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Motivation & Music |
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We always have the tunes
cranking during our Warrior Workouts ever weekend... ya gotta do it.
However, I can't say that everyone always agrees on the choice of
workout tunes or genre on a regular basis. Different strokes
for different folks! It's easy enough when you're flying solo
and can just pop in your ear buds and jam to your own mix... but a
little bit more of a challenge when you have to fight it out between
rock, country, rap, or whatever for the collective good.
Motivation is the key to keeping you primed to keep pushing heavy
weight in the gym. And what better motivator is there than music?
Listening to music when you hit
the gym to improve your workout isn't exactly a new concept. But
understanding how your favorite tunes enhance your exercise is a
little less obvious.
Research consistently finds that listening to music distracts
athletes from their "bodily awareness" (read: pain). And a recent
study found that not just listening, but controlling and creating
music in time to one's pace had an even more profound effect on
perceived effort during a workout.
Here are seven very good reasons to rock out during your next gym
session.
1. Music is the good kind of distraction.
While the study did suggest there's more to it than distraction,
working out with music did make participants less aware of their
exertion. Such a distraction can benefit athletic performance by up
to 15 percent, The Guardian reported. The faster the better,
according to WebMD: Upbeat tunes have more information for our
brains to process, which takes your mind off of that side stitch.
2. It ups your effort.
A 2010 study found that cyclists actually worked harder when
listening to faster music as compared to music at a slower tempo.
But too fast is no good, either. Songs between 120 and 140 beats per
minute (bpm) have the maximum effect on moderate exercisers.
3. Music puts you "in the zone".
Everyone has that go-to song that gets you "in the zone," and
there's science to why it works. We associate certain songs with
memories, often relating to the context in which we originally heard
them, such as the first time you watched Rocky. Channeling that
memory -- or even just the emotion of the singer -- boosts the
motivational power of the song, and has been shown to improve
physical performance.
4. A good beat can help you keep pace.
The rhythm of your workout music stimulates the motor area of the
brain as to when to move, thereby aiding self-paced exercises such
as running or weight-lifting. Clueing into these time signals helps
us use our energy more efficiently, since keeping a steady pace is
easier on our bodies than fluctuating throughout a sweat session.
5. Music can elevate your mood.
An August 2013 analysis found that people often listen to music as a
way to change their mood and find self-awareness. Study participants
said that listening to music allowed them to think about themselves,
who they wanted to be and give them an escape from the present. No
matter what happened an hour ago, you can use your tunes to help you
escape negativity and power you through your workout -- and you know
you'll feel great when it's over.
6. It makes you want to move.
You really can't stop the beat! Researchers found that when music
possesses "high-groove" qualities, the brain gets excited and
induces movement in the listener. Basically, your playlist has the
ability to make you move -- no matter how much you're dreading that
workout.
7. Listen to music already? Take it to the next level: Making
music while you work has an important added benefit.
According to a study published earlier this month, the relationship
between music and physical exertion may be more complicated than we
initially thought. It isn't just listening to music that drowns out
our pain and exhaustion, asserts lead researcher Tom Fritz. The
process of creating and controlling music in time to one's exercise
improves the experience even more.
Participants exercised on machines designed to alter the music they
were listening to based on their movements, essentially allowing
them to create their own soundtrack. Compared to exercisers who had
no control over the music, those with "musical agency" reported
feeling like they hadn't worked as hard.
We can't all work out on equipment that coordinates our movements
with musical sounds, but we can harness the power of creating music
when we exercise. The finding, said Fritz about his study may
provide "a previously unacknowledged driving force for the
development of music in humans: making music makes strenuous
physical activities less exhausting."
ref: Huffington
Post
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How
long can I keep leftovers? |
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Category |
Food |
Refrigerator |
Freezer |
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(40 °F or below) |
(0 °F or below) |
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Salads |
Egg, chicken, ham, tuna & macaroni salads |
3 to 5 days |
n/a |
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Hot dogs |
opened package |
1 week |
1 to 2 months |
|
unopened package |
2 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
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Luncheon meat |
opened package or deli sliced |
3 to 5 days |
1 to 2 months |
|
unopened package |
2 weeks |
1 to 2 months |
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Bacon & Sausage |
Bacon |
7 days |
1 month |
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Sausage, raw — from chicken, turkey, pork, beef |
1 to 2 days |
1 to 2 months |
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Hamburger & Other Ground Meats |
Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb,
& mixtures of them |
1 to 2 days |
3 to 4 months |
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Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb & Pork |
Steaks |
3 to 5 days |
6 to 12 months |
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Chops |
3 to 5 days |
4 to 6 months |
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Roasts |
3 to 5 days |
4 to 12 months |
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Fresh Poultry |
Chicken or turkey, whole |
1 to 2 days |
1 year |
|
Chicken or turkey, pieces |
1 to 2 days |
9 months |
|
Soups & Stews |
Vegetable or meat added |
3 to 4 days |
2 to 3 months |
|
Leftovers |
Cooked meat or poultry |
3 to 4 days |
2 to 6 months |
|
Chicken nuggets or patties |
3 to 4 days |
1 to 3 months |
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Pizza |
3 to 4 days |
1 to 2 months |
ref. foodsafety.gov
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Kettlebell
Exercise of the Month! |
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Clean &
Press
Summary:
The kettlebell clean and press
is a compound (multiple joints and muscles active) exercise
that combines both push and pull forces throughout the entire
movement. This is basically a two part exercise.
