Key workout guide

I am not sure if I mentioned this before or not but I have been going to a local gym for 3 weeks now and I have been doing pretty good with it! I have been trying to keep up with making those protein bars (check a previous post for the details on the bars) and have been trying to research how to maximize my efforts at the gym when I do go. I am trying to commit at LEAST 3 days a week. My goal is to look like Chris Hemsworth (you are welcome) in a year. Not sure if I can get THAT big but hey... shoot for the stars and land on the moon. I'm ok with that.

Anyway... getting to the important part. I went to the free session with a personal trainer (a promotion offered at my gym) and he taught me some good stuff that I will now relate to YOU!

First of all: Working out / getting in shape is all about making your body strong. That is obvious but think about it when you are doing your work out. Don't bother with all of the awkward lifts and weird positions. Ask yourself, is this a motion/position that I (or anyone) would actually do naturally?
For example: push-ups... duh.. getting up
bench press: pushing someone or something away.
bicep curl: ummm... picking just about anything up.
the list goes on.
These things are just weighted versions of natural movements you already do! Keep that in mind when you do them and your form will improve (usually)

Women vs men exercises:  MYTH!!! men and women have similar ranges of motion right? We all have 2 arms and 2 legs (besides rare exceptions... sorry to those exceptions :/  ). Every exercise a man does can and should be done by a woman as well. Women who say "oh I can't lift weights because I don't want to get big"... they are wrong! You get big from eating.You can pump all the iron you want but if you don't intake the fuel, the muscles won't get large. Nothing, NOTHING is sexier than an athletic build on a woman (or man from the ladies perspective). That does not mean stick figure or anything. It means fit.

Ok now the fundamentals:
Upper Body
The upper body only has 6 ranges of motion which are naturally grouped for exercises.
up-down. push-pull, hand up - hand down. Even these over-lap in exercises.
It is that simple. Some examples of workouts for each are:
Up: Bar press, dumb bell press
Down: cable down,  pull ups (also counts in hand up depending on grip)
Push: bench press, incline bench press
Pull: any of the rowing moves.
hand up: bicep curls, pull ups
hand down: cable downs, dips

Lower Body
The lower body also has a few degrees of motion but we'll just type out the major leg exercises.
-squats
-deadlift
-lunge
-step up
-box jumps
-kettlebell swing
Then there are 3 abdominal modes:
-six pack (anything where you move down the center of your body engages the 6 pack. i.e. standard crunches)
-twist (russian twist, too many to list... twisting motions)
-balance (plank/board. crunches on those large plastic spheres)

Creating your weekly workout
To create your weekly workout schedule, first decide on the number of days you are going to work out that week. If it is a low amount (2-3), do an upper day and a lower day (and another day between those 2 based on your personal fitness goals... or just cardio). For the dedicated (5+ days) more specific movement groups can have their own days.
Example weeks:
3-day week:  Monday: upper (pick 1-3 exercises from each range of motion)
Wed: lower (pick 1-3 exercises from each range of motion)
Friday: interval cardio

My 5-day week: Monday: Biceps and triceps (up/down)
Tues: back/chest (push/pull)
Wed: shoulders (I dedicate a day to shoulders because mine are a weakness for me)
Thurs: Legs (lower body workout like the 3-day week)
Fri: free day. can go for whatever feels the best or needs work. Or just do interval cardio.

Keeping a routine will help you stay focused and not waste time at the gym. It is hard enough to be there in the first place so do not make it harder by not knowing what you are going to do when you get there!

There are a LOT of other exercises that were not mentioned here that I recommend looking up. There are plenty of websites and YouTube videos detailing how to do the exercises.

 By way of numbers: I have gained 2-3 lbs but have lost some waist size! (aka gained good weight. muscle weights more than fat).

*Disclaimer- hyperlinks were found using a quick Google search for reference to the reader. I do not own these images*

Lets talk Cinnamon

First things first, I have not been doing well at my diet... I will be working out for the first time in a few weeks today (not counting all of the walking I do around Tech campus). The dogs will be pleased as I'll be taking them on a run first before I do the weights. I'll post another day on why I do cardio before weights. (I might have gotten it mixed up... and I want to cite sources when I make claims)

Now to the actual topic of this post... CINNAMON!! my favorite spice. 

Lately I've been hearing people I know talk about some recent development about cinnamon being bad for you. When asked further they tend to make an adjustment to their claim that it is in large doses. Being someone who uses cinnamon by the spoon-full, I had to do some research to validate this claim. 

First disclaimer... everyone's body is different. The following research is more of an average over a wide population, not discussing specific people's allergies. If you have an allergic reaction to cinnamon... don't eat it. (should be common sense but not everyone is common with their sense...)

So! here we go. The "scary" cinnamon story. 

In a quick google search you find forums with fearful posts warning those people taking the cinnamon challenge (eating a spoon-full of cinnamon dry supposedly can't be done) that what they are doing is toxic. I don't know how long these posts have been around but the popularity in my circles has increased as of late. The fear comes from the Cinnamomum cassia. One of the many types of cinnamon that does actually have side-affects to eating large quantities. It is toxic. But what are large quantities? Webmd just says "very high quantities". The page is referring to the pill-form doses that can be found in the vitamin section of your local grocery store and not the jars that are found in the spice section. Being in pill-form, users are more likely to overdose as they can just keep popping those pills (not sure why you would but... ya never know). To use a toxic level of cinnamon in your food would be... well it would be more than the "cinnamon challenge" which is too hard for people to ingest all at once anyway. That is assuming you ONLY are ingesting cinnamomum cassia. Webmd has this to say:

Most of the spice sold as cinnamon in the United States and Canada is Chinese cinnamon (C. cassia). The more expensive Ceylon cinnamon (C. verum) is the form of the spice preferred in Mexico, Europe and Oceania.^{[3][dead link]} "Indonesian cinnamon" (C. burmannii) is also commonly sold in the United States, where it is labeled only as cinnamon

In short, when you buy cinnamon, you are getting a mix of different types of cinnamon plants who are not all toxic. Even if you did ingest a "very large quantity" of cinnamon, you aren't getting that full dosage of the cassia plant so that quantity is diluted. 

