Get Stronger Legs

Get Stronger Legs

Your legs are used daily for life and every activity. They are what keep you going when you run, walk, cycle, climb, and live life. If you have weak leg muscles, you are more prone to skeletomuscular and joint injuries. Which is why strengthen your legs is very important. To Get Stronger Legs you need to incorporate exercises that are the most effective in achieving balanced muscles throughout the leg.

The legs are made up of a few muscles groups. You have your Hamstrings which is the muscles on the back side of the upper leg, your Quadriceps which are the muscles on the front of the upper leg, your lower legs which incorporate many muscles but the main being the calf known as the Gastrocnemius. Your glutes also play a role and must be balanced and strong.

Get Stronger Legs

To obtain balance throughout the leg, in each muscle group and Get Stronger Legs in general you need to utilize the most effective exercises. Using these exercises with and without weights as well in a plyometric movement will get the balance needed to be your strongest.

1. Lunges: Lunges are tied with Squats for “most effective leg exercise.” Lunges engage the quads, the glutes, the hamstrings, the hips, and even the calves. A properly performed Lunge will target all of your lower body muscles, and with the right weight and volume, serious improvements can be made in leg strength. Plus, there are many variations. You can alternate stepping forward, or alternate stepping backward, you can step forward or backward on just one side for the repetitions, or step out and pulse up and down. All of these styles will do the job and do it well.

2. Squats: Squats are so much more than just an exercise to improve power. Squats target all of the lower body muscles, encouraging even muscular development and improved overall strength. Depending on one’s weak areas (knees, back, hips, etc.), you can adjust the type and style of Squat to specifically hit the areas of the lower body that have specific weaknesses in the muscle.

3. Bulgarian Split Squat: Bulgarian Split Squats are perfect for working on the back leg. It is a very efficient exercise for building that strength. It really is a “Lunge on steroids”. The rear foot is placed on an elevated surface (bench or platform) which places most of the tension on the foreleg, however the hamstrings and quads of both legs have to work overtime too lower and raise the body from this position leading to some serious hamstring muscle development.

4. Sumo Squats: This squat starts with a wider than hip width stance and toes pointed out to a 45-degree angle. This movement places most of the emphasis on the inner quads and adductors, as well as hitting the glute medius and minimus. This is a great one to add to your leg workout to focus on those inner thighs which many people neglect.

5. Romanian Deadlift: The Romanian Deadlift focuses mostly on the hamstrings, but only if done properly. This exercise can also be one that can cause low back issues when done improperly. So you must be well versed in proper form before attempting this exercise with any weight. When properly executed the deadlift hits the hamstrings and calves, as well as the glutes. With the proper form you are using the low back but in a positive way and without it carrying the load that should be on the hamstrings. Definitely an exercise you want to have in your toolbox.

6. Side Lunges: For a side lunge you want to step out laterally to one side or alternate. Either way it is very important to keep the one leg and foot stationary while the other steps out. When you step out you want the toe to point in the direction you are stepping. Once out in the lunge you make sure the other leg is straight and then push back out of the lunge. This motion of stepping out and pushing back with a force works the abductors, adductors, calves and glutes. Plus, you have the benefit of working with opening your hips range of motion and keeping it more flexible. It is recommended to start without weight until you get the proper form of your side lunge perfected.

7. Calf Raises: Calf raises can be done standing, seated, off the ledge of a box or calve raise block. Either way this is the great exercise for hitting those calves and shins. When doing a calf raise you want to make sure that your ankles are not rolling out or in. So your focus should be straight up and down. This will not only strengthen the calf and shin muscles but all the small tiny muscles within the ankle, which will improve ankle support and help ward off ankle rolls and other injuries.

8. Wall Sits: Wall Sits are basically an isometric squat with your back against a wall. Isometric means there is no movement throughout the exercise. It is about holding the position, and letting the leg muscles get fatigued and tremble as they are engaged for 30 to 60 seconds. This is one of the best lower body exercises to enhance muscular endurance, as well as improving leg strength.

Get Stronger Legs

There are a lot of other very useful lower body exercises that can also be used to Get Stronger Legs, but these are the very best of the best! With these eight exercises, your legs be stronger and balanced in no time.

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Don’t Cut Yourself Short!

Don’t Cut Yourself Short!

Cutting Yourself Short is cheating yourself in health and wealth. Why do you do this? Have you asked yourself?

It is time for YOU to stop cheating yourself. Don’t Cut Yourself Short! Stop cheating, and start creating true health and wealth in your life. Your Health is your Wealth! If you cheat your health, you are cheating your life. Take a look around and I am sure there are other areas that you are selling yourself short.

When we have good health both mentally and physically it will carry over into all aspects of your life.

Of course most people will tell you the answer is simple…”Stop ending sets and workouts early.” Of course we know that you can say that, but most won’t put it into action. So how do we change and execute?

