Strength Exercises without a Gym

In the last article Weight Loss I explained how important Nutrition was to losing or gaining weight. You don't need to be in a gym to do strength training muscle building exercises, this will work for anybody needing to lose or gain weight.

Exercise in the form of weight resistance training is my focus of this article today as muscle is our friend so the more we have the friendly we are.
Think about what are the largest muscles on my body as they burn the most
calories?

1-Legs

2-Abdominal muscles

3-Back

This article will focus on these muscle groups and give a couple per group you can do at home without having to go to a gym.

Remember try to work these muscle groups 3 times a week and add a cardio program of some sort into this as well.

Legs Squats will build legs muscles, all the legs muscles such as hip, butt and glutes. Begin by doing them easy as they are tough. Do them holding on a chair or wall and just dip a little try to do 10-12 this way about 3 sets just to get started. Don't go deep yet just bend the knees slightly always keeping your head up and not looking down. Rest no longer than one minute between sets.

Each person has to determine their ability but remember this the deeper you can go down the better it is for the muscle, just take it easy till you can do them without any balance issues ok.

After the squats do lunges. The link will give you an idea how to do them correctly.
Please begin slowly as these are somewhat easy but will talk to you the next
day. As in all exercises work yourself into them and as you get stronger
continue to push and advance yourself.

For a more advanced exercise try the Burpee exercise. This was one of the Marines main bodybuilding exercises. This is a wonderful cardio weight training exercise to build stamina and strength.

Abdominal muscles work together with back muscles a strong back means strong abdominal muscles, and vice versa strong abdominal muscles means a strong back. One reason why allot of people have hurting backs is they have no Abdominal muscles and to much weight pulling on the lower back.

Abs are easy to work there are allot of different ways to work them. Here is a good site to learn some really good abdominal exercises to do at home. Work your stomach muscles as you do any muscle and remember you can't burn fat in one place so doing more ab exercises won't burn stomach fat.

The back is a very important muscle group as it supports our spines and we use our back in just about every exercise we do. Good back exercises to build the back and if you suffer from back pain begin here. Please remember to start slowly but work through minor pain as the muscle you build will relieve the back from pain. After a week or so if persistent pain in the back remains you need to see what is the issue.

More advanced back workouts you can do pull-ups and push ups wide and narrow stance. This really adds muscle to the back and arms.

I will do more articles on working out without weights and provide examples to help for each muscle group. I feel this is a really good starting point for those that either can't afford to go to a gym, lack the time, or just live were there isn't one available.

Start slow get moving and enjoy the life God has so freely given all of us to enjoy and be free.

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Last Project Bathroom Picture

Ok last bathroom picture as I have officially completed this project. Been a real good learning experience and I feel now allot more confident in my carpentry skills. My wife is happy and well pleased with her new place. Before Pictures




Hit the gym this morning and feel really good allot of old faces there it was fun as my hair has been growing out for the last 5 months. Had a great time getting warmed up and hitting the ole weights easy.

I will be posting more on weights and supplement reviews.

Weight Loss Nutrition Detailed Articles and Links

Going over the last article I have given 7 important steps to weight loss. In this article I am backing up what was said with studies, articles and links. Please take your time read use the links read them and put together a plan of attack.

1- Nutrition and Portion sizes is 70% of any weight loss is program. This study actually shows proof although I do not promote weight loss only by nutrition. I stress the importance of nutrition in weight loss and advise an exercise program consisting of weight training and cardio.
Along with proper nutrition reducing portion sizes increases the amount of weight loss drastically. To determine your portion size as we all are different a very easy method that works really well is achieved by using your hand to determine your portion size. This is an easy
method requires no counting, keeping score, or points; besides it is always with you. I discussed how to use your hand to determine portion sizes here.

2- By eating regular frequent meals this helps in several ways as this study shows. "Eating a lot of small frequent meals, you get to the point where you are hungry, but not starving," Kuhn says. "It's about feeding myself so that I have enough energy and I am never hungry, so I don't feel like I am dieting." Add between meal snacks fiber rich bars with a quality protein source.

3- Increase your fiber for several reasons fiber burns calories and fiber is good for your body as this study shows. "In a six-month study of 180 overweight adults, researchers found that whole-grain cereals helped people lose weight while boosting their consumption of fiber, magnesium and vitamin B-6. An excellent source of fiber in a protein I use in my oatmeal and add to milk as a snack during the day is BSN Syntha-6.

