The basics on vitamins. (What they do and which foods they are in...)

Vitamin A

Function – supports vision, skin, bone, and tooth growth, immunity and reproduction.

Found in – mangos, carrots, butter-nut squash, pumpkin, broccoli, beef liver.

Vitamin B1

Function – supports energy metabolism and nerve function.

Found in – watermelons, tomatoes, spinach, soy milk, lean ham & pork chops, sunflower seeds.

Vitamin B2

Function – supports energy metabolism, normal vision and skin health.

Found in – spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, milk, eggs, liver, oysters, clams.

Vitamin B3

Function – supports energy metabolism, skin health, nervous system, and digestive system.

Found in – spinach, potatoes, tomatoes, lean ground beef, chicken breast, shrimp, tuna, liver.

Vitamin B6

Function – amino acids and fatty acid metabolism.

Found in – bananas, watermelons, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, spinach, chicken breasts, white rice.

Vitamin B12

Function – used in new cell synthesis, helps break down fatty acids and amino acids, supports nerve cell maintenance.

Found in – milk, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, shellfish.

 Vitamin C

Function – used in new cell synthesis, helps break down fatty acids and amino acids supports nerve cell maintenance.

Found in – mangos, orange, lemon, grapefruit, strawberries, kiwi, spinach, broccoli, red bell peppers, snow peas, tomatoes.

Vitamin D

Function – promotes bone mineralization.

Found in – fortified milk, egg yolk, liver, fatty fish, via sunlight.

Vitamin E

Function – antioxidant, regulation of oxidation reactions, supports cell membrane stabilization.

Found in – polyunsaturated plant cells, avocado, cod, shrimp, tofu, wheat sunflower seeds.

Vitamin K

Function – synthesis of blood clotting, proteins regulates blood calcium.

Found in – spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, leafy green vegetables, liver.

Folate

Function – supports DNA synthesis and new cell function.

Found in – tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, okra, green beans, black eyed peas. 

** Restrictive Health Fantasies **

Diets Let's Keep it Simple the Word Diet Officially Stands for ' An Individuals particular Nutritional Intake ' meaning your Diet will be different to my Diet, will be different to your friends Diet, that will be different to your family's Diet etc. . . and so on . . . So why in the HELL DO PEOPLE RESTRICT THEIR INTAKE for a numeric number on a Scale ?!? 

(That's CORRECT people ensure that the word DIET now means or is Equal to a RESTRICTIVE Nutritional Intake . This is Stupid . . . . Learn to re-educate your mind on whether you feel FULL or CONTENT . . . . )

Content means you eat till you no longer need that said food. (even if food is left on the plate i.e learn to sort your PORTION CONTROL OUT! etc . . . .) FULL means you're eating till BLOATED and thus the basics of WEIGHT-GAIN meaning your Stomach expands = EXCESS CALORIES = WEIGHT-GAIN! This is the majority of the U.K's problems . So Rule No.1 - has and always will be EVERYTHING IS GOOD FOR YOU IN THE CORRECT MODERATION AND PROPORTION ! 

Unless you are either 

1.) - Intolerant to that food or 

2.) Medically allergic to that food , then you should NEITHER RESRTICT or STOP eating FOOD ! = FACT ! Stupid Diets ! 

The Clues in the Name DIET look the 1st 3 Letters they Spell D.I.E . . . . Meaning YES 90% of these people who so called DIET as in RESTRICT FOOD will 1.) FAIL and 2.) Your putting your Health & Fitness at Risk so MEH ! No reason why you might Die ! In-fact the other day some friends of mine INFORMED me of a Girl who's been on Juice Plus for 2 Month collapsed in the Gym and got hospitalized and they don't have the Common sense to realize it's association with just Drinking Liquids I seriously am losing my Faith in a lot of people these days ! Listen to your Body 

Eat - Chew - Churn - Digest ! = Enjoy Food  

On another RANT NOTE it sickens me to think certain Nutrition Clubs shall we say Associate the word SIN with foods. Way to go in helping people gain the start of Eating Problems and Health Disorders!!! .. Your practically making your Meetings out to be Church like with this is an Angelic Food and this is a SINFUL Food = ALL WRONG! 