Don’t Cut Yourself Short!

Let’s start with something simple. How about you think about why you decided to do the workout in the first place. What is your reason? Some people may want to be able to play with their children, look better in public, feel better in their own skin, or complete a half-marathon or other event, but what is YOUR reason? Let me repeat myself…WHAT IS YOUR REASON? Don’t just read on…Seriously, What is YOUR Reason? Write it down. Think about it. Own it!

Now that you have given it some thought and you have shifted your thoughts to WHY you first decided to do the workout, you need to focus on another part of the process of change. This part is Dedication. No I am not simply talking about just being dedicated to your workout. I am talking about creating a dedication that can help you create success within your workout. Yes dedicate yourself, but why not dedicate your workouts to an important person in your life? This way if you fail to succeed in your workouts, you are ‘failing’ your dedicated person.

These are only a few tips, but they can really help keep you honest DURING your workout. If you read this far, chances are you have struggled with finishing each set fully, each workout completely, or completing an exercise plan in the past. Choose you and Don’t Cut Yourself Short!

You hear about being consistency equals results. Well that is completely true! If you need a bit more accountability to help you stop the habit of cutting yourself short, and to keep motivated create a FREE Account, and I will be your coach!

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Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage Sauce and Baby Spinach

When planning out healthy meals that will taste good and be fun for the whole family you definitely need to try this Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage Sauce with Baby Spinach.  Not only does it make a great dinner, but it also gets you two servings of vegetables, a lean protein and healthy fats.

Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage Sauce and Baby Spinach

Ingredients:
11 oz Ground Spicy Chicken Italian Sausage
1 lb Butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 tbsp Coconut oil
10 oz Quinoa pasta, or pasta of your choice
1/4 cup Shallots, minced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 cups Baby spinach, roughly chopped
1-2 cups Chopped Tomatoes
2 tbsp Fresh shaved Parmesan cheese
4 Sage leaves, sliced thin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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Directions:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft. Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender, blend until smooth.
• Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente, reserving at least 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
• Meanwhile, in a large deep non-stick skillet, sauté sausage over medium heat until browned, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks. When cooked through, set aside on a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium-low add coconut oil, sauté the shallots and garlic until soft and golden, about 5 – 6 minutes. Add pureed butternut squash, season with with salt and fresh cracked pepper and add a little of the reserved pasta water (I used about 1 cup) to thin out the sauce to your liking.
• Fold in baby spinach, chopped tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and sage.
• Toss in cooked pasta and sausage and mix until well coated.
• Serve with additional Parmesan cheese on the side if desired.

This Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage Sauce and Baby Spinach Makes about 6 serving.

Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage and Baby Spinach Nutrition Information per 1 cup serving:

• Calories: 362
• Fat: 8 g
• Carb: 55 g
• Fiber: 5 g
• Protein: 20 g
• Sugar: 1 g
• Sodium: 419 mg (without salt)

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Cashew ‘N’ Oat Waffles

We all love to have waffles and other fun breakfast food. So why not incorporate these fun breakfast foods by having a great taste but with a healthy twist. These Cashew ‘N’ Oat Waffles will pack a great nutritious punch to any breakfast without all the processed ingredients that most waffles have. This Cashew ‘N’ Oat Waffle recipe gives you the health benefits of cashews, oats, and coconut oil with great flavor.

Cashew ‘N’ Oat Waffles

(Makes 4 servings)
Total Time: 22 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 12 min.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup raw cashews
1 dash sea salt
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup mixed berries
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup (or raw honey)
Nonstick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat waffle iron.
Place oats, cashews, and salt in food processor or blender; pulse until coarsely ground.

Add oil, water, and extract; pulse until well blended. Batter will be thick, but if it is as thick as paste, add 2 to 3 additional Tbsp. of water.
Pour ¼ of batter into waffle iron, lightly coated with spray; cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until waffle iron indicates waffle is cooked, or until waffle is cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.

While the Cashew ‘N’ Oat Waffles are cooking, combine berries and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Slightly mash berries to release some juice.
Serve waffles topped evenly with berry mixture.

Cashew ‘N’ Oat Waffles

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 295
Total Fat: 12 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 78 mg
Carbohydrates: 40 g
Fiber: 6 g
Sugars: 8 g
Protein: 8 g

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Best Raw Foods to Have in Your Nutrition Plan

Eating raw foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts, and more) have amazing health benefits. Raw foods are essentially living foods. When you eat living foods you are eating live enzymes, undamaged nutrients, and alkaline-forming compounds that help nourish and cleanse the body. You don’t have to eat completely raw diet to have the health benefits of raw foods. Simply adding the Best Raw Foods to Have in Your Nutrition Plan will create positive changes.

