Rest and Recovery, How to use it and how to make sure you aren't abusing it!

Hey guys,

    First off sorry these posts have been sporadic, but I have been moving around a lot in preparation for school in Toronto that starts in just a few weeks.  Today I am going to touch on REST, and how to use it to your advantage.

    What many people seem to be missing when I watch and talk to others about their workouts is an appropriate rest and recovery cycle.  What a lot of people don't know is how to use rest properly so hopefully this will help us sort it all out! In order for us to tackle this subject we will have to identify our overall fitness goals.

Fat burning and muscle tone-  This is the category that most women will fall into as well as those guys trying to lose a little bit of extra body fat to tighten up their already built frame.  The rest time to aim for in this type of workout generally lies between 30 seconds to 1 minute in between sets. While working out for this type of build you want to look at high reps (12-15 reps and higher) and low weights with minimal rest.  The overall goal is to get that heart rate up and to exhaust your muscles with reps rather than weight.  This allows you to burn more calories and increase your metabolism.  If you are resting too much in between exercises your heart rate will lower and your workout will be less affective.  I generally get people to do a few exercises in a row before getting around 1 minute of rest, or recommend 30 seconds between sets of exercises that are done just by themselves.  Long story short, KEEP THE REST SHORT if you want to get the best results.  Note: this style of workout is great for building up cardio as well and even you muscle heads can add a couple exercises like this to the end of your routine to help you keep that body looking ripped and not just big!

Hypertrophy and muscle size-  For most people, they think the heavier they lift the bigger they will get and this simply just isn't always the case.  For muscle building you want to aim for mid range reps (8-12) and you want your rest to be longer than the example above.  I usually recommend 1 minutes to a minute and a half.  This style of workout is taxing on your muscles, and if you want to maximize the muscle gains, your body will need to be decently rested before jumping into another set.  As a guideline I lift in this category most of the year and I stick to around 1 minute of rest.  For those exercises that are more taxing or super-sets (two exercises back to back) try to lean closer to a minute and a half.  Remember, too long and your muscles will not get the exhaustion they need, too short and your muscles will not be ready for the strength and muscle gains.

Strength/Power-  Strength and power training is unfortunately how a lot of younger males workout as they think it will get them the biggest the fastest and this isn't always the truth.  Now while strength and power lifting can give you size, the main physiological response is simply maximizing strength.  Your body will most likely become better at lifting and not always give you the body you want.  Now this CAN increase muscle size as muscle gains can aid in strength gains but it isn't the best way to add size.  However, should you decide to workout in this range throughout your offseason or for athletics (1-5 reps) you are going to want LOTS OF REST!  Power and strength lifting is extremely taxing on your body and it needs a lot of recovery.  We are not focused on using these workouts to burn a lot of calories so large amounts of rest won't hurt you.  You want to aim for at least a minute and a half here and as you get closer to 1 rep maxes you can take as much as 5 minutes of rest.  This allows your body to recovery adequately so that the next set will benefit your gains.  It roughly takes around 5 minutes for your PCr system (one of your bodies short term energy sources) to replenish to around 80-90% and therefore on these heavy heavy exercises you may want to make sure you are taking the rest you need!


      GET SLEEP!  When our bodies sleep they rebuild and recover.  If we are shortening our sleep we are shortening our healing time.  Cutting your rest short means you are cutting your workouts short.  If you don't rest at night you won't get near the gains or results you want!

      Lastly, I will be touching on rest away from the gym.  This is one area I see a lot of people getting wrong and they are only wasting their time.  One major thing people have to realize is that recovery is very important.  You shouldn't be at the gym 7 days a week and nor should you be.  You should always have a day of rest in between muscle groups (note this doesn't mean you can't workout legs on monday and chest on tuesday).  This means I shouldn't see you on the bench press on monday and tuesday.  Think about what working out is, it's like renovating.  Imagine you are building a brick wall, only you have to take down and break a few bricks before adding more new ones.  If I tear down bricks on monday working bench press I need to build that wall up bigger and higher before breaking and building on it again.  If I work out on tuesday doing the same thing you will essentially tear the same walls down twice and your recovery phase can be prolonged and you can potentially injure yourself.  It leaves you back at square one.  So make sure when you need a rest day you take it.  Your body will need it and it shouldn't hurt your progress.  One exception to this is cardio.  Doing steady cardio does aid with recovery and this can be done on off days, in fact I recommend it!

       Hopefully that helps everyone arrange their workouts a little better.  I always wear a watch so it helps me with this, but I have also used the clocks all around the gym if they have a second hand.  Not only will this help you get the most of what you are already doing, it can help the flow and efficiency of your workouts. Remember, lack of rest can lead to over training and injury so let's workout to stay healthy!

NOTE: If you see someone working out on a specific timed rest cycle like this (myself included) try not to stop and talk to them for long periods of time in the gym.  It can essentially waste entire sets and only hurts their workout!


     Keep working hard during this summer but make sure you don't waste all of it in the gym!  Get outside and find exercise in the sun!

Cheers
Ryan Trueman

How to Boost Our Testosterone Naturally to help get us that Summer Body!

Hey guys,

      Sorry for the long delay in between posts, work as well as getting ready for school has kept me busy!

