Unleashing The Beast :: FitBob

Excerpted from a good article on performance, weight management and nutrition:

“For a number of sports, losing weight, and in particular, reducing body fat, can mean the difference between finishing in the middle of the pack and standing on the podium. Dropping a few pounds may confer an advantage, because it increases your power-to-weight ratio, a term that describes the amount of power you’re able to generate relative to the pounds you’re packing. For a Tour de France cyclist on a mountain stage in the Alps, having the same or more muscle power while carrying less body weight means faster ascents. For runners, every pound that you’re not schlepping around a track or course has a positive impact on pace. Other athletes wish to lose weight to compete in a specific weight class or because appearance is an important element of their sport.”

Full Article at Powerbar.com

2 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup uncooked/raw oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350
Combine ingredients in bowl
Drop onto cookie sheet
Bake 8-10 minutes

Let cool and enjoy!

Wash and dab dry spinach.
Put tablespoon or so of olive oil in large fry pan.
Mince a clove or two of garlic and saute for a minute or so in oil.
Place spinach in same pan.
Toss to cook evenly.
When wilted, add a tablespoon of (preferably) fresh basil and a tablespoon of lemon verbena, both chopped.
Cover and simmer for a few minutes then serve.
Enjoy!

Since most ground beef comes in one pound packages, I cook up four servings at a time and refrigerate leftovers for easy grazing later.

Dice one medium onion, saute with olive oil, garlic, and black pepper. Add other spices to taste. Add ground beef, mixing occasionally until browned. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pasta water; cook broccoli plain (in water only) and sprinkle with lemon juice before serving.

One serving is:
112g (1/4 pound) 96% Lean Ground Beef
56g dry (135g cooked) Whole Grain Rotini
Organic Pasta Sauce
Broccoli with Lemon Juice

CPF ratio: 45-40-15

340 cals, 33g protein, 38g carbs, 6g fat (1.5g sat) /serving

(calories approximated, does not including sauce/veggies – those are freebies!)

Randall Mack has an interesting post on the obesity problem in America, here’s an excerpt:

“It starts on the demand-side of the obesity equation. A multigenerational fix is needed as everything from increasing human exercise and the population`s physical activity to education on food choices to reduction in out-of-control consumption are needed to fix the problem. That means long-term behavioral changes. I think the government has given up on an entire generation. Changing behaviors is difficult the older one becomes. So one of the clear foci has become kids, and the encouraging – or demanding – of physical activity and fresher foods in schools rather than sedentary video gaming and McDonalds. It is a revolution that will be led on the demand-side of the equation.”

Full post: http://randallmack.com/japan/americas-obesity-problem/

A buddy of mine recently wrote some insightful posts on America’s Obesity Problem and Tackling Childhood Obesity , read ‘em and weep. (Literally.)

“You can’t out-train bad nutrition.”
-Anon

This is my what my countertop (with food log) looks like at the moment:

NaturalNews Tip of the Day: Most people know that eating pomegranates protects prostate health, but did you know that pomegranate juice may actually contain more natural medicine than fresh pomegranate seeds? That’s because pomegranate juice includes the powerful bitters found in the white pulp of the fruit — the part normally avoided when eating fresh fruit. So drink pomegranate juice to really pump up your pom power!

In addition to regular meals, I am currently taking the following supps:

Whey Protein

Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)

Creatine

Glutamine

Vitamins: Multivitamin, B, C, Calcium

Congugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), Omega-3 (Fish Oil) – DO NOT take together, as they counteract each other

Glucosamine/Chondroitin (for joints – my knees in particular, keeps ‘em greased)

Green Tea Extract

Gaspari Nutrition Superpump 250 Nitric Oxide booster (pre-workout)

Melatonin, ZMA (Zinc, Magnesium, Vitamin B) (pre-sleep)