Why Your Diet Should Include Plenty of Protein

Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. Hair and nails are mostly made of protein. Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues. You also use protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.

Along with fat and carbohydrates, protein is a "macronutrient," meaning that the body needs relatively large amounts of it. Vitamins and minerals, which are needed in only small quantities, are called "micronutrients." But unlike fat and carbohydrates, the body does not store protein, and therefore has no reservoir to draw on when it needs a new supply.

IMPORTANT: PROTEIN IN THE MORNING AND BEFORE BED IS CRUCIAL, IN MY OPINION!

Remember why we call it "Breakfast" because you are breaking your fast

How Much Protein Is Enough? What type is the best to eat?

The older you get the more protein your body requires to continue to repair damage from environmental elements to simple wear and tear.

Here are my recommendations:

• Egg white omelet with tomatoes and low fat cheese in the morning
• Protein shakes throughtout the day; late morning and mid-afternoon
• Chicken or fish for dinner (Costco has some terrific frozen fish ready to cook)
• Protein shake minutes before you retire for the night! Very important!

Again, consume a protein shake before you go to bed! I happen to love Muscle Milk, it's inexpensive and has the perfect blend of protein and "good" fats to effectively prevent muscle and cellular breakdown while you sleep. Sleeping puts your body in a catabolic state, meaning a state of vulnerability. Even though your cells may be repairing on one level, you muscles and bones breakdown IF you do not have an adequate amount of protein in your system.

Here's the key, you want something that assimilates quickly within your system. That's why I recommend a protein shake, it's simple and quick. You will also notice a deeper more sound sleep and awaken much more rejuvenated in the morning. This is obviously a substantial benefit!

Most protein shakes come with 18-30 servings depending on the manufacturer and costs range from $20-$40 for a month's supply - well worth it!

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Happy Birthday to My Wife!!!

I want to dedicate this posting and of course this day to my amazing wife! She turned 39 today and still looks 25 and certainly has the energy of a much younger person.

Her passion for life and her family are steadfast and strong, her compassion and caring for others is unwavering - she touches those around her in an indescribable way.

The beauty she possess goes far deeper than what one may see, for her heart is filled with nothing but love.

I am truly lucky to have her as my wife and count my blessings the day we met. She stuck by me through thick and thin and gave me everything I want in life - she is my Angel.

I love you honey and wish you a day filled with happiness and love; exactly what you give others every single day.

Cheers to my special "young" lady on her special day - Happy Birthday!

Love always,
Peter

Why We Must Stretch Before & After Exercise!

Athletes under the age of 30 can easily perform without much preparation. If they have 30 minutes to run, they run for 30 minutes. Muscles seem to tolerate the stresses of workouts, races, and games; therefore, the need to do more seems to be worthlessly unimportant.

The truth is that preparation, even as a youngster, is not only necessary, but critical. The duration and level of achievement is ultimately directly related to the amount of warm up and preparation done on a continual basis throughout the formative years. Muscles, like overall health, improve over time. To educate and condition young muscles properly, with a consistent and thorough warm-up, makes radical differences in adulthood.

Unfortunately, our entire educational system is based on doing something only after a crisis has arisen. We're backpedaling when we need to be strategizing. The offensive approach has to occur on the individual level. Here's my point; You Must Stretch

For maximum everything, from performance to injury prevention to injury recovery, you need to stretch. If you don't, you're limiting your capacity. Without starting with a stretch, you may end up paying sports doctors looking for the magic cure or taking time off for injuries that only exist because you're unwilling to do what it takes, as in stretching.

These 4 components are necessary for peak muscular response:

Stretching
There is nothing magical about stretching. All you have to do is hit that switch in your brain that will allow you to be consistent and disciplined.

Strengthening
Strengthening naturally occurs as hill and speed work are done, but for total and improved conditioning, a weight-training program adds to any running program. Also, muscles that are not primary muscles in the running gait, such as side-to-side muscles, don't gain the strength that front-to-back muscles have in running. Needless to say, those muscles that are primary can gain even greater strength through a weight-training program. Finally, the stronger the upper body muscles are, the more glycogen storage and ultimate energy your body produces for runs and workouts.

Eating "Clean"
By this I mean, what we put into our bodies effects how our bodies react to certain physical situations, like exercising. If you are eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, you are not only keeping your muscles hydrated properly but the phyto-nutrients continue to protect the muscle tissue as they are literally ripped when we exercise. As our bodies natuarlly repair itself more fibers grow to strengthen the areas that were just "torn" - hence, giving you a stronger more toned body. I also recommend lots of fish that are high in Omega fatty acids, as the fatty acids help keep your muscles and joints more flexible.