The "clean" is the explosive movement off of the floor to the
"rack" position in which the kettlebell is resting at the
crook of your elbow (with a strong and straight wrist) and the
the "press" movement where you lock the kettlebell out
overhead, before returning it back to rack position, and then
to the floor.
Target:
hip, knee shoulder (gluteals,
quadriceps, deltoids, trapezius)
Preparation:
Straddle kettlebell
with feet slightly wider apart than shoulder width. Squat down
with arm extended downward between legs and grasp kettlebell
handle with overhand grip. Position shoulder over kettlebell
with taut low back and trunk close to vertical.
Execution:
Pull kettlebell up off
floor by extending hips and knees. Once kettlebell is off of
ground vigorously raise shoulder above kettlebell while
keeping it close to body. Jump upward extending body. Raise
shoulder and pull kettlebell upward with arm allowing elbow to
bend out to side, keeping kettlebell close to body. Drop under
kettlebell, rotating arm under kettlebell. Catch kettlebell on
outside of arm with wrist straight while moving into partial
squat position. Extend both legs. Press kettlebell
upward until arm is extended overhead.
Return:
Lower the kettlebell to
rack position. Return it to the floor by pulling elbow back.
Imediately hop upward with elbow pointed outward continuing to
hold on to kettlebell handle as it falls. Decelerate decent of
kettlebell as heels make contact with ground and arm
straightens. Lower kettlebell to ground between legs while
squatting down with taut lower back and trunk close to
vertical.
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Recipes for Health |
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Cheesesteak Sandwich |
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The famous sandwich from Philly
is a nutritionist’s nightmare: mounds of greasy beef and fried
onions; a massive, oil-soaked hoagie roll; and to top it all
off, a viscous deluge of Cheez Whiz (that’s right, traditional
cheesesteaks are made with Whiz). But we want you to have your
steak and eat it, too, so we came up with this version, which
relies on a lean flank steak, a whole-wheat roll, and a
yogurt-based blue cheese sauce. It’s a bit fancier than the
sandwich from the City of Brotherly Love, but to our tastes,
it’s also better.
You’ll Need:
2 Tbsp plain Greekstyle yogurt (we like Fage 2%)
2 Tbsp olive-oil mayonnaise
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
16 oz skirt or flank steak
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups arugula
2 tomatoes, sliced
4 whole-wheat sandwich rolls
Caramelized onions
How to Make It:
- Combine the yogurt,
mayonnaise, and blue cheese. Set aside.
- Heat a grill, stovetop grill
pan, or cast-iron skillet until hot. Season the steak with
salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side (for
medium-rare), until the steak is firm but still gives with
gentle pressure. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before
slicing. Slice the steak into thin strips.
- Divide the arugula and
tomatoes among the rolls. Top with the steak and caramelized
onions and drizzle each sandwich with the blue cheese mayo.
Makes 4 servings / Cost per
serving: $5.00
400 calories 14 g fat (4 g saturated) 730 mg sodium
Not That!
Quiznos Regular Prime Rib Cheesesteak Sub
Price: $5.99
1,070 calories 67 g fat (16.5 g saturated, 1.5 g trans) 1,835
mg sodium
Save 670 calories and $0.99!
ref. Cook This
Not That,.
menshealth.com
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It's Go Time!
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Somebody wake up Mother Nature and tell her that it's
spring... not sure that she got that memo yet! Cold
weather is manageable and all, but when you pile on all the
precipitation that we've had, it makes for a soggy yard.
I don't know about you, but around these parts that seriously
puts a damper on our outdoor boot camps and tire flipping!
Well... personally, I'll be holding off on that for a little
while as rehab on my knee continues, but it would still be
nice to go play outside again! Almost there... Can you feel
the energy surging through your veins yet? I'm already
planning on getting my bicycle cleaned up to start some riding
soon. I'm hoping to be able to start that in another
month. The spring has a way of getting people motivated
again... especially after the brutal pounding that we've taken
this year!
I know that I've said it every month lately, but I'll say
it again... Commit now! Get a friend... find a run or a
bike ride... and register now! Commitment is motivation
in itself and will incent you to train for the race that you
registered for! Make plans... get outside... and Enjoy!
For
prior issues of this eNewsletter, to subscribe, or
unsubscribe, please visit the following link -->
todayfitness.net/news.
Exceed Your
Potential!
Pete
Mazzeo, CPT
pmazzeo@todayfitness.net
"People of
mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because
they don't know when to quit. Most men succeed because they
are determined to." - George E. Allen
youtube of the month -->
44 Best Bodyweight Exercises
Great compilation
of bodyweight exercises from Tee Major Fitness
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