If you're not sore then ask for more!

Let’s talk about the dreaded soreness.  Not all pain equals gain, but as long as you are increasing the load and intensity of your workouts, some degree of soreness is to be expected.  Soreness is an indicator that you are working efficiently, but you also want to take care of your body and bring it to recovery.  If you are NOT experiencing soreness, in general, you may need to add intensity by one of the following:

1. Increase weight (but not so much where you can only do 3 reps)

2. Increase speed - ie, faster reps and shorter breaks between sets

3. Increase duration (or number of reps, in this case).

For those who ARE experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), here are some things you can do to reduce the occurrence:

Complete the full range of motion for each exercise. Most exercises have a concentric phase where your muscles are forcefully contracting as the fibers shorten; and an eccentric phase where the muscle contraction takes place while the muscle is lengthening. Both phases are important for proper muscle development and joint flexibility. Neglecting the eccentric or stretching phase of an exercise while training can result in reduced flexibility (as well as range of motion), and lead to excessive muscle soreness.

Proper hydration.  This may not completely prevent soreness, but dehydration will make it worse.  It will also interrupt your gains in muscle mass.

Poor nutrition.  Within two hours of training be sure to consume protein.

Insufficient sleep.  If you don’t get enough rest to allow your muscles adequate time to repair not only will you experience increased soreness, if you continue to train sleep deprived you might even be breaking down muscle tissue.  It is especially important in the early stages of your training.

Warm up and then stretch.  Before you get into your mass training regimen. Not everybody does this, but all experienced weight trainees do this; so I would suggest doing this. Take the time you need to get ready for the exercises you are about to do. Once your muscles are warm and supple you are one step closer to a great workout.

Full recovery.  Allow your body to fully recover before performing another DOMS producing workout. Failure to do so will only increase the risk of injury and make you feel more fatigued.

Note: Pain, mind you, is not soreness.  So if you are experiencing real pain during training, stop and consult a professional.  You may be either injured, or performing the exercise incorrectly.

Season's Good Eats

The weather in TX is starting to cool down in the mornings and it's getting darker sooner .  Autumn is here!!  And with it, a bounty of good foods.  A good workout deserve great nutrition!

Take advantage of the apple harvest.  Fuji are at their peak in flavor.  Peal, core and cut up about 10-12 apples to 1/2 C water or no sugar added apple juice, stir in tsp. of cinnamon and cook on high about 3-4 hours in the slow cooker.  No sweetener needed as the season has brought forth their best flavor.  Puree it or chunk it and add it to your cottage cheese, yogurt or oatmeal.

Also take advantage of other flavors of the season, cardamon, sage, allspice, nutmeg.  Stuff your pork loins with oats, dried cranberry or apricots and your favorite spices.  Cook and freeze single portions.  Roast beets and sweet potatoes.

If this hasn't been mentioned before, buy your spice in bulk at a natural food store.  They are literally pennies and so fresh!  There are a lot of great spices out there, wood smoked salts, roasted garlics...endless.  And another great way to spruce up leaner meats.

Enjoy the flavors of he season!!

Cardamom Chicken with Coconut Rice

Yummy Food!  I adapted this recipe from a food blog I have bookmarked.  Food blogs are awesome by the way.  Anyway, I adapted it because I was really unsure if the chicken should be cooked before putting it through the food processor and was not motivated to comment and ask.  Besides, she is on the other side of the world and I am not sure the time difference and I needed to get it together quick.  So you have the original AND my version, which was delicious by the way.  I converted all the metric measurements too!  I did double the panko and coconut, good thing too!  Lots of luck with that, ugh! 

Cardamom Chicken with Coconut Rice
Serves 4

3 large chicken breast
1 egg
3 T milk
6 T panko breadcrumbs
6 T coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1 tsp ground cardamom
S/P
Olive Oil, for frying

I use a rice cooker, so adjust water to your method:

1C basmati rice
1 can lite coconut milk
water (to make 2 cups total of liquid)
Pinch of Sea Salt

For Chicken:
Whisk egg and milk (can use whatever milk you have on hand)
In a separate bowl whisk Panko, coconut and cardamon

S/P your chicken, dredge in egg then in breadcrumsb, repeat with each breast.  Heat saute pan to med/hi with olive oil, or cooking spray and pan fry about 6 minutes on one side, 5 on the other, then let rest for about 10 minutes.

If cooking rice on the stove, mix the rice, coconut milk, water and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and let the rice simmer, covered, until the rice is soft and the liquid is absorbed. (20-25 minutes.)

What's SUP!

While the weather is cooling a "bit", it is still a long way from cold.  So let's head to the lake!  Sound crazy?  An activity that has drawn attention in the North Texas area called Stand Up Paddle (SUP) is yet another way to get the family and friends moving.  Being active is a way of life, there are so many ways to get involved in physical activity and it pays to teach your family while they are young.

There are Meet Up groups for SUP North Texas Bootcamps to Friday Night Sunset SUP.  Something for everyone.  Meet Up is a great website for anyone reading right now, as it will tell you what is going on all over the US.  Sometimes the weekend can be a long break from activity, or it can be a great way to plan an active family outing.

Get out and get movin'!!

