Eating, The Manly Way

Let's face it.  Eating "healthy" sure doesn't sound manly.  It sounds like you're some pansy who's trying to watch their figure and stay trim.  Seriously, who wants to be all meek, skinny, and worst of all, weak?  Now there's nothing wrong with trying to lose a few pounds, but it just so happens that you're a man, and men should eat big, meaty, chunky meals that fill their belly and build big, strong, manly muscles.  How else are you going to move that massive weight?  The good news is that you can eat that masculine food you love, and still be lean, ripped, and BEASTLY.  

Oh, and to any women readers, there's no sexist nature intended in this article, it's all in good fun.  You can enjoy this food too, and get the exact same benefits, I promise.


So let's go over a list of the manliest, most heftily nutrient packed muscle building man foods we can find, and see if we can't figure out how to fill that plate with something big and meaty (and then maybe slip a few of those meager little veggies on the side...as if they'll even fit...HAR HAR.)


Beef:  Steak, ribs, burgers, veil, ground up, I don't care.  Beef is delicious, protein packed, and filled with so many nutrients that I won't be able to list them all here.  It's packed with B-12 and B-6, two vitamins that will aid in maintaining healthy metabolism and high energy levels, as well as assisting in central nervous system health.  We've already mentioned the protein, you'll get a LOT of it in every delicious, perfectly juicy bite.  Worried about the fat content?  Of course you're not!  And you shouldn't be, as every bit of fat in that beef is beneficial in some way.  Most of the fat is monounsaturated fat, the same stuff in olive oil!  The saturated fat is actually an EXCELLENT energy source, and may actually aid in losing weight, as it encourages your body to use fat as fuel instead of sugary carbs.  And contrary to popular belief, the saturated fat in beef isn't related to rising levels of bad cholesterol.  Pile a big fat steak on your plate and dig in, beef will make you BEEFY.

Whole milk:  That's right, we don't need none of that frilly "fat free" stuff, we want the whole, creamy, yummy, thick and refreshing kind of milk, the way nature intended it.  Every cup of whole milk is packed with 8 grams of protein from various sources including both whey and casein, and the natural sugars are great post workout to help those growing muscles suck up all those nutrients quick.  Mix in some whey protein and you've got yourself some of the most delicious drinkable stuff on earth.  And the fat?  It's the same deal here.  Saturated fat gets a bad rap, but when it's in its natural form it is actually quite healthy.  It will benefit blood lipid levels and is an AWESOME source of energy.  Pour a glass and be proud of that milk mustache.

Bacon:  OK....seriously...WHO DOESN'T LOVE BACON?  Thought you had to avoid it on a healthy diet???  WRONG-OH!!!!  Bacon is no less healthy than many cuts of chicken, turkey, beef, or any other meat you can think of off hand.  Sure it has some fat in it, but that fat, once again, is a great LOW CARB energy source that will both satiate you quickly and actually elevate your mood.  That's right, dietary fat makes you happy.  Before you complain that it can't be part of a clean diet, realize that there are thousands of people who've lost untold amounts of body fat while eating bacon almost every day.  Don't believe me?  Just do some online searching.  Bacon, like beef, is also packed with B vitamins, and DEM DER PROTEEEEEIIINNSSS.  I can hear those heavenly strips sizzling now, mmmmm.  Breakfast of the gods.

Eggs:  Fry 'em, scramble 'em, poach 'em, boil 'em, and PIG OUT.  Egg protein is one of the greatest sources of protein in the entire world, with a bio-availability in the high 90%'s when cooked.  That means your body can use almost all of the protein available in eggs with the upmost efficiency to build strong, lean muscle.  BUT, as manly as it may look, drinking raw eggs is a bad idea.  When left uncooked, egg protein only has a bio-availability of about 50%, so much of that protein is wasted in your body.  Plus, nobody wants salmonella.  You won't look too manly puking your guts out all night, right?  But seriously, eat those eggs.  Oh, and dietary cholesterol hasn't been proven to have nearly ANY effect on blood cholesterol, so don't worry about that either.  Sound good?  Great.

Sausage:  Awww yeah, brautwerst anyone?  Sausage comes in all shapes and sizes, with all sorts of fillings.  Sure, it's not the highest quality meat you can buy, but it's a great source of protein and has a lot of healthy fats in it as well.  Want something lean?  Go for the chicken or turkey sausage.  Want the tastiest thing this side of Neptune?  Get some biggun's packed with pork and beef, and pile them next to that big morning omelette.  I recommend eating sausage in moderation, but you definitely don't have to cut it out of your diet.  Just watch the sodium, as it can pile up quickly in certain kinds.  Also, look at the ingredients, and make sure as much of the stuff inside is stuff you can pronounce, preferably meat without additives.

