living Conditions of Animals

I know we’re vegetarians here, but many of us are disgusted at the inhumane practices of industrialized meat production. At the farmers market, you can find meats, cheeses, and eggs from animals that have been treated humanely, raised without hormones or antibiotics, who have grazed on green grass and eaten natural diets. Most of them have also been spared the cramped and unnatural living conditions of feedlots and cages.

4. Taste What Real Food Used to Taste Like

The fruits and veggies you buy at the farmers market are fresh and flavorful. Nothing compares. Fruits are allowed to ripen fully in the field and are brought directly to you—no gassing to simulate the ripening process, no long-distance shipping, no sitting for weeks in storage. This is what real food tastes like—fresh from the farm.

5. Support Local Family Farmers

Since large agribusinesses dominate food production in the U.S., small family farms have a hard time competing in the marketplace. Buying directly from farmers helps correct a collective error that our society has made with the industrialization practices that are ultimately hurting us. It’s frightening to think what our future looks like without small family farms, they need our support.

6. Know Where Your Food Comes From

A regular trip to a farmers market is one of the best ways to connect with where your food comes from. Meeting and talking to farmers and food artisans is a great opportunity to learn more about how and where food is produced.

7. Foods Not Available in Most Grocery Stores

At the farmers market you find an amazing array of produce that you don’t see in your average grocery store: red carrots, a rainbow of heirloom tomatoes, purple cauliflower, stinging nettles, green garlic, watermelon radishes, quail eggs, maitake mushrooms, and more. It is a wonderful opportunity to savor the biodiversity of our planet.

8. Build Community

Coming to the farmers market is more like therapeutic experience than it is shopping. And, it is place to meet up with the other members of your local community (a practice that’s almost extinct in modern times).

Author Bio:

Chris Willitts (creator of V3), is the founder and owner of Vegetarian Bodybuilding.

V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System is a mixture of science and author’s advice, providing users with optimal diet and exercise. This system is designed for vegans and vegetarians only.

A lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising its progressiveness and efficiency.

The program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. 

Instead of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to prove it.”

To find out more, visit the website at V3 Bodybuilding – How to Kick-Start Your Day or Your Workout?

How to Get Enough Protein and Fiber in a Vegan Bodybuilding Diet?

 

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants

BLACK BEANS ARE A CHEAP, PROTEIN-RICH “SUPERFOOD”

Who’s got enough protein and fiber in their diet? This vegetarian bodybuilder does!

It seems like everything is being called a “superfood” these days.

Chia seeds, kale, turmeric, and spirulina are great examples of this term being generally applied to foods that have a high-nutrient composition. Unfortunately, it’s also being used a bit too generously in the spirit of raising click-through rates on the Web.

Let’s be real here, virtually all vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds are nutrient-dense. They are pretty much all superfoods, hence the amused quotations around the word in the title of this article.

Beans in general are typically high on most nutritionists’ lists. So why did I choose black beans to write about?

The deep dark coat on the black bean is a powerful source of three important flavonoids: delphinidin, petunidin, and malvidin. These important substances are super-high in antioxidant activity.

In the world of healthy sources of fiber, you cannot get much better than black beans. They have more fiber per serving than any other member of the legume family. Studies have demonstrated that they are good for our digestive system, especially the colon*.

*The fiber and resistant starch of the bean are the source of this protection, because the body does not digest the starch. Your body produces butyrate to aid in the digestion, and this is a compound that has been shown to prevent cancer.

That being said, I didn’t write this article to give the impression that black beans are newly discovered miracle food that will make you grow two inches taller or lose 40 pounds in a week.

However, black beans are much more nutritious than most people are aware of, because brightly colored fruits and vegetables tend to steal the spotlight. I wanted to bring your attention to black beans because they deserve to their rightful place in the spotlight.

They help reduce inflammation, prevent cancers and heart disease, keep weight gain and obesity at bay, and provide excellent support for our digestive system.

This protein-powered bean gives you a longer feeling of satiation, which can help you feel good all day long.

When you want sugars and breads, eat black beans instead because they help with cravings. They are also filling and satisfying, which is ideal for vegetarian bodybuilders who need something substantial in their stomachs.

Fats, Carbs, and Protein in Black Beans

There is zero fat in these tasty legumes. Just one cup of black beans has a respectable 15 grams of high-quality, plant-based protein, and 41 grams of carbohydrates.

As a vegetarian bodybuilder, this combination of macros is optimal. It’s crucial to consume slow-burning, complex carbohydrates and quality protein in the form of whole vegetables, starches, legumes, and sprouted grains. Black beans also help keep blood sugar levels stable, and are a food low on the glycemic index.

