AITank: Fitness Explained

First of all let me extend my best wishes to fellow contributor Chris aka Dr.Swoll, in his endeavor to complete the MS 150. It truly is worthy cause and your support is indeed very valuable to fund multiple sclerosis research. I started thinking about what it would take to complete 180 miles in the Texas hill country and one thing stood out above all the other things I could think about and that is having a strong mind.

There comes a point when all of us think we can not go anymore. Another step would kill us, turn of the pedal drain what little energy we have left, rep under the weight of a barbell. Well the truth is, you are thinking you can’t so how the hell could you possibly expect go any farther? No matter what you are doing, this point is what many of us like to call the wall.

Time stops, its a surreal moment actually, and you are given a choice. I mean this very literally — your body actually asks your mind if it wants it to go further even though it may hurt, even though our bodies think we are spent and have nothing left to give. Those of us with the courage to take the harder path will say no, I want you to keep on going; whatever happens after that I will deal with when the dust has settled.

I mean it is true isn’t it?

I have to tell everyone about this page because no matter who you are, it will help you make ridiculously easy and unbelievably good food. Mind you, CHEAP. The Pioneer Woman Cooks is brilliant! Their are countless recipes to choose from and everything is made so simple and easy to follow that you would have to be a little sore round the grey bits in your head to not produce what the recipes show.

Ree as the author calls herself, is a “desperate housewife. I love to cook delicious, abundant, satisfying food using the simplest of ingredients.” Where have you been all my life?!?! Everything from the lasagna to the chocolate sheet cake is superb. She provides amazing pictures for each step of the process so if something does not look right you will be able to figure it out soon enough. But really, take some time to browse around the offerings she has posted for us all. In college and need help keeping variety in your diet on a short wallet, this is your answer. Get home late and still need to whip something up for yourself before bed but do not want microwave tv dishes, this is your answer.

Nothing is overly flamboyant, there is no black truffles, no fruits from Rangoon or flour made in some small province in Italy. Just stuff you can find easily, make easily, and enjoy immensely.

Tell me what your favorite recipe is. Always looking to try new ones!

The past few years have been unkind to many of the world’s top athletes. Olympic hopefuls to MLB sluggers to Tour De France cyclists have all fallen prey to intense scrutiny as we seek to maintain the image of a pure natural athlete. I am not going to talk in specific about any one athlete in particular, but rather the culture of altering our bodies by way of non natural processes.

Everyone wants to be the best, be at the pinnacle of whatever sport or activity they may be participating in. We get it in our heads that to beat everyone else, we have to give ourselves a one up and this is where steroids and other performance enhancing drugs (PEDS) enter into the equation. Sure there are side effects to their use, but they can be mitigated by incredibly careful, doctor assisted monitoring. What I mean is frequent blood work and hormone panels. 98% of PEDS users do not fit into this category. So why even decide to go that route? You are short changing yourself, determining that you will fail at achieving your goal without even trying.

Some will say, oh but I have peaked after one year of training. It has been a damn year you idiot. Even two or three still leaves you in the relative area of newness to lifting. You might know how to train better but as far as packing mass, you have not been doing it for all that long. If you are 6 foot 200 pounds, you have not peaked.

This is one that comes out of some of the chapters in my life, I am just sharing some bits I have learned along the way. At one point or another I think we all doubt ourselves and wonder if we should have kept on going when we stopped, not done something when we did or conversely, done something when we did not. Then comes the self questioning and we begin to run ourselves down faces pushed into the dirt by the likes of our own hand. I have learned that this self destruction is good for nothing. In fact it is bad for something, and that something is you.

When we turn the finger on ourselves, what we are starting is a train wreck of problems. And no, I am not implying that accountability is a bad thing, in fact it is one of the core pieces of our character. What I am saying is that when we turn the finger on ourselves and attack who we are, nothing is going to get better. Knowing that this may sound like ridiculous optimism, we must always find ways to keep on keeping on despite anything that happens as a result of an action we take. So, for those rolling about in confusion let me provide an example.

You are training to be able to run a sub 6 minute mile. After 3 months you are stuck at 6:15. Weeks pass and you simply cannot get your time any lower.

If you are like me and still in school, then eating right is slightly harder for most of us because we either do not have the time to cook large meals or are restricted by a cash flow that well… might not exist. This does not mean that you cannot eat well, you just have to be more selective on what you buy. Or if you have access to a cafeteria or some sort of meal plan, pick the most nutrient dense foods you can to maximize your intake of protein/carbs/fats. Let’s take a look at some healthy choices.

Eggs are a staple of the hard eating college student. One will not do much for you so you will have to pick up a couple. At most eat 2 to 3 yolks and up to 7 whites to go with it. So lets say 3 whole eggs and four extra whites. The yolks are packed with calories and cholesterol which is why we want to limit how many we eat. To make your life easie look for hardboiled eggs so that you can separate the two parts easier. Slice them and throw them down or crumble one or two over a mixed salad with some light dressing. It makes for a good lean meal packed full of protein and calories.

Next is chicken breasts. Always opt for chicken over burgers at the cafeteria as the meat they use for the burgers is most likely anything but lean, giving you more fat than you would otherwise want.

With spring break and summer fast approaching, the number one question that will start to circulate is how do I tone up to get a swim suit body or get that mythic six pack so I can show the world. It starts with knowing how to plan a lean diet. Rule number one: never skip meals. Dropping the number of meals you take in per day lowers your metabolic rate and increases the level of nutrient oxidation. This means you will feel lethargic and what fat you have, your body will fight to keep as long as possible based on a primal survival instinct. Rule number two: eat 5 to 6 meals per day. This will kick start your metabolism leading to a higher basal metabolic rate, or BMR, and will stabilize your level of nutrient oxidation making your body more efficient at utilizing food you put in it.

With the basics out of the way lets talk details now. The goal for a leaning or cutting diet is to be high in protein, low in fat and have a decent amount of carbohydrates. If you wanted to talk ratios it would be approximately 42% carbs, 38% protein, 20% fat with the fats being primarily healthy sources such as olive oil, flax oil, fish, peanuts, fruits and veggies like avocado. Look for good carbs to come from items such as, oatmeal, whole grains, yams, beans, and pasta. For good clean protein look to chicken, turkey, egg whites, seafood like tuna, low fat or fat free yogurt, soy products and 2% and lower milk.

Every man, woman or child that has ever walked this Earth has faced obstacles in life. Small or large these trials are the blocks that forge who we are, defining our individual character through each success and failure. Some people seem to think that failing to succeed makes having tried at all a pointless fact. Ask this of those individuals: what do you accomplish by sitting on your ass criticizing me. We are never going to win every battle but it is impossible to win at all without first attempting. Arm yourself with passion for what it is you are trying to accomplish. True passion is the fire that breathes life into our souls and from this synergy a steeled mind is born. A strong mind is a formidable weapon to bear against any trial that may arise in life because believing is the first step to achieving any level of success. Believe in yourself above all else, that you can do what is needed to do the impossible or unthinkable, then get out there and work. Either at a desk, on the grid iron, on the 18th green or the final stretch on the tarmac, work with all your passion and then some. Push your limits. If you look at your performance and think you are doing good, push harder. Complacency casts all to many a rising star back into the shadows as there are always others who are going to want it more and will do what you will not to get to the top. So we will chronicle these everyday events, people conquering insurmountable tasks and will provide insight and wisdom as best we can to help you go farther and push yourself harder. This blog is aimed at exposing who we are, what we are made of and how nothing can hold us down unless we allow it. Be driven in life and watch as the objects standing in your way fall to the ground; this is the code.