Holiday Eating

The holidays are a time when there is a large amounts of family, relaxation, football and foods that can destroy a diet. Here are some tips that can possibly help that individual that does not want the holidays to ruin their goals.

Mens Health 5 Step to Rock Hard Abs

Calculate Your Calories

When it comes to calories, Aragon has a simple rule: Eat for your target body weight. Let's say you weigh 220 pounds but would like to tip the scales at 180. You'll adopt the calorie intake of a 180-pound man.

The formula: If you perform 1 hour or less of exercise a week, multiply your target body weight by 10. That's how many calories you should consume daily. However, if you work out more than that, add 1 to the multiplier for every additional hour you train. So if your target body weight is 180 pounds and you exercise for 3 hours a week, you'd multiply 180 by 12—giving you a target of 2,160 calories a day. You can divide those calories into however many meals you want—three, four, five, or six—as long as you don't eat beyond your daily limit.

Read more: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/sculpt_rock_hard_abs/Calculate_Your_Calories.php#ixzz18ceMloxw

Eat by the Numbers

Sure, you could just focus on calories. But by eating the right amounts of the right nutrients, you'll speed your results without feeling like you're on a diet.

Protein
You probably don't need to be sold on the virtues of protein, since it's the raw material for muscle growth. But it also helps extinguish your appetite and aids in fat loss.

The formula: Eat 1 gram for every pound of your target body weight. If you want to weigh 180 pounds, you'll eat 180 grams of protein. One gram of protein is about 4 calories. So to calculate the calories you'll be eating from protein, multiply the number of grams by 4. In this case, that's 720 calories.

Fat
For years, this nutrient was considered a dietary demon. However, recent studies clearly show that it's not fat that inflates your belly, but too many calories, period. And, it turns out, fat may actually keep you from overeating because it makes you feel full. The end result: You stop eating sooner and stay satisfied longer.

The formula: Eat half a gram for every pound of your target body weight. If your goal is to weigh 180 pounds, that'd be 90 grams. And since 1 gram of fat has about 9 calories, that's 810 calories from fat. This will be about 40 percent of your total calories.

Carbohydrates
Carb-containing foods not only taste good, but can also be rich in vitamins and minerals. So you don't need to eliminate them altogether; you just need to make sure you don't eat them in excess. And consuming the right amounts of protein and fat will make that goal far easier, since both keep hunger at bay. That's one key reason Aragon places a greater priority on protein and fat and leaves the remainder of your calories for carbs.

The formula: Add your calories from protein and fat, and subtract that total from your allotted daily calories. Using the 180-pound example, that leaves you with 630 calories. This is the amount of calories you can eat from carbs. As protein does, carbs provide about 4 calories per gram—so divide your carb calories by four to determine how many grams of carbs you can eat. In this case, it's about 158 grams.

Read more: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/sculpt_rock_hard_abs/Eat_by_the_Numbers.php#ixzz18ceSlqLv

Create Your Menu

Build your diet around whole foods—those you'd find in nature. You should choose mainly meat, eggs, dairy, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, plus grain products that are made with 100 percent whole-wheat flour. Note that typical junk foods—candy, baked goods, and sugary drinks—don't make the list.

Use the food options below as a guide for designing your diet. Mix and match the foods in any way you like while following the calorie, protein, fat, and carb guidelines for your target body weight. The nutrition numbers listed don't provide exact amounts of calories and other nutrients, but these ballpark averages allow you to eyeball your intake. You can also analyze your daily diet for free at sparkpeople.com.

Read more: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/sculpt_rock_hard_abs/Create_Your_Menu.php#ixzz18cenhQ2t

Dial in Your Diet

Follow these rules to make your eating plan even more effective.

1. Consume at least 2 servings of vegetables a day. Vegetables are low in calories and high in belly-filling fiber.

2. Eat at least 2 servings of fruit a day. Fruit provides your muscles with plenty of carbs for energy, but has less impact on your blood sugar than grains and other high-starch foods do. This is important because it can help you avoid the cravings and binges that occur when your blood sugar rises quickly and then crashes. Ideally, the majority of your carbs will come from fruits and vegetables. So limit yourself to just two daily servings of grains, beans, and high-starch vegetables, and consume the rest of your carbs from produce.