“But beans make me too gassy!”

It’s true, beans can be harder for some of us to digest than others. It’s about finding your personal tolerance and comfort level. For instance, I know that I can eat 1-2 cans a day and not have an issue. But if I try eating more than three cans, I start to feel the pain. I also know of folks who can’t even eat one taco with black beans without getting gassy.

Some say that if you soak them for a long time and rinse them well before cooking, it helps with the gas. I’m not sure about the validity of this claim, so please email me with your experience with this.

“Is this too many carbs for a diabetic?”

Beans are extremely beneficial in an anti-diabetes diet because as I mentioned earlier, they rank low on the glycemic scale. This means that they don’t cause the inflammatory spike in blood sugar levels associated with refined baked goods and grains.

Black Beans Nutrition

A one-cup serving of cooked black beans provides (in daily recommended values):

• 227 calories
• 15 grams protein
• 15 grams fiber
• 0 grams fat
• 64% folate
• 40% copper
• 38% manganese
• 35% vitamin B1 Thiamine
• 30% magnesium
• 24% phosphorus
• 20% iron

How to Cook Black Beans

1. The night before, soak the black beans in a large pot of water.
2. The next day, rinse the beans, cover with 3 cups of fresh water, and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce the heat, and simmer covered for 30 minutes, skimming off any foam.

Two flavorful additions to consider:

• Sautéing garlic and onion in a little olive oil before adding beans and cooking.
• Cooking the beans with raw whole onion, garlic, and orange all at once.

Beans and lentils have been, and continue to be, some of the most nutritious foods available worldwide. They are extremely versatile, and can be used in the following ways:

• Used in/with enchiladas, burritos, and tacos.
• Made into refried and baked patties.
• Combined with vegetables and herbs to make savory soups.
• Mixed in salads.
• Puréed and served as a dip or spread.

For more ideas on how to get enough protein and fiber in a vegan bodybuilding diet, watch this video - Vegan High Protein Full Day of Eating | 152g of Protein

Author Bio:

Chris Willitts (creator of V3), is the founder and owner of Vegetarian Bodybuilding.

V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System is a mixture of science and author’s advice, providing users with optimal diet and exercise. This system is designed for vegans and vegetarians only.

A lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising its progressiveness and efficiency.

The program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. 

Instead of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to prove it.”

To find out more, visit the website at V3 Bodybuilding –  How to Get Enough Protein and Fiber in a Vegan Bodybuilding Diet?

What is the Best Way to Break Free of Reflux and Gas Problems?

 

Discover How, Five Minutes from NOW, Your Acid Reflux Can Be Totally Gone & You’ll Feel Great Night and Day

Break Free of Reflux and Gas Problems - #1 Cause of Acid Reflux Discovered (and Cured)

There are many myths about what causes acid reflux.

But a new study just appeared in The FASEB Journal explains one factor that contributes to the development and continuation of the most serious type of acid reflux.

What’s more, this factor can make even occasional, mild types of acid reflux life-threatening.

Fortunately, there are many ways to get rid of this factor naturally.

Acid reflux occurs when hydrochloric acid flows upwards from your stomach into your esophagus. This is not supposed to happen, as there is a ring of muscle, called the gastroesophageal sphincter, at the top of your stomach that is supposed to close when you are not swallowing. This valve is supposed to open only when you swallow and food goes down into your stomach.

If you are overweight with fat accumulating around your abdominal area, this weight drags the valve out of alignment with your stomach and esophagus, which then prevents the sphincter from sealing your esophagus and stomach from each other.

This is the most typical explanation for why abdominal obesity causes acid reflux—and it is certainly right.

But the new study draws our attention to the way in which obesity can make even occasional acid reflux genuinely life-threatening.

Your stomach lining is tough enough not to be eroded by hydrochloric acid, but the lining of your esophagus is not. If acid reflux occurs too frequently, then the lining of your esophagus will become inflamed and, with time, erode and literally come apart or be destroyed by cancer.

The new study shows that abdominal fat cells in obese people degrade the lining of the esophagus and can make even occasional acid reflux a life-threatening problem.

The researchers obtained subcutaneous fat (just below the skin) and visceral fat (located deep inside) from both obese and healthy volunteers.

They then separated different types of fat cells from this tissue and applied it to an esophageal lining in the laboratory.

They then tested the resistance of the lining and the spaces between the cells in the lining to see whether the fat damaged it and to determine which fat was responsible for the damage.

