Better eating habits are the key stone to better health and fitness. These small and simple changes that are done over a sufficient duration will have amazing effect on your health and efftiveness in your workouts.

An extra 30 min of Cardio a week will increase your level of energy and improve cardiovascular endurance or eliminating soft drinks from your daily routine will rid diet of unwanted empty calorie from 120 to 170 calories per can of coke or Pepsi.. There are 4 calories in one gram of Carbohydrate times 25 grams of sugar per can of cola. YOU DO THE MATH!

Good workouts and fitness starts with small steps of change and commitment that can be obtain thru manageable actions and reachable goal.

1. Pyramid your workout sets. You are at your strongest on your 2nd set. Make your 2nd set your Max and pyramid down with light weight and more reps in your 3rd and 4th set. This adds an element of growth into every exercising set...

2. Change your routine every 2 months to try to eliminate plateaus and constainly challenging your body into growth.

3. Analyze your workout routine and eliminate those exercises that are not producing results.

 

Example
Chest
Inclined Dumbbell Press	4 sets / 6-8 reps
Flat Bench Dumbbell Fly's	4 sets / 6-8 reps
Declined Dumbbell Fly's	4 sets / 6-8 reps
	*(Interval Push Ups In-Between Set)
Triceps
Close Grip Bench Press	4 sets / 6-8 reps
Lying Triceps Extension	4 sets / 6-8 reps

*30 to 60 seconds rest intervals in- between sets for more of a cardiac weight training
*60 to 90 seconds rest intervals in- between sets for a mass and strength weight training

Good eating habits and diet starts with small steps of change and commitment that can be obtain thru manageable actions and reachable goal.

1. Drink more water when you think you are hungry. You could be a little dehydrated.

2. Satisfy your late night cravings with a protein shake or bar and try to regulate yourself to stop eating after 8 or 9 pm.

3. Eat Good Breakfast; this will help control your hungry later in the day.

4. Reduce your alcohol intake, for each gram of alcohol has 9 calories and after 2 drinks those can add up to a lot of empty calories.

5. Eat something health every 4 to 5 hours to stimulate your metabolism and keep it active.

Any of the changes can benefit your Health and Fitness goals.

Middle of the road approach by keeping Calories and Carbs at moderate to low intake and your Protein intake high during training. (1 gram of protein per body weight daily) Evenly spread your meals out through the day 5-6 meals for maximal nutrient

Here are just some simple examples which can be easily modified to fit your day or diet plan. ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE MAJOR CHNAGES IN YOUR DIET.

BREAKFAST

• 2 Whole Eggs · Turkey Bacon
• Wheat Bagel or Oatmeal
• Banana

LUNCH

• Tuna Salad with Tomato
• Cottage Cheese
• Apple OR
• Turkey or Hamburger w/ lettuce and tomato
• Sweet Potato

DINNER

• Salmon or Catfish
• Green Beans or Collard Greens w/ Brown Rice
• Salad OR
• Bake Chicken
• Red or Black Beans w/ Brown Rice
• Salad

In between meals can consist of:

• Protein Shake or Bars
• Fruit
• Peanut Butter w/ Whole Wheat Crackers

For those of you who eat literally on the run, a great tool that helps. Consult MensHealth.com online tool (Eat this, Not This) A great informative guide to Fast Food nutrition. MensHealth.com/EatThis.

Here are some Recipes that you can use for your one OFF YOUR DIET DAY each week.

Macaroni and Cheese Serves 3

422 calories | 28g protein | 29g fat | 470mg sodium

Cracklin Cornbread Serves 8. On southern plantations, hogs were slaughtered in the fall. The only meat many slaves Ate was the pork skin and fat. The slaves cooked the fat and skin in a skillet until it crackled,"cracklins". The "cracklins" were used to season vegetables and cornbread While the leftover lard was used for frying chicken and wild game meats. This recipe is a Somewhat healthier version of the traditional recipe. In this recipe, bacon is fried to a Hard crisp with the fat removed. The bacon is then added to the cornbread in place of cracklins. Although best cooked in an iron skillet, an 8-inch-square baking pan can be Substituted for baking the cornbread.

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar (4 if you like it sweet)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 4 pieces bacon, cooked to a crisp and chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add 2 tablespoons oil to an 8-inch iron skillet and heat In the oven for 10 minutes while making the cornbread.

