 Lab studies have shown that cinnamon has antioxidant effects, fights bacteria, and may reduce inflammation. There is also evidence that Cinnamon may be a solution for blood sugar control, weight loss, alertness, creating natural disinfectants, cancer prevention, IBS , and more! Read the 20 Health Benefits of Cinnamon !
It's so easy to incorporate cinnamon into your diet. I sprinkle it in my coffee and tea, on my fruit, toast, oatmeal, and yogurt! I absolutely love the taste, and love how it makes my stomach feel after I eat it. Try to incorporate cinnamon into your daily diet!
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 It's vital that we have aspirations and that we seek to always improve. Every day is another opportunity to learn, grow, and take another step closer towards reaching our goals!
However, in the midst of climbing that mountain, stop for a second. Take a breath and reflect. Be thankful for where your are now, what you have achieved so far (or what you just happened to be blessed with!) Don't be so focused on all the things that you "want" that you forget to appreciate the things that you already have.  This is my favorite workout Mantra!
If you don't know what a Mantra is, it's a repeated meditation in your head and it's unbelievably powerful! When the going gets tough, remind yourself - You got this! Whether your squatting, lifting, pushing, or pulling- there comes a point where your body will beg you to slow down or stop before your reps are finished or your goal is reached. That's when you go into mantra mode. Tell yourself, and believe that YOU GOT THIS! Push through! If your completing your reps or reaching that goal with ease, well then guess what? Your body can handle more! Either increase your weight, or add more reps! Challenge yourself! Your thoughts you think will determine your success. When you feel like giving up, dropping that weight, or slowing your pace, remind yourself, over and over again, "you got this"- And you will have it!  I was inspired by this Hawaiian Meatball Recipe on Ready Set Eat, However, I totally revamped it! Instead of rice, I made Cous Cous, and it was ridiCOUS-ly delicious!!!! I also made the meatballs with Turkey meat instead of chop meat. Check out the original recipe, and then see how I revamped it below!
If you're a fan of sweet/salt combo's you have got to try this! I'll definitely be making this again and again.  I eat Almonds almost everyday. Do I absolutely LOVE them and crave them? Are they the most delicious snack I could choose? NO! No, they are not. I typically eat the salt free, raw kind, and there is nothing too tantalizing about them. However, they are so super duper healthy, and for that reason, I make sure I eat them often. When your hungry for a snack, it's easy to act on impulse and grab whatever your initially craving, (or whatever is available) that isn't necessarily nutritious (Ice-cream, pretzels, chips, or a cookie). I usually go for something sweet! But this is what I do to keep myself in check... I grab a handful of almonds (I like to keep them in the freezer. They don't freeze, they're just nice and cold!), and I eat them along with my treat. This really works for me. It balances my blood sugar levels, fills me up, and keeps me from over indulging. So instead of eating 3 cookies, I will eat a handful of almonds, and then only 1 cookie. I'm happy, satisfied, and I didn't deprive myself from what I really wanted. Also, I love fruit, and I have found that if I eat a few almonds or nuts with a piece of fruit, that will hold me over for a long time, and also satisfy me even if initially what I wanted was icecream, or a cookie... It's a brilliant trick to play on yourself! Finish reading the wonderful benefits of eating almonds, and try my trick on your next snack break!
Sources:
www.care2.com www.whfoods.com  I often feel pressure.
Pressure that I put on myself. The pressure is what wakes me up at 5:30AM. The pressure is what lights a fire under my butt! The pressure is what helps me make the right decisions. It's what drives my ideas, forces me to step outside my comfort zone, and constantly reminds me of my goals, therefore inspiring me to take ACTION every single day! When you feel a bit overwhelmed from pressure, switch the flip! See it in a positive light instead of a negative. Instead of letting it weigh you down, turn it into your motivation juice! Believe it or not, the pressure is good for you!  In part 1 we discussed myofibrils, and mitochondria - two important components that make up muscle cell fiber.