Interestingly, the researchers observed that the fat of the healthy-weight subjects did no damage at all, while the fat of the obese subjects did cause damage.

To be specific, only mature fat cells mined from visceral fat tissue of obese people have this destructive effect on the esophageal lining.

There were large spaces between the cells, and the structural integrity of the lining was damaged in a way that it started to disintegrate after less than a week.

This is serious because it leaves your esophagus vulnerable to injury by acid reflux. So, even mild and infrequent cases of acid reflux can cause serious damage to your esophagus.

The obvious solution is to lose weight through regular physical activity and the adoption of a healthy diet.

Break Free of Reflux and Gas Problems - But losing weight isn’t easy—and it may not be enough to cure your acid reflux. Thousands of people have now completely healed their acid reflux using three ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. This is especially important because acid reflux has been found to cause six types of deadly diseases. I’ll explain this here…

Break Free of Reflux and Gas Problems - Eating Right for Peaceful Digestion AND Complexion

This time of year always brings with it some very harsh reminders that winter time requires a little more effort to stay healthy and well. In many areas, winter means drier, colder, harsher air and this can cause a variety of skin issues.

What a lot of people don’t notice, though, is that digestive trouble and skin irritation often appear at the same time.

Diseases, such as Fifth disease and medications, such as antibiotics, can wreak havoc on your tummy and skin at the same time. Those are pretty easy-to-spot symptoms of the same problem, though.

What about if you notice just sporadic problems with your skin, or your stomach and bowel upset are just occasional?

It seems like it would be a real hassle to have to track everything you put in your mouth, but being able to eliminate some skin issues and at the same time regulate your digestion makes it more worthwhile.

Keeping a food diary helps to highlight not just what is actually being eaten (a very effective tool if you are trying to lose weight, anyway), but also makes finding irritation relationships a lot easier to spot.

Jotting down what you eat isn’t the whole task though. Whenever you notice that your skin is doing something odd or out the ordinary, write down what is happening, and also the time and date. The same goes for digestion problems. Make a note of the time and date you had diarrhea, for example.

Then, after a couple of weeks you should be able to start to string together a timeline of events that leads up to the different problems you experience.

Once you identify the ‘bad guys’ in your diet, you can make changes to replace the offending foods with something more peacefully tolerated.

Items known to cause skin and digestion upset (this is just a partial list…these are the top offenders):

Dairy
Soy
Wheat
Corn
Foods with added Vitamin C
Eggs

While many diet adjustments call for some of these foods to be ADDED, it should be done with caution, and always keep that diary nearby so you can see if any of these foods are causing problems for you.

For instance, soy in and of itself isn’t a terrible thing. It’s generally considered a staple in the diet of many cultures which have better overall health than Westerners.

However, when we start tinkering with it and modifying it or otherwise changing the intended use of it, we can wind up with frustrating symptoms.

If soy is your problem food, be warned…it is in almost every packaged food known to man. It is also in milk, meat, and eggs of animals that have eaten it in feed. There are a great many people who have taken to raising their own poultry and other animal food sources so they can carefully control the amount of soy they digest, but this is kind of a drastic measure.

Wheat and wheat gluten are also on the top of the list because of the rising number of people identified with celiac disease. Sometimes a simple food intolerance to wheat causes skin, stomach, bowel, behavior and vision problems, so it’s good to monitor what you are eating here.

The good news is that if you find in your journaling that your skin and tummy trouble is linked to wheat gluten, you may be finding really delicious alternatives to old favourites. The last estimates of the gluten-free food industry pegged its 2010 growth as over a billion US dollars.

So keep that journal and make some adjustments. It’s a temporary blip in the road but once you get past identifying what offends your system, you can begin to experiment with food that heals as well as satisfies your taste buds.

For more information on finding healthy foods and lifestyle changes, try my Cholesterol or Acid Reflux guides today.

Break Free of Reflux and Gas Problems - 9 One-Minute Habits That Boost Your Health and Happiness

Having a long, healthy life means doing the little things that count. The little habits that don’t take much time but still add up in the long-run. And turns out we’ve got 9 handpicked one-minute habits you can do every day.

Some of these you can do right now, wherever you’re reading this. And that’s just a bit tempting.

Switch from red meat to fish: Many studies have shown time and again that eating red meat regularly can be bad for the heart and increase the risk of developing colon cancer.

However, eating fish can significantly cut down the risk of both heart problems and cancer. They are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which when properly balanced with omega-6 fatty acids, can be very beneficial for reducing inflammation.