2. In a medium bowl stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. In another small bowl slightly beat egg, milk and oil together.

4. Add egg mixture and bacon to dry ingredients. Mix just enough to combine.

5. Carefully remove skillet from the oven, pour batter into hot skillet. Return to oven And bake 25 to 30 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown.

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving) - Calories 220 ~ fat 10 g ~ calories from fat 90 - sodium 530 mg ~ total carbohydrate 29 g

Mustard and Turnip Greens Serves 10.

Traditionally wild greens or greens from small gardens were seasoned with smoked meat Such as ham hocks, fatback or a ham bone. Sometimes greens and vegetables with Different flavors were mixed. Pot likker, the highly seasoned liquid that remains after Greens are cooked, is rich in vitamins and minerals. When greens were served, the Leftover pot likker and cornbread were often served the next day. In slave kitchens meat was often scarce. In the song "Ham Bone". . . "Ham bone, ham bone, where you been? Around the world and back again" . . . Refers to the practice of sharing a ham bone to season greens. The ham bone was Shared with different slave families and then returned to the owner. Even today many African American cooks would not think of cooking greens without ham hocks or fatback, But smoked turkey parts can be substituted producing the same flavor with less salt and Fat.

• 1 pound smoked turkey, use wing or leg or
• 2 ham hocks
• 1 quart water
• 2 pounds mustard greens
• 3 pounds turnip greens
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 dried cayenne pepper or
• 1 teaspoon pepper flakes

1. Rinse smoked turkey parts. Place in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Over High heats, brings to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer covered 45 minutes to 1 hour (Ham hocks simmer for 1-1/2 hours, more water may be needed during simmering). The meat will not be completely tender. It will continue to cook with the greens.

2. Meanwhile, pick through the greens, removing tough stems and yellow leaves. When Using fresh garden greens, inspect each leaf for insects and insect eggs.

3. Thoroughly wash and rinse the kitchen sink and then fill with cold water. Add greens To water, using clean hands swish greens through the water using a back and forth and Up and down motion. Swish and lift greens out of the water one handful at time. Place In a colander to drain. Rinse the sink and refill with cold water. Repeat until all the Grit is removed from the greens, two to three times.

4. Check meat. It should be semi-tender. About an inch of water should be left in the Pot. Adjust water if necessary. Increase heat to high. Add as many washed greens as Will fit in the pot. Cover and cook down until the greens are wilted. Using a longhandled fork, stir. Then add more greens until all the greens are in the pot. Add onion and pepper, stir.

5. This part is a bit tricky. Reduce heat to medium. Cook greens covered, until tender. They will turn dark green as they cook. Young tender greens will cook in as little as 20 to 30 minutes while older commercial greens may take an hour to become tender. Continue stirring and cooking, taste for doneness. Add more water to the pot if necessary.

6. When greens are tender, remove smoked meat. Remove skin and bone and chop meat. Return it to the pot and mix with greens. Serve with cornbread.

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving) - Calories 110 ~ fat 1.5 g ~ calories from fat 15 ~ sodium 440 mg ~ total carbohydrate 13 g

Jiffy Peach Cobbler Serves 8.

Peach cobbler is an all time favorite among African-American families. The following Recipe is not the traditional two-crust, deep-dish version, but it is quick, easy and delicious.

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
• 1 can (15 oz.) sliced peaches with juice
• 1Tbsp. brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, beaten egg, milk and vanilla. Beat until well-blended and no lumps remaining. Set aside.

2. Melt butter or margarine in a 2-quart baking dish in the oven, the butter should be very hot. Remove baking dish from the oven and pour in flour mixture. Pour peaches and juice over flour mixture.

3. Sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake 1 hour.

4. To serve, top warm cobbler with a scoop of ice cream, vanilla yogurt or whipped cream.

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving) - Calories 320 ~ fat 12 g ~ calories from fat 110 ~ sodium 160 mg ~ total carbohydrate 51 g

TIP OF THE WEEK

Do some research before choosing a protein powder or other supplements to help you to your fitness goals. Some Whey Protein is fast absorbing which is great for before and after your workout. Other Whey Proteins such as Casein are slowly absorbed into your muscle fibers that are beneficial for before bed or in-between meals. Stop by your local GNC or Max Muscle and talk to one of their trained professionals about the best proteins and other supplements.