Caffeine Right Before Exercising Assists in Fat-Loss

this will be a “golden nugget” for those who like to ingest a bit of caffeine before a workout. It has been shown that pure caffeine will improve performance in lifting and cardio better than coffee. Pure caffeine will also lead to a greater release of free fatty acids, which will be used as energy in your workout and lead to greater fat loss.

caffeine benefits:

#Delays fatigue
#Slows the breakdown of muscle glycogen, which means your body has more fuel to keep going
#Enhances endurance
#Keeps you more alert
#Can reduce muscle pain during exercise
#May lower perceived exertion, making exercise feel more comfortable

While caffeine can have a positive effects on endurance exercise, you don't need it to have a good workout. If you're a competitive athlete thinking of using caffeine, keep in mind that it is a diuretic, so you may need more bathroom breaks. That could affect your workouts as well as your hydration levels.

Fat Loss and Leaner Muscle Mass:

Caffeine has also been found to effectively assist with fat loss. This is a big plus for those involved in fitness programs to lose weight or to acquire leaner muscle mass.

Besides harder and more focused workouts as described above, caffeine also helps your body to burn more energy from fat stores. Caffeine increases the flow of fatty acids from fat storage areas, such as those located in tough thigh and belly fat areas, so your body can utilize it instead of having to resort to lean muscle and carbs for its fuel.

Summary: 

A realistic intake of 2-3 cups of coffee or 5-6 cups of green tea per day actually has some long term health benefits. On workout days, you may want to take a 200mg caffeine pill to burn a bit more fat during your workout. It has been shown to be most effective on an empty stomach, so it works well with what I recommend…doing all cardio on an empty stomach to get the best fat burning effects. If caffeine isn’t your thing, then that is great as well. From this point forward, the regular coffee drinkers can proudly drink their coffee “guilt free”. Just don’t overdo it. One last thing…don’t load up your coffee or tea with sugar and cream…get used to the plain stuff if possible.

Whey Protein Enhances Fat Burning & Reduces Body Fat!

Athletes are encouraged to take protein for the main reason it increases muscle protein synthesis. But higher protein diets may also play a role in fat burning.

A recent report from the Netherlands concluded that there is a connection between increasing protein intake and fat burning, and that such an effect promotes favorable effects on body composition.

Men and women with normal weight were randomized into two groups. The control group consumed 59g of protein (from regular food) per day for three months. The higher protein group consumed 80g of protein (59g from regular food plus 21g from whey and casein protein) per day for the same length of time. The diets all contained adequate calories so that weight remained stable.

After three months, body composition remained unchanged in the control group. However, the higher protein group lost 2.6 pounds of body fat and gained 3.3 pounds of lean body mass. The researchers also determined the subjects’ maximal rate of fat burning during exercise. The higher protein group increased this rate by 16%, whereas the control was unchanged.

These findings confirm other studies showing that diets higher in protein improve body composition by promoting maintenance of lean body mass and loss in fat mass. This study is unique as it was conducted with individuals with normal weight who were not restricting calories.

In summary, increasing protein intake beyond the recommended dietary allowance is associated with increased fat oxidation and decreased fat mass.

Reference: Physiol Behav. 2010 Dec 2;101(5):770-4. Epub 2010 Sep 6.

by Jeff S. Volek, Ph.D., R.D.

An inside Look At What You Need to Get the Most from Your Training

To achieve our top bodybuilding and fitness goals, diet and exercise alone just won’t cut it; especially if you’re training hard and constantly on the go. Nutritional supplements can help our bodies fill in nutrient gaps, carry out natural functions more effectively and provide us with levels of important nutrients that would be virtually impossible to get from food alone. Here are nine must have supplements to help ensure you’re getting the most possible return from the time you’re spending in the gym. As always, it’s a good idea to consult your health care practitioner about any new training, diet or supplementation program before you begin.

Multivitamin/Minerals
Protein Powder
BCAA’s
Creatine
Fish Oil
Glucosamine
Caffeine
Glutamine
Probiotics

By: Ashlea Harlingten, Inside Fitness Magazine. Page 151. June/July 2012

3 usefull health tips.

