Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is one of the most popular types of vinegar that we know of in the health community. It it known to have all types of benefits which have been proven through science. These benefits include weight loss, reduced cholesterol, lower blood sugar levels and symptoms of diabetes. Here are some health benefits of taking apple cider vinegar as a supplement.

#1. can kill many types of bad bacteria

Vinegar can kill pathogens including bacteria. Traditionally it has been used for cleaning and disinfecting, treating nail fungus, warts and ear infections. It has also been used as a food preservative, so if your looking for a way to naturally reserve your food then apple cider vinegar can be highly useful.

#2 Lowers blood sugar levels and fights diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar levels either because of insulin resistance or the inability to produce insulin. Also high blood sugar can also be a problem in people who don’t have diabetes. The most effective way to keep your blood sugar in the normal range is to avoid refined carbs and sugar but also taking apple cider vinegar can have a powerful effect. 2 tables spoons of apple cider vinegar before bedtime can reduce fasting blood sugar.

#3 Helps you lose weight and reduces belly fat

Apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight. Some studies show that their is an increase so the amount of weight that you would potentially lose will almost double when consuming it with a meal. Overall it is a useful weight loss aid but along with this you should be working out regularly.

Although it is not clear for the direct link that promotes the weight loss some suspect that properties in apple cider vinegar interfere with processing starches and starches are bad carbs (Breads potatoes). Because apple cider vinegar also promotes high blood sugar after it’s intake that leads to the reduction of craving sugary snacks.

Making a lifestyle change

I’d like to say for the majority of my high school career I looked like the picture on the left. I would go into the weight room and not know what to do and copy what every one else was doing. I did not know how to lift or what exercises worked what body parts. Funny part is when I was a freshman in high school I broke my wrist lifting weights with 25lb dumbbells. I seen somebody doing hammer curls and I wanted to try them and never attempting them before here I was when a broken wrist because I didn’t know what I was doing. I was confused and was tired of being skinny so I wanted a change.

I always had abs but as you can see on the left my core was weak. I never worked any of the exercises that helped make them stronger. It was not until my sophomore year in college where I changed up my whole game plan. I knew that I wanted to gain weight but I didn’t know how to do it. So I met with my trainer and he gave me a guideline of what to do everyday and he started with a meal plan.

The Basics
5AM Cardio – 1 Mile per day

Read at least 3 Chapters per day of a book

Air Alert

Program Weight Training Program & Stretching
Meal Program – Eat 6-7 times a day – small meals every 2 to 3 hours. Drink a lot of water
1 – Morning – Eggs – 2 Whole or 1 Cup Egg White with 2 slices wheat toast, Glass of Water

1 Multi-vitamin

2 – Protein Shake – 1 Scoop 25 Grams – Mid morning with water

3 – Lunch – Chicken Breast, White Rice, Pasta, Turkey, Potatoes, Lettuce, Vegetables, Beef

4 – PBJ on wheat bread or rice cake

5 – Dinner – Same as Lunch

6 – Hand full of Almonds
Half Gallon of Water – Bring a 12 oz container and fill it up each time – Drink 4 of them at least
—————-
20 Push ups and sit ups in AM upon waking up, 20 push ups and sit ups before bed Hamstring, Groin and ankle stretching daily
Air Alert 5 Days a week for 12 Weeks follow program exactly
Weight Training 3 days a week – Light to moderate weight and body weight
500-1000 shots per day
Dribble and foot work Drills daily
Cardio – Daily 1 mile straight per day – AM before school
Stretching, Icing and massage your knees constantly

This was my life literally everyday. The only thing I modified in this program was my push-up routine. I would literally attempt to do a deck of cards twice a week just to build my body up and get the frame that I wanted. And I knew eventually if I kept this up my body would start to change so months would go by and I would start to see my body start to transition. My confidence grew, I walked differently and not to brag or boast but when you start to feel good about yourself and see the results you have a different swagger about you. And this is what I’m trying to get you to have. The mindset of you feeling good about yourself wherever you go and having an abundance mindset.

