Shoulder Dislocations – Exercise

Although this exercise sounds painful, it is not the same as the injury.  The shoulder dislocation exercise is great to improve your shoulder flexibility (and posture).

I stumbled across this exercise when I decided I wanted to start doing some overhead squats. Overhead squats had never been part of my routine. But the world of crossfit has made me think about trying these. Right off I noticed my inflexibility. Being a powerlifter and focusing on HEAVY compound moves, I do have boulder shoulders. However, I also let my stretching and flexibility slip. I did not realize how much until I started doing shoulder dislocations, touted as one of best exercises to improve flexibility in the shoulders. I now try to do it 3-4 times a week.

This exercise will be challenging initially, but you will see improvement if you perform it 3-4 times a week. It is a very simple move. Grab something light and wide such as a broomstick or mop.

Start with a wide grip, raise with straight arms and over your head then lower then behind your back until you hit your butt and then come back. If you have to bend your elbows, then you are too narrow and need to widen your grip. Your goal over time should be to bring your grip in narrower and narrower as your flexibility improves.

Stay tuned………….

Pizza Crust - HEALTHY / NUTTY / Fabulous

This is a fabulous crust that is incredibly healthy !! Low glycemic, flourless, and tasty……. Since I was introduced to it, I made it two days in a row. Very nutty and tasty.

Ingredients:
• 1/2 packet yeast
• Tablespoon of Stevia sweetener
• ¾ cup of water (warmed to 100-110 degrees)
• 1 1/4 cups old fashion oatmeal ground up in grinder to make a flour consistency
• Dash of sea salt

Directions:
1. Dissolve yeast and Stevia in 3/4 cup warm water and let sit for about 8 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, combine oat flour and salt.
3. Pour yeast mixture over flour and mix well.
4. Stir / mix with fork for about 2 minutes.
5. Spread onto lightly greased pan . Use water to smooth crust onto pan.
6. Bake at 500 for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Then add your healthy toppings. Bake for a few minutes until toppings are melted into the crust.

ENJOY

Stay tuned...........

Cheese – Is NOT Off Limits

Cheese is not the enemy of a healthy life. Yes, many cheeses can be high in saturated fat and sodium. But, it also is full of protein and calcium. As with any food, the key is choosing the right variety and portion control.

The most important criteria of cheese is that it be REAL cheese: Natural with no artificial colors and flavorings are added. Processed cheese is unhealthy and full of additives. Some processed cheeses have everything BUT milk in it. This also occurs in the majority of all low fat/no fat cheeses (they are processed and not “real."

So now that you are on the track for the REAL cheese, next is to select cheeses that are higher in protein. Real cheese has very little to no carbs. Here are great cheeses high in protein and lower in fat: Parmasean, Cottage Cheese, Goat Cheese (my favorite), Gruyere, Swiss, Mozeralla, Cheddar, Provolone, and Gouda to name a few. The worse in terms of fat more than protein: Blue Cheese, Camembert, Brie, Limburger, and Mexican Queso

I incorporate real cheese into my diet at least every other day of the week. Remember it is about choices and quantity, and it is not the enemy.

Stay tuned………..

Protein ALWAYS with Carbs

One of our main objectives in staying “healthy” and physically fit is to manage our blood sugar and insulin throughout the day. This affects our energy levels, disease control, metabolism, our hunger cravings, strength, and our mind/emotions.

Carbohydrates are obviously the main contributor to blood sugar and thus insulin. Not only what you eat in form of carbs but what you eat with your carbohydrates matters. Protein and believe it or not, fat, will slow the absorption of sugar (glucose). This will greatly help to prevent insulin spikes and also drops (insulin roller coaster).

Here is pretty simple tip that we can all do to be healthier: Consume less processed, more “real” food, so that your body works harder to digest it. Stick to non-sugar, complex carbohydrates (with lots of fiber) and consume with protein. Eat smaller, more frequent meals to prevent spikes and drops. The more stable and better your blood sugar is, the healthier you are in many respects.

Protein with complex carbs !!!

Stay tuned………….

Thomas Jefferson - Quote

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." - Thomas Jefferson

Weight Machines - Beware of Injury

When you walk into most gyms, you will see many various machines. Machines are great for beginners. Especially until you get a proper form. Weight machines can provide faster workouts, there is no need for a “spot” and they are generally easy to use.

HOWEVER, beware that they can cause injury. The body movement patterns (path / direction) are fixed and locked in place. Consider the Smith Machine. This can be, depending on certain movements, the worst, most dangerous machine in the gym. Let us take squats as an example. When you perform squats on a Smith Machine, it forces you to take a path of motion that is not natural for you. Moreover, this can cause injury. By performing squats with free weights, you take your body's natural range of motion (keeping proper form). This decreases your chance of injury. Machines simply do not take your body height, weight, and shape into account.

Machines can also give you a false sense of your abilities/strength. Weights on a machine versus lifting something in real life are completely different. For example, when you pick up a heavy box, you do not rest the non-working parts of your body against a machine and only work certain muscle. To be functional in picking up that heavy box, you have to use more muscles (especially to stabilize). In addition, 100 pounds on a chest press machine is nowhere near comparable to 100 pounds on a barbell bench press.

Free weights emulate and carry over to real life and real situations.

Machines have their place. Do not get me wrong. Just be knowledgeable when and how you use them. For example, when I travel I have a few gyms I visit. When there, I use machines I do not have access to normally. BUT I never use machines for the “compound moves." I use machines for extra work to triceps, calves, rear delts, etc.

Stay tuned……………