1# 40%

 a high-protein diet not only promotes hypertrophy [Muscle growth] but also enhances fat loss. Researchers at skid-more college found that men who ful-lowed a high-protein diet - 40% of total daily calories from protein - for eight weeks lost more body fat then those following a low-fat/high-carb diet. one reason eating more protein may work is that it boosts levels of peptide YY, a hormone that decreases hunger levels.

 2# green tea.

 the main ingredients in green tea epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), inhibits the enzyme that normally breaks down the neurohormone norepinephrine. Norepinephrine keeps the metabolic rate up, so preventing it's breakdown helps you burn more calories throughout the day. Drinking green tea is a great way to stay hydrated during workouts, according to a new study in the Journal of nutrition, which reported that subjects drinking green tea while exercising lost significantly more abdominal fat than those drinking a placebo.

 3# eat guac.

 Avocado are full of monounsaturated fat, which isn't usually stored as body fat. They also contain mannoheptulose, a sugar that blunts insulin release and enhances calcium absorption. Keeping insulin low and getting plenty of calcium is critical for encouraging fat-loss. Try adding a quarter of an avocado to your salad or sandwiches.

4# good snack choices, when you're on the go!

TimothyFit's ~ everybody wants flat sexy abs!

Everybody has abs. The trick is to reveal them by thinning your skin (decreasing body fat). People are probably sick of hearing this all the time, but it's all in the diet. of course exercise will help burn calories and develop muscle, but if you're not conscious of what you eat, you'll never achieve the rock hard midsection you deserve(see diet here). Once you have your diet in place, start training your freaking ass off!!. It's helpful to choose a regimen that burns maximum calories for example : parkour crossfit running biking dancing or some other kind of cardio-style workout like boxing/kickboxing. Cardio interval training and high-intensity weight training with very short rests between sets are all great exercises for your regimen. Helpful hint: train first thing in the morning on an empty stomach (water, green tea or coffee is acceptable ) with no readily available energy in your system, your body will be forced to call upon fat reserves. Also try doing cardio at a different time Then your workouts so you jumpstart your metabolism twice a day. Remember! nothing great comes quick or easy, so be patient and stay focused on Final prize. A Great way to do this is to find a picture of what you wish to look like & stick it to your fridge. It could be an old one of you or one you found online.The most important thing is that you have a clear vision of what you like to achieve, and it can keep you out of the fridge late at night.

5# tips for a healthier you!

1# eat most from the bottom of the food pyramid (right above)

2# drink plenty of water 

3# stay active all day, do some kind of sport/fitness three times a week 

4# get a good nights sleep 

5# stay committed to a healthy lifestyle

Grapefruit with honey

This is a fast and Easy snack/breakfast plus it is a Great diet food; can speed up your metabolism and lower your insulin levels.

7# good snack choices

picture one is : 250g low-fat/low sugar strawberry flavored  yogurt , celery & a little bit of peanut butter 

picture number two is : a slice of Rye bread with Cream cheese 1/2 avocado chicken cold cuts & Cherry tomatoes


good snacks VS bad snacks:

The pictures below show a 100-calorie portion for some healthy versus traditional bad snack choices.

Top 7 Health Benefits of Vitamin D

• 1#Vitamin D improves overall skin health, reduce wrinkles, makes skin soft, strong and smooth

• 2#Vitamin D is linked to maintaining a healthy body weight

• 3#Vitamin D can ease muscle pain

• 4#Good vitamin D intake prevents osteoporosis

• 5#Supplements containing vitamin D can improve heart health

• 6#Vitamin D can elevate mood, including depression, anxiety, stress, irritability, seasonal affective disorder

• 7#Vitamin D may have a key role in helping the brain to keep working well in later life

muscle Relaxation doesn’t take long

Relaxation doesn’t mean going home to sit on the couch and gap out at a television for and hour, or rolling out your beach towel with a margarita in hand and soaking up some sun (although the latter is a nice idea). Relaxation is a process that can follow any workout, and can be done step by step.

The reason relaxation is so important is because when working out you are triggering the sympathetic part of your nervous system. It helps to process the amount of extra stress involved with higher heart rates or straining muscles. It is important that you bring your body back into a parasympathetic state, where it is no longer over stimulated and can begin to recuperate.