      This blog comes in relation to a question I get all the time.."If you aren't on steroids, what are you on?"  This blog will be focused around getting to the summer body goal we want by giving our bodies the testosterone it needs naturally.  These are just a few supplements and types of natural test boosters I have tried and tested over the years. Remember I am merely recommending the best supplements and diet tricks I have found, so  feel free to try any one after talking to your doctor about them!  

NOTE: Anyone who is under 18 shouldn't need any of the first 3 supplements.  You have plenty of testosterone already and playing with those levels can affect your growth into adulthood.

The complete stack list: 

DAA (free fatty acid)

CLA (free fatty acid) - women friendly 

Maca Root or Tribulus  - women friendly

Fish oils /Omegas  -  women friendly

Vitamin D  - women friendly

Brazil nuts  - women friendly

Glutamine - women friendly

Milk Thistle - women friendly

*Estrogen blocker (A-HD)

Now let's talk more about what each one. 

DAA- Before we start, your body loves testosterone for building our bodies, but it is also a human hormone.  When your body increases it's test levels, it will also increase it's estrogen levels to keep a balance.  This estrogen can cause a problem long term, and I generally recommend anyone who does take the compound DAA to take an estrogen blocker if you want to be safer with it.  Any testosterone supplements should also be cycled (for example 4 weeks on 2 weeks off) to ensure your hormonal levels stay safe and recover properly.  Testosterone will help you gain muscle, but we need to remember it has to be monitored so that it stays safe.  Now, DAA is one I have mentioned before and is in my mind one of the best natural testosterone boosters on the market.  It is a naturally occurring free fatty acid ( a fuel source and building block our body's use) but it rarely occurs in high concentrations.  DAA should be the only compound that should need an estrogen blocker.  My favorite blocker on the market being a product called A-HD.

CLA- CLA is a great compound that helps us decrease some fat while adding lean muscle.  CLA is an essential free fatty acid, and helps boost your immune system, your metabolic rate (metabolism) and helps keep your cholesterol in check.  It is closely related to omega 6's and is the healthiest fat burner I have come across

Maca Root and Tribulus- I group these two together because I believe you really only need one of them.  Feel free to take both, but we have plenty already to help boost our test levels when we combine them with others.  Both are naturally accuring plants in nature, and both aid in the general libido (friskiness) of men and will raise test levels naturally.  Maca root can be purchased almost anywhere in pill form however I do recommend for the tribulus the Allmax brand as it gave me more significant results.  If you are looking for quick size results add with one of these a monocreatine powder.

Fish/Oils and Omega 3s and 6s- Healthy fats are ESSENTIAL for testosterone production.  These work especially at night, and I find make me feel all around better if also taken in the morning.  Fish oils not only help our joints feel great but they are great sources of healthy fat.  This healthy fat when taken at night with vitamin D, will be turned into testosterone while you sleep.  The reason I recommend at night is because most of your testosterone production will be done at night.  Note: healthy cholesterol, vitamin D and testosterone can all be created in the body.  If you give your body lots of vitamin D and healthy cholesterols/fats, it will spend most of it's time creating testosterone. NOTE: There are some brands that combine vitamin D and fish oils, I highly recommend these!

Vitamin D- Vitamin D is great to help your body function properly when it comes to creating testosterone.  It also has so many other positive traits, but for now we are focusing on it's affects on testosterone.

Brazil Nuts- Now these can be purchased in many bulk food stores, and are awesome snacks before bed.  Having just 6 brazil nuts before bed can have a dramatic affect on the amount of testosterone you produce over night.  It is a healthy dose of omega 3s and 6s and can replace in some situations the fish oils at night.  I would still however recommend at least having fish oils in the morning.

Glutamine- Glutamine is a BCAA (branched chain amino acid) and is essential for muscle recovery.  Muscle recovery needs to take place, to help testosterone aid in the building of more muscles.  If we recover faster, we can trainer more, and glutamine gives us that chance.  Regardless of person, I always recommend glutamine, it is the bricks for your brick house muscles.  Even your grandma should have them!

Milk Thistle-  Milk thistle is cheap, and it helps keep your liver running in tip top shape.  Supplements and vitamins can be a lot for your liver to break down everyday, why not give it the tools it needs to recover as well.  After all, it isn't just about looking good, it is about also being healthy!

Lastly, eat meat!  Eating meat will always help boost testosterone, and avoid soy.  Soy has been shown to increase estrogen levels!

      Hope that helps us BOOST OUR TEST NATURALLY and get into that summer shape we always aim for!  

Ryan Trueman

      It should also be noted that you do also need a healthy diet and proper workouts, simply boosting test levels alone will not just "make you jacked"

The information big food companies don't want you to know and what is making you fat!

Hey guys,

    First of all thanks everyone for the views, I passed 15,000 today!

    Today I thought I would take the time to point out some of the tricks the food industry plays.  There is lots of misleading information out there and I am trying to help open your eyes to the fact that sales drive a business, not health!  Hopefully this can help you look at food as fuel, and less by what your body has become addicted to!

    To start off, I need to remind you that healthy fats are good for us and will not make us fat.  However, man made fats, man made sugars, and other substances will make us fat.  So know that when I mention fat, there is good and bad fats.  Healthy fats are in nautral things like nuts and meats.  Beware of many store brand fats and especially trans fats.  Trans fats and other man altered fats are next to impossible to break down and will just make themselves right at home on your hips!  They are made to increase shelf life and will definitely make you fatter.

