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361. CUTTING-BOARD HYGIENE
It's amazing the number of people who will cut both their raw meat and bread on the same cutting board. While the meatwill be cooked, rendering bacteria an germs harmless, the bread will be eaten raw. Any bacteria contained in the meat can be easily transferred to anything cut on the board afterwards. Always wash your cutting board after cutting meat products on it. Better still, have separate boards for meats, breads, and vegetables.
362. PRIORITIZE YOUR MEALS
Most people eat backwards. They have little or nothing for breakfast, a small lunch, and then a large cooked supper. In reality it makes more sense to eat the other way around. Assuming you had your last meal a couple of hours before bed, and you get six to eight hours of sleep, your body may have gone ten hours without food. The first thing you should do when you get up in the morning is get some good quality nutrients in there.
363. GRAZING FOR GROWTH
The biggest animals on the planet are constantly eating and so must you if you want to gain any significant amount of muscle mass. We don't mean literally eating every waking minute, but you should be feeding your body nutrients every couple of hours. Instead of two or three large meals, try five or six smaller meals. This not only ensures that the body is getting nutrients on a continuous basis, but smaller meals place less stress on the digestive system.
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364. THE BLENDER - A BODYBUILDER'S BEST FRIEND
It's much esier to drink nutrients than eat them. In the fast world we live in, extra time is usually in short supply. Unless you take our advice and prepare meals ahead of time, you may not be able to cook five or six meals a day. One way to get round this is by blending. A blender allows you to combine a large number of nutrients into a liquid meal. It's also very fast and convenient, and when you're finished a quick rinse with hot watter lets you be on your way.
365. YOGURT - AN ALTERNATIVE TO MILK
For those who are lactose intolerant, or have an allergy to milk, yogurt might be a healthy alternative. The reason many of the people who can't tolerate milk can digest yogurt is that the bacteria contained in the yogurt break down some of the problem causing lactose. Yogurt has been linked to reduced cholesterol levels and increased longevity. If you've been avoiding protein shakes because ou can't drink milk, give yogurt a try.
366. ANOTHER REASON NOT TO DRINK HEAVILY
Each gram of alcohol has seven calories. If your aim is to have a flat stomach or lose weight, either cut back your alcohol consumption or be prepared to carry a higher-then-average body-fat level.
367. WHEN ARTIFICIAL IS BETTER
One of the easiest ways to cut calories from your diet is by usig artificial sweeteners. Despite the bad press some of them occasionally receive, most are apparently safe and from a nutritional point of view contain few if any calories. Try using them in your coffee, on your cereal, or even in your baking. In no time you'll have cut hundreds of calories from your daily intake
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368. DROWSY
If you start to feel drowsy after eating it usually means one of two things, either your portions are too large, or you ae consuming too much simple sugar. If cutting down the portion size and/or simple sugar content doesn't alleviate the problem, consult a physician. You may be developing diabetes-related problems.
369. THE ALL-IMPORTANT BREAD-MAKER
Store-bought white bread was not created for bodybuilders. Not only have most of the good nutrients been leaced out, but also it's loaded with salt. Just two slices of store-bought white bread contain the recomended daily intake of salt. Bread-makers are not that expensive and give you complete control over the ingredients. Instead of white flour you can use whole wheat, and salt and sugar can be kept to a minimum. Set it in the morning and come home to a nice fresh loaf.
370. LOW-CARB BREAD
It's not surprising with the big emphasis on low-carb diets these days that manufacturers have made low-carb breads available. As with most low-carb and low-fat alternatives, the taste is rather bland, but you are saving a heap of calories.
371. CARBS FOR BODYBUILDERS
With all this talk of carbs and calories, you'd think they were bad for bodybuilders. But it depends on your present goal. When it depends on your present goal. When you are bulking up you need plenty of complex carbohydrates.
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372. BREADS NEVER BEST
While you need plenty of carbs, breads are never your best bet. Even whole-grain breads are a more refined product than potatoe, sweet potato, corn or oatmeal.