The health benefits are substantial and make cinnamon worthwhile to eat (especially if you enjoy the taste). These benefits include:

-Improving glucose and lipids levels to fight against diabetes.

-Help prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease

-Fight against HIV (not a cure but helps reduce HIV activity) 

-Help stop the destructive process of multiple sclerosis

-regulate blood sugar levels

-lower the effects of high fat meals

-relieve pain from arthritis

-boost immune system

-prevent blood clots

-relieve indigestion

 **Keep in mind not all of these have been scientifically proven as fact and is therefore not considered medical treatment for ALL of the above ailments, however the correlation between cinnamon and the above benefits make it worthwhile to consume.

Summary:

Cinnamon is not bad for you unless you specifically take "very large quantities" of the specific C. cassia plant. It is a lovely spice that tastes great, not to mention has several health benefits that make it worth taking as a pill to some people. Cinnamon = good  :D

sources:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266069.php

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-cinnamon

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=newtip&dbid=31

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=68

Heh... I'm a pro at this... also, meal bars!

In case the tone didn't come through in the title... I am TERRIBLE at this healthy living stuff. In the last week I've eaten lots of chocolate, pizza, and sat on my butt. I did run a few times but not enough compared to the number of times I cheated on my new way of eating. I am avoiding the word diet due to the assumption that a diet is something you can be done with. I do not plan on getting in shape and then ruining it with ending a diet. 

Speaking of which, I need to make more of my meal bars. I'll write the recipe here:  I got it from compiling a bunch of youtube videos on the subject. 

Dry stuff:

2 cups of oatmeal

1 cup of whey protein

1/4 cup nuts (whatever you want here. I like almond slices or peanuts) 

1/3 cup something else healthy (more nuts, cranberries, raisins, sunflower seeds, etc)

1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon

Wet stuff:

1 cup of peanut butter (preferably natural)

1/4 cup honey (again. as natural as possible. there is enough sugar in this that you dont need more here)

1/4 cup milk (preferably almond milk so it wont spoil as easily when un-refrigerated)

1/4 cup apple sauce (unsweetened. again... sweet enough to not need more from apple sauce)

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (the darker the better. I used 100% and it was good but publix has 65% which is good too)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Instructions: 

Mix wet stuff in a separate bowl from the dry stuff. Pop that wet stuff in the microwave for around 30 seconds or until the chocolate is melted. (stir it up after 30 seconds and see if it's good. I usually go more for 45 seconds) 

Then mix the melted wet stuff in with the dry stuff until it is all gooey and there are no powdery dry spots. Then spread in a pan with your desired thickness and let cool in the fridge for at least an hour before eating. Store in fridge. I find it gets less sticky and more manageable if it is left alone over night and then cut up and flipped over. 

Obviously this will not be the only thing you can eat all day but this bar as a small part with the main course filled with fruits and vegetables will keep you full and healthy (in theory... if you can keep up with the self control thing). When I'm not cheating and eating junk, I eat a bar for breakfast with an apple or banana, a bar for lunch with a salad made from lettuce, peppers and cucumbers, and then the salad or fruit again for dinner. The important thing is to have the biggest meal in the morning and taper off to have the smallest meal at night. (basically the opposite of what normally is done)

These bars are really good to eat before/after a workout and will help keep your muscle mass even while losing weight from dieting and running. (which is known for slimming the waistline as well as the muscle mass) That sounds more tailored to men but for women, fit is sexier than skinny so lift those free weights! (but not to the point of body building... unless your man is into that kind of thing)

Let me know if you try this and how it works for you :D  

Intro

Ok! This is the blog where I talk about health related stuff. Mostly about my own health and the stuff I do to try and improve it. Maybe it'll work for you. Maybe not. The most-likely option: no one reads it in the first place. haha I'm no fitness pro, nor do I claim to be. I am just going to document what I do in my attempt to change my lifestyle to improve my health.

To track changes, there must first be a baseline to compare to. So here it is, my condition (essentially).

I'm 5'10-11'' based on who is measuring. 180ish lbs. I am lucky/unlucky to where my body reacts to exercise and diet pretty quickly so when I do well, the next week I can tell. Unfortunately it goes both ways.
I ran cross country in high school and have been in decent shape until 2010 where I pretty much stopped working out completely, got married, and ate way too well. (My wife is an amazing cook)  So I am now out of shape and in the largest set of clothes I've ever had in my life. It isn't an easy thing to live with as I'm still not used to having my older clothes not fit and be tired after the first half mile of running!

Now that we are acquainted, lets begin by talking about what I am dong and what I'm TRYING to do.
-Run 3-4 times a week. Sometimes taking one of my dogs (usually Captain) with me.
-Weight lift 2 times a week
-Eat mostly my homemade power bars for protein and salad/fruit/vegetables for the rest (mostly lettuce and raw peppers. no dressing)
-Take dogs on regular walks with the wife

What I actually do....
-Run maybe 2 times a week.
-think about weight lifting
-eat a power bar in the morning and then my wife makes herself food (that is amazingly delicious) and I eat her leftovers.... not quite the calorie reducing plan....
-whip out the flashlight and let the dogs chase the light up and down the stairs until they are exhausted. (I may be lazy but I do let them get their energy out and play)


yeah..... so hopefully I can get better at it...