        Man made sugars!  Now these are some of the most misleading things out there!  Everything now has a fancy hidden name and they are sneaking their way into all our foods!  Our body is ingesting sugars made from a concentrated man made syrup that was never meant to be ingested in these concentrations.  These sugars are cheaper and taste better to our senses which leads to companies using them.. A LOT!  The issue with these foods are they have a lot of caloric value, and not a lot of nutritional value.  Foods are now made with compounds that mimic our bodies reaction to real foods.  They spike our insulin levels and give us a rush of energy that we literally get addicted to.  Because of this lack of nutrients we ultimately crash quickly and need another hit of fructose corn syrup to be happy!  Think about it, our breakfast cereals, breads, granola bars and pretty much everything on the shelf are packed with sugars that are man made, fake, and unhealthy.  They taste great, they are cheaper to use, and they have a longer shelf life, so you can see why they are so widely used.  Check the ingredients for things like sugar, syrups and basically any word that is longer than 9 letters and looks like it would be used in the semi finals of a spelling bee.  Below is an example of many foods with hidden man made compounds!  Note, this does not mean that other sugar is good for us, all simple sugars will spike your insulin, store fat, and give you a crash.  Avoid these and opt for a more natural sweetener like stevia.  Stevia is an awesome product that tastes amazing.

        Diet Pops, Sugar Free Foods / Drinks and aspartame!  These are often times very misleading and can lead to weight gain even when dieting.  Diet pops and many sugar free foods use aspartame.  Aspartame is a man made sweetener that is often in things like splenda and sugar free products to give it a sweet taste.  Sugar free could seem like a great option because it is low in calories however there is something food companies don't want you to know.  Aspartame is often marketed as a "natural" sweetner and this isn't exactly the case.  Aspartame is actually two natural sweetners stuck together, that don't normally stick together.  The bond that holds these together when ingested, will travel through the blood and literally into the brain.  Once it passes directly into the brain this compound (methanol) turns into formaldehyde which is extremely toxic and can lead to brain issues like cancer and neurological breakdowns.  This isn't a matter of being skinny or not, overindulging in these products can literally kill you.  Be aware of aspartame!  For better options look into stevia as mentioned above.

     MSG and Sodium!  Compounds like MSG and sodium have been added to food for hundreds of years, and is used to help preserve the shelf life.  The problem lies less in the sodium and more in the MSG.  Sodium can lead to water retention. However, even if you avoid MSG don't avoid sodium completely as sodium is an essential mineral.  Try pure crystal salts like himalayan sea salt as they haven't been linked to hypertension issues.  Himalayan salt is also rich with over 80 essential trace elements and is high in magnesium, calcium, and iron!  Now let's talk MSG!  The food industry realized a while back, that adding MSG to food doesn't only increase the shelf life, it makes awful food taste great!  So what did they do? Took out a lot of the nutrients, added some calories with man made sugars, and packed in the MSG so it can live longer and taste better.  This clearly leads to greater profits and you can see where I am going with this, clearly they don't want you to know how bad MSG is!  MSG is in 80% of all processed foods and is just as bad for weight gain as fat.  The issue with MSG is that when we ingest it our bodies create fat cells to store it in.  This can lead to easier weight gains, and harder weight loss.

       Fat Free!  Fat free is maybe the most misleading thing out there!  Remember, fat isn't what makes us fat!  The industry decided to run with old out dated views, and push that products should come with fat free options and promotes them as "healthy alternatives."  The worst part about this, is people who are trying to make a change obviously lean towards what look like healthier options. The issue is that fat is taken out (often times the healthiest part, ex many yogurt companies) and replace it with man made sugars.  Some products like peanut butter are even packed with icing sugar like substances to keep the taste without the fat.  Therefore these obviously lead to weight gain.  Look for full natural fats, with little processing.  Not all fat free versions are awful.  A good indicator is to check the back and look at the sugar content.  Compare it to the regular version and 9/10 times you will notice the sugars increase with the fat free version.  If it doesn't check the ingredients list for any words your grandmother wouldn't know, and if it looks good you are in the clear! Below is an example using everyone's favorite mayonaise.

       Processed foods and drinks.  Remember guys, the more foods have been processed or packaged usually is a good predictor of how much they tinkered with the product.  When industries refine, process, and pasteurize  they often mean they went in and seperated certain compounds.  They then add them back together with their own filler and products and ultimately have ruined what was a healthy food.  Nutrients are often removed and destroyed, and if any heat has been used (very common) most all of the good nutrients can be gone.  Options like raw whole milk and full fat yogurts are your healthiest versions.  When looking at meat, if it doesn't look like it is fresh off the bone but rather like it could be put into a bagged lunch avoid it.  Obviously with free ranged grass fed animals being the most healthy options.

         WHOLE WHEAT DOES NOT MEAN HEATHY!  This one really gets me.  Often times I see so many people trying so hard to eat healthy at lunch with fresh sandwiches.  What they don't know is that  many big bread companies are made with grains that have been warped and exhausted.  The very compounds are falling apart.  Think of it like a clone.  Many clones don't survive to live a decent life because they fall apart literally at the cellular level.  These grains are the same because they have been so depleted and comercialized.  This leads to very weak grains, and even worse gluten to digest.  Try options like brown rice tortillas and ezekiel breads as options to replace bread.  For all the other reasons why gluten is bad check out my previous link here!


Bonus!