4- Increase water consumption to help your body flush itself of the water it has been storing through out all those years of "survival mode". It takes a while, but this is a beautiful thing happening to you. As you continue to give your body all the water it could ask for, it gets rid of what it doesn't need. It gets rid of the water it was holding onto in your ankles and your hips and thighs, maybe even around your belly. You are excreting much more than you realize. Your body figures it doesn't need to save these stores anymore; it's trusting that the water will keep coming, and if it does, eventually, the flushing (of both the body and the potty) will cease, allowing the human to return to a normal life. It's true. This is called the "breakthrough point."

Stay away from soft drinks as this study shows. "What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity," Fowler tells WebMD. "What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher."

In fact, when the researchers took a closer look at their data, they found that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet sodas. "There was a 41% increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day," Fowler says

5- Get an exercise going whatever you can but it is better if a weight training and a cardio going. I will give some ideas on weight training without a gym in the next article ok. If losing weight from exercising wasn't good enough this article will beef up the reason to get an exercise program going and keeping it going.

6- Proper rest between workouts and enough sleep is so important I can't put enough emphases on it. Two studies show without enough sleep the weight piles on and besides being tired usually sabotages all our well made plans.

7- Plan everyday not to quit. Post before pictures on the fridge, bathroom mirror and bed.

I hope this provides you will plenty of information to research, plan, and put into motion a life long change in your battle against weight.

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Using Nutriton to Lose FAT

For the last several days I have been writing about gaining weight and have been asked to do an article on how to lose weight. I have had to do both and have a good understanding on taking off the weight .

First let me say when I say weight I mean one thing Fat not water not muscle but public enemy number one FAT. Fat is the handles, fat is the belly, fat is the arms that continue waving long after you have stopped, Fat is what we want to lose plain and simple nothing else but fat.

I am going to say something here that might surprise ya, Weight is not your problem it is FAT lose the fat we get firm butts drop dress sizes or waist sizes, the flapping arms disappear, and cut line appear. Here is a fact you may not believe but you can actually be in your target weight but still obese due to very little muscle surrounded by Fat. Ever see a person in a bathing suit jiggle like Jell-O when they moved but they didn't look overweight at all but actually if measured by a BMI or Body mass Index were considered obese due to the muscle to fat ratio.

Ok that said how do I lose the fat and retain muscle? Simple yet so misunderstood. For this reason weight loss is a billion bazillion dollar industry because we all want to take something or don't know how to lose the right kind of weight FAT

One important fact to remember is keep everything you do simple, the harder you make the
changes the easier it is to fail. If I had to go around counting this, how many points for that, and this and that I would never be able to think so my plan is simple easy to use need no calculator
and anybody can do it.

One point I want everyone to know is 70% of weight loss or weight gain is proper nutrition 70% this so important.

In this article nutrition is going to be our main focus. I will do articles on exercises in another article. Our meals should consist of one protein one vegetable and one complex carbohydrate. The increase of high fiber foods and water are the closest thing to a magic bullet for blood sugar control and weight loss there is
available.

It is impossible to explain this in one article and I won't try so please come back link to this article I will continue this on a regular basis till completed.

1- Portion size is one of the biggest reasons for weight gain as we are taught from an early childhood "Clean your plate so you grow up strong and healthy" so as the plate size has increased so has the waist size. So what is my portion size? Your hand, Say what!! Ball your fist up this is the size of your vegetable and size of your complex carbohydrate now look at the palm of your hand this is the size of the protein source. Look at the size from the wrist connect to
the thumb and around the fingers back to were you hand joins your wrist. This is so easy to judge and requires nothing but an honest eye to use. In about a month you will so use to the size you will no longer need to compare.

After reading this article do check it out you will surprised at the portion size and how much larger yours has been to what actually needed. Get smaller plates or when going out to eat
always ask for a doggie bag BEFORE the plate gets there and reduce the portion sizes to the correct amount. This will usually give you one to two extra meals as most serve huge portion sizes as our gluttonous nature has demanded it.

2- Know what a serving size is and look just to make sure by looking as I see everyday a small cookie in a wrapped package and look at the number of servings and most of the time it has 2 servings in it. Most people don't see this they see 150 calories 10g sugars but in reality it is 300 calories and 20 sugars.

3- Stay away from as much processed foods as possible and all Trans Fats. Don't know what Trans Fats are here is an article on the dangers of Partially Hydrogenated Fats and a search for more. Read and understand what this silent killer is all about and how many foods this garbage is in.