Relaxation doesn’t take long, and is a great way to get focused, find clarity and absorb all the benefits of a workout.

Here are some techniques:

1#. Wait until your heart rate is back to normal and you have done some ‘after workout stretches’ and then lie down on your back in a quite room.

2#. Breathe slowly and deeply, but don’t do it unnaturally. Let the air fill your lungs and fall away with ease.

3#. Focus on breathing, in and out, and begin to count, slowly from seven downward. When you get to zero start over.

4#. If you have something like a towel or shirt, roll it up and place it across your eyes.

5#. Keep breathing slowly, and try not to let thoughts of work, or plans for the day enter your mind.

6#. Visualize your body and the workout you’ve just had. See if you can follow from one spot on your body to the next and feel the area without touching it. Go slowly, and if you can’t feel it, just move on.

7#. Keep breathing and relaxing for at least ten minutes.

8#. When you are finished, get up slowly. Do things calmly, and get on with your day.

Train Harder With Carbs and Whey Protein!?

Muscle glycogen is critical for performance during endurance and high-intensity exercise. Whey protein contains essential amino acids that act as signaling chemicals that promotes glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis.

A Japanese study using rats showed that supplementing carbohydrates and whey protein before exercise slowed glycogen breakdown by activating enzymes important in muscle carbohydrate metabolism. Consuming carbs and whey protein approximately 30 minutes before exercise will help you train harder and recover fast.

(Nutrition 27:833-837, 2001)

5# Reasons to Eat Red Peppers

1# Red peppers contain almost 300 percent of your daily Vitamin C intake
2# Red bell peppers are a great source of vitamin B6 and magnesium
3# Red bell peppers help support healthy night vision
4# Red bell peppers are packed with antioxidants
5# Red bell peppers help burn more calories

Whey Protein Stimulates Post-Meal Protein Synthesis Best

High protein meals stimulate protein synthesis, even when you are not weight training. Including protein with each meal is important for athletes and for older adults- who are more susceptible to sarcopenia (muscle loss). Dutch researchers found that whey protein stimulated post-meal protein synthesis better than casein or casein hydrolysate in older men. Whey protein is digested and absorbed faster than other proteins and has a high leucine content. Leucine activates the mTOR pathway, which is a series of chemical reactions in cells that initiates protein synthesis. Whey protein is an important dietary component in athletes trying to increase muscle hypertrophy and in older adults trying to maintain muscle mass.

Milk Decreases Caloric Intake

People lose more weight on high protein, low-carbohydrate diets than on high-carbohydrate or mixed diets- at least at the beginning of a weight-loss program. Protein promotes satiety (fullness) better than carbohydrates. Danish scientists found that the type of protein may be important for curbing hunger. They fed a meal accompanied by a drink containing whey or casein or skimmed milk. Milk curbed energy intake best, but drink composition had no effect on energy expenditure, or protein or carbohydrate use.

Burn More Fat!

Make your cardio more effective. A lot of cardio machines have special "zones" for you to train in, but a machine can't tell how hard you're working. To get the most out of cardio, remember that your theoretical maximum heart rate is the number 220 minus your age. And no matter what type of cardio you're doing, you should never work to higher than 90% of that maximum. By contrast, if you're working below 60% of your max heart rate, you¿re not likely to put much of a dent in your fat stores.

Example:
For a 32-year old man, 90% looks like this:
220 - 32 = 188
188 x. 90 = 170 (your maximum target heart rate)
188 x. 60 = 112.8 (your minimum target heart rate)

Whey Matters!!!

Drinking 32 grams of whey protein immediately after your workout is more effective for building muscle than consuming smaller dosages throughout the day, shows research from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Whey protein is a by-product of dairy that is loaded with high levels of amino acid leucine, whose main role is to start an internal chain of events that activates protein synthesis in cells (kind of like a ring leader!). So, having more leucine in your body after you’ve depleted it through exercise is key to building lean muscle faster.

Tip: Fruit helps whey get into muscles

Cardio Best for Decreasing Abdominal Fat

Excess abdominal fat is linked to poor metabolic health. It increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and premature death. It is linked to insulin resistance, high blood pressure, abnormal blood fats and inflammation. Aerobic exercises decrease abdominal fat better than weight training.Scientist combined the results of many studies using a statistical technique called meta-analysis and ended up with a sample size of more than 2,000 people. Most studies found that aerobic excecise decreased abdominal fat, while weight training studies used low intensities, so theresults might not apply to more serious trainers.

