My Fytness Journal

More to come. But I am back.

High levels of sodium lurk in many of the foods we eat. Anything processed like meats and cheese, snacky snacks, beef jerky, soy sauce, canned soup, and pickled foods are just some of the culprits. Sports drinks, V8, and many canned teas are bad as well. Nothing like good ol' water folks...

I try to keep my sodium levels under 2500mg. People who don't track their sodium have no idea how hard this is. That cuts out all fast foods, processed meats, most juices, my favorite cheeses, and many restaurants. Places like Chili's, Ruby Tuesday, and Applebee's load their food with sodium. Even the "Guiltless Grill" choices are so high in sodium, I get thirsty just thinking about it.

One of the main reasons for avoiding sodium is the water retention. I feel bloated and tired when I consume too much salt. And the 3 to 4 extra pounds of water does not help during those weigh-ins. In addition, high blood pressure risks are very real when you maintain a healthy regime of high sodium foods.

The only people who should consume high amounts of sodium are ultra-endurance athletes. I don't know any of those and if you are reading this you most likely are not one either. Always check the sodium content of food. If you can't find it, don't eat it!

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It is the boys last weekend in OC before he heads back to Canada for the summer. He requested a trip to In n' Out and I couldn't refuse him. If there is one thing he likes it is beef. He had a 3x3 and I had a double "protein style" of course. Was not too bad actually. I make waaayyy better burgers but it is hard to beat the ambiance. Missing those tomatoes. Well, just me because the boy hates them. It is a texture thing.

Arm day went great today. Did three exercises for both biceps and triceps. Actually did a decent amount of weight and my stamina was respectable. Nowhere near where I want it to be but I can live with it for my second week back. Also, cardio was good this morning. I pushed myself a little harder than normal and really got a nice sweat.

Went with Amanda and the boy to see a movie tonight. I forced em' to see The Strangers. It stared some guy I have never seen before and the elf princess from LOTR, Liv Tyler. I am not a big fan of hers and the movie was kinda lame. It reminded me of why I am not a horror movie fan. The boy was not happy with me for making him go. Oh well, now he has another little tidbit to tell his therapist in 20 years. :o)

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When working your delts, it is important to think of them as three separate muscles. You have the front, side, and rear delts. Each requires attention in order to fully work this muscle group.

For front delts, I like seated presses on the Smith machine where I increment the weight by 25's and do 12 reps. I keep adding a 25 until I get to five a side. I then start taking them off one 25 at a time until I have just the bar. Another exercise I will do is standard shoulder dumb bell presses seated on a bench, with back support.

For side delts, I like side dumb bell raises utilizing a drop set where I do a set of 12 reps and then cut the weight in half and immediately do 12 more. I do three sets of these. Also, another good exercise for side delts are cable side raises to get a nice slow burn.

Finally, for rear delts (see picture above) I will sit on a flat bench and lean over until my chest is almost touching my quads. I then do dumb bell raises with a 90 degree bent arm to really attack those rear delts. A bent over lateral it is called. This is how you get that separation of tricep and shoulder. A good superset for this exercise is to use the cable crossover to mimic this exercise but concentrate on the flex at the top.

Now, keep in mind that these are just a few of the exercises I like to do. I have found them to work very well for me in the past. To get maximum results you should mix it up and keep shocking your body into new growth. I will detail more exercises coming up soon.

It is important to remember, that for delts it is not how much weight you do, but how good you do the exercise. Lots of weight when you can't handle is a great way to injure your shoulder. And, that is one joint you do not want to mess up. Slow, controlled motion with lots of drop sets or supersets to really get a good burn. In my opinion, that is the best way to get results.

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It is tough to find tasty low carb/high protein snacks, but here are few I like to eat:

• Roasted edamame - Very high in fiber, try the raw as well
  
• Cottage cheese - Throw in some fruit or yogurt for a twist
  
• Protein shake - I use Optimum Nutrition and Muscle Milk
  
• Hard boiled egg - Great quick and easy food that you can buy at any grocer if you are in a rush
  
• String cheese sticks - High in protein and virtually no carbs, which is nice
  
• Jerky - High in protein but watch the sodium
  

Be conscious of the carbs and sodium people!!! And always remember, everything in moderation...

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In case you haven't heard, the FDA is warning of a salmonella outbreak linked to certain kinds of raw tomatoes and raw-tomato products (such as salsa, pico de gallo, gazpacho, salads and garnishes). Salmonella from raw tomatoes has been reported in 17 states so far. As a precaution, many grocery chains and restaurants are taking tomatoes off the menu until the exact source is found.

According to the FDA, we should avoid Roma tomatoes, plum tomatoes, and round red tomatoes from affected states. The following kinds of tomatoes are deemed safe: homegrown tomatoes, tomatoes on the vine, grape and cherry tomatoes.

Symptoms of Salmonella include stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting, which can appear 12 to 72 hours after consuming contaminated foods.

For updates and more details about which states are affected, check the FDA's website here.

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There are many arguments as to whether doing cardio on an empty stomach in the morning is beneficial (just do a Google search on it and you will see). It is hard to say what is right or wrong in this respect. If you simply look at the studies you will never come up with a valid conclusion.

I go by my experience. I have found that doing cardio in the morning helps me tighten up and gives me a great start to the day. I think that if your nutrition is good and your are healthy, morning cardio is of great benefit.

I typically start with 5 minutes of warm up and jump right into 30 minutes of intense cardio followed by a 5 minute cool down. I change my exercises every time I do it. I use the elliptical, bike, inclined walking, or whatever the gym has. For those 30 minutes, I like to get my heart rate up to between 120 and 130 (this will vary depending on your age and health). I do this on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. However, on Saturday I like to do a full hour where I increase and decrease the level of difficulty. Kind of like circuit training. It is good to mix things and keep shocking your body into new growth (this is another whole separate topic that I will get into soon).

As in my previous post dealing with muscle or fat burning, there are methods to determine what effect the morning cardio on an empty stomach is having on your body. Remember, you only want to burn fat. If you find you aren't burning fat, change your eating plan and workout routine.

One of the biggest positives I get from morning cardio, other than fat burning, is that it wakes me up and gets me going for the rest of the day. I find, for my body anyways, that some good intense exercise in the AM really gets my motor running and actually makes me more energetic for my work day. I am firm believer in getting a good sweat on at least 3 times a week.

So get up and get that AM cardio going! As with anything, plan well. If you get your gym clothes ready the night before and place them beside the bed, it will make it easier on you to do cardio. Don't take the easy way out, but make things easier on yourself. Preparation is key when comes to a lifestyle change. If you have to fumble around for your gym shoes and clothes in the morning, you will make excuses not to do it. Don't do that to yourself! If you fail to plan, you plan to fail...

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