Supplementing
The body-building sports nutrition industry has become a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Do runners not have specific nutritional needs? If you run, you lose minerals with exercise, with improper nutritional intake, and with alcohol and caffeine consumption. Minerals make a major difference in keeping a muscle healthy and strong.

Conclusion
Pay now or pay later. I blew out my back a year ago after squatting weight without stretching. It was a hard lesson since I am still experiencing occasional soreness as a result. After learning the important of proper preparation, including stretches and good nutrition, I feel stronger, faster, and better.

Core Training For a Six Pack

A few facts about getting a six pack.

You hear a lot about core training these days. There is a lot of truth to what you are seeing however as per most things in the media, its getting a little far out. Almost daily in the gym I see trainers getting people onto swiss balls, standing on one foot, rubbing their tummy with one hand and patting their heads with the other. Well not really but you get the point.

The fact of the matter is that without a strong core, you have to power and are susceptible to injuries. The methods to getting a strong core however are a lot less complex then some people are making it.

Core training in of itself is a simple concept. You are working the diaphram, multifidus transverse abdominis, and pelvic floor deep inside. On the exterior you have the prime movers. These are the more visible ones that everyone wants to see.

If you work movements such as the overhead lifts that directly involve the spine you are on the fast track to productive core training. Yes, the stability ball has its uses but there are limits and when the complexity of the movement exceeds the effective results you can stimulate with it you are heading down the "fad/gimmick route".

Looking out at the gym floor and watching the infomercials you can see that it's getting crazy. Granted, most of the movements are a hoot to try and fun to play with on an off day, but that in itself does not make them the most effective methods. It makes them fun to do with a beneficial side effect.

Is training your core the fastest way to getting a six pack of attention grabbing rippling abs? Absolutely not. Core training makes your core stronger, more conditioned and more muscular. This is a great thing and everyone that wants pain free optimum performance needs a strong core. However, getting your abs to show in the mirror is a result of getting the fat off them. Take off the fat blanket and voila, there are your abs.

Do you think a 359 pound Olympic lifter that can pull 551 pounds from the floor and then stand up with it overhead has a strong core? The answer is yes without a single doubt. Does that lifter have a set of strong and well developed abs? Again the answer is yes. Now for the kicker. Can you see them? Nope. Not even a hit of a six-pack to be seen anywhere.

His abdominals are covered by a layer of fat.

So then if fastest way to getting a visible, beach ready six pack is through fat loss, then how do we do that?

You burn off fat by creating a small calorie deficit through several factors including a proper eating plan, exercising your WHOLE body with multi joint, muti dimensional movements like the clean and press or overhead squat and including some high intensity cardio.

If this is really the case, then why is everyone and their dog selling core training? Answer: Because everyone and their dog is willing to buy a promised shortcut to the land of easy six packs.

Really effective training is simple, but simple doesn’t mean easy.

Are You a Big Loser?

Catch the premier last night?

I saw bits and pieces as I was spending time with the family. I was incredibly impressed with Grandpa Jerry, the 62 year old guy who won the desert race! I mean, this older gentleman blew everyone away, many of which is he over 30 years their senior. Was it good genes? Deep internalized determination or perhaps a little of both!?

The point is, these types of goals can be achieved, I don't care how old you are. Personally, I've been adhering to a healthy lifestyle for the past 25 years. It's one of the only things in my life that I can actually control. Think about it, no one puts that fork your mouth but YOU! No one makes you get out there and exercise but you! My folks used to laugh at me and tell me that there is no way I would be able to continue to workout as my career and family begin to grow. True, there are far more distractions, but I've always found time to exercise even if it means going to bed earlier so I can wake up early to workout or go for a run. Keep it in your blood and it will help you sustain those periods of time where you just can't seem to manage your schedule. Get right back on that horse.

At 44, I look and feel better than I ever have. I will continue to apply these principles for the rest of my life and constantly "vision" how I want to look and feel.

Personally, I re-engineer my body every so often, whether it be detoxifying my system, taking the best supplements (i.e. Amalaki Juice, multi-vitamins and other antioxidants) eating impeccably well for a long stretch or putting myself through my own exercise boot camp. Change it up and keep it interesting. Your health is everything! Make all the money in the world, but hurt your back or even something more significant like getting a heart attack and that money does nothing but pay for the hospital bills - whoopy!

Eat several small meals a day (i.e. 4-6 meals), chew your food slowly and well, exercise daily and connect spiritually - whatever that may mean for you and....feel great!

