Month: February 2014

7 Nutritional Hacks

I just finished reading an article from my Twitter feed called “7 Nutritional Hacks” published by Bodybuilding.com.  Lots of good advice, but one thing that struck me was HACK NO. 5: DON’T BOIL YOUR VEGETABLES.  Now think about this it really makes sense, they are not saying eat them raw, but don’t boil the heck out of them leaching all the nutrients into the water.  They are suggesting in this article if you want to cook them you can saute them in butter or steam them, or if you must boil them then drink the water they were boiled in.  This all seems very logical to me, but now I must find a steamer that won’t turn my vegetables into mush, maybe the saute route would be better.  This is really about taking something that is good for you and making sure you are getting the maximum nutritional value and not pouring most of the good stuff down the drain.

Can anyone recommend a good steamer?

Read about the other 6 nutritional hacks at Bodybuilding.com

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/7-nutritional-hacks-for-greater-health.html?mcid=twit05021814

 

5 Keys to Happiness

happiness sign

This comes from an article I just read on LinkedIn by their CEO Jeff Wiener.  He talks about what his mentor Ray Chamber taught him were the 5 keys to happiness.  I thought these 5 keys to happiness would be something we could all embrace.  I’ve added a bit of my own qualifications if you will to each of these keys to happiness.

  1. Live in the moment – No not tomorrow, not yesterday, not next week, but NOW!  Face it there is no point living in the past, and little benefit to always thinking about the future. Living in the moment allows us to do our best right now and makes us the most available to those other humans that we live on this earth with.
  2. It’s better to be loving than to be right – Thinking you are smarter than everyone else makes you a real pain in the ass, and when you do it to people you love or like it makes you even a bigger pain in the ass.  This key to happiness is not so easy to pull off, especially for those of us who want to tell everyone the right way to do something; not teach them but tell them.
  3. Be a spectator to your own thoughts, especially when you become emotional – Have you ever got all worked up and written one of those long winded emails only to hit the Cancel button as it begins to occur to you that your emotions have got the best of you? Do you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts about someone or some organization, that are probably more than a bit ill founded? Having some ability to analyze your thoughts when they become less than calm and tranquil can help you get back some sense of happiness, or you can continue to fall into the pain in the ass category as in #2.
  4. Be grateful for at least one thing every day – So even on those days where you think the wheels are coming off, think of one thing you are grateful for.  I used to write once a week all the things I was grateful for, but found that is not a frequent enough of a reminder to make a difference on a daily basis.  So if you journal or blog or just meditate each day, think of that one thing you are grateful for. For example traffic was pretty good today, lunch was very good, I felt great after or during my workout, I had a great meeting at work today, I helped someone with their work, I showed someone appreciation for what they do, and the list goes on and on; pick one.
  5. Help others every chance you get – In this self serving, me oriented planet we spend our time focused on our own goals often at the exclusion of everything and everyone around us. I am as guilty of this as the next person, but fortunately I know other people that have taken this to heart and helping others seems very effortless to them.  In fact they seem quite happy about it, so I am trying to emulate them and see if it makes me happier too. When you do allow your mind to wander back to the past you find those times you spend mentoring, teaching, and doing something nice for others is what you remember fondly.

What are your keys to happiness?

The complete article is at: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140210025756-22330283-five-keys-to-happiness?trk=tod-home-art-list-small_2

Favorite Triceps building exercises

I just completed the Triceps section under the Exercises page of this blog.  You know those muscles on the back of your arms, not the flab the muscles (see the picture below).  Using the exercises I’ve outlined in the Triceps section you can create some substantial triceps and add to the overall strength and symmetry of your arms.  Stay tuned for more exercises and muscle groups we haven’t covered yet.

male triceps

Another favorite vegetable – The Lima Bean

baby-lima-beans

Last time I posted on the topic of nutrition I spent a little time talking about how spinach is a good choice for a vegetable, but I can’t eat spinach all the time.  Another big favorite vegetable of mine is the Lima Bean.  So again pulling out my Nutrition Data app and it says that 100 grams of Lima beans has the following nutritional makeup:

  • Calories 105
  • Total Fat 0.3g
  • Saturated Fat 0.1g
  • Total Carbs 19.4g
  • Fiber 6.7g
  • Sugars 1.4g
  • Protein 6.6g

I guess for me another revelation is how much protein you can get from some of these vegetables.  There is almost as much protein in 100 grams of Lima beans as there is fiber.  So if we convert grams to ounces and assume I ate about 7 ounces (200 grams) of Lima beans we find that I consumed 13.4 grams of fiber and 13.2 grams of protein.  Not bad for some baby Lima beans and very little sugar.  Yes I did throw in a little butter, salt, and pepper to make it all palatable.  I guess one could recommend Lima beans as a decent source of fiber and protein, and this is what continues to amaze me.  My quest to discover the fat, sugar, fiber, and protein content of vegetables will continue.  Something all you nutrition experts already knew, but including some veggies can boost your protein intake like I never would have imagined.