373. FRUIT VS. JUICE
Although fruit is generally made up of simple sugars, the actual fruit has loads of fiber to slow down its digestion. This is not the case for juice. Pick pieces of fruit over juice, even at breakfast.
374. POST-WORKOUT JUICE
The one time it's okay to drink fruit juice is immediately after your workout, when an insulin surge helps bring nutrients to muscles. Make sure to include some protein. Studies show that consuming carbs and protein in a 3:1 ratio post workout brings the most muscle gains.
375. PREWORKOUT
You want to reach muscular failure during your sets, not fail because you didn't give you body enough energy. Eat everywhere from 1 hour to 2 1/2 hours before training. Experiment with times to see which works best for you.
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I'm two weeks out from my first show and looking flat can anyone HELP ME PLEASE.
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376. TIMES MAY BE DEPENDENT
You may find that you have to eat 2 hours before training legs but only 1 hour before training arms, because of the different stressess on your system.
377. WHAT TO EAT?
Your preworkout meal should also contain carbs and protein, but make sure the carbs are complex raher than simple. Simple carbs would be gone from your system by the time you need them.
378. MEAL PLANNING
The best results come when you plan your meals a week in advance. Then when you go shopping you know exactly what to buy and in what quanitites, making day-to-day like much easier.
379. SHOP THE OUTER AISLES
Most supermarkets keep the fresh produce, meats and dairy products in the outer aisles and the prepackaged food youshould be avoiding throughout the middle of the store. Shop the outer aisles first - a cart full of healthy food will give you more willpower to avoid the cookie aisle.
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380. DON'T SHOP WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY
Going into a supermarket when you're hungry is like sending kids to a chocolate factory - you want it all. Unless you have great willpower, one of the worst nutrition mistakes you can make is buying you groceries just after leaving the gym. By then your blood sugar is low and you'll find it craving the high-calorie, sugar-loaded items. Your shopping basket will be loaded with items you'd normally avoid. And let's face it. Once they're in your house, you will break down and eat them. If you must shop when hungry, bring a list iwth you and only buy what's on the list. No sweets. No junk.
381. PLATE SIZE - WHEN ILLUSION IS REALITY
Are you the type that piles your food on the largest plate in
the cupboard? One fo the easiest ways to reduce you calorie intake is to use a smaller plate. Even if you cover most of its surface with food, you're still eating fewer calories than the super-sized version. Many studies have confirmed this. Those who use smaller plates for their food report the same feelings of fullness as when they sued larger plates, yet consumed far fewer calories.
382. PORTION SIZE
Going cold turkey on foods you've been eating for years can have disastrous results. Feelings of deprivation can set in, and then over-consumption usually occurs. Instead of going cold turkey, try reducing your portion sizes. Here's a guide: A serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards; grilled fish should be the size of a checkbook; a pancake the size of a CD; steamed rice, enough to fill a large cup; a bagel the size of a hockey puck; pasta, enough to fill an ice-cream scoop; cooked vegetables, the size of you fist.
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383. KEEP 'EM CLEAN
Although this tip has nothing to do wth nutrition and calories, it does have serious implications for your long-term eating habits. The next time you are eating; try chewing your food with just your lips and gums. As comical as that sounds, this where you will be headed if you don't keep your teeth clean. Your mouth is the first stop in your digestive system, and the teeth are its machinery. All that leftover food from those four to six meals a day you are eating is a perfect breeding ground for enamel-destroying bacteria. Unless you want to be toothless or wearing false teeth, take a few minutes after each meal and brush and floss your teeth.
384. BREAKFAST - VALUABLE PLANNING TIME
One of the best times for mapping out your daily schedule is breakfast time. As you are eating your eggs or oatmeal, decide what clothes you'll wear, what physical activities you'll engage in, and what social contacts you'll make. One of the keys to success is great planning.
