Variety is the Spice of Life

Doing the same routine day after day is boring and mediocre.  Your brain goes to mush, your muscles are so used to the same exercise routine, your physique will never improve....you become one-dimensional and dull.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Stop being boring, dull and uninteresting.  Break up the boredom and shake up your life's routine.  Try two new activities this weekend.  Instead of the gym, go outside and jump rope, ride a bicycle or go for a hike.   Swich up that boring burger on the bbq and try a whole fish wrapped in herbs and fresh lemon for you and your friends.  Variety is the spice of life; it keeps us young, fresh and stimulates both mind and body.  Variety will keep you sharp, witty and interesting!

Recovery Drinks Really Do Help When You're Training Hard

This is week 2 of my P90X training program.  I've had many patients and readers write in to ask me how I'm doing with the program, do I like it, how it compares to other workout programs I've done and am I taking any supplements/recovery drinks....
Today, I'll talk about recovery drinks and why, when I am training hard, I have a recovery drink after every workout.  When you train hard, you naturally lose electrolytes, vitamins, and nutrients via physical exertion.  Lactic acid is released into muscle tissue and if you do not replenish your glucose, electrolytes, vitamins and nutrients, you can become quite sore and stiff after a hard training session.  Recovery drinks are important when you're giving it your all because they contain 'simple and complex carbohydrates for optimum glycogen replenishment, a high Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) blend to provide the critical building blocks for rapid muscle resynthesis, and vitamins, including antioxidants, to help reduce muscle soreness and assist in repair and growth' (courtesy:  P90X).  The bottom line is that these drinks will help you recover faster from your workouts without the loss of energy, muscle mass and without getting muscle soreness.  I've taken many a recovery formula in the past, and it just so happened that the P90X recovery drink was in the box with all the dvds.  So, I figured I'd give it a try.  The ingredients contain the following per serving:  220 calories, 1g of fat (no saturated fats), 43g of carbs, 38g of sugar, 10g of protein, and several other vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, etc. Glucose, Fructose, Whey Protein Concentrate, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Lecithin, L-Arginine, D-alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Creatine Monohydrate, L-Glutamine, Ascorbic Acid, Magnesium Oxide, Potassium Phosphate, Sodium Chloride, Carrageenan, Niacinamide, Beta Carotene, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, and Cyanocobalamin.
Sounds like a lot, but if you look at most recovery drinks, they are all more or less the same.  This one is easy to prepare....2 scoops in a water bottle, shake it up, tastes pretty good and by the time you're out of your sweaty clothes and on the way to the shower, you're done with it.  So...how do I feel?  I haven't worked out at this intensity since my last fight (sad to say) and my muscles feel like they are waking up from a 4 year coma.  That being said....I have NO muscle tightness, soreness or stiffness.  My performance this week compared to last week has improved, I'm sleeping like a baby and my food choices have naturally changed because I'm feeling stronger, lighter and faster.
 
Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you are engaging in a tough workout program, training for a triathlon, marathon or martial art, do a little research and see what recovery drink works for you.  You'll find out soon enough why elite athletes and amateurs who know what they are doing drink this stuff!