Sperrit's N.A.G.

[Tobias]

[Legend]

No, no, I meant that's as far as I've gone-- I've said that I should, and that's about it. ^_-

[FawkesFyre]

Ok, Lets give this a shot...

I'm a berry sort of girl: Blueberry, Raspberry, Cranberry, and Blackberry

For some off reason, I'm not a fan of Strawberries, can't eat Bananas, and don't like Peanut butter all that much.

I do like yogurt and like tangy, mild sweetness, and creamy....so have at it.


As a side note: I've never had soy milk, although I think I might try it now after reading what all is in this thread.

I got to be such a fan of those fruit and yogurt parfaits that so many places have that I started to make my own. Frosted shredded wheat is SO good to use in these! You just need a couple crushed ones for the crunch and sweetness factor instead of granola.

[shadokastur]

SPERRITT!!! My main man!

I'm looking at what it REALLY takes to strengthen a muscle. I've heard about high reps and low weight or low explosive reps with a lot of weight as far as free weights go but I'd like to hear it from you. I'm not looking to bulk up I just want to lose weight and strengthen for now. I had a lower back injury about 8 years ago and kind of gave up on myself after that. My chiropractor has suggested that I lose weight and try to strengthen my lower back muscles because he thinks that now I have the right attitude and the a good start toward being able to really care about it. I want to get into better shape because I am giving Code Atom all that I am and I want to be able to run around like Mick Jagger and Steve Tyler when I'm their age.

*side note to POs: Soy milk rocks! It's a little thinner consistency than regular milk but sweeter! Absolutely PERFECT for smoothies.*

[Chibi Knight]

My current smoothie concoction is:

Ice
OJ
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries

Now I'm really thirsty...

I also wanna add an energy (whey/soy) shake to my diet before my workouts so I can push a bit harder. I'm still debating on the whole Soy vs Whey thing. More research i need.

[Graillik Tur]

1. Smoothies are a fantastic way to get some good stuff into your body as long as you use fresh stuff. I'm a big fan of the Banana-blueberry and OJ combo instead of milk or yogurt. It makes it kind of watery so I use Ice to bulk it up. It tastes FANTASTIC. And for the v*gen out there that like to use powders a nice whey protien in either vanilla or strawberry is very nice in it also.

2. on the lose weight/gain muscle idea...you can try high sets/low reps with little rest inbetween as possible, or high reps/low sets with as little rest as possible. I know that may seem strange but you get more rests inbetwwen high sets/low reps than you get with high reps/low sets. Both will use lighter weight than most heavy lifters are used too. We talking either 4-5 sets with 10-12 reps or 15-20 reps with 3 sets. as you can see the target is 50 reps total or close to it. When you don't want to bulk up the idea is to make the stress tears in the muscles as small as possible, so large weight and explosive movements are gonna bulk you up. The only time explosive movements are needed in weight training are in certain exercises like hang cleans, squat jumps (do not do if you do not have a smith machine or if you have one of those nifty bear machines it looks like a turret gun holster from an old WWII plane with weights on the end...I'll see if I can find a pick) or other multiple muscle excercises. The best excercises you can do are those that use your body weight as the conter-balance. Pull ups, push ups, leg raises...things like that. Also a good jump rope and a 15 minute run before your weights will boost weight lost exponentially. For some reason it boosts the metabolic rate for several hours if you run then lift. Another good one is called the bishop. Take 3 medice balls and spread them apart just wide enought you can do push ups on 2 at a time. Put both hands on the far left ball. Explode up and catch yourself on the far left ball and the middle ball. Explode again and catch yourself with both hands on the middle ball. Explode middle and right, explode right. go back the same way. This will absolutely kill your upper body and will tone everything north of your thighs including your hip flexors and your mid section. Next take a barbell with 2 35 or 45 lbs plates, what ever you feel comfortable with. Lay on the floor and bench it straight up. Then raise your legs and touch the left plate with your feet. Try to keep your shoulders on the ground and the barbell level. Return your feet straight out to 6 in above the ground. Then raise them to the left plate and back down. You'll make a little V in the air. Both plates and back is 1 rep. If you can't actually touch the plate, just get as close as possible...then take a yoga class to get some flexability. This will kill your stomach and lower back so if you have trouble swiss ball crunches will help you, or crunch medicine ball throws and goodmornings with a 25-35 lbs plate. The final thing, if your trying to lose weight without gaining muscle do as many large muscle exercises as possible. Back, legs, whole core, pecks AND shoulders. Yes bis and tris are important but they need massive reps to gain any weight loss benefit. If there is anything else about excersice you want to know about ask and I'll see if I can answer. My friend that is a physical therapist and I have had many long talks about how to shape a body. And sadly diet tends to be the biggest factor. But a good physical regimine is a close 2nd.