Cooking food vs raw fresh food.  Preparing food can not only be annoying, but it can actually be less healthy.  Raw foods are often the healthiest way for us to eat them.  Anytime you heat, fry, or grill you create combustion or burning.  When you burn something you create byproducts like carcinogens which can lead to disease and cancer.  I am not saying don't ever BBQ, as I would never deprive the world of such a taste, but try not to eat a burnt steak every night.  Additionally, the foods enzymes and nutrients are often destroyed from the heat.  This is often a step during pasteurization to help with shelf life.  So don't steam that broccoli, eat it fresh so you can get all the added benefits!


Hope these helped! Cheers

Ryan
Ryan.trueman@dal.ca

The facts on Cardio! When and what type of cardio to use to get to your goals!

Hey guys,

     First off, thanks for all the love!  For any of you that didn't hear I just got into a second graduate school option and will most likely be heading to Toronto for my Doctorate in Chiropractic!  As awesome as it would be to head to Australia for my Doctorate in Physiotherapy at Melbourne University with two of my best friends, it is just not possible financially.  Everyone's support was unexpected and humbling and a big thanks to everyone for that!

But now let's talk CARDIO!

"What should I do for cardio and when should I do it?" 

     I get this question on the regular from people of all ages and skill levels and I am going to try and help answer it today! Here is a little background on cardio training.

     Cardiovascular training is not just getting on the treadmill!  Cardio training can be done in a variety of ways and is almost anything that has little rest and a high heart rate!  It can be trained using things like circuit style workouts, a long jog on the beach, or a game of squash!  All of these things will get your heart rate up, your muscles moving and your cardiovascular systems pumping.  The best thing about cardio in my mind is the positive health benefits towards the fight against heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases (these improvements are immediate and happen much quicker than physical changes) but let's get into what we all want to use it for.  Losing weight!

      Before we start.  Everyone needs to know that calories in and calories burned is not accurate at explaining weight loss or gain.  The main importance is the TYPES of foods we eat and how they change our body's chemistry.  There are even examples of villages of people eating as little as 600 calories a day and all being overweight because they were very poor calorie choices.  That being said, burning calories through cardio is an awesome way to crank up your weight loss results!

What types of cardio?

     A lot of people out there have heard the line "your fat burning zone is when your heart rate is below 70-85% of your max aka slow and steady cardio."  While this is technically right, it is extremely misleading and is one of the most frustrating things out there.  This leads people to conclude that long and steady means you burn fat and you lose weight.  While this is also true, the rate at which you burn these calories is rather low.  Not only is it low, it becomes lower with repetition.  So that 4km jog you have been doing for 2 years is probably burning half the calories it use to if you run it regularly.  The best way to burn calories is with intensity changes.  It is true that when your heart rate goes over this fat burning zone that you burn carbs too and not just fat however, these intervals of intensity will burn more net calories overall than slow steady cardio.  An example is shown below using completely arbitrary numbers.

Steady cardio: 100 calories of fat burned.  No carbs burned. Total 100 calories burned.
Interval cardio: 70 calories of fat burned. 70 calories of carbs burned. Total 140 calories burned.

An example of this misleading evidence you can find in any gym

                                                      It fails to point out the rate at which calories are burned.

Let's look even closer

Interval workouts: High intensity interval workouts are overall the best way to burn calories and lose weight.  Interval workouts basically just mean that you are alternating your intensities from very high to very low with little rest and high exhaustion rates.  These are short workouts and need to be done with a high amount of effort.  An example of an interval workout I like is 1 minute sprint followed by 1 minute easy walking on a treadmill.  If your sprint is at 100% you should be exhausted well short of the 1 minute mark and you should reach total exhaustion ( heart rate max).   This can be done around 10-15 times and will burn tons of calories!  Group classes and spin classes are great options!

Steady cardio:  Now while I think this is less affective at burning calories I do still find this type of cardio to be beneficial.  These include : an excellent way to do cardio on rest days or high intensity workout days, you will still get the health benefits like you will with intervals and it also helps speed up recovery and decrease soreness!  If you enjoy doing long cardio, it's ok and keep it up!  Just try and change of the intensities or running routes, and mix in some intervals if you are trying to lose weight!  One of my all time favorites for steady cardio is walking on the treadmill with a steady and large incline.  It melts fat and builds muscle in your legs while doing so!

When should I do it?

     This is the great debate and one I always answer with the same question.  Regardless of type cardio is good for you and as long as you are doing it I am happy and content with that.  You are always going to get benefits, however, there are some ideal times to do it to get specific results depending on your goals!

If you are:

Working out to lose weight- Cardio before weight loss workouts has shown to burn more total calories.  It also has been shown to leave you with a higher metabolism longer which can lead to increased weight loss.  I recommend it before, however I do also like it after if the weight workout is a high intensity workout.  Doing low intensity steady cardio after a tough workout will help aid in recovery.

Working out to gain muscle size- I hate to say it, but doing a lot of cardio when trying to gain muscle can make gaining muscle difficult.  Your body likes to be in gain or cut mode, and switching constantly makes it difficult to do either.  You want to aim for low-moderate intensities like walking on inclines or steady runs.  Intervals will help you cut up and have lean hard muscle, but it can get in the way of those big biceps you want!

Working out to gain strength-  Strength workouts are workouts with the rep ranges of 6 and below.  If you are lifting heavy you are going to want all your strength.  A light warm up is recommended but you will want to do your cardio at the end.  Cardio can fatigue your muscles and this will get you less out of your weights workout.  Lifting for strength - cardio after.