Peanut Butter:  I eat this stuff by the spoonful.  Packed with healthy fats and Omega-6 fatty acids, peanut butter is the bomb.  It's an incredible source of healthy calories, especially when you get the natural, or "natty" stuff.  Natty PB brah...all the way.  In fact, the best peanut butter out there has the fewest ingredients.  While the general rule of thumb is to make sure there is NO trans fat in the peanut butter, you also generally want to avoid the stuff with "partially hydrogenated vegetable oils."  Those oils are used to make sure the peanut oil doesn't separate out of the butter itself, which is a pretty useless task unless someone is unbelievable lazy.  A little stirring might help those forearms develop anyway.  Brands I like are Teddie natural chunky, Smucker's natural, Jif Natural, Naturally More, and Power Butter.  Go ahead and have a couple tablespoons, and watch those muscles EXPLODE.

Spinach:  OK, you may be looking at me funny.  But hey, if it made Popeye a monster, it could do the same to you.  It's an aquired taste, but the aggressive flavor almost makes it manlier, right?  Try some light sauces or spices on it to make it more palletable, like mustard, salsa, cayenne pepper, curry powder, whatever floats your boat.  It's packed with vitamins and minerals, and will help you lose extra  body fat covering those shredded guns of yours.  Have a couple of forkfuls a day, and release your inner Popeye.

There you go you beastly dude you, eat up and get big, shredded, ripped, and NOTICED.  Enjoy your meat, your steak, your peanut butter, and those huge, giant, bacon filled omelettes.  Compliment any of these manly dishes with a side of veggies and you're in business.  You can eat healthy and retain your manhood, it's easy!  Now go eat some food, lift some weight, and growl at all the little meager folks cowering away from you.  You're a beast, and noone gets in your way.

GOOD LUCK DUDES!

Negative Calorie Foods: The Ultimate Diet Fantasy

We've all heard of them, those foods that supposedly require more calories to digest than they actually contain. Like celery!  Don't you remember that celery had something like 5 calories, and took 15 to digest?  Now I don't really know where those numbers came from, but I sure remember hearing that statement uttered from the mouths of quite a few of my friends and relatiFves.  But is it really true?  Could you just theoretically eat a whole ton of celery and burn more calories than your daily trek in the gym?

Unfortunately, no.  These rumored zero calorie foods are just that, rumors.  They don't actually exist.  There isn't a single food out there that requires more calories to digest than they actually contain.  Each and every day, your body takes about 10% of your caloric intake and uses it to actually digest the foods that you've eaten.  Now this 10% can vary based on how many calories you actually consumed, and if it happens to be over the caloric value of celery, then whoopee, maybe in that instance celery was a net loss of calories.  But the difference is nearly negligible, and hasn't been shown to aid in fat loss (the effect hasn't, the food most surely has!)

Does this mean you should cut back on celery?  Or how about broccoli? (Another supposed zero calorie food.) HECK NO!  Both of these veggies can aid in huge amounts toward your weight loss goal.  They contain massive amounts of fiber, which will not only keep your digestive system fit and healthy, but will keep you satiated and slow the digestion of other foods, making it a more efficient process and allowing the body to more readily use the nutrients it has been given.

Listen:  You're not going to get fat off of celery.  I'd be willing to wager you that you could eat as much celery as you wanted, and you'd get full long before you ever gained even an ounce of fat.  Raw, green veggies are just too darn nutrient packed to be bad for you, even in huge quantities.  Actually, I'll go out on a limb and say that if "no limit" foods exist, celery, broccoli, and other deep greens like spinach and lettuce are definitely worthy of that title.

Eat to your heart's content!  But don't think you'll be in a net calorie loss by doing so, because even though I hate to say it, your body doesn't work like that.

 Myth BUSTED!  

All in a morning's work, and now off to class.

Eat those veggies, and GOOD LUCK!

Lifting For Two

Are you a gym loner?  Are you one of those people who hits the gym solo, day in and day out, in your own little world, at your own intensity level, and with your own goals in mind?  Well, thousands upon thousands of people are, and you know what?  That's just fine.  Some people work well alone, and most of the time I think I fall into this category just fine.  For months on end I've been hitting the gym solo, and have gotten plenty of personal records in the process.  Lots of people do the exact same thing with great success, so what's the problem?  Well, the thing is, by working out alone, you may be falling into a hidden trap, and squandering your own potential.

What do I mean?  Well, let me put it this way.  It's much easier than you think to set both your goals and your intensity levels far too low, and lose out on quite a bit of possible muscle gains.  In fact, you could get stuck in a rut without even realizing it.  Sure, I've given you ways to prevent this, such as setting short term goals which you have to try your darndest to stick to, or getting your diet right so you have maximum energy and feel ready to hit the heavy stuff day in and day out.  But honestly, the most effective motivation in a workout is sometimes just another person.

I can speak from personal experience here.  Whenever I've had the pleasure of another person to lift alongside, I've felt better and more motivated than any other time.  The reasons for this are quite simple, and I bet you all could figure them out.  However, because that wouldn't make much of an article, I'll post them here regardless:

Assistance:  Whether it's loading the weights, checking for good form, or just moving equipment around in general, you can get your next workout set up faster with someone else helping you.  You can also make sure you're doing it right.  Though a mirror works fine to check for squat depth, it'd sure be nice to have someone else there checking it for me as well.  And if your back rounds during a heavy deadlift, they can yell at you to drop that sucker before you get hurt, before you actually GET hurt.  That'd be nice, wouldn't it?