Till next time...

Location, Location, Location....

Promoting a product or service online?

...in Real Estate, investors teach how to choose the best location(s) to own property. This allows you to preserve and grow your investment at the best possible rate - because of it's desirable location.

If you are marketing online, remember this... Traffic, Traffic, Traffic! Ahhh, but you already know this! It's incredibly difficult generating consistent quality traffic, isn't it? Unless of course, if you have a handsome budget to work with, you simply buy it. Want to learn how to buy some amazing traffic? Didn't think so!Here's my free gift to you and I expect it to exceed your expectations!

Remember, you are trading having to pay for traffic to learn how to achieve free traffic, but it does come with a cost - a little work on your part. Whoopty-doo!I have only been working online myself for the past 3 months and can tell you that these methods do work! Learn how to generate traffic, build your list and provide a "valuable" product or service.

You can NOT miss a step here.If you haven't already gone here, you must go now to http://www.bummarketingmethod.com/

Yes, it's totally free, no catches and I don't make a penny if you subscribe!Read, apply and watch your business grow. It will take some time. I get up every morning around 5 a.m. and apply many of the methods - then I work out, head off to my daily grind which will be ending soon and finally back home to work some more. It is worth it!Just know what your "why" is and you WILL succeed!God bless and Good luck!!!

(2) Major Fatigue Culprits...

Ever have one of those stretches where you just felt sluggish and lethargic all the time? Perhaps you feel that way 2-3 days a week like I have in the "past"? Not uncommon!

Here's are the two most contributing factors to fatigue:

1.) Stress
Our body's internal organs work overtime when we are stressed and when our brain begins to recognize this it tells the body to slow down and rest. The key is to keep your body's strength up by way of proper nutrients and exercising. The stonger you are inside the better you will be able to sustain stress and ward off any potential illnessess as a result. Try walking in the morning before school or work and taking a mulit-vitamin or do what I do and take an extremely effective potent detoxifying supplement that is endorsed by Deepak Chopra's, The Chopra Center, called Amalaki. More information http://www.retirenation.com/

2.) "Clogged" up Intestines
Sounds gross, huh? It can be if you are not eliminating properly. A healthy body must eliminate toxic waste 2-3 times per day. Yes, that many times. If you are not, you could be storing too many toxins. Proper intestinal cleaning is extremely important as nutrient absobtion begins within the intestines. If you intestines are not clean and wasted is built up on the walls, it makes it very difficult for your body to benefit from nutrients which are ultimately passed. Drink lots of water, maintain a high fiber diet and try cleansing your system with natural herbal remedies found in your local health store. In addition, the Amalaki Berry is effective at maintaining proper intestinal health and voiding unwanted toxins. More information http://www.retirenation.com/

So, eliminating waste properly and maintaining a clean intestine along with supplying your body with proper nutrients will help you achieve greater levels of energy than you have experienced in years!

Fit Over 40!

You can do this! I highly recommend Jon Benson's Fit Over 40 course!
http://www.fitover40.com/aff/fitsmartz

The "Lean Cusine" Diet!

Happy Labor Day!

All lot of people ask me how I stay so lean well into my 40's?! I used to be very big in to weight training and packing on the muscle in my 20' & 30's, weighing in at over 220 on a 6' frame. All well and good if you have the time and "youth" to carry that kind of weight.

As soon as I turned 40, I realized that I had to peel off some of that weight that was turning into unsightly FAT! I liked the idea of eating 6+ meals a day to keep my metabolic rate in high gear, but that "system" just made me FATTER! Now, as "girly-man" as this may sound, portion control was key, which leads me to the "Lean Cusisne" diet. I started buying those types of frozen dinners purely out of convenience and noticed a signficant decrease in my weight appetite and increae in both physical and mental energy!

Nice huh?

Try applying this to your diet and eat them for lunch and dinner along with some snack bars in between and watch what happens. As you become satisfied with your progress, begin preparing your own "small, small portion" meals and watch your energy sore! The key is small portions multiple times per day. This is exactly what Jenny, WeightWatchers and all those other plans preach - they make their money on the prepared meals they sell - please! Do it yourself and save THOUSANDS!

Hope this helps, now go apply it...well, not today =) Today....we EAT!

God Bless,
FitSmartz

P.S. E-mail us at fitsmartz@gmail.com and receive a F.R.E.E. eBook on "The 7 Keys To Fitess Success Over 40!" If you are under 40, that's fine since I have applied most of the techniques and strategies since I was 20.