3. On the days you work out, eat 1 hour before you exercise and again within 60 minutes after your last rep. For both meals, aim for 0.25 gram per pound of your target body weight in protein and carbs. So if your goal is to be 180 pounds, you'd eat 45 grams of each nutrient. This provides your muscles with a healthy dose of nutrients for fueling your workout and for upgrading your muscles after you're done. Keep in mind that your total protein and carb intake for the day doesn't change; you're just eating strategically for better results. Options are . . .

• A preformulated shake, such as At Large Nutrition Opticen (atlargenutrition.com), that has a mix of protein and carbs. Add fruit if it requires more carbs.
• A shake that's almost entirely protein—such as Optimum Nutrition Whey—along with 1/2 cup of oatmeal and a piece of fruit.
• A tuna-salad or turkey sandwich.

Read more: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/sculpt_rock_hard_abs/Dial_in_Your_Diet.php#ixzz18cf3A4oP

Forget About the Details

One meal a week, go ahead and splurge. "There's always room for junk food, as long as it's a minority of your intake," says Aragon.

Read more: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/sculpt_rock_hard_abs/Forget_About_the_Details.php#ixzz18ceGzyTN

Cut Fat/Lose Weight Drop Calories

It is simple, if you want to lose weight and cut body fat, the body needs to burn more calories than it consumes.

Morning Work-out

The main objective for me in the morning is to get my heart rate up to burn the most calories before I have any kind of meal. I usually try incorporate exercises that get the blood flowing and are full body work-outs. The typical morning work-out that I usually use is below.

AM Working (Complete Three Times)

• · 20 Squat Jumps
• · 20 Lunges (20 each side)
• · 50 Ab Scissors
• · 20 Mountain Climbers
• · 20 Push-ups
• · 30 Ab In and Outs
• · 20 Tricep Dips

Low Calorie Snacking

What are some great ideas for low calorie snacking tips or to cure a sweet tooth?

Training Peak

There are many times during weight lifting where one feels that they have reached a peak. Although, this could potentially be the problem, the true problem lies within. Many people get caught and get use to doing the same routine over and over. Although, this is good for a organized life, it is not good for muscle growth. I lift weights five days a week doing cardio six days a week. For cardio, I run 6-7 miles a day. I am currently training to run in a marathon, thus I am concentrating on stamina building instead of power lifting. However, I may be into stamina building now, I still invest a great deal of time keeping my body balanced and strong. My current training split is Monday: Chest, Tuesday: Back and Traps, Wednesday: Shoulders and Abdominal, Thursday: Arms and Friday: Chest and Abdominal s. I try to minimize the use of my biceps and triceps on Wednesday, because on the Monday and Tuesday I am using them a great deal. The reason I do this is so I do not over work my arms and can maximize growth.

I have run into many so called "peaks" during my work-outs. There are five ways I get over them. The first is to super-set the work-out with another exercise in your routine. This is done by starting one set, and immediately following that set with an exercise from your current list of the days work-outs. For example, on arms day I will do tricep extensions and then immediately follow that workout with preacher curls. The second is to either switch a current exercise and add another in, or switch the exercises all together. For instance, take your first two exercises and put them after your next two exercises, this will shock your muscles. Muscles tend to get use a certain routine and need to be "shocked". The third would be to take a week off and just do cardio. This is because sometimes your muscles get tired and need a break. Additionally, muscles grow and become stronger with rest, so it is also beneficial to your muscles for rest. A fourth method, depending how many sets and reps one uses, would be to increase the amount of weight and decrease reps, or decrease weight and increase reps. A fifth idea would be to add an additional rep as well and use less weight for a burn out session. The reason for this is the same as the second idea about your muscles getting used to a routine and need a "shock" to life. Using either one of these five ideas will help get you out of that slump and get you back to feeling sore the next day. Just remember pain is weakness leaving the body and to always earn your rest.