You also don’t need to eat raw foods with every meal or snack. Simply adding in the Best Raw Foods to Have in your Nutrition Plan once or twice a day can have a huge impact on your health.

Best Raw Foods to Have in Your Nutrition Plan

Coconut: Coconut is probably the greatest “superfood”. Raw coconut is a powerhouse of nutrients. Its natural water is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes, and is considered one of the best hydrators for the body. Raw coconut meat (the flesh), is equally beneficial. It contains high levels of lauric acid, a type of saturated fat that aids in resisting harmful viruses, bacteria, and fungi.

Other benefits from consuming coconut flesh and its natural water is that it promotes brain health, aids in weight loss, can help prevent heart disease, helps lower cholesterol, boosts energy, promote thyroid health and hormone levels, rejuvenates skin, and helps heal damage to the gut and digestive system.

Chia Seeds: The Chia Seed is the best when it comes to omega-3 fatty acids and disease-fighting antioxidants. They are rich in fiber, essential fatty acids, calcium, antioxidants, and protein. Chia seeds are easy to incorporate into any nutrition plan.

Chia seeds are helpful for maintaining strength, weight maintenance, healthy digestion, immune system support, and disease prevention.

Sprouted Nuts and Seeds: Yes, this is a general category, but any nut and Seed can come in a raw form. When you eat raw sprouted nuts and seeds they will provide a wealth of important vitamins, minerals, nutrients, enzymes, and proteins. Raw sprouted almonds are one of the healthiest foods you can consume because they contain healthy fats, complete protein, amino acids, and essential trace minerals.

Sprouted nuts and seeds help boost immunity, regulate cholesterol levels, support a healthy brain and heart, and provide lasting nourishment.

Cacao (natural chocolate): Healthy metabolisms are maintained by having a key component known as mineral magnesium. One of the best natural sources of this essential mineral compound is raw cacao. Raw Cacao is a bean from which cocoa and chocolate are derived, but cocoa and chocolate are processed versions with very few nutrients.

Raw cacao is unique because it contains well over 300 identifiable nutrient compounds. These compounds help feed the body’s systems and promotes a healthy brain chemistry, boosts energy levels, improves circulation, and can neutralize cancer-causing free radicals. Raw cacao also helps stimulate the production of digestive enzymes, which benefits digestive health.

Leafy Greens: Leafy green vegetables are so important and its nearly impossible to consume to many. Making these a part of your daily nutrition will bring many positive health benefits.

Leafy Greens such as Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, and others are rich in chlorophyll which is a key dietary component for boosting energy levels, detoxifies and cleanses the liver, digestive track, and other organs which will help keep you regular. Add these daily for maximum health benefits.

Fermented Vegetables: Raw organic fruits and vegetables are supremely healthy, but they can become even healthier when fermented. The fermentation process used to culture vegetables like cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers makes them easier to digest, which allows the body to unlock and access more of their nutrients.

Fermented vegetables also have digestion-enhancing enzymes and probiotic bacteria, which together build immunity and improve nutrient absorption.

Best Raw Foods to Have in Your Nutrition Plan

If you truly want to change and improve your health, having these foods and others should be a part of your nutrition plan. Starting with these Best Raw Foods to Have in Your Nutrition Plan is a good place to begin. Though for some of us adding all these raw foods to their daily nutrition can be difficult. So your alternative is to look for a nutritional supplement that has all these raw foods and more in their natural state. Either way, your health will benefit from having raw foods daily.

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The Truth about Wheat and Other Grains

It is time for people to stop allowing the food industry to continue to pull the wool over their eyes. This is just one of many topics the food industry continues to win, at the mercy of the public’s health. As more and more grocers and health food stores stock gluten-free products, it is time to know The Truth about Wheat and Other Grains. Now the stocking of these items is good news for people with Celiac disease, but experts and diagnosis show that only 1% of Americans have Celiac disease. Yet the market for gluten-free products continues to explode, and experts continue to shake their head as the food industry continues to take advantage of people to increase their bottom line. This is not a good thing.

According to Dr. Peter Green, those who go to a gluten free diet and don’t truly have Celiac disease are starving their bodies of important vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, as well as other healthy grains including bulgur, farro, kamut, and spelt. These grains are rich in an array of vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and fiber.

Plus, scientific studies continue show that whole grain foods, as part of a healthy diet, may help lower risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

The Truth about Wheat and Other Grains

So what about the other 99% of society. Yes, some people may be sensitive to gluten but they don’t have Celiac disease. These people may feel better on a diet with less gluten, but this doesn’t make Wheat or other healthy grains bad. The Truth about Wheat and Other Grains is that grains themselves are not bad. It is the processing or the form of wheat and other grains you consume that is bad. If you consume a very highly processed wheat or grain, then the gluten content is greater. Therefore, those who are sensitive to gluten may have more issues. Does this mean you should go gluten free? Not necessarily… You may just need to take a closer look at the wheat and grain products you are buying and consuming. Unfortunately, the food industry also does a great job at twisting things around to make it seem you are buying something healthy, when it really is not. Take a look at the ingredient labels for the truth.