4- Stay away from the simple carbohydrates or as I call them
white carbs; ie white sugar, white flour etc. and high sugar fruits oranges, banana's, grapes etc.

5- Contrary to popular belief you do not starve yourself you actually do the opposite and eat more often. Say what eat more often your crazy, no because blood sugar levels play a big big role in fat storage so if we can keep our sugar levels from rising and falling dramatically this will help our bodies burn fat.

Example Let say you go to bed at 10 pm get up at 7 am this is a time span of nine hours without food. Our bodies have used up the available protein by now and stored as fat the calories from the previous day.

One very important factor is to remember this our bodies can not store protein.
Protein has to be present in our blood and is an absolute essential element in all our bodily functions. Our bodies store carbohydrates as fat for use in energy when we need them but you have to have the available protein to help burn carbohydrates. So we have been 9 hours without food our sugar levels in our blood are low we are rushed and don't eat till lunch now it has been 14 hours without food.

Your body is now in starvation mode and is producing a enzyme to actually dissolve muscle to be used for a protein source to keep the body working. Sugar levels have continued to drop now we are really hungry and we eat. Sugar levels rise very fast the body throws a much fat into storage as possible and this cycle continues.

One pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day in a non active state. Lose 10 lbs of muscle you have lost 500 calories a day you use to burn and now don't.So what do we do to stop this type of destructive weight loss.

1- Reduce portion sizes
2- Eat regular frequent meals with a quality source of protein, complex
carbohydrate, vegetable at least three times a day.
3-Increase fiber .
4- Increase water more tomorrow
4- Add a couple healthy snacks high in fiber and a quality protein supplement for our between meal snacks.This will keep our bodies well nourished our muscles supplied with protein so our bodies will not store fat but actually be willing to burn the
stuff.

Tomorrow I will put expand with more information.

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Remodel Bathroom Completed

I have just completed the long and difficult task of a bathroom remodel. It was fun, frustrating, tiring, stressful , but worth the time and effort put into it. I still have some small stuff to do put the shower curtain, toilet, hang some towel and shades but the big stuff is done and it's down hill from here on.

Here are the before pictures of bathroom, during the remodel, and the finished pictures below.

I estimated the labor I saved about 7000.00.
The bath cost us
2300.00 Tub
800.00 Tub sink fixtures and added shower
500.00 for the sink counter top
700.00 for tile and added tools for job
400.00 for shower and curtain
300.00 for window and wood products
100.00 light fixtures
200.00 electrical wire and fuses
100.00 Copper tubing

Total spend on material was 5400.00 there is not doubt it would have cost us 12000.00 or better.

Took right at 4 months from tearing out the old bath and closet to now. I took several weeks off and only had 1 1/2 days a week to work on the remodel so it may have taken 4 months but I figured I saved right at 2000.00 a month.

I am taking a couple weeks off getting back to the gym and starting in February laying hardwood flooring in our den and hall.





Shower is in the ceiling with a wrap around shower curtain.

Been fun hope ya'll like the end product don't be afraid to get your feet wet save some money and learn.

God Bless,

Joseph

Nutrition is Vital to Weight Gain

Posted Yesterday was Simple steps to take to gain muscle mass. A more in-depth look at eating or how nutrition is vital to weight gain muscle mass.

Your body needs 3500 calories to gain one pound. That means, in order to
gain one pound a week, you have to consume 500 extra calories every day.

Here are some tips for getting those extra calories into your daily meal plan.
Eat three meals a day plus three snacks between your regular meals and increase the portion sizes in these meals as well.
Try to choose higher calorie foods such as dried fruit, white potatoes, whole grain breads and cereals, whole milk, and peanut butter.
When eating oatmeal or cereal add nuts, seeds, peanut butter and a high protein supplement
to increase the calories. When cooking things like eggs or firing food use
healthy unsaturated fats such as olive and canola oil.

When you lift weight lift hard and try to max out at least once a week. Increase the maximum and have a spotter to help. Weight training helps convert the extra calories into muscle rather than flab. Aim for 3 times per week training. Do the muscle building exercise squats, dead lifts more on this in another article.

Breakfast ideas
1- Blend together 2 cups fruit juice, 1 cup fresh, frozen or canned fruit, 1 cup
yogurt, 1/4 cup dried nonfat milk powder, and 1/4 cup wheat germ or oat bran, 2 scoops protein for a high energy protein liquid meal to go.