Hope that helped answer some questions!

Ryan Trueman

How to tell which foods will make you fat! Know your Glycemic Index numbers!

           
          So I was talking with a couple guys today and it kind of dawned on me that there needs to be a more in-depth conversation on carbs with you.  We all know how I feel about carbs, and for more information you can view my previous blog (if you haven't I recommend you do before reading this, but you won't have to) by clicking here! But today let's explain it a little bit further, and better yet, let's start looking at food in this way so we ensure a healthy diet, great healthy weight loss and lean muscle gains!

             Before we start! I do not go completely carb free.  This is one huge mistake people can make.  Yes it is true that it does  lead to quicker weight loss, but you will also put weigh back on quickly when you start eating carbs again (one major pitfall of the atkins diet).  This can lead to yo-yo dieting and much less safe alternative.  I often recommend low carb diets that incorporate slow carbs with low GI numbers.  You can have carb free days, but there are some days you need slow carbs to be incorporated  ESPECIALLY if you don't take a cheat day.

          I will quickly give you the summary of carbs.  Unlike what you might think, fat rarely makes you fat, but it is rather carbs that make people fat.  Carbs are things like Bread, Pasta, Candy and sugars.  When you eat foods like this you put your body into fat storing mode and open up pathways for these nutrients to become love handles.  They do this by spiking your insulin levels which in turn activates a compound called GLUT 4 which is basically the guy holding the doorway to tubby town.  Take note, carbs are drastically different in terms of quality.  Many foods are given a Glysemix Index (GI) number, and this will essentially rank food as a bad carb.  It's simple, A bad carb will have a high GI number and load.  A healthier carb will have a low GI number and load. Keep in mind these are easy small changes from things like white rice to brown rice that can drastically increase your weight loss.  Not to mention that low GI foods make you feel full longer, and you will eat less!

            Below you will find a chart provided by Harvard that works great for evaluating foods!  If you see foods that aren't here try googling them, product's GI numbers are relatively easy to find for almost any food!  Thanks Harvard!

Cheers! Ryan

           Note: white bread (~ 70) is known for being fairly awful.  Aim for foods with at least a lower GI number than this with the ideal being around 50 or less.  Take notice also of nuts and beans being awesome carb sources for diets (~30)

*For anyone dealing with blood sugar issues or is a diabetic, you should always consult your doctor before adjusting your carbohydrate levels.

FOOD	Glycemic index (glucose = 100)	Serving size (grams)	Glycemic load per serving
BAKERY PRODUCTS AND BREADS
Banana cake, made with sugar	47	60	14
Banana cake, made without sugar	55	60	12
Sponge cake, plain	46	63	17
Vanilla cake made from packet mix with vanilla frosting (Betty Crocker)	42	111	24
Apple, made with sugar	44	60	13
Apple, made without sugar	48	60	9
Waffles, Aunt Jemima (Quaker Oats)	76	35	10
Bagel, white, frozen	72	70	25
Baguette, white, plain	95	30	15
Coarse barley bread, 75-80% kernels, average	34	30	7
Hamburger bun	61	30	9
Kaiser roll	73	30	12
Pumpernickel bread	56	30	7
50% cracked wheat kernel bread	58	30	12
White wheat flour bread	71	30	10
Wonder™ bread, average	73	30	10
Whole wheat bread, average	71	30	9
100% Whole Grain™ bread (Natural Ovens)	51	30	7
Pita bread, white	68	30	10
Corn tortilla	52	50	12
Wheat tortilla	30	50	8
BEVERAGES
Coca Cola®, average	63	250 mL	16
Fanta®, orange soft drink	68	250 mL	23
Lucozade®, original (sparkling glucose drink)	95±10	250 mL	40
Apple juice, unsweetened, average	44	250 mL	30
Cranberry juice cocktail (Ocean Spray®)	68	250 mL	24
Gatorade	78	250 mL	12
Orange juice, unsweetened	50	250 mL	12
Tomato juice, canned	38	250 mL	4
BREAKFAST CEREALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS
All-Bran™, average	55	30	12
Coco Pops™, average	77	30	20
Cornflakes™, average	93	30	23
Cream of Wheat™ (Nabisco)	66	250	17
Cream of Wheat™, Instant (Nabisco)	74	250	22
Grapenuts™, average	75	30	16
Muesli, average	66	30	16
Oatmeal, average	55	250	13
Instant oatmeal, average	83	250	30
Puffed wheat, average	80	30	17
Raisin Bran™ (Kellogg's)	61	30	12
Special K™ (Kellogg's)	69	30	14
GRAINS
Pearled barley, average	28	150	12
Sweet corn on the cob, average	60	150	20
Couscous, average	65	150	9
Quinoa	53	150	13
White rice, average	89	150	43
Quick cooking white basmati	67	150	28
Brown rice, average	50	150	16
Converted, white rice (Uncle Ben's®)	38	150	14
Whole wheat kernels, average	30	50	11
Bulgur, average	48	150	12
COOKIES AND CRACKERS
Graham crackers	74	25	14
Vanilla wafers	77	25	14
Shortbread	64	25	10
Rice cakes, average	82	25	17
Rye crisps, average	64	25	11
Soda crackers	74	25	12
DAIRY PRODUCTS AND ALTERNATIVES
Ice cream, regular	57	50	6
Ice cream, premium	38	50	3
Milk, full fat	41	250mL	5
Milk, skim	32	250 mL	4
Reduced-fat yogurt with fruit, average	33	200	11
FRUITS
Apple, average	39	120	6
Banana, ripe	62	120	16
Dates, dried	42	60	18
Grapefruit	25	120	3
Grapes, average	59	120	11
Orange, average	40	120	4
Peach, average	42	120	5
Peach, canned in light syrup	40	120	5
Pear, average	38	120	4
Pear, canned in pear juice	43	120	5
Prunes, pitted	29	60	10
Raisins	64	60	28
Watermelon	72	120	4
BEANS AND NUTS
Baked beans, average	40	150	6
Blackeye peas, average	33	150	10
Black beans	30	150	7
Chickpeas, average	10	150	3
Chickpeas, canned in brine	38	150	9
Navy beans, average	31	150	9
Kidney beans, average	29	150	7
Lentils, average	29	150	5
Soy beans, average	15	150	1
Cashews, salted	27	50	3
Peanuts, average	7	50	0
PASTA and NOODLES
Fettucini, average	32	180	15
Macaroni, average	47	180	23
Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft)	64	180	32
Spaghetti, white, boiled, average	46	180	22
Spaghetti, white, boiled 20 min, average	58	180	26
Spaghetti, wholemeal, boiled, average	42	180	17
SNACK FOODS
Corn chips, plain, salted, average	42	50	11
Fruit Roll-Ups®	99	30	24
M & M's®, peanut	33	30	6
Microwave popcorn, plain, average	55	20	6
Potato chips, average	51	50	12
Pretzels, oven-baked	83	30	16
Snickers Bar®	51	60	18
VEGETABLES
Green peas, average	51	80	4
Carrots, average	35	80	2
Parsnips	52	80	4
Baked russet potato, average	111	150	33
Boiled white potato, average	82	150	21
Instant mashed potato, average	87	150	17
Sweet potato, average	70	150	22
Yam, average	54	150	20
MISCELLANEOUS
Hummus (chickpea salad dip)	6	30	0
Chicken nuggets, frozen, reheated in microwave oven 5 min	46	100	7
Pizza, plain baked dough, served with parmesan cheese and tomato sauce	80	100	22
Pizza, Super Supreme (Pizza Hut)	36	100	9
Honey, average	61	25	12