For starters people often think they are buying wheat bread, or healthy grains when all they are buying is very processed food that simply has packaging that tells them the products are healthy. So looking at the nutritional label will tell you if you are truly buying a healthy product. This is where you will find the answers to whether or not the grains are overly processed.

Wheat and other grains themselves are not the issue, and don’t cause digestive issues or weight gain. Grains have been around for hundreds of thousands of years. It is the over-processing of these grains, which increases the gluten content that can cause issues to those who are more sensitive.

The Truth About Wheat and Other Grains

Unfortunately, the food industry has control. It has been this way for decades and our incidence of disease, syndromes, and food related health issues have gone up! Look at all the fads created by the food industry throughout the past 4 years (it’s has risen from 11 billion to a 23 billion dollar industry), yet science continues to find the truth.

Unfortunately, other industries and people sell out and capitalize on these fads as well through selling books and other products, to bank on the trends. If people continue to buy in, the different industries will continue to take advantage and health issues will continue to rise.

The Truth about Wheat and Other Grains is when they are processed minimally, and consumed in a well-rounded, balanced nutrition plan that also includes lean meats and fish, fruits and vegetables, proper hydration, and regular physical activity the other 99% of society without Celiac disease will be healthy.

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Does Sweat Indicate a Good Workout?

Does Sweat Indicate a Good Workout? Most people would answer Yes. So what is the answer? There is a short quick answer and then there is the longer answer that gives insight on whether or not sweat is an indicator of a good workout.

Does Sweat Indicate a Good Workout?

The Short Answer to the question Does Sweat Indicate a Good Workout is…

No! A good workout is not determined by the amount you sweat. Sweat can be an indicator of how intense your workout was, but there are much better indicators to a good workout, such as heart rate. In other words, even if you don’t sweat a ton but you bust your butt and you feel fatigued or out of breath when you are done, it was probably a good workout. Conversely, sweating buckets doesn’t mean you had a great workout. It may just mean you were really hot or worked out in a room with an elevated room temperature. Again, go by how hard you worked, not how wet your shirt is.

Does Sweat Indicate a Good Workout?

Now the long answer…

Sweating occurs to regulate body temperature. When you are too hot, your glands release a water-and-electrolyte solution across your skin’s surface to create a temperature reduction that ultimately reduces your core temperature of the body.

Our body has two kinds of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine. Apocrine glands are located in all the nooks and crannies like your armpits and groin. Perspiration from these glands are emotionally activated. Examples are when we are nervous or stressed.

The second sweat gland, eccrine is located all over your body and these glands are the ones that do all the work when you exercise. There are approximately two to four million depending on the person.

So there can be a few reasons you may not sweat as much as another person during a workout despite similar efforts. The first reason is that two to four million glands is a wide range. You may simply have less glands. Other reasons that must be taken into account are genetics, fitness level, weight, and outside or room temperature.

Outside or Room Temperature: If the air is cool, it’s helps keep you cool, so you’ll sweat less, or if it’s extremely hot, your sweat may evaporate as fast as you generate it. Have you ever finished an event or workout to find you were completely dry, yet covered in salt? This is the residue left from evaporated perspiration.

Fitness Level: Fitness level definitely can create a decreased or increased amount of perspiration. The more fit you are the more efficient your body operates, so you will start to sweat earlier. The reason this happens is a properly cooled engine can work harder and longer, therefore the body knows to begin prepping for what it is used to doing.

Overweight people also tend to sweat more, because they have more weight to support and more mass to cool down, therefore they work harder, but they will also notice that they may sweat less as time goes on because it becomes easier to do everything.

Genetics: Some people just don’t sweat a lot regardless of how hard they workout, their weight, the room temperature etc. This is okay! The only way low sweating could be a sign of an underlying issue is if you are also becoming faint, dizzy, or not feeling well every time you do a workout. Do not confuse those symptoms with the same feelings you can get when you push yourself, because you may not be used to that kind of effort. Of course, whenever in question seek advice from your fitness and/or medical professional.

The best way to monitor your efforts is a heart rate monitor (HRM). The use of a HRM device is truly the best performance indicator for training until you get good at monitoring your efforts through perceived exertion. If it kicks your butt, you feel exhausted, you are doing what you should be doing.

Remember the answer is No to the question Does Sweat Indicate a Good Workout. Whether you are sweating or not, you must feel the burn and be spent when you finish your workout. If you’ve just started a program and are still mastering the moves you may not be quite there yet, but in time and efforts you will be seeing results with or without a lot of sweat.

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