Drink red wine: Red wine is very useful for keeping away Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, cancer and Type 2 Diabetes. The compound ‘resveratrol’ in grapes is thought to be responsible for these benefits. The key is not to go overboard and limit consumption to just a few glasses a week.

Microwave the kitchen sponge: While we often consider the toilet seat as the haven of microbes, in truth, the kitchen sponge can have more microbes than the toilet seat! Microwaving the sponge for 30 seconds can kill most disease-causing microbes in it.

Take vitamin supplements: Make sure that you get the required amount of vitamins and minerals to keep away vitamin and mineral deficiencies that are responsible for different ailments like osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, common cold, memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. But make sure you’re taking high quality supplements since many supermarket brands are worse than skipping them.

Don’t forget to buckle your seat belt: Save yourself from the worst brunt of car accidents by doing one simple thing – wear your seat belt! About 40,000 people die every year in US due to car accidents. Most deaths could have been prevented if they’d fastened the seat belt.

Treat yourself to dark chocolate occasionally: Dark chocolate has been shown to have several benefits – it cuts down the risk of heart disease, improves memory in elderly people, helps metabolize glucose more efficiently and fights against stress and depression.

Take deep breaths often: Whenever you get some free time inhale deeply, take in a deep breath through one nostril, count till 4 and exhale through the other nostril. Do this as often as you can, because it melts stress and calms your mind.

Rinse mouth after meals: Rinsing is a better way to prevent acidic food from corroding the tooth enamel better than brushing the teeth. Plain water or unsweetened tea are good for rinsing mouth and preventing germ buildup.

Sleep on your left side: A study published in the journal ‘Chest’ reveals that nearly 25 percent of Americans experience heartburn in the night. This can be prevented by sleeping on the left side. This stops the acid from esophagus from flowing back into the esophagus.

For more ideas on how to break free of reflux and gas problems, watch this video -How To Stop Acid Reflux | How To Treat Acid Reflux

Break Free of Reflux and Gas Problems - Waking up with your throat burning isn’t exactly something that makes you smile throughout the day. That’s why we’ve got an easy-to-follow way for you to beat acid reflux and say goodbye to it once and for all. Check it out…

Do you enjoy snoring? Didn’t think so. But what can you do about it? Oh, nothing much except for this extremely effective anti-snoring technique anyone can do…

This post is from Scott Davis’ Acid Reflux Solution. This program helps you to cure your heartburn and acid reflux by using natural remedies to quickly heal your stomach without dangerous medicine or risky surgeries. It can also help you to remove some disorders of acid reflux such as constipation or IBS.

To find out more about the program, go to Break Free of Reflux and Gas Problems as Soon as Today

How Plant-Based Proteins Can Build Muscle and Lose Fat?

 

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants

 

BODYBUILDING.COM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TALKS FITNESS & THE FUTURE

Earlier this month, I contacted the Editor-in-Chief at Bodybuilding.com, Jeff O’Connell, to be the first interviewee for our new “Fitness Luminaries” section.

Have a nice cup of coffee as Jeff talks about how plant-based proteins can build muscle and lose fat, and warns us about how climate change may affect fitness in the next 10 years.

Q: What would your friends/colleagues say you’re really good at?

You’d probably get a more entertaining answer if you asked them what I’m bad at, but I hope they’d say I have a knack for identifying a good story and then pairing that concept with the writer ideally suited to breathe life into the idea. I hope they’d also say that I’m open-minded and fair.

I think an Editor-in-Chief needs to be the last person standing at the gates, so to speak, in defense of what’s in the best interests of readers, as opposed to other constituencies.

That duty can be even more challenging when you’re EIC at an e-commerce company, rather than a traditional publication.

I’m very fortunate in that the executives at Bodybuilding.com agree, putting their readers above all other constituencies, too. They’ve never wavered even once in that regard during my tenure. In the end, satisfied consumers lead to a website’s success.

Q: Fun fact most people don’t know about you?

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. once threw an uppercut at me on a private jet. 50 Cent was along for the ride, and I was there writing a book with 50. The punch was in jest.

Q: What advice would you tell your 13-year-old self?

That kid was skinny as hell and painfully shy, so I’d tell him to start working out every day.

Q: Who’s your favorite luminary? Why?

Favorite luminary… Man, that’s tough. When he’s not talking to empty chairs at political conventions, Clint Eastwood is an amazing American figure, I think. He’s worked at such a high level both as an actor and a director, and he’s still doing amazing films well into his eighties. The unexpected late-career masterpiece, like “Unforgiven,” is always kind of exhilarating.

