BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA

I just had a cup of green tea and honey, and I felt so inspired that I just had to write about it.

 

 

Tea drinking has been an active part of many Asian cultures for centuries, and whilst it was reputed to possess health benefits, the health benefits of Green tea are yet to be fully uncovered. Studies have found an association between consuming green tea and a reduced risk for several cancers, including, skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder. This is because Green tea is the best food source of a group called catechins. In test tubes, catechins are more powerful than vitamins C and E in halting oxidative damage to cells and appear to have other disease-fighting properties.

 

 

Drinking a cup of tea a few times a day absorbs antioxidants and other healthful plant compounds, boosting your metabolism and promoting weight management. In green-tea drinking cultures, the usual amount is three cups per day. Allow tea to steep for three to five minutes to bring out its catechins.

 

The best way to get the catechins and other flavonoids in tea is to drink it freshly brewed. Decaffeinated, bottled ready-to-drink tea preparations, and instant teas have less of these compounds. Tea can impede the absorption of iron from fruits and vegetables. Adding lemon or milk or drinking tea between meals will counteract this problem.

 

 

 

 



DISCOVERING YOUR FITNESS POTENTIAL

 

The goal of fitness is getting yourself to your maximum physical potential. Consequently, you should be focused on pushing the limits of how far your body can go in terms of fitness. Unfortunately, lots of people focus more on the aesthetic part of fitness as opposed to the performance aspect. This leads to erroneous beliefs such as spot toning, and exercises which focus on a particular body part to the exclusion of others.

 

By working out every single part of the body, you will remain athletic and be able to put your muscles to good use. You will also look much better and not seem out of proportion.

 

 

 



HOW TO STRIP FAT AND GAIN MUSCLE

 

A common misconception is that you can hit the gym, pile up the weight and create the body you want. You'll need to combine healthy eating with fat-burning aerobic exercise and muscle-building strength training to get solid, lasting results.

 

Here are steps to Stripping that unwanted fat and revealing the smooth, hard muscle mass underneath.

 

 

 

• Ditch liquid calories that come from soda, alcohol, specialty coffees, energy drinks and sugary juices. Replace with water and fresh fruit juices.
 
• Eat nutrient dense foods which are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants without the added fat, calories and sugar. These food sources are plentiful in Nigeria and include corn, beef, leafy vegetables and tubers.
 
• Eat a lot of protein,
 
• Build muscle with strength-training two to four times a week. You can focus on two or three muscle groups per day or alternate between upper body and lower body workouts. Let your muscles rest for at least 48 hours before training the same muscle group to avoid injury.
 
• Use weights that challenge your body for muscle growth. You should be using a weight with which you can complete at least six repetitions but no more than 12. If you are not able to tire out your muscles within 90 seconds, increase the amount of weight you are using.
 
• Perform at least 150 minutes of cardio exercise each week. Split this time up over several days a week. You can work at a moderate pace for longer periods of time.

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE AVOCADO

 

 

1) A whole, medium-size avocado (about fiveounces) has 226 caloriesand contains about three grams of protein and nine grams of fiber.

 

2) More than 80% of an avocado’s calories comes from fat, most of which are healthy, monounsaturated fats. One of those fats—oleic acid—has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels.

 

3) While the banana is most famous for potassium content, a typical avocado contains 35% more potassium (684 milligrams vs. 505) than that of its long, yellow cousin. Avocados are also a decent source of calcium and magnesium, crucial electrolytes for athletes because of their role in muscle function and fluid balance.

 

4) Every avocado contains nearly 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients—nutrients derived from plant material that provide a defense against cancers, heart disease, and signs of premature aging.

 

5) Regular consumption of healthy fats like the ones found in avocados has been shown to promote a boost in testosterone and growth hormone production.

HOW TO EAT FOR MAXIMUM GROWTH

You need to eat to grow, bla bla bla ....yeah we all know that!!!

The problem is, how do I fit 5-6 meals a day into my busy schedule. Add to this the difficulty in finding healthy food around my office and the cost of eating that many meals per day  and you will get a picture of how hard it is to eat enough to maintain my body weight, talk less increase mass.

Having suffered through this conundrum for the past few months, I experimented with different food sources to determine which foods would help me generate the greatest amount of mass in the quickest time.

 

This post is the outcome of my experiments; please feel free to try this at home :).

 

Morning: I mixed up a muscle shake made up on 2 cups of raw oatmeal, 20cl of milk, 1 banana, 1 avocado, 4 egg whites, 3 tbsp Peanut butter and 3 teaspoons of honey for taste. Blend these ingredients together and drink it up at once. without pausing for breath. This shake represents a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils, fibre and water and it should keep hunger at bay for the next few hours at least.

Breakfast: This needs to be quick because you'll be rushing out the door as you chomp. I rustled up a  sandwich from wheat bread, lots of peanut butter and boiled eggs. I wash this down with a mug of  chocolate, and I'm good to start the day.