Distraction:  When the weight gets heavy, and you're there alone, that's all you can think about.  It's just you, under this stupidly heavy weight, and you need to squat it from top to bottom to top again.  And god it's heavy, why's it so heavy?  It wasn't this heavy yesterday, was it?  Oh my god I can't do this.  But I'm going to try anyway...so I here I go...and then BAM!  You fail.  You dump the weight, make some noise, and miss a chance at another PR.  Sucks, doesn't it?  There are two ways to alleviate this.  Take some weight off (hah! like that'll happen), or get a friend to come and watch you.  Performing for someone else can actually have a positive effect on lifting ability.  Your friend creates a distinct distraction that can easily take your mind off the task at hand, and instead get you into the right mindset to make the lift.  They can talk to you, root you on, tell you to push harder, and most likely you'll listen, and succeed.  Plus, having a friend there makes even the longest workouts fly by.  Just don't get chatting instead of lifting.

This distraction aspect also works GREAT with cardio.  I hate running, so whenever I had to go for a run I'd try to find someone to run with.  MUCH EASIER! 

Competition:  This used to be my driving force back in high school, with a guy named Cameron Stiles.  He and I would go back and forth trying to push out more reps with more weight (in fact our motto was jokingly "more weight, more reps, less rest") than the other could do.  Usually he won, considering he had about 10 lbs more muscle than I did, and was also built like a full-back (short arms, short legs, resembling an M1 Abrams Tank if you squinted.)  Nevertheless, he pushed me to get stronger faster than I ever had before, and god was it fun trying to beat him.  Next chance you get, bring a bud to the gym who's around your strength level, set up a few competitive lifts, and have at it.  You'll not only get a great workout in, but you'll feel like a beast WHEN you beat him.  And if competition doesn't get your mind in the right place to lift, I don't know what will.

Encouragement:  I've sort of covered this one already, but on a hard rep sometimes someone yelling appropriate encouragement can really push you through.  Keep in mind this needs to be the right tone of voice, intensity, volume, etc., so most likely not every one of your buddies will get you lifting that last rep as efficiently as they could.  For me, again, it was Cameron.  He had a way of yelling at me that just made me angry, energized, and extremely determined to get that last rep.  Haven't found someone else yet who could do the same.  But give it a shot, bring a friend and egg each other on, because a little encouragement can go a long way.

Safety:  Now this one kind of seems like a no brainer, but I'll mention it anyway.  Squats I'm not so concerned about, anyone who really knows what they're doing can dump a bar backward or forward, but on something like a bench press, seated military press, or anything else where you're suspending a bar over your body with no place to really throw it if it goes bad, it'd be nice to have someone there to pull the thing off you when you can't lift it anymore, right?

A Few More Reps:  This one kind of goes with the safety topic, though not exactly.  See, when you're benching alone, you know you need to rack it before you get to that one "grinding" rep, where you may or may not get stuck under the darn thing.  If you have someone there spotting you, and they know what they're doing, you can ALWAYS go for broke, and go right until you can't lift another rep.  Then, the best part is, your friend can help you push one more out by gently, lifting up on the bar and alleviating some of the weight on the concentric phase.  Heck, you can do that same thing four or five times and really push your body over the edge so much that it HAS to grow to adapt.  Go past your max, and you'll put on muscle, quick.

Creativity:  If you put two brains together, usually you can come up with better programming and more effective exercises than you would normally on your own.  You can discuss what you're feeling in your bodies throughout the workout, and determine what your next lift should be accordingly.  You can even design routines and lifts on the spot, and confuse your muscles enough so that they'll be forced to grow big and strong.  And trying new and crazy things can really make you feel impressively strong, and walk out of the gym that day feeling truly accomplished.

So there you have it, exactly why you should try to work out WITH someone else the next chance you get.  You'll push harder, be more efficient, creative, and effectively worked.  Plus, I can almost guarantee that it'll be a lot more fun (if you're working out with someone you actually like...).  Give it a shot, I'm pretty sure you'll see what I mean.  Progress comes quickly when someone else is there to help.

Get a buddy, hit the heavy weight, and as always, GOOD LUCK!

Train Those Triceps

I bet you've seen them all too often in that gym.  The curl monkeys.  You know, they're the ones near the dumbbells, curling the heck out of any weight they can handle before eventually tiring out and slamming the thing on the floor.  They'll then make their way to the preacher curl station, and go nuts on that.  They might even do the unthinkable, and curl the bar inside the squat rack (the gym's biggest sin).  And just when you think they've done enough biceps, they hit a few poses in the mirror, and get the heck out of there.  What did you just witness?  A gym failure due to improper knowledge of workout techniques and muscle anatomy.

