If You Don't Want To Snap Your 💩 Sh*t Then Read This

Here are 5 tips that have kept me injury free while trying to get these GAINS for 10+ years:

1.When you're training alone you don't want to train to failure. You want to get close to failure but leave about 1 or  2 reps in the tank so you don't die lol. If you must train to failure without a spotter, do it while using machines. Most are dummy proof and have built in safety mechanisms. 

2. If you've been training for a long period of time be careful with trying to lift the whole gym at every training session. If you want to actually be able to move your body well into your golden years you have to be mindful of your joints and respect your rest days. Don't neglect your recovery time. Getting enough sleep and food is one of the most important tools in maximizing your GAINS bruh 💪🏾 

3. Warm up properly before going into your workout. You want to get the blood and oxygen pumping into whatever muscle you're about to train. A warm body is less likely to get injured and you will feel the difference when you start the real work. 

4. Stretch after your workout. You'll probably feel a little tight after your workout from all the blood and oxygen that's pumped into your muscles. Studies have shown that stretching before weight training can make you weaker on your lifts. So waiting till your workout is over is a perfect time stretch and lengthen those tight muscles. 

5. Don't buy into one form of training or diet. Fitness is not a one size fits all type of thing. What works for Arnold might not work for Dorian (-; Play around with different forms of training and diets until you find one that agrees with your body and lifestyle.

Picky Eaters

Let’s talk about Picky Eaters.  All children at some point demonstrate some level of pickiness. It’s almost like a rite of passage for 2yr olds. Fortunately, picky eating usually doesn’t last that long if handled right away. When my daughter was two she decided one day that she wasn’t going to eat anything green. Now at age 10 her favorite food is scrambled eggs with spinach in it. So there is hope for your little picky eater.  Most of the time when kids stop eating certain foods it has nothing  to do with the food itself. Knowing the reasons why your child isn’t eating foods they’ve never even tried can help you push through this finicky phase much faster.

 

As humans, we are designed to prefer sweet foods more. This is why sugar is in almost everything we eat. To our bodies, sweet equals survival—think breast milk or baby formula. Children also have more taste buds than adults (we lose them as we age), so the flavor of food is amplified for little ones.

 

While your kids may think that eating animal crackers for every meal is a  great option, as the adults we know it isn't. If you are tired of jumping through hoops to please your picky eaters at meal times, learn tricks and tips to help put an end to the insanity. It may take 10 or even 15 tries before a child will accept a new food but be patient. Keep presenting new foods. Stack the odds in your favor by preparing foods in ways that may make it easier for your child to eat them.  For example roasting vegetables brings out their natural sweetness. Freezing fruits like green grapes brings all the sugar to the surface of fruit and makes them taste like candy. This makes for a perfect summer treat.

 

Some kids also become picky eaters because they just aren’t hungry as much. After the first year growth levels out a bit and appetite isn’t the driver anymore to eat. I’ve seen kids eat adult size meals one day then the next two days eat like a bird. If you're worried your child isn’t eating enough, don’t. A serving for a young child is a tablespoon per year of age. That’s basically a bite or two of whatever you put on their plate.

 

Use your kid's appetite to your advantage to introduce a new food. At lunch I start the kids off with “strong foods” or foods I think they won’t eat. You can do the same thing at dinner. Start your child off with a couple of bites of the food they're least likely to eat—usually veggies—and save their favorite stuff for last. If they are hungry when they sit down, they'll happily eat whatever is on their plates, getting in the healthy stuff first.

 

Young children often touch or smell new foods. Your child might need repeated exposure to a new food before he or she takes the first bite. So be patient and encourage your child by talking about a food's color, shape, smell and texture — not whether it tastes good.

 

Food Tips:

 

Any fruit is good for your child and most children love fruit because it’s sweet. Fruit  provides essential vitamins, minerals, and it also has fiber, which keeps kids regular.

 

Cocoa

You are probably thinking of the marshmallow decorated beverage, but cocoa powder actually has one of the highest concentrations of flavonoids, a compound known to improve blood pressure and heart and oral health. They may also protect skin from sun damage. Use at least 70 percent pure cocoa and check that it isn't processed with alkali (also called "Dutch processed"), which removes most of the flavonoids. Ways to serve it (beyond hot cocoa): Sprinkle it on pancakes, waffles or French toast, and melt some dark chocolate and dunk strawberries in it.

