Best Strategies For Eating More Than Your Maintenance Calories

Best Strategies For Eating More Than Your Maintenance Calories

Nutrition
If you are a naturally slim person trying to pack on muscle you could be fighting a serious uphill battle. More often than not naturally skinny people have really high maintenance calorie numbers. Eating excessive amounts of calories in a day can be tough, especially if this is a new endeavor you are embarking on. If you're anything like me, you have a very busy lifestyle. You simply don't have time to sit down and eat a full breakfast every morning, you likely have a very limited lunch hour, and in the afternoon you are trying to squeeze in a gym session in the little bit of spare time you DO have, not take the time to sit down and crush a mid-afternoon meal. With all these stressors placed on your…
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Effects of High Sodium Intake on Your Body

Effects of High Sodium Intake on Your Body

Nutrition
Oh salt, the one thing a large majority of people all around the world can't live without. Think about the last time you were at a restaurant and there was not a salt shaker on the table. You most likely can't remember the last time this was the case. Well, that salt shaker isn't the only contributor to your sodium levels. In fact sodium appears in all sorts of sauces, on pretty much everything you eat when eating out, and even naturally in some foods. The top sources of sodium in your every day diet are most likely cold cut deli meats, pizza (sorry folks), breads, and poultry. Actually, approximately 75% of your sodium intake doesn't come from the salt added to your food. Sodium is added into almost all packaged,…
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My Struggle With Health And Fitness Forums

My Struggle With Health And Fitness Forums

Fitness, Nutrition
Health and fitness forums have become much more popular in recent years. Now that fitness and nutrition are a common staple in many people's lives, these people are often reaching out to the internet to find the most reliable information possible. One major source of information that you will likely stumble upon when searching for health and nutrition facts are forums. Before I discuss my issues with these forums though I do want to give some kudos to the idea of forums and what they were/are meant to be. Positives Of Fitness Forums I'm not arguing that all fitness forums are bad, and I'm not arguing that people are intending to be malicious on these forums. I do want to start by explaining the initial purpose of fitness forums, discuss…
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What Happened When I Cut Dairy From My Diet

What Happened When I Cut Dairy From My Diet

Nutrition
I've gone on kicks before about people being lactose intolerant after infancy, and I've had mixed reactions. I understand that some people really love milk, and I have been one of those people myself. Being a naturally thin guy overall, milk, cheese, and yogurt were my go to foods for packing on the pounds. However, I saw many different side effects from going crazy with the whole milk. Yes, even the organic stuff. Although I still indulge in a little bit of pepper jack and feta cheese from time to time, it's too good to give up completely. I want to share with you just what happened when I cut dairy from my diet. Harmful Effects of Dairy I wanted to start by giving you some background on dairy and…
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The Facts Behind The Paleo Diet

The Facts Behind The Paleo Diet

Nutrition
The paleo diet has many different forms and has been adopted in many different manners over the years. Many have referred to the Paleo Diet as the "fad diet". It was a commonplace eating regimen when everyone first started to get excited about fitness and nutrition and since there were so many different interpretations of the Paleo Diet and what it consisted of, it was simply labeled a fad because there were really no facts behind what the Paleo Diet truly is. However, since it's peak popularity in 2013 there has been much more research done into the Paleo Diet and determining what going Paleo really means. The Origination The idea behind the Paleo Diet is that in which you don't eat things that a caveman would likely not have…
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Do You Work Out For The Right Reason?

Do You Work Out For The Right Reason?

Fitness, Nutrition
People work out for a wide variety of reasons. The real question here is, do you work out for the right reason? Quite often people say things like "I worked out today so I can eat half of this cake", "I worked out today so I can drink tonight", or "I'll just have these five chocolate bars; it's fine as long as I work out today." I've justified unhealthy habits using exercise before, and it has affected me negatively. I hope that I can help you to avoid those unhealthy habits and work out to better your overall wellness. Don't Waste Your Work Out If someone told you that they would give you $100 right now, but as soon as they hand it to you, you have to catch it on…
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3 Key Ways To Avoid Getting Tired In The Afternoon

3 Key Ways To Avoid Getting Tired In The Afternoon

Nutrition
Many of us these days work desk jobs. The world is becoming more and more automated every day leading to a larger number people sitting down behind a computer plugging away at their careers. I know that often times the hardest part of the day to get through can be the afternoon. Many of us begin to feel extremely sluggish in the afternoon, meetings wear you down, your brain gets tired, and really you just want to head for home or the gym as soon as you get the chance. The afternoon usually is the time of day when you are least productive. I bet you're wondering why you are so tired in the afternoon. There's plenty of reasons that I will talk about in this article. I will also…
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Financial Impact of Supplements

Financial Impact of Supplements

Nutrition
I can't argue against the fact that some supplements out there are pretty good for you. Humans are naturally more deficient in vitamin D and B vitamins so if you do take vitamins and these are the ones you take, awesome job! If not, then you are just throwing money down the toilet, literally. As I discussed in my earlier article here, we are naturally NOT protein deficient. I urge you to quit protein shakes and eat more broccoli. If not for health's sake, then do it for your wallet. The Sports Nutrition Market: The number one for supplement sales in 2016 was the protein market. Protein makes up around 70% of the sports nutrition and supplement market worth around $6 Billion. That means that people are spending approximately $4.2…
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I’m Mad At Oprah

I’m Mad At Oprah

Nutrition
I know I know... how can anyone be mad at Oprah she's so charitable and so nice to so many people and a total role model and on and on... Well, recently Oprah has a new ad out partnering with Weight Watchers. She is bankrolling for spitting some false ideas at television watchers everywhere. I'll explain just why I think so after you watch this: Sure, the theme is great. "Live Well, Lose Weight". Oprah goes on in this commercial to talk about how she doesn't have to choose what she eats. Let me tell you folks, her endorsing Weight Watchers is all about the money. How Weight Watchers Really Works: Basically, the premise behind Weight Watchers is that they assign point values to particular foods. Junk foods have higher…
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Work Lunch Recipes

Work Lunch Recipes

Nutrition
I know one of the biggest struggles I have is eating a decent lunch at work. Maybe you have the same issue. Sometimes it's lack of access to a decent work lunch recipe and sometimes it's just because I'm lazy. I've recently solved both of these issues. I have the easy solution to creating the most delicious, quick, convenient, and CHEAP midday meals. First, if you don't already make your own lunch at work or at the very least bring your own then you should reevaluate your lunch choices. Reasons To Make Your Own Lunch I understand a large part of business is lunch with clients or customers, and I'm by no means saying not to attend these lunches. However, on the days you are not sharing a business lunch…
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