2- Spread peanut butter, honey, or jam on large bagels, muffins, whole
wheat bread or toast, graham crackers or stoned wheat crackers. Grab an extra
large banana and wash it down with a tall glass of milk with 2 scoops protein.

3- Oatmeal cook in milk add peanut butter, honey, nuts, banana, raisins and protein.

Snack Ideas
1- Fill a plastic bag with raisins and nuts (trail mix) or your favorite dry cereal.
Grab an 8 oz container of fruit yogurt and a couple cans/boxes of fruit juice.

2- Dry cereal Wheat Chex, Shredded Wheat, Cheerios, Oat Squares, granola.
Add raisins or other dried fruits to boost the calories and carbs.

3- Pretzels: Naturally fat free. Look for reduced salt or salt-free varieties if you
are watching your salt intake.

4- Crackers: Stoned wheat, sesame, bran, RyKrisp, or other low fat or fat free
brands NOTE: Spread with peanut butter or add slices of cheese to boost the
calories and protein.

5- Bagels: The bigger the better. Look for whole wheat, pumpernickel, rye, or
ones with seeds to get the most nutrients. NOTE: Spread with peanut butter,
honey, jam, or low fat cream cheese to boost the calories.

6- Fruits: Bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, or other fresh fruits. NOTE: Dried
fruits (like raisins, apricots, and dates) are especially easy to pack and very
calorie dense.

7- Nuts and seeds: Peanuts, pistachios, almonds, sunflower seeds and other nuts/
seeds are high in calories and good sources of protein, healthy
monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, and several other vitamins and minerals.

8- Protein bars, breakfast bars, and low fat, Clif bars, high protein Chief Jays

Foods to Choose When You Need More Calories

1- Breads whole wheat, oat bran, pumpernickel, or
rye Stay away from white breads. Make peanut butter, jam, or honey sandwiches.

2- Cereals Choose dense cold cereals that have fiber in the supplement facts form whole wheat or oats. Always add protein or weight gain to the cereal when eating for extra calories and protein. When making oatmeal and other hot cereals, use milk instead
of water. Add extra nuts and dried fruits, peanut butter and protein.

3 Vegetables white potatoes, peas, corn, carrots, and squash tend to be higher in calories.
4-Fruits Bananas, pears, apples, pineapple, and all dried fruits raisins, dates, dried
apricots, prunes have more calories than watery fruits such as oranges, peaches,
plums, berries, and watermelon.

5- Soups aren't a really good choice but a selection is always good Select black bean, lentil, split pea, chili with beans, barley, or minestrone soups. These soups have more calories and carbohydrates than broth chicken, beef, and vegetable types. Creamed soups and chowders are also high calorie choices, but are very high in saturated fats.

6- Salads aren't recommend as they are mostly a filler but, pile on the garbanzo and kidney beans,
green peas and corn, chopped vegetables, sunflower seeds and chopped
walnuts, raisins, cottage cheese, lean meats, tuna fish, and croutons. Top with
a liberal amount of vinegar and oil type dressing.
Be careful of the salad dressings as dressings are high in calories, but also high in saturated fats.

7- Drinks should be whole milk, water and protein shakes. Stay away from coffee, tea, especially soft drinks.

Sample Weight Gain Menus

When gaining weight you have to consume more calories than your body burns.
Choose healthily high calorie foods and protein drinks low in white sugars
and make time for three meals plus 3 or more snacks daily.
Here are some sample meal suggestions for high calorie, carbohydrate rich sports meals and snacks.

Eating at Home Approximate Calories

Breakfast

1 cup oatmeal 300

1 table spoon peanut butter 300

1/4 cup raisins 120

1 large banana 130

2 cups milk 300

Total 1150

Lunch

1 7-inch pita pocket 240

1 6.5 oz can tuna 200

4 Tbs. lite mayo 150

1 can lentil soup 360

Protein Shake Milk 300

Total 1250

Dinner

3 cups spaghetti 600

1 cup Prego pasta sauce 300

1 10 oz pkg. frozen spinach 75

1/4 cup parmesan cheese 120

2 slices whole wheat bread butter 300

2 cups milk 300

Total 1695

Snacks

2 Chief Jays protein Bars 820

Day’s Total: 4915 calories

Eating on the Run

Approximate Calories

Breakfast

2 large bagels 600

3 oz lite cream cheese 260

1 protein Shake in shaker Cup 2 cups Milk 2 scoops protein 500

Total 1260 or 1 serving Weight Gain supplement Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass
in Milk

Total 1200

Lunch

1 Double Hamburger 530

1 sm french fries 210

2 Milks 500

Total 1240

Dinner

1 medium thick pizza add extra toppings extra calories 2200

Total 2200

Snack

2 Protein Bars ISS
Research Total 700

Total calories 5340

Try getting this for a couple weeks and watch the scales if you begin gaining hold the intake if not increase it by 500 calories.