 

Black Beans

"Beans are a great source of protein, as well as fiber and calcium—two things kids tend not to get enough of. They also help guard against heart disease and high cholesterol, which aren't adult only problems anymore . Ways to get them in your kid's diet: Make nachos or quesadillas with black beans, cheese and salsa or  try black-bean veggie burgers.

 

Eggs

Eggs offer protein, and they're one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium. Eating protein at breakfast helps kids feel satisfied longer (no mid-morning hunger pangs).

 

 

 

Serve broccoli and other veggies with a favorite dip or sauce.(Kids will eat anything they can dip) Cut foods into various shapes with cookie cutters. Offer breakfast foods for dinner. Serve a variety of brightly colored foods.

 

 

Recruit your child's help(Children love to be helpers)

 

 

 

At the grocery store, ask your child to help you select fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. Don't buy anything that you don't want your child to eat. At home, encourage your child to help you rinse veggies, stir batter or set the table.


Creating healthy eating habits early on will go a long way in helping your children make healthier food choices well into adulthood.

Keys to Muscle Growth

When it comes to muscle growth don't waste your money on supplements until you have your training and nutrition together. Supplementation needs to be last,waaaaaay last. Most products don't have any real science to back up what they say they will do for you anyway.  There are two things you need to focus on before you even think about purchasing a supplement. The first is PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD - It doesn't matter if you're doing 5x5/Pyramid or any of the other training styles, if it provides progressive overload it will work. For continued muscle growth, the body must be forced to make new adaptations.

The second is nutrition. Your nutrition has to support your training. Getting enough calories and protein are key to gaining muscle. If you’re focusing on other details before these basic requirements are met, you’re wasting your time and causing unnecessary stress to yourself. Stress is not helpful in your quest for GAINS bruh.


Ok, now that you've got all that other stuff in check we can talk about supplements. Most supplements are crap and you're just getting a placebo affect. The only supplements that are almost guaranteed to actually do what they say they will do is creatine (you don't have to load it or cycle off of it) and caffeine. Everything else is a gamble. Testerone boosters are of no help in the gym. You could even throw in some protein powder or a multivitamin but you don't really need those if you're eating enough food. I think that just about covers it. Now go forth and get those GAINS!!

Debunking Fitness Myths About Losing Weight

Greetings and Salutations FitFam, today were going to debunk a few fitness myths about losing weight.


•You do not have to stop eating carbs.
•You do not have to eat every two hours.(You're not a new born baby)
•Doing cardio on an empty stomach will just make you angry and it isn't better than doing it with food in your stomach.
•Eating sugar will not automatically make you gain weight.
•You don't have to eat based on your blood type or body type.
•You don't have to eat low carb or low fat.
•You do not have to "EAT CLEAN" ! (Eating moderately processed nutritious food is important for long term health but not fat loss)


I know some of you have been at this for awhile and you're probably frustrated because you have all the fitness mags, you follow all the shredded celebrities and you're doing everything they tell you but you still don't look the way they look. Don't get discouraged. Most of what they are telling you is just there personal preference or they are enhanced(drugs, plastic surgery etc.) It is the fitness industry jobs to sell you things and it is Hollywood job to sell you a dream. Fat loss isn't always easy but It's not rocket science either. In order to lose weight you need to put yourself in a calorie deficit. This means you need to consume less calories than what your body burns. You can do this with food or by exercise. The most efficient way to do this is by using both methods along with flexible dieting.(That flexible dieting part isn't science, it's just my opinion if you don't want to drive yourself crazy just eating chicken and broccoli.) You can eat clean all day but if you're not in a calorie deficit you won't lose weight. You wouldn't attempt to build a house by randomly adding material without having a plan right? So why would you attempt to build your ideal body by just winging it? Save yourself some time and frustration and google macro calculator and find out how many calories you need a day. Then make a plan and crush your goals. Remember that the number one factor in weight loss is a steady calorie deficit and if you want to keep your hard earned muscle and not look like a crackhead do this slowly. Aim to lose maybe a pound a week.