Protein Power

Your workout is dialed in yet you are not seeing the increase in tone of your muscles and body.  Perhaps you are not getting enough protein. Protein helps maintain lean muscle mass while utilizing fats as fuel.  Protein also helps suppress appetite. So to get all the amino fatty acids (what makes up protein), you should consume 30% of your diet as protein.  Ie.- A 1600 calorie diet for a woman would amount to 480 cals or 120 grams of protein.  So how do we get enough protein in our diet?  Simple, use these protein powered foods to fuel you:

1. Chicken/Turkey Breast - A 3 oz portion of this lean meat will net you 27 grams of protein!  Definitely a very versital protein that can be diced and thrown in salads, used in sandwiches, or as a dish itself.  Optimal meal - 3 oz of grilled chicken breast, 3 oz sweet potatos, 1 cup brocoli.
2. Egg Whites - You'll find all the protein in the white portion of the egg and virtually no fat.  Eggs are a very popular breakfast item yet you can have these at any time of the day.  Boil them up and take them on the road or scramble them and throw them in a stir fry.  Optimal meal - 4 egg whites scrambled, 1 medium apple split and filled with 1 tablespoon almond butter
3. Whey protein powder - A quick digestive protein great for when you wake up or around a workout.  Whey is processed in the body in less than 2 hours, making it the fastest working protein.  Optimal meal - 1 cup almond milk, 3/4 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup berries, 2 teaspoons flax seed and blend.
4. Lean Ground Turkey - Sub out the beef and go to turkey.  4 oz will get you 22 grams of protein.  Ground it up and mix with vegetables or make a patty and grill up!  Optimal meal - 3 oz ground turkey mixed with 1/2 cup marana sauce topped over 2 cups spagetti squash.
5. Cottage Cheese - Full of Casein protein, this food is perfect at the end of the day to help fuel your body through the night while you sleep.  3/4 cup of this item will grab you 21 grams of protein and satisfy you for hours.  Optimal meal - 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese, 1/2 cup sliced raw peaches, 8 walnut halves. 

Lacking enough protein could be the difference between you and your tone body.  Make sure you are supplementing enough in your nutrition.  It's recommended to do a 3 day food log and track your macronutrients (carbs, proteins, fats) to find out where you fall into as far as percentages and amounts. 

Scott Graham
Adrenaline Fitness

Super Charge Your Metabolism!

It's the beginning of the year and we made it through the holidays...barely.  We did however make it through with a few extra pounds as well from the holiday goodies and comfort foods.  So you've declared to yourself that you are ready to take those pounds of fat back off of your body but you now feel like your metabolism just turned to mush and moves at a snails pace.  Well don't fret, I got some sure fire ways to get that engine turning again and burning mass calories!

1. Strength training with limited rest.  Lifting weights helps strengthen and produce muscles that can increase your metabolism.  The secret, however, is to limit the rest inbetween sets while combining multiple exercises.  Traditional lifting methods targeting only 1 muscle group while resting inbetween individual sets are great for increasing strength but to boost the metabolism, drop the body fat, and reveal toned muscles requires stepping up your game and pushing multiple muscle groups while keeping the tempo going; exactly what you'll find in Adrenaline Fitness' boot camps.
2. Up the intensity.  It's a false perception that the body will burn more fat in a "fat burning zone".  The truth is your body stores excess carbs, not fats.  Let's break it down:  your heart rate is in the fat burning zone at 120 bpm and burns 6 cals/min with 50% being fat.  That's only 3, yes 3 cals of fat/min.  Now kick that heart rate up to 160+ bpm and burning 12-18 cals/min while 40% is fat or 5-8 cals of fat/min.  Not only do you burn way more overall calories but you are burning more fat calories as well.  In addition you are burning off much much more carb cals that otherwise be converted to body fat.  So push your body and your heart rate and you'll see your metabolism will do the same!
3. Frequency.  This works for both workouts and nutrition!  Doing 5 thirty minute workouts a week is much more beneficial than 3 one hour sessions.  This is because stressing the muscles raises your metabolism for 12-24hrs.  If you punch out the math, the more frequent workouts will maximize your metabolism more hours of the week!  On the nutrition side of things, eating 5-6 meals/snacks a day instead of traditional 3 meals will keep your body using the right systems to continue to burn fats and carbs rather than storing them.  Think of meals like coal in a steam engine, every time you throw coals on the fire you get a little more steam!
4. Play the percentages.  Meal planning does a lot for your metabolism including giving you the correct percentages of carbs, fats, and proteins to sustain your muscle and burn fat.  Over loading your body with carbs will decrease the metabolism; same thing with not getting enough appropriate fats or proteins.  Despite what many think, maintaining a certain level of fat in the diet is important towards a healthy metabolism and energy levels.
5. Eat clean, burn clean.  Focus on whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and omega 3 rich nuts and avoid processed things like grains, canned items, and other foods that have multiple item ingredient lists.  Rule of thumb, shop the parameter of the grocery store.  Typically you'll need very few items from the interior which are usually cereals, canned items, breads, and sugar added foods.  If you put whole foods in your body, your body's metabolism increases to properly digest and burn those calories.  Processed calories pretty much require very little work of the body and therefore converts to sugar and stores away (usually on your stomach or hips)

Follow these 5 tips and you'll be feeling your ab muscles and walking around with more bounce in your step in no time!  Please email me for questions or guiandance to get you on the right track.

Happy New Year,

Adrenaline Fitness