Sure, obviously there's merit in training your biceps.  They need attention, and without proper exercise you won't get the giant guns you've always wanted, and won't be able to hand out those tickets to random girlies (tickets to what?  Why the GUN show of course!!!)  But if you want big arms, overtraining your biceps isn't the way to go.  In fact, you may be hampering your progress.  If you want big, rippling arms like tree trunks, TRAIN YOUR TRICEPS.  In fact, you might want to pay a little more attention to your triceps than your biceps.  Why's that?  Let's discuss!

(by the way, did you know that the words "triceps" and "biceps" are both the singular AND the plural versions?  Even the singular terms have an "s" on the end!  Leave it to latin...)

The biceps is a muscle defined by two distinct heads ("bi"..."cep"...that's Latin for "two, heads.") Your triceps, that muscle on the and side of your arm, has, you guessed it, three heads.  They can be defined further as the lateral head, long head, and medial head.

Check out the left-hand figure, it shows the different triceps heads

If you study the picture, and flex your triceps, I bet you can find all three heads on the muscle, or at least get a general sense as to where they are.  Different triceps exercises work somewhat different heads, though it's very difficult to isolate just one (muscles are good at working together).  But still, why would it do you good to pay a LOT of attention to those muscles that you can't even really see?

Well, guess what.  Your triceps are actually 2/3 OF YOUR ARM!  That's right, getting big triceps is a much faster route to building big arms than big biceps.  In fact, if you look closely enough at many pictures of bodybuilders and strength athletes, their biceps might seem pretty small in comparison to their massive triceps jutting underneath those ungodly giant arms.

See what I mean about the size difference between these two muscles?

Ok so now you get it, right?  Triceps are what really give those arms the mass you want.  But how should you go about training them?  Well, the sets x reps scheme for training triceps is up to much debate, but I can't really see how a beginner could go wrong with three to four exercises, each one 3 sets of 5-10 reps.  Certain exercises are better off 5x5-10, but I'll leave the research up to you.  I can give you a few of my favorite triceps exercises though!

Skull Crushers- A real killer when it comes to nailing the backs of those beastly arms.  This exercise involves taking a dumbell and laying flat on a bench.  Hold the dumbbell straight up with your arms, and get set for an exercise that you DON'T wanna mess up.  Slowly bring the bar down to to your forehead, bending only at your elbows and keeping your upper arms (biceps and triceps) completely perpendicular to the bench.  Keep those elbows in tight!  Press back up with your triceps when you reach your...you guessed it...SKULL...and repeat.  Make sure you have a strong grip with this exercise, and don't be afraid to start relatively light.  You'll learn quickly what kind of weight you feel comfortable handling.

(The skull crushers start at 2:15)

Triceps Rope Pushdowns-  This one is pretty simple, yet can still be done improperly if you're not careful.  It involves a cable pull down machine complete with a rope attachment that most gyms possess.  You want to grip both ends of the rope firmly, stand close to the rope itself, and extend only with your tricpes, keeping back and legs fully locked.  You can flare the ropes out at the bottom for an extra triceps burn if you wish.

Diamond Push-ups-  These are killer!  Basically the normal pushup's evil twin.  Firstly, kneel down on the floor, and place your hands together so that your two index fingers and thumbs make a "diamond" shape (like on the playing card).  Next, put your palms flat on the floor with your hands still in this position.  Get into a good push-up start position, making sure the spade is centered under your chest.  And the next step?  DO PUSH-UPS!  Keep your elbows VERY tight into your body for the best triceps workout, and don't be discouraged if these are extremely hard at first.  They're probably the greatest body weight exercise for triceps I know of.  

Body-weight/ Weighted Dips:  This involves those two random handles that you may see in your gym, jutting out from some pull up bar/roman chair/dip machine hybrid.  I think you'll know what I'm talking about when you see the video.  Anyway, this exercise is pretty simple, but is yet another absolute killer with just body weight.  Step up to the two handles, place a hand on each, and push yourself up so that you're held in place in air by your locked out arms.  Slowly "dip" between the handles, bending at the elbows, and upon reaching a bottom position of choice (don't go too low at first, you might not have the flexibility), push back up with your triceps muscles.  When you get really good at these, you can add weight like the guy in the video, however I strongly suggest starting only with body weight.  

If you're still not quite strong enough to do body weight (don't be ashamed, this is a very difficult exercise), check out the second video, which shows chair dips, where the same action is performed except your feet are now suspended on something.  These are much easier to start out with, and a great first step toward body weight dips.  

(Suspended Dips)

(Chair Dips)

There's a good start to any respectable triceps workout.  Get to the gym and stop neglecting those powerful muscles on the backs of your arms.  They actually have the potential to be much stronger than your biceps, but they won't be if you ignore them!  

Train them hard, build massive arms, and as always, GOOD LUCK!

Venison: Lean, Healthy and Delicious!

It's that time of year, time to eat something a little more organic!

I bet there's a lot of you that have never tried venison.  Some of you might not even really know what it is, BUT WAIT, I'll tell you before you go running off to google.  Venison is deer meat, most commonly from white-tailed deer.  It's a great alternative to boring old beef and chicken, and boy is it lean!  Hunters bag over 6 million white tailed deer per year, so if you're willing to look a little bit, there's plenty of venison out there for you to try it!