To all who are on Diets (restricting food) . I shall enjoy my Ice Cream , Steak , chocolate , Coffee etc . . . And still have an AWESOME PHYSIQUE! Unlike these who eat no meat and just fruit juices and veg . . . . Makes me laugh when they can't justify or see the wrongness in their ways. Hopefully they will realise ! Moderation and Proportion ! I've nailed it so can you ! I promise you FOOD IS NOT BAD FOR YOU  . . . But some will learnt he hard way when SLAMMING WEIGHT BACK IN and I stay a Healthy Weight all year round... 

- JLH - 

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- The Abdominal Rules ! -

The Abdominal Rules.

1 – Don’t do sit-ups –

There is no single best move for building a solid six pack! Least of all of them is the simple sit up, as placing your feet under a bench and raising your chest works your chest to knees working your hip flexors and NOT the abdominals.

2 – Work your whole –

Body compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts require your abdominals to provide stability throughout the movement so performing them as part of your training will stimulate both the deep-lying and outer core muscles to build a strong and stable midsection.

3 – Hit your abs from all angles –

Standard crunches will only hit the top part of your abs but adding reverse crunches will work the bottom. Whilst twisting crunches will hit oblique’s all help to develop a complete 6 pack.

4 – Keep Cardio Short –

Cardio exercises should revolve around interval training and hill sessions rather than long steady-paced runs to maximise calorie burn. This helps shift the layer of fat.

5 – Bring the changes –

Variation is the key to keeping your abs working and developing if you just repeat the same old exercise and routine and don’t introduce any new exercises your muscles will stop responding. Alternate your routines throughout the week to keep building those abs.

6 – Eat more Protein –

To build muscle you need to eat between 1.5g to 2g of lean protein per kilo of bodyweight every day. Even then you may not be able to see your six pack if your body fat percentage is higher than 10% so you need to burn more calories than you consume. This will shift that excess flab.

7 – Train standing up –

Doing all your abdominal exercises both, high and low on a mat means one side of your body is switched off when you’re working the other. Standing exercises that involve a twist or rotation, such as woodchop on the cable machine work the core in a single movement/unit. This will help provide better protection against both strains and injury.

8 – Treat the Abdominals like any other muscle –

To build your abs work them like you would with all your other major muscle groups. Start with sets of 10 – 15 repetitions, leaving a day’s rest between sessions and increase intensity by adding extra sets. Bashing out 200 reps of an abs exercise every day won’t lead to a six-pack but a hernia.

9 – Get down Lower –

Defining the top 4 abdominal muscles is a lot easier than the bottom two – unless you include specific exercises to work them hard. Start with reverse crunches with your legs either on a SWISS ball or straight up in the air.

10 – Do Static Holds –

Muscles are made from both fast twitch and slow twitch fibre. Holding a position or a weighted position in a static position targets both groups at once. Improving the muscles overall strength and stability in one exercise. Moves like the plank are most effective providing you hold this position for at least more than 5 seconds.

11 – Add resistance to crunches to build muscle –

Start with a dumb-bell or medicine ball across your chest and close to the body to add resistance to crunches to force your abdominals to work harder. Gradually increase the difficulty by extending your arms above your head holding the weight.

12 – Have Perfect Posture –

Maintaining a good posture throughout the day even when you’re sitting at your desk will activate those all-important deep-lying stabilising muscles that are vital for a strong core – SO SIT UP STRAIGHT!

13 – Build it Up –

Don’t get too comfortable using the same routine or if your finding your flying through the exercises. Try increasing the resistance Gradually adding heavier weights into your training will help to develop and increase the muscles Strength.

14 – Don’t ignore the deep-lying muscles –

Performing exercises such as the plank works the inner core muscles which provide the stability that allows the outer muscles to become bigger and stronger.

15 – Stretch your Core –

Improving your core flexibility ads recovery. Long, supple muscles allow for better blood flow, which helps nutrients to reach your muscles.

16 – Slow your REPS Down! –

Muscles will only grow if they are held under tension and slowing down the speed of each rep will keep them engaged for longer. For crunches count to three on the way up old for two. Before lowing again in three.

17 – Use a Gym Ball –

Training on an unstable surface such as a gym ball recruit far more muscle fibres to hold you steady than on a flat environment. All these fibres receive microscopic tears, which are repaired and so grow back bigger and stronger.