(Obesity Reviews, published online July 26, 2011) Muscular Development, January 2012. Page 54)

TimothyFit's shopping list.

Meat/Poultry & Fish:

Chicken breast
Precooked chicken strips
Beef pot roast
Round steak
Pork tenderloin
Lean ground beef
Lean ground turkey
Turkey breast fillets
Fresh fish fillets (halibut, orange roughy, salmon, shark, red snapper)
Scallops
Venison
Canadian-style bacon
Leg of lamb
Lean ham
Lean deli meats

Dairy Products:

Cheese
Cottage cheese
Ricotta cheese
Egg whites (great protein source)
Egg substitute
Milk
Sour cream
Tofu
Yogurt
greek yogurt

Fruits:

Apples
Avocados
Bananas
Cantaloupe
Pears
Plums
Graps
Kiwi fruit
Apricots
Nectarines
Peaches
Berries
Oranges
Grapefruit

Vegetables:

Asparagus
Artichokes
Bell peppers: Red and green
Brocolli
Cauliflower
Brussels sprouts
Carrots
Celery
Eggplant
Peas
Green beans
Lettuce
Cabbage
Collard greens
Salad mix
Spinach
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Cucombers
Onions
Green Onions
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Zucchini and other squash
Garlic

Condiments:

Balsaimc Vinegar
Chives
Chopped Vegetables (green peppers, onions, tomatoes)
Garlic
Honey
Horseradish
Lemon Juice
Low-fat salad dressings
Mustard
Pepper
Salsa
Vinegars
Wasabi
coconut milk
Canola
Italian Dressing
Peanut butter
Bulgur
Couscous
Lentils
Dry beans
Dry split peas
Garlic powder
Cajun spices
Mexican spices
Spices & flavoring
Sugar-free sweetener
Olive oil
Cooking spray
Raisins
Flaxseeds

Beverages:

green tea
Bottled water
100% fruit juices: orange, apple, grapefruit
Tomato juice
V8 juice
Diet soda
Coffee
Tea
sugarfree redbull

Nuts:


Almonds
Brazil Nuts
Cashews
Peanuts
Pistachio Nuts
Walnuts
Pine Nuts
Macademia Nuts
Peanuts

Breads:

rye bread
crispbread

3 Reasons to eat more yogurt

1#
Yogurt is an excellent source of protein.

 Plain yogurt contains around ten to fourteen grams of protein per eight ounces, which amounts to twenty percent of the daily protein requirement for most persons. In fact, eight ounces of yogurt that contains live and active cultures, contains 20 percent more protein than the same volume of milk (10 grams versus 8 grams). Besides being a rich source of proteins, the culturing of the milk proteins during fermentation makes these proteins easier to digest. For this reason, the proteins in yogurt are often called "predigested."

#2
Yogurt is loaded with vitamins.


One serving is a significant source of potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, iodine, zinc, and vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Yogurt also contains B12, which maintains red blood cells and helps keep your nervous system functioning properly. "Vitamin B12 is found mostly in animal products, such as chicken and fish, so strict vegetarians can easily fall short," says Jackie Newgent, RD, a FITNESS advisory board member and author of Big Green Cookbook. Eating more yogurt can help close the nutrient gap: An eight-ounce serving contains 1.4 micrograms of the vitamin, about 60 percent of what adult women need daily.

#3

Yogurt can give you flat abs.

Eat 18 ounces a day and you can drop a jeans size. People who ate that much -- in conjunction with cutting their total calories -- lost 22 percent more weight and 81 percent more belly fat than dieters who skipped the snack, according to research from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They also retained one-third more calorie-torching lean muscle mass, which can help you maintain weight loss. "Fat around your waist produces the hormone cortisol, which tells your body to accumulate even more belly flab," says nutrition professor and lead study author Michael Zemel, PhD. When you eat yogurt, the calcium signals your fat cells to pump out less cortisol, making it easier for you to drop pounds, while the amino acids help burn fat.