Q: How do you go from shopping DEA and FBI careers to writing a bestseller to Editor-in-Chief at Bodybuilding.com?

I was interviewing for jobs at the FBI and DEA because that was my plan as a Latin American Studies major at UCLA.

I liked the idea of doing something that was physical, cerebral, and exciting.

Freelance writing took me into the fitness magazine business instead, and I eventually started writing books on the side—one of which, “LL Cool J’s Platinum Workout,” became a New York Times Bestseller in 2006.

I joined Bodybuilding.com in 2011 after working at Men’s Health (executive writer) and Muscle & Fitness (Editor-in-Chief).

Q: If you had to choose, which of your books is secretly your “favorite child?”

“Sugar Nation,” which is part memoir and my only solo book to date, is my favorite.

The collaborative projects are fun and rewarding, but you succeed by capturing the other person’s voice and vision.

“Sugar Nation” is my personal story, as well as an exposé on the causes of America’s type 2 diabetes epidemic: too many carbs and too little exercise among the general population, and a misunderstanding by the American Diabetes Association of the disease in its name.

Q: If you had to choose only three exercises, what would they be?

1. Burpees. You can do them anywhere and they’re virtually a full-body workout.

• Walking lunge. Works most of your lower-body and burns a ton of calories.

• Prowler push. This is great for overall conditioning and HIIT. I had a really bad herniation in my spine at L5/S1 that had to be surgically repaired in 2012, and the prowler works better than running and other forms of cardio for me.

Q: If you had to choose only three supplements, what would they be?

1. Greens formula. Most of us don’t consume a diverse enough array of fruits and vegetables, so Green Vibrance, the product I use, covers those bases.

• Protein powder. Isopure is compatible with my low-carb diet, and helps with muscle repair and recovery.

• Fish oil (or flax seed oil for vegetarians). Supports cardiovascular health, which only grows more important as you age. The one I take is made by Nordic Naturals.

Q: What has been the biggest change in fitness you’ve seen in the past 10 years?

I’m tempted to say the emergence of CrossFit, but I think social media has had an even greater impact. People posting workouts and healthy recipes and inspirational memes—sure, it becomes annoying at times, but I think it’s had a profoundly positive impact by motivating people, creating communities, and so on.

Q: What do you predict will be the next big change in fitness?

In the next 10 years, I think climate change will begin affecting all forms of human activity, fitness included, in profoundly negative ways. Outdoor training may have to be modified. Many summer events will be unbearably hot, and it’s going to be harder and harder to hold winter events because of a lack of snow.

“Access to certain fruits and vegetables may be more limited, and hydration in certain instances may be a challenge rather than a given.”

I’m sure Apple and Nike will have developed all sorts of amazing wearable computing and clothes, etc. by then, but it won’t matter when you want to go for a run, and it’s 125 degrees outside and there’s no water because it’s rationed. The California drought is a harbinger.

Q: How does fitness contribute to your success today?

The more you’re a practitioner, the more tuned in you are to what you’re writing or editing on the subject. It also makes you a more focused, more energized person regardless of your occupation.

Q: Do you meditate? If so, please walk us through your practice.

I just started meditating, and I’m way too inexperienced to claim to have a “practice.” Right now, I sit still, close my eyes, and focus on breathing with my diaphragm. I’ve learned the hard way that we need stretches of deep relaxation, whether it’s meditation or whatever.

Q: Thoughts on vegetarian bodybuilding and vegan protein powders coming out?

I think it’s awesome that some vegetarians pursue bodybuilding. They have to be a little more creative with forming complete proteins than non-vegetarian bodybuilders do, but a vegetarian can have an amazing physique.

“Plant-based proteins can build muscle, too, and the category is growing.”

Q: What’s your next big project?

I have two literary collaborations coming out in early 2016: “Spartan Fit” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), which is the sequel to the New York Times Bestseller, “Spartan Up!” and “15 Minutes to Fit” (Avery), a collaboration with Zuzka Light.

To follow Jeff:

https://www.facebook.com/thesugarnation
https://twitter.com/sugar_nation

To learn more about how plant-based proteins can build muscle and lose fat, watch this video - How To Eat To Build Muscle & Lose Fat (Lean Bulking Full Day Of Eating)

Author Bio:

Chris Willitts (creator of V3), is the founder and owner of Vegetarian Bodybuilding.

V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System is a mixture of science and author’s advice, providing users with optimal diet and exercise. This system is designed for vegans and vegetarians only.

A lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising its progressiveness and efficiency.

The program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. 

Instead of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to prove it.” 

To find out more, visit the website at V3 Bodybuilding –  How Plant-Based Proteins Can Build Muscle and Lose Fat

 

ARE HIIT WORKOUT ROUTINES FOR FAT LOSS SUPERIOR?

 

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants

Bodybuilders and those into fitness have traditionally used steady-state cardio, which involves low to moderate-intensity exercise to burn body fat. Some experts argue that this form of cardio is superior to others because it burns a higher percentage of fat for energy. In recent years, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) has come onto the scene in a big way.

What Is HIIT?

HIIT is exercising with 100% of all the strength and energy you can muster, alternated by short recovery periods of low intensity/no intensity. Unfortunately, many people seem to confuse HIIT with regular interval training.

To be clear, HIIT is a form of interval training, though the opposite isn’t necessarily true. Interval training is a varying of intensities within the same workout, where you alternate a low intensity bout with a higher intensity bout, but not necessarily at 100% output.

For what it’s worth, all forms of interval training can be effective.

Benefits of HIIT

• takes less time to burn calories
• more dynamic, generally more fun
• convenient, can do it anywhere
• EPOC effect (afterburn)

Does intense exercise help burn more calories and fat than standard aerobic and steady-state workouts? Like most things in the domain of fitness, there are opposing camps on this topic.

One feature that seems to lean on the favorable side of HIIT is what’s known as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC).

“These high-intensity training sessions force the body to work harder to build its oxygen stores back up—for a period of 16 to 24 hours post-workout, research suggests. The result: more calories burned than if you’d exercised at a lower intensity for the same (or longer) period of time. Think about it like maxing out your credit card: During rest, your body has to work hard to clear away the lactic acid and pay back its oxygen debt. Exactly how much you can burn after exercising directly correlates to the duration and intensity of your workout,” says DailyBurn trainer Anja Garcia, RN, MSN.

I usually avoid referencing Wikipedia, but it does have some quality information about the EPOC effect.

Use Caution

Most people are better off starting with more basic interval training that is less taxing on the system. HITT requires an advanced level of fitness. If done too often and/or combined with additional types of high-intensity exercise, it becomes counter-productive and will likely lead to over-training and/or injury.

Four questions to consider before trying high-intensity interval training:

1.What is your primary goal?

If your primary goal is to simply reduce body fat (which is most of us), I recommend that you take a pass. Yes, fat loss is about inducing a caloric deficit, but we also know that it is mostly dependent on one’s diet. You’ll do better by getting your diet under control instead of risking overtraining and injury with this method.

HIIT will also put the brakes on your strength training gains, because it tends to make you lose strength and power. When the primary goal is fat loss, your order of importance should be: diet (first), weight training (second), and then moderate cardio (third).

On the other hand, if your primary goal is to increase speed, athletic ability, and anaerobic capacity, this is a good option.

2. What does your diet look like?

If you’re on a diet that has little to no carbs, attempting to do HIIT will be disastrous.

Not only will you lose muscle mass, but your body will crash halfway through the workout because you won’t have the necessary glucose in your system to execute such intense exercise.

3. How do you workout?

HIIT is much more demanding on the central nervous system (CNS) than moderate cardio. The CNS can only handle so much intensity. Once you surpass its limit, you enter into the realm of overtraining and injury. For example, you may have hit your legs hard yesterday, but today for some reason, you don’t have enough strength left to tackle your upper body workout.

On the surface, the two sessions seem unrelated because they are different muscle groups, but there is a connection. Your CNS drives your strength output to a high degree, and when you deplete that in training your legs, there’s not much left to train upper body at maximum levels the next day.

4. How fast do you recover?

If you tend to have a slower recovery system (usually ages 35+), then you should stick with moderate cardio. It’s as simple as that.

HIIT Workout Routine at Home

This HIIT bodyweight routine will train your upper and lower body, and you can even do this during your lunch break:

• 20 Jump Squats
• 
  Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms straight out in front of you. Bend your knees, keeping them in line with your feet, and sit back into a deep squat past parallel. Rise up in a controlled fashion, and perform a small jump. Then land back in your squat position. Repeat.

• 20 Push-Ups
• 
  Go down slow and controlled, and explode up without locking out the elbows completely. The main thing here is to keep your back straight. You can also choose to do these on your knees.

Advanced Level: 30 reps for each

Alternate a set of jump squats with a set of push-ups and a resting period of only 60 seconds in between. Start with 1-2 complete cycles of both exercises.