Now obviously this specific plan may not work for you (because I am a college athlete) but I just wanted to spark the idea of wanting to change yourself for the better. I could have easily just accepted the fact that it’s in my genes and I’ll be small a scrawny my whole life but my end goal was that I wanted to be the best at my craft and not get pushed around every time I’m on the court so I had to change. And not only the basketball court was a factor but overall life it was a health/lifestyle change for me. Getting up at am and training everyday was never easy for me but now I have made it part of my routine where if I had to train a client at 4:30 in the morning I can easily make that happen and not worry about oversleeping because it’s embedded in me.

So why wait until tomorrow to start your change why not start today?

Playlist for the Gym

The question has been asked to me what music I listen to while at the gym, below I will provide you guys with a list of songs that I recommend

Nipsey Hussle – Victory Lap

Young Nudy – One Dolla

Yo gotti- Put a date on it

Jay Z, Kanye West- Watch the thrown

Future – Unicorn Purp

Dave East – Traumatized

Dave East- Scale and a Razor

Meek Mill- Trauma

2 Pac- Hit em up

Lil Baby- Life goes on

Tea Grizzley- Activated

Gunna- At the hotel

Gunna- Oh Okay

Drake- Nonstop

Fabolous- Goyard Bag

Benefits from Yoga

Going to yoga regularly can provide you with mental and physical health benefits. Yoga focuses on your body’s natural tendency toward health and self healing. At first when I went to my first yoga class I thought it was going to be very weird and strange because of the environment but once I finally realized the benefits that I actually got from it, it helped me a lot. While there are more than hundreds of different types of yoga most of them typically include breathing, meditation and holding different postures that stretch different muscle groups.

Some of the physical benefits include

Increased flexibility
Increased muscle strength
Improved breathing and energy
Weight reduction
cardio and circulatory health
Prevention from injury

Some of the mental benefits that yoga provides are managing stress better which can have a negative impact on the body and mind.Having stress in your life can cause sleeping problems, inability to concentrate and lower your immune system. Also practicing yoga can create mental clarity and relaxes your mind so you can become one with your body. When this happens you can sense things more clearly in your body so you may notice a pain in your body that you might have overlooked and you can get it taken care of. And what is good about yoga is that anyone can join. You don’t have to be a expert in it if you simply want to get in tune with your body and your inner self you can start today!

To eat or not to eat processed foods?

Nowadays people are much more aware of the organic foods that are being made. We are much more conscious about how the food we eat is made. The processing of food is what makes or breaks if it is really good for you or not. Recently I have really been looking at the food that I am eating and asking myself is it in natural form?

A lot of my snacks include nuts and seeds especially when it is late night and I do not want to make a full meal. Now you may ask yourself are nuts really good for you? And the answer to that is as long as they are not processed and they are raw nuts then they are fine. The difference between processed and non processed is when you actually crack the shell yourself and eat them right then compared too when they are not directly out of the shell, roasted then extra preservatives to keep them fresh. When this happens you are pretty much eating dead food because when they are processed it loses some of its vitamins and minerals that you would only receive when you consume them in their natural state.

I know for myself that I like to have salted and sweet cashews from time to time but once I did my research and learned that some of the vital nutrients was being stripped from me I transitioned into eating nuts raw. And of course it took a little time to get used too but once you start to give your body natural foods then it will start to crave them and your sugar cravings will go away. This same concept can be used when eating vegetables as well. When you cook them for too long key nutrients, vitamins and minerals will start to go away and again you will be eating dead food. Pay attention to the foods that you are putting into your body.

Are your dreams on a back burner?

