The Best/Worst Supplements for Active Adults

First let me say that a supplement is just what the name implies, to be added to your nutritional intake and is not a replacement for it. But as I've been blogging we are all different body types, so you need to eat for what works for you and because of this some food groups will be avoided....remember we don't want to stress our bodies with these irritants. This is where a smart program of supplementation will work for you, so read on to see if it can be added in your individual needs and let the K-Man take all the confusion out of your choices. A) Body Fat;  EGCG found in green tea taken before moderate exercise will help burn more of your mortal enemy as it boosts your metabolism. An added bonus, its been shown to prevent cancer and improve heart health ( look for 900 mg/day of green tea extract to fulfill your needs or found of course in our favorite beverage, Green Tea!!)  B) Repair; Vitamin C to protect your cells from the free radicals produced during exercise, also it helps heal wounds and is key for the production of the collagen found in ligaments/tendons. (up to 1,000mg/through out the day or found in citrus fruits, sweet peppers, broccoli, kale and brussels sprouts)
C) Low Endurance; studies show by taking Quercetin it helps lower the oxidation of LDL particles which would reduce blood vessel constriction, thus you are able to do more cardio, sweet

deal!! (up to 500mg per day or found in red wine, parsley,grapefruit, onions and apples)  D) Bone Weakness; Vitamin D is needed as its the hormone that helps your bones to absorb calcium. (1,000 iu per day or found in fortified milk and sunshine) E) Heart Disease; Fish Oil, are you ready for all this info lol, it has lots of essential omega-3 fatty acids, it boosts your HDL Cholesterol and helps lower your blood pressure (500mg DHA & EPA daily or found in salmon, tuna and other fatty fish)      And now onto the not so good list, i would give these supplements the kick thru the goalposts  A) Flaxseed Oil;  your body has a hard time to convert it into usable forms thus creating the stress that we are trying to avoid. B) Gingko Biloba; studies now show it was no more effective than a placebo in
a extended time trial to improve your memory or attention. C) St. Johns Wart; tests reveal that it indeed works to beat the blues but the herb also interferes w/ other classes of drugs that you might be taking. D) Valerian....tests show no improvement in your sleep time.

How to Stay Lean for Life!!

First, i hate the word "diet" as it sounds so restrictive, so from here on out its nutrition guidance/food plan etc. Did you know that over 90% of food reduction plans fail and you regain that weight plus more, frustrating isn't?  Well here are a few tips to help you along that pa
th to a more fulfilling life

style because as i say....without health, what do you really own?  A) Exercise at least 3 to 5x a week, always do your weight bearing training first to deplete the shelves of your energy stores, then do cardio to tap into the secondary fuel of the body....fat!  B) You need to follow a low fat, sugar and calorie plan ( for a rough estimate of calorie intake, put your height in inches and subtract 60, multiply that by 6, add 106 and multiply by 10) You can exercise all you want but you need to eat for your bodytype (see last blog on this info) or your fighting a losing battle  C) Once you find what works for you nutrition wise, you pretty well eat the same food everyday. Sounds boring, but get inventive with your prep work  D) Always start you day with a meal as your metabolism runs the highest during the am hours, then ramps down at night for the sleep cycle E) Plan your meals through the day, life does get in the way lol ( work, kids, chores around the house etc) but if you have a window of opportunity then that's when you have a big meal, have only a few mins? then the pre-prepared snack comes out....the excuse of i don't have time doesn't work for me. G)  Before going grocery shopping make a list, its funny how the brain takes over when you don't or if you go to the market hungry 
H) Drink lots of water thru the day and have fibrous foods in your meal plan for the obvious reasons, plus fiber attaches itself to H2O so it fills you up, not out  I) Pick a day per week and have a couple of cheat meals for whatever you crave as a reward, plus it throws your metabolism a curve ball as like everything, the body adapts to what your doing so you will actually lose weight.....nice!!  J) If you find after the 6 month benchmark of eating better/training & nothing happening on the weight scales you need to do a couple of things....change up the exercise routine to get more of the magic of your muscle stoking up the internal furnace (1lb muscle=up to 50c burned per day) also need to increase your calorie intake as the brain has slowed down your metabolism because its not getting enough to function. Remember the body doesn't care what you want to do, as it wants to live.....its called the survival mechanism lol