Summary

HIIT workout routines work, just like traditional cardio routines work. After synthesizing several conflicting articles and scientific studies, my overall takeaway, however, is that whatever the difference for producing fat loss, it’s pretty minimal, borderline negligible. Do whatever it accommodates your schedule and type of training regimen. Bodybuilding and fitness is by no means a one-size-fits-all activity.

The four questions asked above are worthwhile to consider in any case.

Still want me to choose sides?

Overall, the evidence suggests that HIIT is slightly more efficient at achieving fat loss. However, HIIT can also create a strength deficit (making you weaker), and carries a greater risk of injury and overtraining. Slow and steady seems to win the race in the long run.

Personally, I’m a “both-and” kind of guy, and enjoy variety in my workout routines. I prefer using both HITT workouts and steady-state cardio sessions based on how I feel that day.

To learn more about HITT Routines for Fat Loss, watch this video - 30 Minute FAT-BURNING HIIT WORKOUT! 🔥Burn 450 Calories 🔥Sydney Cummings

Author Bio:

Chris Willitts (creator of V3), is the founder and owner of Vegetarian Bodybuilding.

V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System is a mixture of science and author’s advice, providing users with optimal diet and exercise. This system is designed for vegans and vegetarians only.

A lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising its progressiveness and efficiency.

The program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. 

Instead of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to prove it.”

To find out more, visit the website at V3 Bodybuilding –  Best Plant-Based Diet for Vegan Athletes

What is the Best Way to Completely Reverse My Arthritis Within a Month?

 

Click on Here to Discover How You Can Completely Heal Any Type of Arthritis In 21 Days or Less  

Completely Reverse My Arthritis Within a Month - Chronic Arthritis Pain Can Be Cured Online

Arthritis makes everyday activities difficult.

Sitting for too long or typing on a computer are just two examples that can be compared to pulling teeth for arthritis sufferers.

Forget the pain that sitting in front of the screen surfing the net brings for a moment – there is some light – the Internet, according to an Australian study, can help you out – and it’s more effective than a well-meaning doctor.

Researchers recruited 148 people over the age of 50 who suffered from chronic knee pain.

They divided them into two groups. One received an Internet-based arthritis management course. The other received simple but vague educational materials about arthritis.

The online course included educational material, Skype sessions with a physiotherapist to train, and an interactive program called Pain COACH that taught them relaxation techniques, problem solving skills, the use of pleasant imagery, and the modification of negative thoughts about pain.

Three and nine months after the program had finished, participants completed questionnaires to report pain levels while walking, their quality of life, their functional status, their sense of control over their arthritis, their ability to cope, and any negative beliefs they were experiencing about pain.

The participants that received personalized intervention showed improvement in all areas, especially pain and function.

Completely Reverse My Arthritis Within a Month - But not all online programs to cure disease are created equal. There is, however, a quick sure-fire way you can cure your arthritis in 21 days or less – and it just takes these simple three steps…

Completely Reverse My Arthritis Within a Month - This Common Household Cleaner Cures Arthritis and Improves Health

What you have below: an article that will show you the household cleaner that helps to eliminate arthritis in your body.

You read that right. It’s a household cleaner. Not some fancy-schmancy drug from Big Pharma.

Actually, this household cleaner kind of scared the pants off the Big Pharma industry. It’s that good.

Boron (found in Borax) is a naturally occurring mineral, extracted from dried salt lakes. Normally, a healthy diet with unprocessed and organically grown fruits and vegetables provides about 2 to 5 mg of boron per day.

However, harsh soil fertilizers and unhealthy cooking methods greatly reduce the intake of boron from food.

Nowadays, due to the increase of chemical soil fertilizers and processed food, our boron intake has been greatly reduced compared to 50 or 100 years ago. And that led to a significant uptick in diseases related to joint inflammation, such as arthritis.

In 1960, Australian plant and soil scientist Rex Newnham developed arthritis. He tried to cure it with all kinds of treatments that conventional medicine could offer.

Unfortunately, nothing worked and his arthritis was only progressing.

He decided to look for an answer in plants and discovered that the soil in the area were plants were grown was rather mineral-deficient.

Dr. Newnham knew that boron increases calcium metabolism in plants. He decided to supplement himself with 30 mg of Borax a day. After three weeks of experimentation, the pain, stiffness and swelling completely disappeared.

Even though he shared this exciting news with Australian public health, they were not interested in a safe and alternative arthritis treatment.

