New Years Resolutions

Here are our top 5 recommended New Years resolutions:

1. Stop eating processed foods and drinks. Stop drinking sodas (both regular and diet). Eat REAL foods similar to those our ancestors lived off of. If you can't find it in your kitchen - it shouldn't be in the ingredient list! Stop eating sugar, PERIOD. Did you know that sugar can be a real addiction? It acts like a drug to your brain.
2. Drink a gallon of water each and every day! Yes, you read that right, 128 oz! You need the water for your body to flush toxins out of your cells.
3. Eat whole grain foods (The word 'whole' has to be in the ingredient list to be valid). Stay away from white foods which are normally highly processed. Think brown rice.
4. Eat vegetables at each and every meal. And don't 'schedule' your meals around a particular time. Eat for FUEL when and only when your body needs food for fuel. Some days you may only eat once and that's OK. 
5. Get 8 hrs of sleep. Your body needs the battery recharge. Don't skimp here!

Remember if you're trying to lose weight, weight loss can be accomplished through eating healthy. Just say NO to temporary 'diets.' Make a permanent lifestyle change based on good all-around habits! Your body will thank you for it. It's never too late to take back your life and body.

Tip: If you don't think you have the will power to make changes 'cold turkey' just tell yourself you get one 'free' day. Eat correctly for 6 days and then treat yourself for the 7th day and eat like you used to. I'll bet that you feel so much better after the new changes that you'll want to continue on with your new habits on day 7.

Healthy living habits start today!

Redline Energy Drink

If you're looking for an energy boost to help get you through those lazy afternoons or help with a long workout, I suggest trying Redline Xtreme from VPX. I have been using it for some time now and have not had one side effect. No Heart fluttering or tunnel vision episodes like I experienced with the mass produced Monster and Rockstar. Redline contains BCAA's and is put out by a company that makes sports supplements not just energy drinks so the ingredients are more supportive to actually giving you energy. It has zero calories and tastes very good.

I have found that drinking half a bottle (1 serving) helps tremendously with my workouts. You know those times when you start exercising and you just can't get in to it and you feel sluggish and just want to wait for another day? Try Redline or Redline Xtreme and about 10 minutes in to it you can feel yourself pushing it and the sluggishness is gone.

There have been reports of adverse effects from some people so read the label and maybe try a half serving at first and see how you feel. The first time I tried this product was on a road trip and I found it at a gas station while looking for a Monster Energy. I was burned out from driving and just up ended the bottle.  Two servings right off. That was an eye opener. The strangest thing I noticed was that it affected my vision and in a good way. I could see MUCH clearer for some reason.  And best of all I was wide awake for the remaining 4 hours on the road.

I usually pick up my 4 pack of Redline or Redline Xtreme from either Walmart or GNC Nutrition Centers. With a membership the Xtreme was actually cheaper at GNC than the regular Redline at Walmart. The 4 packs should run you around $9 - $10 and come in numerous flavors like watermelon, grape, berry, lemonade, kiwi lime, and lime.

Are Protein Powders Equal?

For those of you who supplement with protein powders you may want to consider Optimum Nutrition’s “Gold Standard Natural 100% Whey” from Vitaminshoppe.com. Having tried numerous brands of protein powder from the low to middle price range, I can say that this is now my favorite. The key word in the name is Natural. Optimum Nutrition has other products in the 100% Whey line up, but they contain ingredients I don’t want. Namely acesulfame potassium.

I've been searching for a protein powder that isn't full of garbage just to make it taste better. Maltodextrin and acesulfame potassium are widely used in protein powders and are simply processed sweeteners. A little net research on these ingredients will surely change your mind as it has mine. Some products use one or both of these and some even add in a little sucralose for good measure. As we are trying to improve our health, we try to identify processed ingredients and stay away from them as much as possible. In modern times with profit margins and volume sales it's hard to find a manufacturer that doesn't create "edible" foods without these inexpensive processed ingredients. "Gold Standard Natural 100% Whey" chocolate is sweetened with rebaudioside a, which is derived from the stevia plant. It contains no malto, ace K, or sucralose.

When I ordered "Gold Standard Natural 100% Whey" chocolate flavor I assumed it was going to be pretty nasty in the taste department. The other powders I've tried that didn't contain processed sweeteners had a funky after taste. To my surprise "Gold Standard Natural 100% Whey" was quite tasty. It had no bogus after taste and wasn't overly sweet like some other brands. The flavor is like chocolate milk. Really. I mixed mine with 10 oz of nonfat milk but the company suggests that water can be used as well. The flavor strength is manipulated by the amount of liquid used. 4 - 6 oz for stronger flavor, 10 - 12 oz for weaker flavor.

Although there are no added vitamins or minerals in this mix, it does contain a full array of amino acids including 5 grams of BCAA's and some enzymes to aid in digestion. All the nutrition information can be seen here at "vitaminshoppe.com" but the high points are:

Calories                  130
Fat                             1g
Sat Fat                      .5g
Trans Fat                ZERO
Sugars                        2g
PROTEIN                24g

If you are supplementing with protein as part of your workout schedule, I urge you to try this product and decide for yourself. I have not tried the vanilla flavor yet. It is basically the same as the chocolate except that it contains evaporated cane juice powder for a sweetener as well as the stevia derivative giving it 3 grams of sugar per serving. I'll write a review of it next time around.