Training for your Bodytype

To maximize the full potential of your body you need to understand us humans are divided into 3 basic forms, once knowing what type you are then you can train smarter and get the most out of your workouts.               A) Endomorphs;  carry a lot of weight around the midsection, thick upper arms, small hands/wrists and puts on weight quickly.  B) Ectomorphs;  has a slight build, long limbs, delicate facial features, thin hands and basically the opposite of endomorphs as you can't put on any size. C) Mesomorphs;  you have toned muscular body, strong facial features, large arms, hands and wrists, so you have the best of the previous two groups. Finally we can have traits of each category that maybe carry's over into your type, so need to use this knowledge to our advantage. Now if your an Endo i would suggest to be really diligent in your exercising as you have a tendency to put on/hold weight quickly so need to work at it! 

( i know life isn't fair sometimes lol) Your body type responds well to training so always start with weight bearing exercises (to use up your glucose first, plus more energy to help tear down the muscle so it grows during the nutrition phase) and do 4 sets per bodypart 8-12 reps to exhaust the muscle. Then cardio after ( fat for fuel) 40 mins in total and broken up into 3 segments to simulate crosstraining  (ie..13mins elliptical, 13 treadmill and 14mins bike) Finally you need to avoid the processed foods and stick to the lean meats,

nuts and berries....think nature. Not to generalize but guessing you also need to also avoid gluten and acidity based foods. For Ectos, some may think your lucky to be thin but that doesn't mean your healthy haha. With your training you need to add muscle so the same 4 sets but the 6-8 rep range per bodypart ( please, with proper form to avoid injury.....remember you control the weight not the weight controlling you)  Cardio will be no longer than 20mins to work the internal organs but not to shed the hard earned muscle. With nutrition i would say avoid red meat and stick to the whites; chicken, fish, egg whites etc for proteins and for carbs; brown rice, oatmeal, most fruits/veggies    Mesos, you have hit the genetic jackpot lol.; train occasionally, see results quickly, everyone envious. Not much to be said here, just don't waste your gift.....exercise smart  (don't fall in love with any exercise, remember all routines have an expire date or you will plateau) so to see even better results; change up the order of your training and do more reps with less weight, maybe lift heavy for a while etc. plus be wise with your nutrition and listen to your body. If you get bloaty for example, avoid that food item as its stressing your system to break it down and get rid of it but pretty well every nutrition group works for you except all the processed products made by man.   Ok some general rules to follow;   A) Long Arms; avoid flat bench for chest, why? Where your upper arm meets your shoulder blade is more vulnerable than with a shorter armed person. Instead set up in the power rack so you start the bar from the 'L' position never exposing your shoulders to the strain of breaking parallel (refer to my past blog/video Sticking Point/Solutions for Bench Feb16/2011)   B) Short Arms; not to do deadlifts as the shorter arms forces you to drop into a lower starting position thus changing the leverage point and adds a strain to your back. Instead do a sumo deadlift with your feet twice shoulder width apart and grab the bar with your hands 12in apart.  C)  Long Legs; if over 6ft i'm sure your having problems with squats as too many things can go wrong in form with that much distance to travel lol and of course putting on size. Instead try holding dumbbells in both hands at arms length with a 18in bench in front, start with your right foot and with your leg bent 90 degrees push your right heel into the bench until your leg is straight and standing on one leg on the bench. That's 1 rep, do 7 more then change legs and repeat.