Why is Venison so lean?  Well, deer are extremely active animals, with very herbaceous diets. They're constantly darting from field to field, and never accumulate a caloric excess to the point that would allow them to gain large amounts of fat.  All that running packs some pretty dense muscle on their bones as well, so when these two facts are combined it's easy to see that Venison could quite possibly be one of the leanest sources of land-based protein.  

For example, let's compare.  

1 oz of Venison has 46 calories, .3g saturated fat, and 9.8g of protein.

1 oz of lean, broiled steak has 55 calories, .7g saturated fat, and 8.5g protein.

1 oz of a lower quality cut of steak has 90 calories, 2.5g saturated fat, and 8g protein

Excuse my inconsistent significant figures

Even the leanest beef can't compare to an ounce of natural, organic Venison.  To bring this point home, 4oz of Venison on average has around 180 calories and 35g of protein.  4oz of an AVERAGE CUT OF 70/30 BEEF has 350 calories and 20 grams of protein.  The clear winner? Venison.

And as I mentioned above, Venison is Organic!  Most farm raised animals have been fed some sort of steroid of hormone in order to increase their muscle mass (or possibly just their size in general).  Bigger muscles= more meat= more money for the farmers.  I'm not going to harp on farmers for their techniques, it's easy to see why this is done, and for the most part it's not a huge deal. But these injected meats definitely are NOT as healthy to consume as their organic counterparts, and it's hard to get more organic than Venison.  

Venison is also packed full of vitamins and other nutrients, like Vitamin B (and all it's counterparts), D, E, magnesium, manganese, zinc, omega 3 fatty acids, Copper, and Potassium.  It even has a good serving a folate in it.  This meat is packed with health benefits!

Unfortunately, Venison isn't quite as "consistent" a meat as say, beef or chicken.  What I mean by this is that the toughness and taste of the meat varies greatly depending on how the animal was taken.  Here's a quote I found from another website stating a few factors that can cause Venison to lose some of it's taste or tenderness:

"Young animals are generally tender by nature, and require little, or no aging to ensure tenderness. However, if the deer runs a great distance between wounding and death, there's a good chance it will expend all its glycogen reserves. When this happens, the pH level of the meat increases, speeding bacterial growth."

So there's a few other factors in determining the taste of the meat itself.  Also, there's a few small nuances with cooking/dressing/storing the meat that can be important, due to the highly natural diet of deer.  Follow these tips to ensure that your Venison is both safe and delicious:

Cooking Tips

• Parasites and tapeworms are common in venison; hence it should be frozen for minimum of two hours. This will kill any parasites or tapeworms.
• For tougher cuts like rump, round and shoulder, moist heat methods such as braising (simmering in a small amount of liquid, in a covered pot) is recommended.
• Prepare a hearty stew by combining venison steak pieces, root vegetables, spices and broth.
• Skewer marinated cubes of venison steak with vegetables and grill in the oven or on the barbeque.
• To mask the gamey flavor of venison, spices or marinades can be used.
• A vinegar-soaked cloth will remove hair from the meat, which can otherwise produce undesirable flavors.
• You can add other fats to avoid the meat from becoming too dry. Rub a roast with oil, butter, margarine, bacon fat or sweet or sour cream to add moisture, richness, and flavor.
• In case you have to marinate venison, do so in the refrigerator only. This is because its extreme sensitivity to heat might spoil it, at room temperature.
• Always defrost frozen venison in the refrigerator and not at room temperature

All in all, Venison is a perfect alternative to traditional beef, chicken, turkey, pork, and similar meats.  Think of it, a healthy red meat!  What are the chances.  I suggest that you try this meat out ASAP, either for lunch or dinner.  The taste may take a little getting used to, it can be very strong and some people don't completely enjoy it at first. But others absolutely LOVE IT.  I plan to pick some up soon myself, probably in the form of Venison jerky.  

Be adventurous, try something natural, lean, healthy, and delicious!

Cook carefully, enjoy wholeheartedly, and good luck!

Food Worship #4: Natural Peanut Butter

I love peanut butter, and I'm willing to bet most of you do as well.  The good news is that the natural stuff is actually very healthy for you in small quantities.  In fact if you're looking to keep your heart healthy, put on some muscle, or even lose some body fat, natural peanut butter can definitely help you out.

What's so great about "natural" peanut butter?  Well, normal peanut butter may be a delicious gift from heaven, however it's filled to the brim with chemicals that will help to keep the peanut oil and the peanut paste from separating.  These include hydrogenated oils as well as high fructose corn syrup.  Those ingredients spell trouble, because in reality they mean something much more sinister: TRANS FAT. That nasty fat will surely fight your heart in every way possible, and will most likely contribute to a soft middle as well.

But wait, on the nutrition label it says there's zero trans fat for peanut butter, is it lying?