I will follow up with more articles on diet, weight training and bodybuilding supplements

This article can be reproduced as long as the above link Bodybuilding
Supplements is published with the article.

Putting on Muscle Mass

Believe it or not just as many men come to me seeking how to gain weight as lose it. The following are the most common reasons gaining weight is so hard.

l. 99% simply do not consume enough food calories and are eating the wrong foods. It happens time after time someone will ask me how to gain weight, and my first question is "What have you eaten today", and without a doubt most will say not much or nothing yet. Folks you have to eat to fuel the body plain and simple. Most men simply do not consume sufficient amounts of protein, complex and simple carbs, fats, good dietary fiber, and they simply keep feeding on simple carbs that just won’t help in weight and muscle gain.

2. Overworking the muscles is another big mistake. A very big misconception is the more I workout the more my muscles will grow. This is very much wrong as if we subject our body to stresses beyond the normal level they can take we actually do just the opposite and burn muscle due to the stress. An example is working out a different muscle group everyday. When is your body suppose to rebuild as it is in a constant state of repair. Remember this; a body will only repair or build when we get proper rest sleep following a good intense workout. Anyone wanting to gain muscle needs proper rest after a workout this includes taking a day off after a workout getting to bed with 7-9 hours a sleep at night

3. Wrong Mindset Many fail to see that gaining muscle mass and weight goes beyond the physical. It begins with the mind, and having the right motivation and mental readiness to follow an exercise regime with adequate rest and making sure my diet is such to promote weight gain. This means getting enough protein, simple and complex carbs, and enough calories to promote the environment to gain muscle is an absolute must. We tend to be short term and want instant results unfortunately, it is unrealistic to expect optimal results in a matter of days or a couple weeks. Give yourself time gaining a couple ponds a month is good in an year you will add 24 pounds and believe me that will make a world of difference in your bodies overall tone.

Recognizing were we need to make changes in our attitudes towards your muscle and weight gaining goal is the first step. Implementing these few basic pointers you can do to get started in the right direction to gaining muscle mass.

1. Eat frequently to fuel the body by getting more calories than what your body is burning. So the first is to eat more. Try to get at least six meals a day. I have a really good breakfast for hardgainers, get some good high calorie protein bars, protein supplements or weight gain supplement and, eat foods that help to gain lean mass and not fat, such as beef, chicken, milk, vegetables, fresh fruits, peanut butter etc. Make a plan when to eat and stick to this plan be prepared.

2. When lifting weights make the workout intense for at least 3 times a week, with each time not more than 1 hour for best results. Go to the gym to workout not get into a conversation, keep your heart rate up with no more than a minute or two between exercise.

I will follow up more on this latter. Follow these simple steps with proper rest, good supplements, and adequate protein and calories gaining muscle mass even in hardgainers will happen. I will follow up with more articles on diet, weight training and bodybuilding supplements.

Built a search for home repair

After searching for all the projects I am doing at home I figured I would save someone allot of time by combining them into a search engine for home do it yourself projects.

I have added the sites I used for information but please feel free if you have a good home repair or related site add it to the search engine I have left it open to the public to add a website for all of us to benifit from.

http://www.keysupplements.com/search-home.htm Is the url of the search for anthing to do with home repair or remodeling.

Enjoy.
Wholesale supplements

Happy New Year everyone

I have been back on the supplement Optimum Nutrition Glucosamine Plus CSA since getting back from visiting my daughter Christmas and I am 100% back no pain at all.

Now about 2 weeks

I tell you I was not able to put any weight on my knee in the morning and during the day it hurt if I sat still very long. I mean it hurt bad like I had tore the thing apart I kid you not.

Tell me it doesn't work or my mother as she says every time she misses a couple days her fingers begin hurting and swell and I will tell you don't know what your talking about. period end of story.

I hope to be able to post the finished bath this weekend will see the tile work is really slow as I had to cut just about every tile laid so far.

Me an the misses did take or first bath in it on our 30th wedding anniversary, it was nice and relaxing.
God Bless your New Year.