Myofibrils call for strength & performance of work, and mitochondria are the powerhouses. You have three muscle fiber types; the white fast twitch, the red fast twitch, and the red slow twitch muscle fibers. What makes them different is their varying number and size of the myofibrils and mitochondria. In the white fast twitch muscle fibers we have the greatest number and size of myofibrils. And there are more myofibrils in the red fast twitch then in the red slow twitch (but not AS many as the white fast twitch). Got it? So white fast twitch are the strongest THEN red fast twitch, and then red slow twitch. The white fast twitch muscle fibers have the fewest mitochondrial elements, restricting the duration of its contractions. The red fast twitch have more mitochondrial elements then the white fast twitch, meaning it can contract for longer periods prior to failing. And finally, the red slow twitch have the greatest amount of of mitochondrial elements. They can sustain contractions for much long periods then the other two muscle fiber types! Human muscle contain a genetically determined mixture of both slow & fast fiber types. The red slow twitch are called slow because they are more efficient at using oxygen to generate fuel (known as ATP), for continuous extended contractions over a long time. They take longer to fatigue then the fast twitch fibers. The slow twitch fibers are what is needed to run a marathon, jump rope, bicycle, or do other physical activities for an extended period of time! And back to the fast twitch fibers- they are much better at generating short bursts of strength or speed. They use anaerobic metabolism to create fuel. Although much stronger and powerful (the fire up rapidly), they fatigue quickly. Having fast twitch fibers are an asset to someone who quickly wants to generate lots of force, like a sumo wrestler taking down his opponent! So there you have it! Part 1 and Part 2 of the endless information to be had on the Amazingness going on inside your body!! Sources: www.brittanica.com http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/377106/messenger-RNA-mRNA www.sportsmedicine.about.com http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/MuscleFiberType.htm NFPT.com Personal Fitness Trainer. Certification Preparation Manual. Fundamental Theory and Practical Application for the Personal Trainer. VOLUME ONE.  The human body is absolutely fascinating.
The more I learn about my body, the more I want to use it- dance, and jump, do handstands, and lift heavy things! While studying to become a personal trainer, I learned so much about how our bodies work, and I was constantly in awe. Did you know that you have different muscle fiber types? This determines your strength & stamina, and your genetics play a major role! With consistent training, you can absolutely develop your muscle fibers and improve their ability, so don't blame Mom if your a slow runner! (OK, maybe you can blame her a little bit!) In your body, you have three muscle fiber types; the white fast twitch, the red fast twitch, and the red slow twitch muscle fibers. They have the same internal components, in varying number and size! Each fiber is stimulated to contract by a branch of the neuron called an axon. The skeletal muscle cell fiber consists of several components, each having a specific function. The contractile components are called the myofibrils. They allow for strength and performance of work! When it's stimulated to contract, they experience a contractile shortening and increase in circumference. They are comprised of the proteins called actin and myosin, which slide into each other during these contractions. Lifting something very heavy and slowly will have its primary effect on the actin and myosin in the myofibril! Mitochondria are known as the POWERHOUSES of the cell, and they are located all along the myofibril! They produce energy aerobically (with use of oxygen) in the form of energy called ATP! The ATP energy is used during contractions- your every day activities, and and recovery needs. The cells will adapt by building more mitochondria if you partake in regular and intense high rep resistance training (ie. High reps with a lower weight, opposed to a heavy weight with lower reps.) By training this way, you will improve your cellular energy storage and ATP production capacity! The muscle tissue cells also contain several nuclei. They are positioned along the entire length of the muscle fiber and are embedded in the Sarcolemma (cell membrane!). The nuclei contain DNA which control all cellular functions and respond to hormonal stimulations from the pituitary, adrenal, and thyroid glands. (The absence of this stimulation would result in inactivity and degeneration of the muscle tissue cell). The DNA transfers information! So information goes from the nucleus, to the mRNA housed in the nucleolus. mRNA take instructions from the DNA to the ribosomes. The ribosomes are elements that actually manufacture body protein! They occur in the rough sarcoplasmic reticulum (which is located along the entire length of the myofibril components). Ribosomes are the ASSEMBLY LINE! They build & repair the contractile proteins actin and myosin in the damaged myofibrils using available intracellular amino acids resulting in growth of tissue! OK, so let's stop right here and call this post Part 1! It get's more and more interesting! I personally love learning about my muscles and what they are experiencing, because it motivates me to push through my workouts and embrace the burn! Sources: www.brittanica.com http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/377106/messenger-RNA-mRNA www.sportsmedicine.about.com http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/MuscleFiberType.htm NFPT.com Personal Fitness Trainer. Certification Preparation Manual. Fundamental Theory and Practical Application for the Personal Trainer. VOLUME ONE.  Stop procrastinating!
If you're like me you sometimes spend more time writing your "to do" list then actually DOING the things on them. Stop thinking. Start doing. Action! |
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