Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Some uplifting words from me...

NEVER let what someone else thinks or says about you define you! You know who you are better than anyone! Completely remove the negative & poisonous people from your life - To do that means to cut all ties with them physically & mentally. Make a conscious effort to not allow them to affect you in ANY way, forgive these types people for the person they choose to be & let them go. Holding onto hate & anger is not healthy & only brings YOU down & subsequently makes you unhappy! Take control of yourself, your actions, reactions, feelings & your life! Nobody can take away your happiness without your consent! Have complete faith in the person you KNOW you are!


 

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Carbs are not your Enemy!

You need to have good carbs so your body can absorb protein & you can build lean muscle. The more lean muscle you have, the more fat you burn! Having a very low carb diet can be detrimental to your thyroid gland which can affect your health & your results negatively. Your thyroid is responsible for producing hormones such as the ones that regulate your rate of metabolism. If it is affected due to a low carb diet then your results will plateau & you won't be efficiently burning fat! You may not notice your metabolism slowing at first but you will find that you hit a plateau faster than being on a healthier, moderate carb diet plan. I'd suggest looking into Carb Cycling so that you don't risk damaging your thyroid!   Without having enough carbs in your diet your body becomes depleted & you simply won't have enough energy to train hard! Carbs are directly related to your body's ability to recover post workout & you'll find that you become weaker & weaker!   Carbs are your body's preferred source of workout energy, while your body can use fat as a fuel source if you're doing endurance or high intensity training carbs will delay the onset of fatigue.   Another reason why cutting out carbs may not be so good: Your brain uses carbs to function! If you haven't had carbs for an extended period of time then your body starts to produce what's called ketone bodies which is your brains alternative fuel source. This can make you feel miserable, you're unable to concentrate, you're tired all the time, can't think properly & just don't feel good!   Carbs also hold water, so if you cut it out, you think you have actually lost weight, but all you have lost is fluid!   Cutting out carbs should only be temporary like if you have a competition or a photoshoot etc. They call it "depleting" for a reason! It is not healthy & shouldn't be permanent! From experience I have found that including good carbs in my diet has lowered my body fat & I was able to gain good lean muscle! Good carbs are: sweet potato, rolled oats, quinoa, brown rice, & of course fruits & vegetables! (Quinoa is also high is protein & is a complete protein - it is far better than just about any other grain!). I hope this info helps you not to be scared of incorporating good carbs in your diet! They are not the enemy! ;)