Not exactly, but that label may be a little misleading.  See, in reality, the FDA doesn't require trans fat to be posted on the label if it contains less than .5g of the stuff.  So it's there, it's just very minuscule.  But good ol' skippy definitely does NOT have 0 trans fat.  And while a tiny little bit such as this may not seem to mean too much, over a whole jar's worth it can add up (although I hope most of you don't eat an entire jar in one serving).

Natural peanut butter however doesn't have trans fat, because if you compare ingredients, you'll see that a good brand of natural peanut butter (I suggest either Teddy Bear or Smucker's natural) has "roasted peanuts" as the only ingredient.  No added sugars, no hydrogenated oils, only healthy fats and proteins.  Because it doesn't have these extra additives, the peanut oil in natural peanut butter will separate out over time.  Simply stir before using, or flip the jar when you're putting it away so the oil can absorb back up into the ground peanuts.

So how can natural peanut butter improve your diet?  I'll list a few ways, and give you an excuse to have a spoonful today:

Healthy Fats- Natural peanut butter is loaded with healthy, poly and mono unsaturated fats which will do you all sorts of good. They'll increase cardiovascular health if consumed in decent quantities in your diet, and will help to raise your HDL or "good" cholesterol.

These fats will also give you clean, usable energy throughout your day, which is why I'd definitely suggest having a tablespoon or two of natural peanut butter for breakfast on a slice of whole wheat toast.

Finally, these fats will help you to absorb what are called "fat soluble vitamins."  These essential vitamins are wasted and unusable by your body if they are not absorbed into a good source of unsaturated fat.  Examples of fat soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Protein/Bulking- While natural peanut butter does contain around 6g of protein per serving, considering that one serving has around 190-200 calories it doesn't end up being that protein dense.  What peanut butter is EXTREMELY good for though is those looking to bulk up, and pack on some muscle mass.  Because peanut butter is very calorie dense, it can assist hard-gainers to finally be in a caloric excess for the day so that they might use some of those extra quality calories to build some new muscle (note that muscle building required WORK, and existing in a caloric excess without working out is definitely NOT recommended.)

Fiber- Natural peanut butter has a good amount of fiber that will keep your digestive system healthy and will help to metabolize other food by slowing digestion.  This can help people to maintain or lose weight, and will also help them to feel fuller, longer.  Natural Peanut butter is very satiating.


Extended Feed Time- My personal favorite usage of natural peanut butter is to keep my muscles fed while I sleep.  After I lift, my muscles will be repairing themselves all the rest of that day and through the night, and they need raw food material in order to build those muscles up bigger and stronger than they were before.  I take a tablespoon of natural peanut butter before I go to bed to ensure that the healthy fats in peanut butter will slow down nutrient absorption into my muscles so they can be "drip fed" all night while I sleep, and won't ever enter a catabolic state.

It's a cheat meal, that's not a cheat meal!- Peanut butter tastes freakin' amazing! Sure the natural stuff may not be quite as sweet, but I guarantee that if you give it a couple tries, you'll learn to appreciate its rich, nutty flavor and its amazingly smooth texture.  It feels like you're eating dessert when really you're consuming a very healthy meal.  Remember to keep it in controlled quantities, but enjoy those quantities to their fullest extent.

It's cheap!- For all those great nutrients and healthy fats, natural peanut butter is pretty darn cheap.  Pick some up today, don't worry it won't break your food budget.

So there you go, I just gave you six great reasons to eat some peanut butter.  Do you need any more?  I bet you didn't need more than one....ha.  Seriously though, go out and pick some up, and try a little for breakfast, or as a between meal or pre-bedtime snack.  Natural peanut butter is an amazing diet tool and consuming it will result in a healthier, happier you.

Creamy or Chunky, it doesn't matter, I like either one.

Good Luck!

The Cotton Ball Diet...SAY WHAT!??

In my research I've always come across some pretty strange diet ideas, and many have given me a chuckle or two.  In fact for the majority of fad diets out there, a chuckle is really all they're good for.  Most can't be sustained, and in the end, good ol' clean eating is your best solution.

But this diet stopped my chuckle, and nearly kicked me out of my chair.

It's called the cotton ball diet.  Guess what it involves?  That's right, EATING COTTON BALLS.  Why on earth would someone do such a thing?  Well the theory is that they're extremely high in fiber and basically have no calories.  If you've read my previous articles, you know what those two things amount to....SATIETY.  You'll be full to bursting, with almost no energy in your belly.

The cotton ball diet claimed to enable people to eat almost zero calories at meal time and still feel completely full.

But seriously?  Did they really think that would work?  I have news, it DIDN'T.  Sure those little puffy snacks filled them up, but it caused extreme malnutrition in many subjects, as well as digestive problems.  No, cotton won't kill you, but I seriously doubt you'll feel too good after popping twenty of those suckers.

Strangely enough, this diet was supposedly used big-time in the modeling industry, where models will do pretty much anything to maintain an unrealistically slim figure.  i found this quote on http://girlsguidetothegalaxy.com/2010/10/11/the-cottonball-diet/ about a model discussing her take on the cotton ball diet.