3. Chibs if you want to push harder before a workout you have to put something in there that will allow a lot of quick release energy like fruits or my fave Creatine. If you decide to use Creatine be warned, you must cycle it every 3 months or it can damage your kidneys. If you are not trying to heavily bulk up I would advise you to just got with a nice fruit and whey drink pre and post work out. Actually the post workout protein is you best friend. It is very important to injest protien post workout to allow for muscle repair. Whey and soy are good, or something as simple as a chicken breast or a couple of egg whites..not the whole egg, the yellow doesn't do anything for you as far as lifting goes. Also the biggest deal for any physical regimine is a steady diet of water all day. You must have massive amounts of water if your body is to easily do the things it needs to do. So start drinking water early in the day and don't stop till about 2 hours before bed.

And from the military were things are free. If you can afford to sit down with a nutritionist do so. Don't go to some crack in a gym, go to a real nutritionist and tell them about your activity level and what you are tying to accomplish with your body. They will have far more insight as to what to do than everyone else. I didn't know that I needed more folic acid in my diet and that extra water would help lubricate my knees since they tend to hurt post lift. It is amazing what they can tell you. If they tell you decrease red meat and increase fish and grass raised poultry, then they probably know what they are talking about. If they tell you to cut something that isn't by design bad for your (Hostess and McD's) stand up and walk out, cause no sane nutritionist will ever tell you to cut something like Carbs, Good fats, or meat entirely, out of your diet. If you have already cut meats out of your diet tell them so and they will probably try to help you change some portioning to the protien products you are currently taking, depending on weight loss/gain or muscle mass you wish to increase. If that shocks them and they tell you to eat meat...again stand up and walk out. A nutritionist can work with just about any diet but will never tell you you can't eat something. They may push harder for something like organic food...which they should because it is better for you, but they will never tell you to completely change your eating style, just your eating habits. Like 5 smaller meals, smaller portions, not eating directly upon waking or within an hour of sleeping...things like that.

Happy Hunting.

P.S. The BMI can be close to accurate but the best way is a dunk tank. It takes the displacement of water and calculates it agains your height/weight. It is about dead on but can be kind of expensive to do. I know that some places will charge as little as 50 dollars for the test, but the math and everything else comes to be about 100-150. I always just use BMI and waist. Because the military tells me too. And apparently you are most healthy when your waist is less than 32...such a crock. I always say, if I can run 3 flights of stairs in my boots, I'm doing okay. The day I can't, or can't run 3 miles is the day I start to worry.

[Sperrit]

*whew*
Man, I walk away for Mother's Day and all this craziness!

Alright, I'll try to be brief:

BMI: Yup... load of crock. Doesn't take muscle or bone frame scructure into account and so it is a widely varient test. The main point is this: listen to your body. Don't let some number tell you if you're healthy or not, you know if you are by the way you feel.

Shadow! S'up?: Weight trainning is all about fatiguing the muscle. You want enough weight that your muscle fagitues (can't do any more) between 8-10 reps. If you can do 12 then you need more weight, if you can't do 7 then you need less. In terms of the back, I suggest strengthening core and ab muscles. They relate directly to your back and will make it stronger. Also, if you're looking for cardio (running around on stage-worthy) my suggestion is the eliptical machine at the gym. All the cardio with none of the joint stress.

FawkesFire!: Give this a try. I highly recomend soymilk, but many other things work well, too. In fact, for you, I give you a recipe and a varient:

1. 12oz vanilla soymilk OR Pomegrante Juice
3oz Frozen Rasp
3oz Frozen Blue
6oz Frozen Blackberries
3oz Vanillia or Bluberry Yogurt

Pom juice is getting a lot of press these days, and it has a lot of great viatmins, so it's not all bunk.

And here's Sperrit's Tip of the Week!

Do you take a mulitvitamin? If you don't you really should. Most of us simply cannot get all the nutrients we need through food alone. I recomend everyone taking a daily mulit, one that has 100% of your DRI (daily recomended intake) of Folic Acid, B6, B12 and iron. I also recomend taking a seperate Calcium supplement, one that has vitamin d and Magnesium, both of which help calcium absorbtion. More later!

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[FawkesFyre]

Sounds awesome! I love Pom juice too. Zeiglers makes a fantastic pom apple cider.

[Ming]

What are your thoughts on Noni juice? Actually, anyone who knows what it is, please feel free to answer as well.

[Sperrit]

So, in response to Legend, I'd say if you're looking for VEGGIE juices then your best bet is your standard juicer and juicing whatever you happen to like. Carrot juice is naturally sweet and good for you. And, funny that you mention grass, Wheatgrass is excellent for you in many ways and I highy recomend it. Here are some of it's benefits: It boosts your metabolism, your immune system, it's good for your hair and skin, full of anti-oxidants, so it helps fight cancer, helps detoxify your blood and digest food.

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