As a kid we all have different aspirations and dreams that we wish to accomplish. But as we grow older and start to get criticized when it comes to these dreams, we often shy away from them and put them on the back burner. There is always that big “what if” that strangers will put into your mind. We find ourselves often listening to their criticism and get discouraged. But why do we allow ourselves to let this happen? I personally find myself needing these type of people in my life because without them I have no motivation to prove them wrong. You need doubters and naysayers in your life. And I can honestly say that people will only talk bad about you when you are doing something special. They will do and say anything to destroy your confidence and have you second guess your decisions. So as my father always told me, when you tell someone your dream and people don’t laugh at it then dream bigger.

I say all this to say that if you have a body transformation goal that you want to accomplish then do not let somebody tell you that it is not possible. The only person that can stop you is you. We all have unlimited potential so why do people think that they can’t change their bodies to look the way they want? All you have to do is have the desire and know what you want the end result to be. There will be trials while you are training and people will question why are you even wasting your time at the gym because they (from the outside) don’t see a change. There will be times that you think you had an awesome week of training and you step on the scale and you see that you only loss a pound (which is still great). Then finally there will be that realization that you can get into the dress you always wanted to fit again or your abs will start to peak. Everything starts within yourself and if you can stay focused on this journey to success then I promise regardless of what the haters say at the end of the day you will be happy.

Importance of eating vegetables

Growing up eating vegetables was never a favorite of mine. To be completely honest with you I use to put them on my plate then put them in a napkin and ball them up to act as if I ate everything on my plate. And until this day I do not think that my parents know this. But it is something that I absolutely dreaded eating. Then as I got a little older I started to enjoy salads but I could only eat them if it had chicken in it and I had to drown the salad in dressing just so it could taste good. As time went on and I went off to college I promise you it was eliminated out of my diet, not purposely but just because the way the cafe made them were not appealing to me. So now that it is my senior year in college I wanting to take care of my body more I started to do some research on what to eat. And I was telling my clients to start eating more healthier and to eat vegetables but I never was so I wanted to feel the pain they were going through and practiced what I preached. So doing so I’ve did a lot of research and wanted to share some benefits of eating vegetables.

Benefits:

Having a diet that includes a lot of vegetables may reduce the risk for heart disease, heart attacks and strokes
Also maintaining a diet that is rich in vegetables can protect you from having certain types of cancers
Includes the vitamins A,E and C also is a great source for nutrients including potassium, fiber and folic acid
Potassium can help maintain healthy blood pressure
Fiber from vegetables can help lower blood cholesterol levels

Lastly I know a lot of my clients have asked me in the past and you may have this same question is how much vegetables should you eat a day? And my answer to that is to eat however much you feel comfortable with, if you first start out like me and you absolutely hate them then eat a small portion and gradually increase your intake. Eventually you will find yourself enjoying them will see major improvements in your body.

Benefits of body weight training

Getting in shape and having a tone body does not have to be complicated. Simple body weight exercises can be a great option for achieving gains in strength, flexibility and your overall health. When people think of gaining body mass they automatically assume that they have to go lift weights. But there is also an alternative option as well and that is using your body weight to exercise. Also this method of training is free and does not cost you a dime. Below I will give you some benefits on body weight training.

#1. It’s super efficient

Exercises such as plyometrics are something that you can see very quick results from. Being a athlete growing up I always wondered and thought about how I could jump higher. And after doing some research I discovered plyometrics and they helped. Also another example of this type of training is called HIIT workout which are short and intense workouts that can help you have major results.

#2 It can combine cardio and strength training

A lot of times when you are at the gym you often go run on the treadmill for about 20-30 minutes or do some type of cardio and then go lift your weights after or vice versa. With body weight training this allows you to incorporate strength training and cardio at the same time.

#3. You will get a tighter core and get core strength

Performing these exercises will not only give you major core strength but will have better posture and relieve lower back stress as well getting tighter abs. Doing simple body movements while performing this type of workout will force your body to engage your core.

#4. There’s never an excuse that you can’t workout

When it comes to body training you will never have an excuse not to workout. You can’t say well since I can’t make it to the gym I guess I can’t workout because none of this training requires a gym. You can literally do this workout anywhere.