"Cotton wool totally helped me feel fuller, I didn’t even need to binge, I just binged on cotton wool and drank lots of water and it filled me up! I also read somewhere that cotton wool contains a lot of fibre. I know it might sound gross and a bit unhealthy but its better eating that and being skinny than eating something tasty but being fat. You can make it a sweet snack by dipping it in strawberry or chocolate food flavoring (0 cal) or make it even a savoury dish by adding herbs/spices and pepper to it."

Absolutely ridiculous.  The girl goes on to say that she soaked the cottonballs in gelatin or orange juice to help them go down easier.  DO...NOT...TRY...THIS.

Fad diets are usually bad news.  If you'd like to know about any fad diet in particular, just comment on this post, and I'll be sure to post an article about it.

Eat real food, don't fall for fads, and as always, good luck!

Water: The Critical Liquid

Ok, buckle up, here comes an article that I guarantee will be one of the most important in this entire blog.

It's time to talk about water, and it's importance.  Yeah you've all heard the fun facts, that humans are 72.8% water, and that while you can live for weeks without food, you can only live at most around 10 days without water.  Here's a nifty little chart from survivaltopic.com that shows the predicted survival rates for dehydrated people at various temperatures:

How Long Can You Live Without Water?

Max Daily Temperature	Number of Days in the Shade
	No Water	1 Quart .95 Liter	2 Quarts 1.90 Liters	4 Quarts 3.79 Liters	10 Quarts 9.46 Liters	20 Quarts 18.93 Liters
120 F / 48.9 C	2 days	2	2	2.5	3	4.5
110 F / 43.3 C	3	3	3.5	4	5	7
100 F / 37.8 C	5	5.5	6	7	9.5	13.5
90 F / 32.2 C	7	8	9	10.5	15	23
80 F / 26.7 C	9	10	11	13	19	29
70 F / 21.1 C	10	11	12	14	20.5	32
60 F / 15.6 C	10	11	12	14	21	32
50 F / 10.0 C	10	11	12	14.5	21	32

Kinda scary eh?  What you don't realize is how incredibly, amazingly, fantastically, undeniably CRUCIAL water is to all bodily functions.  There's no if's, ands, or buts about it, your body runs off the stuff.  Without water, your body can't function, your blood can't flow, your muscles can't move, and your brain can't do a darn thing.

But if you're not in the middle of the Sahara, I'm willing to bet you're getting sufficient water to carry on throughout your day.  If you're thirsty, you have a drink, and go on your merry way.  It's simple, right?  Eh...not so much.  Most people nowadays are not drinking the recommended amount of water.  For men, it's recommended to consume around 12-13cups (3.3L) of fluids a day.  For women, that figure is about 9 cups.  That's a lot of water!  Mind you, most people do get water intake from sources outside liquid in a glass, however if it requires chewing, the amount of water you're taking in won't end up being too significant.

That leaves the majority of that fluid intake up to the actual liquids you drink.  When's the last time you can remember drinking 3.3L of fluid of water in one day?  Keep in mind that eight glasses of water is around 2L.  And that's a LOT of water.  Also, this is just a baseline number.  If you do any sort of exercise, you should be drinking a decent amount more than this.  10-15 glasses of water a day for an active, average sized male.  Wow.

So we've come to the conclusion that if you're like most people, on an average day you drink less than the recommended serving of water.  That may not seem like too big a deal, you always get through your day, right?  It's never posed too much of an issue.  Now comes my job, trying to convince you to drink more by explaining how a few more sips of that refreshing clear liquid could do you more good than you could realize.

Here's just a few of the hundreds of benefits of drinking more water:

Increased energy:  Many studies have shown that increasing your water intake throughout the day will cut down fatigue.  I can personally vouch for this, after increasing my intake by about 5 glasses I've noticed much more energy, and a feel a LOT better in the afternoon.

Brain Function:  Your brain is just like the rest of your body, made up of various tissues.  These tissues are 85% water.  If you become even slightly dehydrated, be prepared to notice a decrease in thinking ability/clear-headedness.  Can't remember the name of that dude you met at the grocery store?  Should've had a glass of water that morning...

Gym Performance:  This one seems like a given.  Your muscles need LOTS of water to function.  Losing 2% of your bodily water will decrease your gym performance by 15-20%.  Blood becomes thicker, oxygen doesn't flow as easily, and everything becomes slow, tired, and stiff.  Drink more water and you may hit that new PR sooner than you think!

Muscle Mass:  Muscles need nutrients to grow.  Guess how they get those nutrients?  You got it, water.  Water keeps nutrients flowing into your muscles, so they can recover after a workout and grow larger and denser than they were before.

Fat Burning:  According to an article on webmd.com, water can help increase your metabolic rate.  One study showed that after 17 ounces of water (around 2 glasses) of water increased metabolic rate by about 30% for two hours.  That's pretty significant, and could definitely help in any weight loss goals.