385. KEEP PRE-WORKOUT MEALS SMALL
While you probably shouldn't be eating a large meal at any time of the day, this is especially true before a workout. As soon as food is ingested, the body sends extra blood to the stomach region to aid in digestion and absorption. The larger the meal the more blood. If you go to the gym immediately after a large meal, the body will start shifting some of this blood to the muscles. As expected this will interfere with proper digestion. Your workouts will suffer, as well. If you do eat a large meal, wait at least two to three hours before working out.
386. READ THE LABELS
If you intend to get serious about your eating, start learning how to read the labels on your food products. For example "light" and "low fat" are often decoys for foods loaded with sugar. Likewise some manufacturers make it seem that a food is low in calories by recommending small serving sizes.
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387. ADJUST YOUR FOOD INTAKE
If you have to stop training for any reason (vacation, injury, etc), reduce your calorie intake. Regular cardio and strength training burns enormous amounts of calories. Unfortunately, your appetite may not diminish even when your energy expenditure has been greatly reduced. If you keep eating the same amount oas while you were training the excess will go right around your midsection.
388. HAVE A JUNK MEAL
Unless you reach the point where you have no desire to eat junk food (yes, it happens), pick one day a week and let loose for one meal. Have that piece of chocolate or cheesecake. Grab a candy bar or bag of potatoe chips. The few extra calories won't have any effect on your waistline. Notice we said junk meal, not junk day. A couple of hundred extra calories won't make any difference but a couple of thousand will!
389. TABLE MANNERS
Weight control can be summed up in the following three statments: Leave the table hungry and you will lose weight. Leave the table satisfied and you will maintain weight. Leave the table full and you will gain weight.
390. TAKE A MULTIVITAMIN
As they cost less than $10 for a three-month supply, and are perfectly safe, we strongly suggest taking a multivitamin. While they won't make any dramatic changes to your physique, they are a good way to ensure that you are receiving all the major vitamins and minerals your body needs. Take the multivitamin with your meals as vitamins and minerals have no benefits on their own. They are used by the body to catalyze biochemical reactions involving the other main nutrient groups (carbs, fats, protein, etc).
391. BUY A GOOD COOKBOOK!
it's one thing to eat someone else's great cooking, but another thing entirely to prepare your own. A good cookbook will give you creative freedom over what you eat. It will also give you hundreds of choices to spice up your eating.
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392. BUYER BEWARE!
Despite being worth billions of dollars aanually, the supplement industry is poorly regulated. Just about anyone can market a product as a health food supplement. To ensure you are getting exactly what you paid for, only buy supplements from reputable companies such as Twin Lab.
393. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Before taking any substance, learn everything you can about it. Even some common supplements like vitamins and minerals can be toxic in high dosages. Don't let Johnny Biceps at the local gym talk you into taking something when you don't have a clue what it is. At the very least you may be out your hard-earned cash. But you may also end up taking something that is illegal and/or dangerous to your health.
394. CHECK OUT THE "STUDIES"
Just because a supplement company claims they have studies that prove their product is effective doesn't mean everything is cut and dried and above board. Check out the studies for yourself. If the studies are legitimate they will be published in the trade scientific journals. Even then, hold a degree of skepticism. Find out who funded the study. In many cases the manufacturer is the one funding the money for the lab. The researchers often feel obligated to creatively select the data to show the product in the most positive light.
395. FOOD COMES FIRST
Never take a supplement in place of food. Food contains far more nutrients than any supplement ever could. As the name suggests, supplements should "supplement" food, not replace it. For example, if you find you are not getting adequate amounts of protien through your diet, then a protein supplement makes sense. Don't, however, give a chicken breast a pass for a protein supplement.
396. CYCLING FOR MAXIMUM
The late Vince Gironda said the best way to maximize the benefits of supplements was to cycle the product in question. The body adapts to taking the same substances for long periods of time, resulting in reduced effects. Try taking your supplements for six to eight weeks and then taking two to three weeks off.
397. THE NUTRIENT WINDOW
One of the most common questions is: "When should I take my supplements?" Generally speaking the body is begging for nutrients during the hour immediately following your workout more than any other time. have your creatine or whey protein shake already pre-mixed. This makes it very convenient to get your nutrients on the drive home or in the gym's lounge area.
