We have made it half way through the work week and I hope everyone's energy is running high.

Exercise and Martial Arts


Even though this has been a very stressful and busy week I have maintained for the most part my exercise routine. Looking back on the log sheet that I have been keeping I realize that I have been skipping my push-ups. I usually do those in the evening. That makes it more difficult because once I am at home my body goes into a relaxation mode and I forget about the exercising. I am really struggling to break free from this thought process.

I want to briefly discuss developing upper body strength, specifically arm strength. As you probably have noticed, I utilize a few techniques. They are triceps push downs, push-ups, and pull-ups both overhand and underhand. I want to focus on pull-ups. Most people are use to doing pull-ups on a nice level solid bar. I want to challenge you to change that way of thinking. I have constructed a pull-up bar that I use at work. This consists of hanging a bar form a chain. Mine uses and chain hoist that I can adjust to the proper height to better fit the user. I am considering modifying my design to have a chain attached to both ends of the bar. That will still allow for movement in the bar but not have the chain getting in the way of my face. Try using a bar that moves and you will realize that it takes far more strength to accomplish the pull-ups and that you can not do as many as you would with a solid, stationary bar. Maybe even less than half of what you were doing. This movement allows for the use of various other muscles that normally would not be used. That give the arms a much better workout. Give this a try and let me know how it works for you.

Remember that by exercising you not only strengthen the body but also the mind. It is a great stress reliever for the day. Whether you work out in the morning, through out the day, or even at the end of the day, working out helps relieve the stress from the day. I spread my workouts throughout the day. I feel that I am releasing stress at just the right times of the day to help keep my mind focused on the task at hand. Have a great day and keep the workouts energized.


Cooking and Healthy Eating


I have been talking now about some of the super foods that are out there that give us a lot of vitamins and mineral. Hopefully some of you are progressing toward the fruits and vegetables. This will help provide the energy that is needed to make it through the day. Also by eating these types of foods you need less other supplements that are packed with vitamins and minerals but also packed with binders which is used in the pill making process.  How good are those binders anyway? Can we do with out them? Yes.

I want to move onto another topic. This is especially important for those whose are not meat eaters, protein. How are we going to get enough protein in our diet. One way is to eat meat. Meat is high in protein. What I do not like about meat is that there is a considerable amount of time wasted in preparing it. Smells good and tastes great but with our busy lives are there quicker alternatives?

For some time now I have been wanting to find foods that are high in protein that are easy for me to take to work. I don't have a lot of time to prepare it and do not have the facilities to cook a good steak for lunch. I have I high energy workout around noon everyday and would like to have a high protein meal shortly after that workout. I have been scouring the internet looking for solutions to this issue. Here is what I am finding.

Now I am not going to list every food that I have found on every website, but rather highlight some of them that I find most important.

• From http://www.livestrong.com I feel that the best of these foods are nuts and seeds. Things like peanuts, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds are to on my list. Eating the seeds whole is great, also as with peanuts, just take a spoonful of natural peanut butter and eat it off of a spoon that. I like to do that and I find that my kids are doing that also. Great for everyone.
• Also from http://www.livestrong.com I am glad to see that sprouts are listed. Things like soybean and wheat sprouts are very healthy and have considerable protein.
• I have also visited another site that has another one that I am currently working into my diet, kale. I am getting this information off of the http://www.365daysofkale.com website. I have known that this packs a great amount of protein and I have also heard that some body builders use kale as their source of protein, but I have not officially been able to confirm that fact.

So I am suggesting that you add these high protein items to your diet. These will work in conjunction with the fruits and vegetables that you are currently eating. These things will help rid your body of the toxins that we consume in our food as they have been commercially processed.

Oh and one last thing, please remember to eat your chia seeds. During my first week eating them, along with fruit, I lost 3 pounds and I am not a person that needs to loose weight.