The complete list of the glycemic index and glycemic load for more than 1,000 foods can be found in the article "International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008" by Fiona S. Atkinson, Kaye Foster-Powell, and Jennie C. Brand-Miller in the December 2008 issue of Diabetes Care, Vol. 31, number 12, pages 2281-2283.

Don't over eat! What 200 calories looks like in some of our favorite foods!

   I was talking to a client recently and she had an issue that so many people have.  She was eating relatively well but her main issue wasn't what she was eating, it was how much!  This made me realize that there are so many of us out there who just don't know serving sizes, portions, and flat out how many calories are in the amount of food we eat! So I am here to help with a number of examples of the foods we love put into perspective!

Where we make mistakes dieting!

     So many people make the mistake of being and feeling hungry when dieting.  These hunger pains can lead to an early exit from your diet, but it can be stopped. When changing up your diet, you will always feel the affects of switching off those clorie dense bad foods (high calorie in small amount).  I mean what do you expect when we shift from drinking extremely calorie dense syrup every day with pop and energy drinks!  A lot of foods that are healthy for us are not nearly as calorie dense and therefore need to be eaten in higher amounts.  An example of this is spinach!  Spinach in awesome for you, but if you have just a salad you will be hearing your stomach rumble before you know it.  Adding calorie dense foods like chicken or legumes to spinach can ensure you don't get hunger pains while cutting out the bad foods!  Keep in mind, there are foods I like to call Domino foods.  These are very calorie dense healthy foods like nuts.  They can easily be over eaten, and will then become unhealthy   For an example a handful of unsalted almonds is around 160 calores! (22 almonds). Bonus: A handful of almonds in the morning is an excellent way to jump start your metabolism and trigger your body to burn fats all day!  Try them within 30 minutes of waking up and you will lose even more weight! 

So let's get a grasp on what the numbers mean!

      The following is a list of foods in a 200 calorie portion.  Keep in mind for the poor choices below, 200 calories to burn off takes about 20 minutes on the stair master!  And don't forget, healthy foods that lack carbs will not be stored as fat.  Eating 200 calories of chicken isn't going to your hips like 200 calories of pop will.  

What to aim for in calories a day to lose weight!

     Healthy levels for people trying to lose fat and stay lean are around 1900 calories (must be good calories or you may gain weight!)  for women and around 2700 calories a day for men.  Note: these are average numbers and they will vary depending on the height, weight, and genetics of the individual.  Additionally, calories in and calories out (calories burnt off) is NOT the only factor deciding weight loss/gain, but it does drastically help.  The type of calories and timing can be very important too.  Remember 3000 calories of great food is better for you than 1000 calories of bad foods.  Eat smart!

Hope this helps us keep those new years calories off!

Ryan Trueman

Great Meat Free Protein Sources for Vegetarians! Bonus table salt replacement inside!

Hey guys,
    I have had a few questions recently regarding good protein sources for vegetarians.  Now while I do promote eating meat, I do support peoples choices not to.  So here is a few great protein sources that are meat free! 