Lunch: I'm normally at the office at this time, so I quickly order a plate of white/jollof/fried rice with beef/chicken and plantains. I usually eat whilst working, so I avoid any foods that are liable to stain.

Pre-Workout: I usually get back from work by about 7pm and immediately get ready to hit the gym. I usually would grab anything I found in the fridge e.g a banana, apple, biscuit.  However, I recently discovered a phenomenal pre workout meal in 'gari' (coarse ground cassava flour), soaked in water, generously sprinkled with peanuts. I also add milk to increase the protein content. The high carbohydrate content gives me that 'kick' needed to move my weight lifting to the next level.

Dinner: This is usually eba/pounded yam with any soup available at the time. The meat contained in the soup/stew (however you all it) provides protein, whilst the eba is pure carbs. On a workout day however, I usually dine on a plate of beans. This source of pure protein helps rebuild the muscles destroyed during the course of training, helping me develop maximum muscle in minimum time.

 

 

 

 

MARRIAGE AND WEIGHT GAIN

We all see it, a fit and sexy single guy or girl gets married and in a few months gets the spare tire, love handles, pot belly, turkey arms, etc.(If you doubt me, look up your parents pre wedding pictures.)  

Kim +Kanye, 20 years on??

Unfortunately, a recent study revaled that weight gain constitutes the biggest relationship peeve for most couples.

The biggest culprit is the change in lifestyle that happens after marriage. The reason for this is simple; when a person is single, they feel the need to look sexy and attractive, so they adopt lifestyle choices such as dieting and exercise. With marriage and the attendant adjustments however, couples tend to slack off on healthier choices. Your partner may even encourage less-than-healthy habits. "When you're combining lifestyles, sometimes the less active one wins out," says Cheryl Forberg, RD, nutritionist for The Biggest Loser and author of the cookbook Flavor First. for instance when your guy wants you to skip your morning run to sleep in with him, it's easy to roll over and give in.

You don't have to get like this!!!

There's no need to fear, research shows that couples that work out together have a 94% chance of sticking with their fitness programmes. Couples can motivate themselves toward a healthy lifestyle while sharing some emotionally beneficial quality time. In order to do this however, the couples should identify activities which they mutually enjoy. Activities which couples can enjoy together include:

1. Dancing: 

Take a Latin dance class or alternatively, head down to the hippest dance club in town and break out some moves. Avoid too much alcohol and drink lots of water while youre at it (You wouldn't want to do something you'll regret later on!!).

2. Martial Arts

 Taking a martial arts class together helps the couple build a healthy respect for each others physical abilities, in addition they can work out together and provide mutual support to each other in the process.

 

3: Swimming:

 This low impact and enjoyable activity can provide hours of quality and healthy entertainment to the couple, as well as being a wonderful prelude to some bedroom activity (*wink*)

 

4. Biking:

 You and your partner could take a nice bike ride and enjoy the environment together reminiscent of how you hung out with your siblings when you were young.

   

 

HOW MUCH OF AN EDGE WILL SUPPLEMENTS GIVE YOU?

 

A lot of people have asked me about the benefits or otherwise of taking supplements. As a general rule, I do not push supplements as they can be easily abused, with dire consequence.

Supplements are becoming extremely popular in the fitness industry and much of the public are being misled by what certain supplements can do. Nutrition will always come first and give far greater results than any array of supplements ever could. Supplements are given their name because they do just that: supplement an already well put together nutrition plan.

However, it is not always possible to get all the nutrients you require only by eating and if you're the busy kind, you  may find it difficult to eat a meal every few hours. In such a situation, smartly selected supplements may be beneficial to keep your metabolism going, it'll help you build muscle, and help you fight fat. Supplements are also beneficial to  people who find it hard to build muscle; for such people, supplements can provide a source of valuable protein. 

So my advice is to look honestly at your goals and ask yourself whether you need to supplement your diet. If you believe you need a supplement, look for one that closely matches your fitness goals. But be careful not to take too much within a day, as the long term abuse of supplements may cause damage to your kidneys. Remember that supplements are just that, they are meant to supplement your diet and should not act as substitutes for a good diet. 

 

5 ways to boost your sex life

1. KEEP THE MAKEUP ON

"I bet when you first got together with your man you made love with your make-up on." says Val Sampson, author of "How to Have Great Sex for The Rest of Your Life".

"After a while this gets replaced with taking all your makeup off, brushing your hair and slipping into your nightgrown. Try to initiate sex when you're still dolled up. It will rekindle those exciting first-time feelings." And the more gorgeous you feel, the more confident and relaxed you'll be.

2.  BUY TRAINERS 

Thirty minutes a day of moderate exercise can help to increase sex drive, say researchers. It's not just the extra energy that will help get you in the mood; if you feel more confident about your body, you'll also feel sexier.

