Diet & Nutrition article by Ben on Monday, June 29, 2009 2:31:40 PM EST
Have you ever wondered how clean the food you eat really is?
The
Pesticide Action Network has just launched a new website called
What's On My Food to show you how dirty the food you're eating might actually be and lists all of the pesticides that can be found on everything we eat from almonds and apple juice to watermelon and winter squash.
The site has some interesting and very disturbing facts on pesticides, like the fact that 888 million lbs. of pesticides are applied in the United States each year. That's an average of nearly 3 lbs. per person! It also lists the different pesticides found in a wide variety of foods and compares the organic and conventional grown versions of each. It's interesting to learn that even organic foods show traces of pesticides that can travel many miles by wind, water and dust.
The information on the site might not be totally accurate and the opinions expressed might be a bit biased but it's still worth checking out and is definitely a good reminder that we should ALWAYS wash our food before we eat it!
General Fitness article by Ben on Monday, June 22, 2009 3:32:57 PM EST
Do yo need a little extra motivation to help get you in shape this Summer? Well while you're sweating away on the treadmill striving for that bikini body remember that there are a few other really great perks that you will get from following an exercise program. Here are a few!
1. Reduces your risk for developing cancers of the colon, breast and prostate.
2. Lowers the likelihood of developing heart disease. Exercise helps prevent plaque buildup and increases the resiliency of arteries as you age.
3. Helps to prevent diabetes by shaving off excess body weight, lowering blood sugar levels and boosting sensitivity to insulin.
4. May limit and even reduce knee and back problems by helping to control weight.
5. Fends off bone loss. Weight-bearing exercises like walking, jogging and strength training are all known to increase bone strength and density.
6. Helps to lift your spirits by releasing mood elevating hormones and relieving stress!
Exercise & Workout article by Ben on Monday, June 15, 2009 10:10:28 PM EST
If anybody out there is looking to put on a little bit of size this summer then check out this
article I found on t-muscle magazine. It's about training for hypertrophy using timed intervals rather than repetitions and explains how this modification can help you gain the most lean muscle in the shortest amount of time!
This is a topic that I can definitely relate to because I have been training for hypertrophy and strength gains for over ten years. I found the article really interesting and am going to try using the set timed intervals for each exercise rather than a specific number of repetitions to see how my body responds to the different method of training. My goal is to put on a few more pounds of lean muscle over the next couple months and I've tried other systems like ladder training and super setting in the past to help increase the volume and intensity of my workouts so was very intrigued when I saw the headline claiming - "10 lbs. of new muscle in just 4 weeks!"
I'm going to add the timed exercises into my workouts this week and follow the same split routine that is suggested in the
article. I'm also going to keep my lifts as simple as I can and be sure to include a lot of compound exercises like deadlifts, bent over rows, presses and step ups in every workout. Wish me luck and I'll keep you all posted on my progress!
Diet & Nutrition article by Marlaena on Friday, June 12, 2009 11:59:35 PM EST
Here's a great summertime recipe for all you meat lovers out there! ;)
Ingredients
8 wooden skewers
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp grated orange zest
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 lb lean beef sirloin, cut into 1/8-inch strips
- 1 each red, green and yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup lowfat mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp fish sauce
Preparation
Soak skewers for 30 minutes. Puree cilantro, garlic, soy sauce, orange zest, sriracha, fish sauce and sugar in a food processor. Transfer marinade to a resealable plastic bag; add beef. Seal bag, toss and set aside up to 30 minutes. Combine dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl. Thread 4 pieces of pepper and 2 beef strips on each skewer, alternating beef and peppers. Coat grill rack with cooking spray; heat grill to high; cook until meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.
