I see it every day. Young bucks come into gym in their high
school years and train and make astounding gains and begin to
think about bodybuilding. Testosterone is at its peak during
these years and just seems they can’t get enough of the gym or
the results they are achieving. By the time the senior year
rolls around, they are at their peak physically. It came so
easily, it seems, that development will stay forever.
However life begins to change after high school. College starts
in the fall or perhaps you start a full time job. Distractions
are everywhere. Many football, baseball and wrestling jocks of
high school no longer shine above their college competition and
most do not continue disciplined organized sports that once
brought you to the gym in the first place.
Besides not playing the sports, studies are now more time
consuming. The food is all you can eat at the student cafeteria
and, well, beer parties are everywhere. This is the most fun
ever, you think. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, no time
was found for the gym and you are well on way to the freshman
fifteen. That is the fifteen pounds of smoothing fat that you
picked up during the first year on your own away from home.
Bodybuilding was but a memory back home.
Spring rolls around and you are back home for the summer. But
wow have you changed? Heavier, smoother and where did those
muscles go? You return to the gym for the summer to get in
shape. You find it is next to impossible to return the body to
its former ripped state much less building up this summer.
My point here guys, bodybuilding is not for the weak willed. If
you want to continue to be in shape you must plan the discipline
of working out if you are going to have the better body.
Bodybuilding is tough. Don’t kid yourself. If it was easy
everyone would be in shape.
So what should you do? Well if you are college bound do the
following:
-During campus visit check out the gym facilities. Determine if
the equipment is suitable to meet your bodybuilding needs.
-Do your campus visit during the normal school year to get a
feel for the people that are going. Is the gym too crowded
(undersized for the campus)? What is the attitude of those
training, motivational or passively active.
-How close is the gym to the living quarters? Is it convenient?
-What are the food choices at the cafeteria? Can I get the high
protein foods? Is food overly processed? What are the off campus
choices?
Now I am not saying that you make your college selection based
solely upon the gym facilities but it should be a factor if you
are serious about your training.
-Finally once you arrive at college, review your class schedule.
Then clearly plan a workout time along with your study and class
time. If you have to put a routine in the morning, just do it.
-Settle into a routine and stick to it.
-Don’t stay up so late. You need your rest to recover from
workouts and besides late nights will cause you to want to sleep
through that morning routine.
-Lay off alcohol. It’s catabolic; meaning it works to strip your
muscles off. It acts on the body the opposite of steroids. It’s
bad news. It will take you places you don’t want to go, keep you
longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you can
imagine.
-Eat right. Do I need to say more?
-Read a bodybuilding magazine periodically to keep your focus.
-Hang out with those that are in the gym. They are a better
influence in keeping you disciplined.
Okay there you have it. Stay with your training and your
freshman fifteen will be MUSCLE not flab!
The new food guidelines issued by the United States government
recommend that all Americans eat between five and nine servings
of fruits and vegetables each and every day. When you first hear
that number, it may seem like a lot, but it is actually much
easier than you think to fit that many servings of fruits and
vegetables into your daily diet. For one thing, the shelves of
the grocery stores are fairly bursting with fresh fruits and
vegetables. In addition, vegetables and fruits are some of the
least expensive, most nutrient rich, foods in the supermarket.
With all these fruits and vegetables to choose from, it is very
easy to make these nutritious, delicious foods part of your
daily meals and snacks.
When you take into account how much a serving really is, it is
actually quite easy to get five to nine servings of fruits and
vegetables per day. For instance, the recommended daily amount
actually equates to a quite reasonable two cups of fruit and two
and a half cups of vegetables every day. When you consider how
many fruits and vegetables are available, and how low the prices
usually are, it is easy to see how easy to reach this daily goal
really is.
One great way to get the nutrients you need from fruits and
vegetables every day is to take full advantage of the variety of
these foods available. Eating the same thing every day quickly
becomes boring, so why not pick a variety of fruits and
vegetables, in every color of the rainbow and in every
conceivable shape, size and texture, to give yourself a varied
diet every day.
When shopping for fruits and vegetables, it is important to
choose a variety of different colors. This is for more than
purely artistic reasons. Different color fruits and vegetables
have different types of nutrients, and choosing a variety of
colors will help ensure you get all the vitamins and minerals
you need each and every day.
Finding new recipes is another great way to ensure you get those
five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
Everyone likes to try out new recipes, and these new recipes may
just provide the impetus you need to eat all those fruits and
veggies.
New recipes can also provide you the important opportunity to
try out some fruits and vegetables you have never tried before.
For instance, everyone has eaten oranges, but have you tried
kiwi fruit or mangoes? How about spinach or kale? Trying new
things is a great way to find new favorites while getting the
best nutrition available.
Many people mistakenly think that they do not need to eat five
to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day if they just
take a vitamin supplement. Actually, nothing could be further
from the truth. That is because fruits and vegetables contain
far more than the micronutrients identified by science and
synthesized in vitamin pills. While these micronutrients, such
as vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E are important to good
health, so too are the hundreds of other elements that are
contained in healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. These
elements are not available in any pill, they must be ingested
through a healthy, balanced diet that contains plenty of fruits
and vegetables.
In addition, fruits and vegetables are much less costly than
vitamin pills. Fruits and vegetables are very inexpensive,
especially when purchased in season and grown locally. In the
long run, getting the nutrition you need from the food you eat
is much less expensive, and much better for you, than popping
those vitamin pills every day.
So don’t forget to get your five to nine servings of fruits and
vegetables every day. It may seem like a lot, but you can meet
this quite reasonable goal simply by including fruits and
vegetables as snacks, as garnishes, as side dishes and as meals.