3. GET CREATIVE

Be experimental with your sexual practices as boredom often results in a loss of sex drive.  Try some new things like having sex in remote locations or being more spontaneous. This can create interest and gives intense pleasure.

Be experimental with your sexual practices. Boredom can often result in a loss of sex drive. Try some new things like having sex in remote locations or using some toys. This can create interest and give you an element of interest that might have been missing.

Guideline Daily Amounts and your fitness

I'm sure you've seen this picture before; its on every pack of food you purchase, just that most people dont pay any attention to it.

Well, today's your lucky day, because I'm going to simplify the body of knowledge of GDA's for your benefit.

GDAs are guidelines for healthy adults and children about the approximate amount of calories, fat, saturated fat, total sugars, and sodium/salt in the particular product. The GDA labels have the percentage of daily value per serving and the absolute amount per serving of these categories.

Although these key nutrients form an important part of a balanced diet, unfortunately many people tend to consume too much of them. Long term overconsumption of calories in combination with a lack of physical activity is associated with gaining weight and obesity, which increases risk of poor health and various diseases.

Calories (Energy GDA: 2,000 kcal)

Calories are a measure of how much energy food and drink products contain. The calories a food delivers depend on the nutrients it contains. A gram of carbohydrates has four calories, just like a gram of protein. One gram of fat instead has nine calories and a gram of alcohol seven calories.

Being overweight is a direct consequence of excessive calorie/energy intake, which in turn can increase the risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and ill health. However, eating too few calories is just as damaging to your general wellbeing and can lead to serious health conditions caused by nutrient deficiencies. 

The Guideline Daily Amount for energy is 2,000 calories, 

Sugars (Sugar GDA: 90g)

Sugars, together with starches, are the two main types of carbohydrates and the main sources of energy. Sugars provide a sweet taste, texture, structure and consistency to foods.



Sugars play a role in functions of the body; the brain needs glucose (a simple sugar) as its only source of energy and the body's tissues use sugar (stored in liver and muscles) to carry out their main functions.


While neither starch nor sugars have been found to have any special role in the development of serious diseases such as diabetes it is still important to keep an eye on their intake if you are already suffering from some diet-related medical condition, if you are watching your waistline, and to limit the risk of tooth decay.

The Guideline Daily Amount for sugars is 90 grams.

Fat (Fat GDA: 70g)

Fat provides energy (nine calories for each gram of fat), and foods that contain a lot of fat provide a lot of energy. 

Fat is made up of different types of fatty acids. You can have monounsaturated (such as those found in nuts and vegetable oils), polyunsaturated (such as those found in oily fish) and saturates fatty acids (such as those found in butter and animal fat). 

It is important to have some fat in our diet because it's a critical nutrient for many functions that take place in our body and because some of them (the essential fatty acids) cannot be produced by our body and must be supplied by the diet.

Fats are important for the formation of hormones, which carry fat-soluble vitamins, and are necessary for their absorption. However fat is only needed for health in small amounts. No more than about one third of our energy intake should come from fat. 

Some examples of foods high in fat are oils, butter, full-fat milk and cheese, pies and pastries.

Whilst monounsaturated and especially polyunsaturated fatty acids are good for our health, a high intake of saturated fatty acids can have a negative impact on health, which is why we can have a GDA for both total fat and saturates (saturated fat), so we can help you keep an eye on your intakes. 

The Guideline Daily Amount for fat is 70 grams,

You will see on the food label GDAs for both fat and for saturates (saturated fats). The GDA figure for fat is the total amount of fat a food contains - this includes saturated and unsaturated fats.

Saturated fat (Saturates GDA: 20g)

Saturates (saturated fat) are the type of fat you should try to eat less of because too much can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which in turn increases the chance of developing heart disease. Eating less of it minimises the risks.

Experts recommend that not more than 10 percent of your calories should come from saturates (saturated fats). This means that on a 2,000 calorie diet you shouldn't eat more than 20g per day. 

Some examples of categories of foods high in saturates (saturated fats) are meat products and pies, sausages, hard cheese, butter, pastry, cakes and biscuits, cream and palm oil.

The Guideline Daily Amount for saturated fat is 20 grams.

Salt (Salt GDA: 6g)

Salt is used in food manufacturing as a flavour enhancer, a food preservative, to inhibit microbiological spoilage and to give texture to some foods. Salt is made up of sodium and chloride and it's the sodium that, at high doses, can be bad for your health. 

Sodium together with other nutrients plays many important roles; for example, it helps to regulate the body's water content and it's involved in nerve function, in muscular activity and in energy utilisation.

An excessive intake of salt (sodium) in the diet can increase the risk of high blood pressure which is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. This is why it is generally recommended to limit the daily intake of salt to 6 grams (2.4g sodium) and to check and compare the salt/sodium content of a food on the front of pack or back of pack nutrition labels.

The Guideline daily Amount for salt is 6 grams (2.4 grams sodium).

Know your Nutrition!!!!!