What to do About Protein

Protein is essential in our diets. Our bodies our made up of protein and it is important to have protein in our diets to make sure that our bodies run efficiently. When working out it is that much more important to have high protein amounts in your diet.

Many people have heard of high protein diets but don’t understand how much they should have. During weightlifting microscopic tears happen in the muscle and as the muscle repairs the muscle then gets stronger and bigger. Having protein in our diets helps the muscles repair. This is why we need to increase protein intake if we are physically active.

The client should consult your trainer on how many grams of protein should be in your diet but a general rule of thumb is to have .7 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Below we have posted a high protein snack that can help you to get to that magic number of grams of protein.

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients
1 cup chocolate protein powder
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup oat bran

Directions
In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients thoroughly. Roll 1 tablespoon of dough each into a walnut size balls and place on waxed paper.

You can roll the balls in extra protein powder, cocoa powder, or powdered sugar to make less sticky on the outside.

You can also add raisins, mini chocolate chips or M & M's, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, etc into the dough. (Note: These optional additions are not in current nutritional information).

Makes approximately 36 round balls
Nutrition facts are based on one ball. We recommend Using EAS 100% Whey Protein Powder (Chocolate) and All Natural Peanut Butter and Honey. If using different ingredients nutrition facts may vary.
Calories: 113
Protein: 16g
Carbs: 13.4g
Sugar: 8.8g
Fat: 1g

The Event For the Cure

The Event is a great cause to support the American Cancer Society. It is a family oriented event that will take place on Sunday July 25th from 3 to 8pm. Please come out and support "The Event." For more information, go to http://www.abc-communication.com

Hydration is extremely important when it comes to exercise. Hydration can be crutial to your overall fitness. Below we have attached an article on facts about hydration from wowshopper.com. With the summer here make sure that you stay hydrated.

Facts about Hydration
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staying hydrated during the course of exercise is crucial because water is what delivers oxygen to the muscles, fueling them in the course of your work-out. Without adequate fluids, the cardiovascular system is strained, the probability of heat injury skyrockets, and performance is impaired.

The most serious effect of dehydration during exercise is the inability to adequately sweat and cool off. This is more serious than it sounds since the body's chief method of heat loss in a hot-dry temperature can be life threatening. In fact, 80% of heat loss happens through perspiration.

Add to this the fact that it is common for a person to dehydrate by 2%-6% of their body weight during exercise and that as little as 1% weight loss during exercise begins to impair performance. Unfortunately, feeling thirsty isn't an adequate indicator that it's time to drink. By the time a person feels thirsty they are usually dehydrated. Studies show that the average person does not drink nearly the amount of fluids required to prevent dehydration. If water or some other fluid is available, most people will drink only enough to replace 2/3 of the fluids lost.

It's surprising how quickly dehydration affects your performance. With vigorous exercise in hot or humid conditions, you can lose 2-3 liters of water per hour. For a 150 pound person, a 1% body weight loss equals slightly less than one liter. This means a dehydrated state in less than one half hour, serious effects in an hour, and a possible threat to your life and safety in two hours.

There are several ways to ensure proper hydration, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. First, start with a large drink, about 16oz., 2 hours before going out to exercise. This gives your body plenty of time to regulate its fluid levels prior to exercising and helps delay or avoid the effects of dehydration during exercise. Second, during exercise it is very important to drink before becoming thirsty and to drink at frequent intervals to replace fluid lost through sweating. It takes approximately eight fluid ounces of fluid to replace each pound of body weight lost. Third, studies show that people drink more if the drink tastes good. In other words, using a sweetened or flavored drink, such as an energy drink, decreases the likelihood of dehydrating.

Finally, and probably most important, is bringing adequate amounts of fluids with you when you exercise. Unless someone exercises in an area where drinks are available every 15 minutes or so, it's important to carry water with you. Finding a system that is comfortable and works for the sport is becoming easier all the time. Water bottles, easy to use water filters, products like the Fuel Belt, and fanny packs designed to carry water are all readily available; it's important to find a drinking system that works for you and your sport and to use it regularly. Select a drinking system that keeps water cool. The 45-55 F. range is optimal for quickest absorption and cooling of your core temperature.

Be alert to the signs of heat illness and stop exercising until you can get enough to drink and lower your body temperature. Nausea, headaches, dizziness, and a stoppage of perspiration are all indications of heat injury. The good news is that, because 60% of body weight is water, the simple act of drinking 8oz. every 15-20 minutes during exercise prevents dehydration, the resulting heat injury, and increases efficiency and performance.

Working out and Stress

Stress is something that everyone encounters numerous times throughout their lives. It can be debilitating and cause you to have breakdowns. It can cause you to snap on loved ones and have you feeling negative all day every day. Why do we let stress consume our lives? Take control of the way you feel. Working out is one way to reduce stress and help create positive energy throughout the day.

There are many times that we feel like there is so much to do and so little time. A workout can give you that much needed break from the everyday grind. 1 hour a day that you devote to yourself. If you have built up anger and negative feelings, then use the weights to get that aggression out. This is guaranteed to work if you let it.

A personal trainer can also be a friend to talk to. We as trainers enjoy helping people get their stress out and helping. We can design a boxing program to give the person a therapeutic release. Many times clients will come in and ask to box and get some stress out. By the time they are leaving there is usually a smile on their face.

Don’t Lose That Motivation

We have all done it. You say that you want to make a change and decide to lose 50 lbs. This will get you back into those college jeans. When Monday comes you are the first person in the gym, and couldn’t be more motivated. This trend continues and you even see some pretty good results. 4 weeks later you have taken an inch off your waist and have dropped 7 pounds.
The workouts continue and you keep working out but by week 8 you went from 5 days of activity to 3 for the week. You look at the scale and you haven’t seen a pound come off for a week and a half. You are still determined to get to the gym as much as you can and break through this plateau.

By week 12 you are maybe hitting the gym once a week and you are struggling to keep your diet on track. You life has become really busy with work travel and the kids seem to have an activity every day that you have to attend. Your motivation has gone out the window and you are actually up a pound from when you started.

Why do we go through this same pattern over and over? People lose focus on their goals and let “other” things get in the way. The kids have a soccer game, work was really hard, or you were invited to go to a dinner party and really should go. These are every day activities that are made a priority. It is important to do all of these activities but even more important is making time for you. By working out and feeling healthier and more confident you make your everyday activities much more enjoyable.

Just think about that dinner party that you need to attend. When you are fit, and confident in the way that you look, you let your personality show and have a great time. If you don’t feel confident about the way you look that tends to be in our minds the whole night.

Stay motivated and see how making time for you will change your life. Work with someone that will hold you accountable. Your trainer is there to help you through those hard times when things are getting in the way. Work with your trainer as a partner and you will see great changes in the way that you feel and your commitment to the gym.