The Facts on Salt

I cant think of another word in the nutrition world that brings more fear to folks as SALT!  Ive been backstage of events and some of the athletes are cramping up, so the most common answer is your lacking potassium....eat a banana. When usually its the sodium that's missing, as you need a 1 to 2 ratio (salt to potassium) to keep your electrolytes balanced. So don't fear the sodium and like everything I've talked about in these blogs, lets use it as your ally not foe. So lets do a little NACL 101 lesson   A) Salt is needed in health and your body doesn't make it, but your cells need it to function. As stated, its an electrolyte which is a mineral that aides in maintain muscle function and hydration, plus it helps hold fluids in your blood. Now you lose sodium through sweat and urine, so you need to replace it.... approx 1/2 teaspoon per day.     B)  Blood Pressure; sodium will make your blood hold more water so your heart has to pump/work harder thus making your blood pressure higher, so it goes without saying you need to watch the intake. But also remember, that being overweight also boosts your blood pressure (exercise anyone?).... keep the weight off and sweat/drink more water during training, win/win! 
C) Your body is constantly balancing the sodium on the outside of each cell and the potassium on the inside. Its been proven that an increase in potassium can lower blood pressure but with the North American supersalty processed meals you don't stand a chance even if you eat a lot of the humans main source of potassium....fruits and vegetables. D) So with that info you would think to cut back on all forms of sodium, but we can be smart about it as actually a whopping 75+% of our salt in the average diet comes from processed and restaurant food, so at home why not try kosher salt for cooking and sea salt for seasoning, and a bonus....both are free of additives! So as you can see, salt is needed so have this misunderstood mineral in your corner with your fight for a healthy lifestyle.

Loose Skin

As we go down that road to better health on the Keys2Fitness Express, naturally we are going to lose weight and with that in some cases is loose skin. Not too worry bloggers, i don't have a Hollywood address and looking to do some expensive surgery on the side lol, so here is some far cheaper ways that might help. 
A) First, think about how long it took to put on the extra poundage? .... give it up to 2yrs you reach your target weight and for the skin to go back where it once was. B) Exfoliate your skin daily to remove dead cells and to stimulate circulation, that will help tighten up your skin. C) Once a week have a bath with a 1/2 lb of pure sea salt ( allow it to dissolve) as this draws out your toxins in your skin. D) Use aloe vera/yeast extract or soy protein to improve your skins elasticity. E) Eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes, olives or coconuts will again improve your skins elasticity. F) Hyaluronic Acid is a natural fluid found in our body's tissues but it leaves us in time.....so to replace it, you can take a magnesium supplement. G) Finally, maybe that loose skin could be just more fat to exercise off?...if so, keep on training and replace it with muscle.

Understanding Calories

As we get more in tune with our bodies through exercise and what we think is replenishing "our machine" with the proper nutrition, how many of you followers actually know what a calorie is?  Its everywhere from your cardio machines (how many you burn) to your food packaging that's listed when you buy it....well here is your Calorie 101 lesson. A calorie is a unit measurement of heat required to raise 1 kilogram of water to 1 degree Celsius. So same idea with our food, its how much heat is needed to burn off that particular substance....4 calories for carbs/protein and 9 calories for fat. You can see why fat usually wins out the
arms race within your body lol as its last to go, but with some Keys2Fitness tips the advantage will be on our side, read on. You think with that info on how calories work/burn up, that training and exercising would expend the most calories.....sitting down? Maybe 30% of your daily intake !! Tip#1;  always do weight bearing exercises first to deplete the body of its 1st energy source, glucose (carbs), then do cardio to use your secondary fuel, which is fat!! So then the other 60% is used for daily living and keeping your motor running  (all your internal organs, replacing cells, transporting oxygen etc), this is why you must bring in a certain amount of calories to maintain or the brain will ramp down and hold onto all you eat as it doesn't care what your doing, it wants to live!! How much?....usually around 10 calories per ideal bodyweight. ie. 200lb man= 2000 calories per day Tip#2;  "X" Factor, for every lb of muscle that you keep and maintain an additional 50c is needed, see why i preach the importance of weight bearing exercises? Its to stoke the internal fires and to keep the body humming along. Tip#3 ; the last 10% of the equation is digestion so eating the proper foods is important, for example the efficiently rate is different for each group....carbs and fat use under 10 calories for breaking down itself where protein needs 20-30 calories, so numbers don't lie, if you want to lose lbs have protein with every meal, plus it helps grow and repair your muscles. Tip#4; carbs look for fibrous (fruit/veggies) as they don't breakdown as quickly into glucose also (veggies/whole grains) tends to block the absorption of other calories. Tip#5;

goes without saying but worth repeating, avoid the low calorie processed foods as people have a tendency to overeat just because the package says sugar free lol, meanwhile they are loading up on the sucrose/aspartame of the world and will lead to obesity

More Muscle Magic!!