Feel full, eat less:  My last article dealt with this.  If you drink a full glass of water before and during every meal, your risk of over eating is drastically reduced.  That much water takes up a good bit of space in your stomach, so you'll feel full faster.  This is a must try if you're cutting back on calories and miss that full feeling after every meal.

Healthy kidneys:  Water keeps those kidneys in tip-top condition and will help flush toxins out of the body.

Insulin levels:  Water does not spike your blood insulin, so if you drink a glass and feel full for a while your rate of fat oxidation will remain higher than it would for flavored drinks.

I could go on for hours, but I'd like to discuss one final point.  Some people just don't really like water, and how bland it is.  I'm one of those people, and I find it hard to drink a lot of it.  One glass is fine.  15?  No thanks.  But there's good news.  Any sort of liquid will count toward your daily water intake.  Sure it has to be filtered by your body first to remove the other stuff dissolved in it, but it'll still keep you hydrated.  That means you can have that cup of coffee, or that mountain dew, and still enjoy the benefits of an increased daily water intake.  No, it's not quite as good as the plain stuff, and I would suggest still getting a glass of water down with every meal.  But hey, it's a start.

Does 15 glasses a day sound a little daunting?  It did to me.  But just like eating healthy, start SLOWLY.  Add a glass in the morning when you get up.  Just one.  Then when you've gotten used to that extra bit of liquid, add another.  Your body will soon become accustomed to the increased liquid intake, and you'll start to feel those oh-so-amazing benefits.  I highly suggest you try this method.

Keep on chugging, stay hydrated, and good luck!

Eating Clean: Where to start?

Ok, so now you know a little bit about what comprises a clean diet.  And maybe you're thinking that a few of the foods I mentioned don't actually sound so bad.  In fact maybe, just maybe you might be able to incorporate a few of those foods into your daily diet, perhaps substituting some of the processed junk that you always feel guilty about eating.

What you've just stumbled upon is the start to a clean diet.  And it's exactly the first step I suggest you take, if you're looking to get into a more healthy mindset.  Take it slowly at first.  Replace a few foods, incorporate some vegetables here, a fruit there (maybe instead of those oreos), and a bowl of oatmeal instead of that breakfast burrito.  I'll say it again.  TAKE....IT...SLOW.  

Why is this so important?

First of all, if you've been running on microwave dinners and chips-ahoy for a while, it's unlikely that you'll find vegetables too appealing, nor will you be too keen on the idea of replacing your brownie dessert with a banana.  Your body has become somewhat addicted to high sugar, high fat, processed food.  It's not an uncommon thing, so don't feel bad.  Breaking an addiction TAKES TIME.  I used to be that guy, who ate half a pan of brownies for breakfast, a jar of cookies for lunch, and nearly a 1 pound burger for dinner.  Being a growing adolescent boy, miraculously I got away with it.  After realizing my absolutely horrendous diet, I began to make changes over the years, as I became more involved with weightlifting and fitness in general.  It took a lot of trial and error, and a ton of research.  Seriously, I spent hours on the computer learning every little nuance about nutrition.  I'm proud of my diet now, and guess what, I don't crave bad food anymore!  Am I perfect?  Absolutely not.  But I'm fine with skipping dessert, and I actually prefer the taste of most vegetables over any sort of cheese doodles or fig newtons.  

Weaning your body off processed food takes time, unfortunately.  You need to actively teach your body to enjoy the healthy stuff.  There are many tricks to doing this more effectively, and I'll go over those in coming posts.  Healthy food does not ever need to taste bad.  And if you prepare it right, I promise you it never will.  I'm not going to lie though, it won't be quite the same as that greasy burger.  But you learn to appreciate healthy food, and I promise that eventually you will crave the healthy stuff, not the chocolate cake.

Whatever you do, do NOT try to go cold turkey off of processed food.  This is the reason that an enormous amount of diet plans fail outright.  You are not able to kick the cravings for the processed stuff, and after a few weeks and barely any results, you throw that broccoli out the window and go back to your precious Tostitos.  I'll say it again, incorporate your new diet slowly.  This isn't a diet plan, it's a lifestyle change.  Learn to eat healthy now, and enjoy doing it for the rest of your life.

How clean you want your diet to ultimately be is up to you.  Many are content and see great results with a moderate level of clean eating, having a good few servings of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, good fats, good carbs, and other nutrients every day, complimented by a small dessert or a few potato chips.  These people usually try to incorporate a good amount of exercise into their lives as well, which I wholeheartedly suggest with every fiber of my being.  Some people go all out and try to make their diet as organic, natural, and lean as possible.  This is your choice.  See what works for you.  What are your goals?  Why are you deciding to do this?  What do you want to achieve?

And remember, you can always make adjustments.  This isn't a one shot deal.

It's not a hard thing to do.  My advice?  Start with breakfast.  That's easy right?  And I think you'll find a nice healthy morning snack should follow pretty effortlessly, then a chicken breast and some veggies for lunch don't sound too bad, and so on and so forth.  

Get out there and make the change.  Good luck!