Before we get started: Eating some of these in large quantities can create substances that mimic the bodies estrogen and can affect your natural estrogen levels.  Keep variation in your diet.  Additionally, if you are a vegetarian make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need through variation across your entire diet.  Be sure to do your homework and stay healthy.

1. Beans!

Protein: About 7.5g per ½ cup* (varies depending on type)
Facts: Beans are a high source of fiber, protein and magnesium.  They are also low in cholesterol and are a calorie dense food!  If you are finding yourself hungry while on the slow carb diet, try adding beans!  My favorite are Edamame beans.  They are quick and packed with protein.  Try heating them up and adding Himalayan sea salt!  Extra: Himalayan sea salt is an excellent table salt substitution!  Pure crystal salt has a much lower affect on blood pressure and Himalayan sea salt in particular is awesome for hangovers and dehydration!  It has the exact 84 minerals our bodies need and is great at helping replace lost nutrients!  As strange as it sounds, winners in micmac mall right now has a huge of stock at a great price.

2. Tofu!
Protein: 7g per ½ cup
Facts: Tofu is created from soy beans and is definitely the most versatile of the meat free protein sources.  As a bonus it soaks in the flavor also soaks in the flavor.  Reminder, it is made from soy beans so do not live and die off tofu.  It can affect your estrogen levels ( both males and females).

3. Quinoa!
Protein: 4g per ½ cup
Facts: This one is one of my favorites and will help get you through your bad break up with white grains and wheats.  Quinoa is one of the only grains and seeds providing the nine essential amino acids our bodies can’t produce on their own. It’s also full of fiber, iron, magnesium, and manganese.

4. Lentils!
Protein: 9g per ½ cup
Facts: Lentills are another favorite of mine and are also packed with folate, iron, potassium,antioxidants and they’ve even been linked to reduced inflammation!  Antioxidants are crucial to fighting our bodies aging, so why not score the added benefit with your protein!


      Many of these do have a long shelf life if they are stored in the freezer.  They are usually found in the freezer section of the organic food section of the grocery store or in that area. 

    Keep in mind, there are plenty of good protein sources outside of these 4 that are not listed.  I am merely trying to introduce new options.  Many nuts are healthy for you in moderation, and other veggies like spinach although less calorie dense, are great sources of protein.  

Cheers

Ryan Trueman  

Sources: greatist.com

12 Circuits to keep you going towards your New Years Goals!

Hey Guys,

   So here we are; approaching the dreaded 1 month mark.. and I know the crowds, the hunger pains, and the energy spent is starting to wear you down.  You may have even hit a plateau and the weight just isn't melting off as quick as it once was.  But there is good news!  Like quitting smoking, the first month is the hardest.  You are resetting your body for a lifestyle change and I promise it gets better and your body adapts!  So to help everyone avoid quitting or slowing down on their goals, I am giving you 12 new circuits (choose 1 per workout) that you can use to help jumpstart your fat burning and muscle toning results!  There are a number of exercises so I did not include an exercise description of each; however, ExRx.Net can be an excellent source for descriptions.  Additionally try to youtube and google good technique so you can get use to what good form looks like.  For any questions on top of that, feel free to get in touch with me! Remember!!!!!! Don't just trust your friends word on how to lift properly! Do your own homework so you make sure you are lifting clean, safe, and effectively.  

Why Circuits?

            The main idea behind circuit training is to make your body more efficient at buffering lactic acid and working at thresholds you normally wouldn’t.  By tricking your body by not giving it rest, you force it to find a way to produce energy and buffer out the byproducts that come from using quick energy systems like PCr.  In other words, you become better at getting rid of the burning feeling that comes from high intensity activities.  Additionally, by replacing rest with an exercise from a different muscle group, you keep your heart rate elevated which in turn burns more calories while gaining lean muscle and improving cardiovascular function. Long story short you lose fat, gain muscle and improve your cardiovascular and muscular endurance! 

Circuit Ideas:

      For circuits 1-8 do each exercise for a minute then move onto the next, take 3-4 minute rests between each, and do 2-3 times.  For the others follow the guidelines.

Circuit 1)

Goblet Squat, Ab Twists, Box Jumps, Leg lifts, Alternating Lunges, Crunches on the ball, Step Up Shoulder Press, Flutter kick, Wall Sit

Circuit 2)

Box jumps, Ab twists, Jump Lunges, Bicycles, Quick Feet, V sits, Wall jumps, plank

Circuit 3)

Standing shoulder press, Mountain Climbers, Lateral raises, Ball throws at the ground, Bench Dips, Ab twists, Push ups, Plank

Circuit 4)

 Squats on the half ball, Push ups, Lunge walk, Burpies, Jump Squat, Front Raises, Wall Ball Throws, Back Ext, Steering Wheel weight

Circuit 5)

Single Leg Squat, Leg Lift, Goblet Squat, Flutter Kick, Penguins, Wall Ball Tosses, Side crunch, Side crunch, Crunches on the ball, Wall Sit, Plank

Circuit 6)

Box Jumps, Lunge Jumps, Wall Jumps, Wall Ball Tosses, Wall Sit

Circuit 7)

Push ups, Curls, Front raises, Side Raises, Bench Dips Burpies, Plank

Circuit 8)

Crunches, Leg lifts, Ab twists, Plank

Circuit 9)

5 pushups, 10 squats, 15 ab twists as many times as you can in 25 minutes

Circuit 10)

5 burpies, 10 lunges each side, 15 leg lifts as many times as you can in 25 minutes

Circuit 11)

100 squats, 3 push ups, 75 squats, 6 pushups, 50 squats, 9 pushups, 25 squats, 12 pushups

Circuit 12)

21 Push ups, 21 jump squats, 15 push ups, 15 jump squats, 9 pushups, 9 jump squats à x 2

Hope these help push through those tough spots!

