confidence-is-the-key:

i want this!

readytolift:

littlewaternymph:

healthyfitandlovely:

• The proper activity done a few minutes before eating can encourage food calories to get shuttled into the muscle cells, before it has a chance to get stored as body fat.
• Increases insulin sensitivity and burns some extra calories.

Air squats are the best option out there for a quick workout before meals.

Read more about it in Tim Ferris’s book “4 hour body”.

By rebloging this I accept this challenge, and I will do my best to accomplish it.

sounds good to me!

I’ve decided I am going to do this. Mostly because I am pretty much OBSESSED with squats and I will think of any excuse to do them. Do this challenge, it looks awesome!

Definitely doing this!

muffintop-less:

The Truth About Muscle Toning 
by Flavia Del Monte, Certified Trainer and Nutritionist

“It is unfortunate to see how many females who fear muscle end up detouring their progress in what should be a relatively easy goal, “toning”.

I’ve always found it ironic when I read fitness magazines or hear trainers tell women you can’t build big muscles because you don’t produce as much testosterone as a man (which is true) but then paradoxically say to just use low weight and high reps or go for the burn! 

Why would it matter if women lift heavy weights and low reps if we don’t have the hormones to produce big muscles? Why do “fitness experts” contradict themselves and perpetuate these toning myths? Perhaps they are scared to prescribe heavy weights and low reps because they are misinformed on “toning”?

Here’s what females must understand about muscle toning if they ever want TRULY toned, defined and sexy curves:

Relying on low weight and high reps results in spending years trying to achieve what a few months of heavier weight and low reps could potentially bring if the weights were progressed up at a gradual level!
The entire, “Drop the weights and go for a burn…” advice is complete nonsense! Here’s why:

There are two types of muscle tone: Myogenic muscle tone and neurogenic muscle tone. You need both for a sexy,hard and defined looking body.

Myogenic tone can be defined as residual tension in a resting muscle. What this really means is how hard, full and dense your muscles are at rest.  An increase in myogenic tone is a permanent increase in the appearance of your muscles. Myogenic tone is affected by the density of your muscles and is improved by stimulation of the contractile proteins using a moderately heavy loads and moderately lower rep training workouts. 

Neurogenic tone refers to the level of tension in a muscle in a working or flexed state. That is how “hard” a muscle is when you are training it or just flexing it. It refers to muscle tone that is expressed when movements occur (like when you extend your arms to point). Neurogenic tone is improved due to the effect lower rep training [i.e. less than 7 reps] has on improving the efficiency of your central nervous system.

Heavy weight training for women increases your myogenic tone through the hypertrophy (growth) of the contractile proteins myosin and actin (myosin and actin are by far the most dense components of skeletal muscle).

Lower rep training with heavier weights is by far the best way to get a lean, defined and tight body. This type of training will increase the sensitivity of alpha and gamma motor neurons, thus increasing neurogenic tone when conducting even the simplest of movements (i.e. walking, extending your arm to point, etc).

Training with heavy weights improves both myogenic and neurogenic tone.  When a body is stripped of much of its fat, muscle density and hardness go a long way to enhancing the attractiveness of one’s physique!  If your goal is to have a lean, sexy and defined looking body, then incorporating training with heavy weights and low reps is the next (and best) step to set yourself up for an amazing body.

Need proof?

Have you ever seen a women in the gym or in a magazine with defined arms?  Toned shoulders?  Sculpted calves?  Trim thighs?  The way their bodies are sleek and curved is easy to achieve once you get rid of the “drop the weights and go for the burn” nonsense and begin working out with some heavier weights and lower reps — this is the best way to lean, hard and strong, but not big!  As long as you manage your calories, there is no fear in getting big. Remember, muscles grow on calories so as long as you don’t start eating like a bodybuilder, you will never come close to looking like one (thank goodness)!

Now that you can see a difference between myogenic tone and neurogenic tone it’s time to use this information to go from ordinary to extraordinary and Curveless to Curvalicious!”

Oh love.

spiritualinspiration:

http://www.facebook.com/naeemcallaway

motivationforfitness:

Lentil, Sweet Potato and Apple Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 small zucchini, cut into chunks
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 3 1/2 oz dried lentils
• 2-3 small yellow squash, cut into chunks
• 1-2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into large chunks
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or equivalent bouillon)

Methods:

• Heat oil on medium-high in a large heavy pot.
• Add onion and cook five minutes, until softened and starting to turn golden. 
• Add garlic, coriander and paprika, and cook for one minute. 
• Add zucchini, sweet potato, lentils, squash and apples; stir for one to two minutes. 
• Add salt and pepper. 
• Pour in vegetable broth, cover, bring to boil, and then simmer gently for 35 to 40 minutes until lentils are soft and cooked through. 

Yields two servings (For me it was more like 3 servings, but the nutrition listed is for 2.)

Nutritional info per serving:

410 calories | 9g fat (1g saturated) | 67g carbohydrate (22g fiber, 19g sugar) | 20g protein

health-heaven:

1. Practice Long, Slow Eating
In a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in 2011, researchers in New Zealand looked at the relationship 2,500 women had between their self-reported speeds of eating and their body mass indexes. For each step up in speed (on a…

findinghealth:

This is always how I try to justify eating all the chocolate in the house!

Me!