#5 You will never get bored

I know a lot of times when we lift weights we get into a habit of just doing the same thing over and over again and never switch up the routine. However with this type of workout you can switch it up and incorporate different exercises which can then spark your interest and you can get creative!

#6. It can prevent injuries

I know for myself when I get injured working out is the last thing on my mind. I don’t even think about going to the gym. But on the other hand you can workout and prevent these injuries from happening with body weight workouts. Also anyone within reason can perform these workouts.

While everyone will have different perspectives on working out, I think this is one of the best ways to workout besides lifting. If you are not comfortable going to the gym quite yet you should try body weight workouts and see how you like them. I will be posting a video on my YouTube channel soon of some examples that you can do. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me.

Coach Q

How Exercise can improve your sex life

We all might of heard that regular exercise can reduce the risk of some diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. But you may not have known that it can also improve your sex life.

When men exercise regularly it often appears to be a natural Viagra. Research shows that when you exercise it lowers the risk of erectile dysfunction. Also it is found that in women who regularly exercise have greater sexual desire and arousal than women who don’t workout.

Increased blood flow explains why exercise can lead to better sexual function in men as well. Working out can lead to you looking better which leads to having your partner being more attracted to you. Think about it if you are over weight right now and not satisfied with your sex life, imagine how it will improve when you start training constantly and see your body get in shape.

Furthermore, exercising can increase levels of testosterone which can also boost sex drive but in the the opposite affect when you over train, it will decrease you’re testosterone. Also working out will decrease stress levels and stress is a major mood killer when it comes to the bed room. Stress causes your body to produce the hormone cortisol which can cause decrease in your interest in sex.

Lastly working out helps you build more confidence. Once you build more confidence your performance in the bed room will sky rocket. You will start looking in the mirror and start to feel yourself, which is something you should do! Confidence is key. It will increase your desire to want to have sex and your partner will see a major difference in you.

Hopefully this will help you out in the bedroom if you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Coach Q

Think you are over training?

Over training is something that has been an issue of mine for many years. Playing basketball growing up I had an obsession of wanting to get better. So I would kill myself everyday in the gym for months as a time. Anybody who has me on Instagram and scroll through my old posts can see how obsessively I trained. With this being the case I found my body hurting 24/7. It was not until later in my collegiate career that I realized recovery was a major component when training. When your not allowing yourself to recover this can typically lead to injuries. If you are wondering if you are over training your body here some signs to look out for.

#1 Decreased Performance

One major sign of over training is a lack of improved performance despite increasing your training intensity. Some examples of this would be having a decrease in speed, strength, and endurance and also having slower reaction times are all common signs that you are over training your body.

#2 Excessive Fatigue

It is alright at times to feel sore from the gym or to be aching in pain because you worked out a certain muscle group the previous day. But fatigue eventually will accumulate in your body when you never allow your body to fully recover from previous workout. The key is when you feel your body start to ache excessively it is time to get the proper treatment and rest.

#3 Agitation and moodiness

Over training significantly affects your stress hormones which can cause a hormonal imbalance which then can cause you to have mood swings, and the inability to concentrate.

#4 Restless sleep

Sleep is the place where your body ordinarily has the best time to rest and recover. But the overproduction of stress hormones caused by over training may not allow you to completely relax which makes your sleep less effective.

#5 Nagging injuries

This personally affects me because when I was over training I would notice that if one part of my body was injured and I didn’t take the precautionary steps to fix it when I took a day or week off and thought it would be better it would flare right back up. So over training can cause injures that are very hard to get rid of.

#6 Physiological stress and or depression

Some people that live for the punishing workouts or training for competitions have a difficult time taking off from training. I know for me if the team trainer made me stay out of the gym for specific amount of days for me to recover from an injury I would get depressed because I couldn’t workout. Working out to me is a place where I can let out anything that has been bothering me for the past days or weeks and let out all of my frustrations. But when you realize that your body needs rest in order to get you to the next level that you want to be at, it is something you will implement in your training.