Cheers,
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

Frozen Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cups!

Hey guys,

     I found this recipe online the other day, tried it, AND LOVED IT!  For those of you who still have an erge to eat chocolate yet want to stay healthy here is a very quick and easy to make alternative!

My favorite part of the whole recipe... it can be made in a shaker cup in 5 minutes!

Ingredients:

- 6 large egg whites ~ about 260grams.  Make sure they are pasteurized so they are ok to eat!
- 40 grams of protein powder.  I always recommend myofusion for making food.  It mixes well and    tastes the best.  Make sure to use a good tasting powder or obviously it will taste poorly.  I used chocolate peanut butter.
- 1 pack of sweetener.  I used Stevia and recommend it as it will not give you an insulin spike.
-2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter.  I really like the stuff from the bulk barn, but feel free to use your own brands!
-1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

How to make them!

     To make them simply add the ingredients in the order above to a shaker cup (preferably one with a ball inside to help mix it up).  Then shake it up really really good until all the ingredients are mixed and pour it into your cups.  I just got silicone cups and if you can get them from bed bath a beyond it will be well worth it.  As you can see I used wax paper cups this time, and this made it a little harder to get the cups out.  Allow them to sit for around 2 hours in the freezer at least before you start enjoying!  TIP: I like putting them in the fridge just before I know I am going to have one.  This allows them to be a lot nicer to bite into, and gives it a consistency that is like a fudgesicle!

Try them today!  Healthy and delicious.  It makes about 12 with only around 160 calories, 23grams of protein and less than 5 grams each of carbs and fat!  Again guys, eating healthy doesn't mean it can't taste good!

Try it today!

Ryan Trueman

Proper Scheduling for workouts! Balance your lifestyle in a healthy way!

Hey Guys

    So I got a question today that I think it is a fairly common one and is one I have overlooked quite frequently when thinking of blog ideas! That is the question of Scheduling!

   One thing a lot of people don't schedule into their agendas, is adequate rest, and appropriate downtime.  Too many people work out when they feel like it, or when it is convenient but what many may fail to see is the benefits.  Scheduling adequate rests and recovery days allows you to get the most out of your workouts, feel better while doing it, alleviates soreness, increases affects and results, avoids overtraining and injury, and keeps you healthy!

    The ideal schedule I can plan will involve 3 things.  Weights, Cardio, and Yoga with 3 workouts for each a week  For those of you that don't want to do yoga, you can avoid it and shift your runs to fit the off weights days.  However, I do really recommend yoga for your body's overall health, and it is used daily for thousands of professional athletes for muscle balance and control.

The Master Schedule:

Sunday: Cardio (Long steady low intensity run)

Monday : Weights

Tuesday : Cardio and Yoga. Cardio should be high intensity, and ideally should be done before yoga in the day.

Wednesday: Weights

Thursday: Cardio and Yoga.  Cardio should be high intensity, and ideally should be done before yoga in the day.

Friday: Weights (Feel free to make fridays workout a little harder and longer.  Still remember we don't do more than 8 exercises a workout (before core exercises), but try to introduce high rep or failure exercises in supersets. (if both are low weight or high rep count them as one exercise)  Remember supersets are done when you do one exercise and immediately do another before getting rest.  Ex. Push ups and body squats, or lunge walk and wall sit.

Saturday: Yoga.  This can be a a nice long yoga session and should be a feel good yoga workout for you on a more relaxed weekend.



      That brings us to the next question of weight workouts for 3 days a week.  This can be done in two ways effectively.  Whole body workouts on each day, or rotating a four day routine with upper/lower splits.  Upper/Lower splits mean you do one section of your body a day.  For this I would recommend a four day routine that would cycle as follows:

Week 1
M: Upper body
W: Lower body
F: Upper body

Week 2
M: Lower body
W: Upper body
F: Lower body

     The other option would consist of working a variety of muscles on the same day.  While I do support doing entire body workouts, still try to keep your routine to 8 exercises or less (excluding low impact, high rep or endurance type supersets) before you do core.  Use the four day routine to have focuses on certain days. For example,  if you find you didn't get a lot of back in on one upper body day, make it more focused on the second upper body day.  This will ensure you don't forget body parts, keep variety and make sure you get all your muscles in.  These are also great workouts to focus on multi joint movements that will work a variety of muscles at the same time!


   In closing, the main idea is you always want to try to get days in between when you did a similar thing last.  The most important thing is to spread out are muscle groups for workouts.  Don't ever work chest on monday and chest on tuesday if you get my drift.  You need at least 48-72 hours in between muscle groups for adequate rest and growth.  Cardio and Yoga are lower key and are spread out throughout the week in order to help the recovery of your muscles.  It keeps them moving and recovering not to mention helps those joints stay healthy and balanced!  If you need more information on yoga, I have a number of great people I can get you in contact with.

Hope this all helps!

Cheers, Ryan Trueman