PROTEIN HELPER

There's an easy way to calculate the number of protein grams that's right for you:

As a general guideline, the USDA's RDA for protein for adults is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. The USDA's average requirement of protein for women ages 31-50 is 46 g/day. But, you'll need to up that if you keep an active life; you should also increase protein intake if you are pregnant or nursing.

Research has also shown that 2.0 to 2.6 g/kg/day of protein are required for periods of very intense weight training, whereas protein intakes of 2.0 g/kg/day maintained a positive nitrogen balance during periods of less intense weight training.

Athletes will need to consume more protein than the current USRDA for 0.8 g/kg/day in order to maintain nitrogen balance.  Read about the importance of nitrogen and protein balance here.

How to Calculate Your Protein Needs:

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

Use a lower number if you are in good health and are sedentary (i.e., 0.8). Use a higher number (between 1 and 1.8) if you are under stress, are pregnant, are recovering from an illness, or if you are involved in consistent and intense weight or endurance training.

Example: 145 lb female who is a regular exerciser and lifts weights
145 lbs/2.2 = 65kg
65kg x 1.5 = 97.5 gm protein/day

With a calorie sufficient diet, protein requirement values needed to maintain positive nitrogen balance of both weight trained and endurance trained athletes constitutes intakes of 12% to 20% of total daily calories, 20-25% if trying to lose weight.

Amino Acids

If you have been partaking in more physical activity (good for you!) but not feeling the benefit of more energy, you may want to look at your diet and supplementation.  It is not enough to say “exercise more” and not educate people about the additional needs of the athlete.  If you are involved in ANY kind of rigorous activity, that means YOU!

With the additions of Body Sculpting at BCA101, as the weight increases, so will the need for fuel to muscles.  This fuel is in the form of Amino Acids.  The optimum way to ingest complete amino acids is by way of animal derived whole foods and beverages such as beef, fish, eggs and milk.  

While the average inactive individual may meet their daily protein requirements with whole food nutrition, however active individuals may have a difficult time consuming enough quality food to meet their bodies' increased protein demand.  Avoiding fat associated with some of these sources may mean a more efficient way to get added aminos is through supplementation.

In body building, the most recognized amino acids are Branch Chain Amino Acids, Glutamine, Carnitine, Taurine and Arginine.  Be sure to take professional consultation before starting any supplementation program.  Bear in mind, you should NOT just load one single supplement of an amino acid.  If you load too heavily on just one or two aminos but do not include the entire essential 8 somewhere, you can create serious deficiencies.

The 8 essential amino acids are:

• Tryptophan - tryptophan is a precursor for serotonin and melatonin. Abundant sources are chocolate, oats, bananas, dried dates, milk, cottage cheese, meat, fish, turkey and peanuts.
• Lysine - Lysine deficiency can result in a deficiency in niacin (Vitamin B) and this can cause the disease pellagra. It is also beneficial in treating and preventing herpes. Lysine sources include green beans, lentils, soybean, spinach and amaranth.
• Methionine - Methionine supplies sulphur and other compounds required by the body for normal metabolism and growth. It belongs to a group of compounds called lipotropics that help the liver process fats. It is found in fish, whole grains, and dairy.
• Valine: Valine is needed for muscle metabolism, tissue repair, and for the maintenance of proper nitrogen balance in the body. Valine is found in high concentration in the muscle tissue. It is also one of the three branched chain amino acids, which means that it can be used as an energy source by muscle tissue. It may be helpful in treating liver and gallbladder disorders, and it is good for correcting the type of severe amino acid deficiencies that can be caused by drug addiction. Dietary sources of valine include dairy products, grain, meat, mushrooms, peanuts, and soy proteins.
• Leucine: Leucine is a branched chain essential amino acid that stimulates muscle protein synthesis and may be the major fuel involved in anabolic (tissue building) reactions.  During times of starvation, stress, infection, or recovery from trauma, the body mobilizes leucine as a source for gluconeogenesis (the synthesis of blood sugar in the liver) to aid in the healing process. It has recently been suggested that leucine may have beneficial therapeutic effects on the prevention of protein wasting, as it occurs during starvation, semi-starvation, trauma, or recovery after surgery. Insulin deficiency is known to result in poor utilization of leucine; therefore, individuals who suffer from glucose intolerance may require higher levels of leucine intake. Leucine is found in cottage cheese, sesame seeds, peanuts, dry lentils, chicken, and fish.
• Isoleucine: Isoleucine is a branched chain amino acid that is important for blood sugar regulation, muscle development and repair, haemoglobin development, and energy regulation. Deficiencies of isoleucine result in possible dizziness, headaches, fatigue, depression, confusion and irritability. Isoleucine is found in eggs, fish, lentils, poultry, beef, seeds, soy, wheat, almonds and dairy.
• Threonine: Threonine is important for antibody production. It can be converted into glycine and serine. Deficiencies are rare but can result in skin disorders and weakness. Dietary sources of threonine include dairy, beef, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts, and seeds.
• Phenylalanine: Phenylalanine serves in the body as a precursor to the catecholamine family of hormones. These hormones include adrenaline and noradrenaline, which are activating substances in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Deficiencies are rare but can include slowed growth, lethargy, liver damage, weakness, oedema, and skin lesions. Food sources or phenylalanine are dairy, almonds, avocados, lima beans, peanuts, and seeds.