“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
– Socrates
Alcohol As A Crutch and Social Lubricant
As a freshman in college, I had my first taste of alcohol at a crazy party that was broken up by the police. Carefully tasting my beverage with small sips, I loathed the...
“The first wealth is health.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Start with Health
At age five, I enrolled in kindergarten. Then I moved to elementary school, middle school, high school, and college. My times in college were fun coupled with working productively and playing hard as I had my first alcoholic drink during my freshman year.
But after years of social conditioning thinking formal...
“Do or Do Not. There is No Try.”
― Yoda
The Importance of Fiber
Soluble and insoluble fiber are the two forms found in many food sources.
Digestible and stimulates the growth of healthy bacteria and fatty acids required for the colon, soluble fiber can be found in the following foods:
Bananas
Plums
Apples
Broccoli
Sweet potatoes
Carrots
Almonds
Beans
Peas
On the contrary, insoluble...
–––“Great things are done in a series of small things brought together.”
―Vincent Van Gogh
Micronutrients
Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients found in food that are essential for your optimal health and wellness.
The wide range of vitamins and minerals are the building blocks for your body’s physiological processes.
Foods Containing Vitamins
The best option to obtain vitamins and minerals is by eating nutrient-dense foods.
Here are...
“Success isn’t always about “greatness.” It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work gains success. Greatness will come.”
― Dwayne Johnson (The Rock)
Cardio
Cardio originated from the Greek word kardia meaning heart. In terms of health and fitness, cardio refers to any exercise related to the heart.
It's not only helpful in losing fat, but it can also help build more muscle over time with the...
“Energy and persistence conquer all things.”
― Benjamin Franklin
Protein
Protein is a macronutrient with four calories per gram. The body breaks it down into a pool of amino acids for many uses such as repairing and building muscle tissue.
How Much Protein to Eat
According to the Institute of Medicine, your protein consumption is 10 to 35 percent of your daily calories.
But since...
“Knowledge isn’t power until it is applied.”
― Dale Carnegie
Six-Pack Abs
The term “abs” refers to a pair of muscles that make up the rectus abdominis.
To complete the full six-pack abs look, you must properly develop the other “core” muscles such as obliques, transversus abdominis (TVA), and serratus anterior.
How to Get Six-Pack Abs
You can get six-pack abs using the following...
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
― Hippocrates
Dietary Fat
Dietary fat is the densest form of energy with nine calories per gram. It's more than double that of carbohydrates and protein with four calories.
Chemically, dietary fats consist of carbon atom chains that range from 2 to 22 in length. The state (liquid or solid) of the...
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
― Aristotle
The Three Forms of Carbohydrates
The three forms of carbohydrates are monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. To understand what each form is, let’s break them down into smaller components.
Monosaccharides are simple carbohydrates because of their simple chemical structure with one sugar.
They include glucose, fructose, and...
"If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you."
― Fred DeVito
Focus on Compound Weightlifting Exercises
To increase performance, strength, and size, these four exercises are on top of the list.
Bench Press
Squat
Deadlift
Military Press
All these are compound exercises, meaning they all work multiple joints and muscle groups when performed. For example, the bench press activates the muscle groups in...