Lets see...... muscle burns fat, revs your metabolism, increases your testosterone levels (which keeps you younger and stokes your sex drive), protects you from heart disease, back pain, arthritis and depression! what isn't there to like? (lol)  First let me explain what this word metabolism is (Greek for change/transformation)... its the amount of energy or
calories your body burns to maintain vital functions 24/7 ( sleeping, at work, exercising etc) so its constantly using what you feed it for fuel and repair. So without saying more muscle the better, hence why i preach weightlifting to everyone. Research shows one training session can raise your calorie burn up to 35+ hrs after you lift and not even counting the energy you use during that exercise. Also the more muscle you have the better the body uses the nutrients you eat and less likely to be stored as fat.....i will explain. Your muscles store calories (energy) in the form of glycogen, when you workout your muscle uses that fuel for training, after you exercise any carbs you eat will replenish that open/empty store and not to your fat cells. Bonus time folks!! if you train hard enough, your body will use for hours afterward your fat for energy to keep all the vital organs going as it wont touch the muscle stored glycogen.....sweet music! The breakdown for metabolism is as follows....60-75% resting rate ( what is burned for your heart, lungs, cells dividing etc) 10% digestive (breaking up your food- carbs to sugar and protein to amino acids) 15-30% any form of exercise. So no more excuses peeps, see you in the weight room!

Gluten....The Facts

Here is a reality check for you followers, you can train all you want but if your putting the wrong food/fuel back into your body your just wasting your time. Think of your car and filling it up with the wrong gasoline as it sputters down the highway, so one of those irritants could be gluten ( Latin meaning glue and is the protein found in wheat, barley, triticale (cross of wheat/rye) and rye) as it has been linked to over 55 diseases, some of that list includes; Celiac disease (autoimmune disorder) this being the most extreme, also leads to poor nutrient absorption,  you hold water which in turn makes you not drink any, your tired all the time, ( no wonder....no fuel, no energy)  hormone imbalance, (think weight gain here!) migraines, mood swings etc. But also bloggers in your grocery store, wheat is under numerous other names as its added to many products so when shopping  do look for these on the labels;  Bulgur, Durum Flour, Fatina, Graham Flour, Kamut, Semolina and Spelt. My answer to the problem?....avoid most of the middle aisles of the supermarket and look for the naturally gluten-free foods such as beans, seeds/nuts, (natural unprocessed form) fresh eggs, meat, poultry, (goes without saying...not breaded, batter coated or marinated) most dairy products and also the ever expanding gluten-free list of foods available now. So in my humble opinion i think everyone should avoid gluten as you can see why and how it can effect not only your training but health, so be diligent in what goes into your body and it will reward you as the mirror doesn't lie

Improve Strength/Size of Chest

Ok from our previous blog we had how to improve our flat bench technique which intern shapes our chest. I remember back in the day playing pickup basketball and if chosen for the skins side, would suddenly develop an illness or injury as i was scared about being teased about my chest or lack there of lol. So guys, try this routine and be proud to go topless whenever the occasion arises!  Start by knowing what your max weight you can lift 6x.....then do this 5 set routine, resting 2 mins between sets. A) Set 1;  10 reps of half your max weight. B) Set 2;  repeat Set1  C) Set 3;  6 reps of 75% of your max weight   D) Set 4; as many reps that you can lift with your max weight   E) Set 5;  depending of how many reps you completed during Set4.....if 5-7 reps, then repeat Set4 max weight, if only 0-2 reps, decrease 10% and do as many reps as possible, if 8-12 reps increase the weight by 10% and do as many reps as you can.  For the next chest day  (at least 3 days rest) whatever the weight was for the 5th set....this will be your new/old max weight to start of with during Set
1.

Core Strengthening

Sticking Point Solutions For Bench & Squat