Soon after, Dr. Newnham developed tablets with a safe and effective concentration of boran and helped thousands of people to cure their arthritis.

Obviously, that was a great threat to big pharmaceutical companies. It threatened to reduce their profits by replacing expensive arthritis treatments (that don’t work anyway) with an easy and cheap supplement. As a result, Borax was declared to be a poison in any concentration and banned from use as a cure.

Later, a double-blind trial in Royal Melbourne Hospital revealed that patients supplemented with Borax had 70 % improvement in their Arthritis symptoms, compare to 12% in Placebo group.

There is obviously a direct correlation between low boron levels and arthritis. For example, Jamaica has extremely low soil-boron levels and their Arthritis rates are 70 % higher than Israel, where estimated daily boron intake is 5 to 8 mg with arthritis rates only 0.5- 1 %

Bone examination revealed that arthritis-affected joints had only half the boron content of healthy joints.

The synovial fluid that helps carry nutrients to the cartilage and lubricates joints was found to be boron deficient in arthritic joints.

According to Dr. Newnham, supplementing with Borax can eliminate pain, inflammation, and joint stiffness in about 1 to 3 months.

After that, he suggests reducing the treatment from 3 daily pills to 1 pill a day (each containing 3 mg of Borax) as a preventative measure to avoid future arthritis.

Borax is usually sold as agricultural or technical grade with 99 to 99.5% of pure concentration. The remaining 0.5 % might consist of potassium, sodium, chloride, sulphates, phosphates, calcium, carbonate, bicarbonate, but no toxic or heavy metals.

Boric Acid is also a popular and very effective treatment for candida yeast infections. And, it is widely sold and manufactured in the states.

Let’s hope that in the near future we can purchase boron supplements as a treatment for arthritis in any health food store.

Completely Reverse My Arthritis Within a Month - Spoiler alert: there’s an even better method to easily defeating arthritis. Click this link and take a peek at how you can do this…

Completely Reverse My Arthritis Within a Month - This Traditional Arthritis Treatment Proved Useless (or worse)

There is a popular treatment for arthritis that’s so effective in the beginning, most arthritis sufferers are tempted to jump on it.

But a new study published in JAMA by four scientists from the Tufts Medical Center and the Boston University School of Public Health reveals devastating long-term effects of this method.

It doesn’t just become useless within a few months, it actually eats up your joint cartilage like a vampire, leaving you in a much worse state than before.

Researchers recruited 140 patients with painful knee osteoarthritis.

They randomly divided them into two groups: 70 participants received injections with corticosteroid triamcinolone and the other 70 received saline injections for two years.

The participants were asked to report their pain levels every three months and the doctors performed MRI scans at the beginning, the middle and the end of the study to examine their cartilage.

After 24 months, those injected with the corticosteroid reported no less pain than those injected with saline, suggesting that corticosteroids are actually useless long-term treatments for arthritis pain.

Even worse, those who had been given the corticosteroid injections had lost more cartilage than those given the saline, suggesting that corticosteroids actually lead to cartilage loss, precisely what one must prevent in people with osteoarthritis.

For more ideas on how to completely reverse my arthritis within a month, watch this video - How To Reverse Back Pain And Arthritis Naturally! (RA Tip of the Day)

But what can you do if your pain is so severe you can’t exist? Here are the 3 steps I used to completely reverse my arthritis within a month…

This post is from the Arthritis Strategy Program. It was created by Shelly Manning, a former arthritis sufferer and a health consultant.

A Brief Background on the Author

Like you, Shelly Manning also suffered from arthritis, particularly osteoarthritis. This was due to her weight and desk job. Her condition eventually took a toll on her relationship with her (former) husband.

It was when she went to Hong Kong that she met Janerdquo, an old woman who owned the restaurant where she ate. Janerdquo supposedly offered her a bowl of a weird-smelling soup, which helped ease her joint pain. She ate there each day for 10 days until she was completely healed from arthritis.

Shelly Manning decided to research this natural remedy and to create a step-by-step treatment plan to others who are suffering from different types of arthritis, such as gout, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and psoriatic arthritis.

That’s why she created “The Arthritis Step By Step Strategy.” According to her claims, this unique strategy will get rid of joint pain and stiffness, repair your damaged joints, and treat the underlying cause of your arthritis.

Shelly teamed up with Christian Goodman, the owner of Blue Heron Health News, a publishing company that aims to help people to take responsibility for their own health by using natural health alternatives for preventing arthritis in fingers and knees naturally.

To find out more about this program, go to Completely Reverse My Arthritis Within a Month