Foods for your body

I wanted to make a post about different foods that benefit different body parts. Often times when people think about foods they never think about how one particular food will benefit them. Growing up people use to say eating carrots will help my eye vision but it wasn’t until I actually did some research that I realized that they actually do. By incorporating different types of fruits, starches, veggies, nuts, and protein you will have your bases covered and will be feeling great! Below I will breakdown it all to you

Food for healthy hair- Salmon( omega-3’s build brain & Nerve cells which are essential for learning and your memory), nuts ( Vitamin E shields cells from free radical damage), berries ( antioxidants fight stress and can improve memory)

Healthy eyes- Eggs (lutein & Vitamin A which protect eyes & support function) Citcrus foods (Contain Vitamin C which lowers risks of cataracts) pistachios (Vitamin E boost eye health)

Healthy lungs – Green tea ( Quercetin acts as a natural antihistamine, Broccoli ( glucosinolates which have been shown to fight off cancer and lung cancer)

Healthy skin- Sweet potatoes ( beta-carotene helps to protect skin from sun damage) Walnuts (fatty acids for healthy skin) Broccoli ( Sulforaphane which protects skin

Healthy Muscles – Chicken ( high protein great source of B vitamins, Beans (good source of plant based protein), yogurt ( Fast digesting whey protein)

Hopefully you find this blog helpful and will help you have a better understanding of your body.

Foods with richer vitamin C than oranges

A lot of people automatically assume that when they hear the word vitamin C they automatically think of oranges. But what you may not know is that their are many other foods that have more vitamin C than oranges. Vitamin C is great for growth and repair of body tissues. Vitamin C is also beneficial to people who’s immune system was weakened due to stress.

While vitamin C may not be the cure to the common cold there is a lot of good research that shows that it helps reduce the risk of developing further complications when you do get sick. Vitamin C is a very strong antioxidant in it’s self that can help boost your blood antioxidant levels which in turn help reduce risk of chronic disease.

One small orange has 51.1mg vitamin C and a medium orange has about 69.8 mg vitamin C. The minimum requirement that a human should consume is about 75-90 mg a day.

Below are some of the vegetables that contain more vitamin C than an orange are :

Bell Pepper 341mg
Broccoli 132mg
Strawberries 85mg
Kale 80mg
Pineapple 78mg
Kiwi 64mg

Hopefully this article convinces you enough to start thinking about your vitamin C intake. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me.

Coach Q

day 3

When my alarm clock goes off today I didn’t feel like moving at all. I took a nap the previous day and my plan was that when I got up this morning my body would feel less tired but man was I wrong. After staying up until 1AM watching the basketball game last night I knew that this was going to be a struggle for me. My alarm went off at 4:30 like it usually does and today it seemed like my body was just dead. So once again I snooze it until 4:45 and then I attempt to get up so I can wash my face and start my stretching routine. While I was stretching I thought that my body would kind of loosen up so I could have some sort of energy to get to the gym and start my workout. But today was not that day. All I wanted to do is lay back down under my covers and sleep my day away. Also with the rain down pouring this morning I really did not want to walk to the gym at all and wanted to skip it entirely. But I told myself that I made a commitment to the class to push through so mentally I got myself together and told myself to get through it. As I’m leaving to walk to the gym I try to put on some music to see if it can help motivate me to get me over the emotional struggle that I am dealing with. Going through my playlist the first song I chose that I had on repeat the whole time while I was going to the gym was called blue laces by Nipsey Hussle. Arriving to the gym I thought to myself how can I get quick energy to help me get through the workout? The first thing that came to mind was drinking a monster energy drink. Never having one before I was thinking it would help me out and give me a good energy boost. So I take a couple drinks and proceed to the weight room, then about 10 minutes in my stomach starting hurting and bubbling. I’m not sure what your experiences are with energy drinks monster specifically but as for me this was one of the worst things I could of done. Maybe it was because I was drinking it on an empty stomach and I had just took creatine before my workout, I’m not really sure but what I do know is that it did the opposite of what I wanted it to do. I started sweating randomly so I tried to drink a bunch of water to try and get it diluted in my stomach. I ended up feeling better after about 30 minutes thankfully but as I learned Monster Energy Drink is not for me. I plan on going to sleep early thursday night so I can have a success story for you guys on friday!

Day 2 on 5 AM Journey

My alarm goes off at 4:30 once again and my eyes are heavy. I reach for my phone to push the snooze button and then I doze off again. 8 minutes later the alarm goes off again and now I attempt to wake up. I find that this is still the hardest part for me because it is like trying to get back into a routine. I know that if I can just make it to the bathroom and throw some water on my face I will be able to make it to the gym on time but at this moment I just couldn’t. So I snooze the alarm one more time and now it’s almost 5 o’clock and I am losing some time that I usually devote towards stretching in the morning. So after my daily morning routine I come back to the room and start to stretch my body and see what parts of my body are tight. After taking the weekend off and letting my body rest my back is not in pain like it once was. As I go through my stretching routine I find that my hamstrings tend to be a little tight so I focus more on them today than I normally would. As I pack my bag for the gym I hear the birds start chirping near my window. As I open my window a cool breeze brushes my face and as the birds get louder This is a clear sign to me that the weather is being nice. The weather has always been a big motivator for me when it comes to waking up in the morning for the gym. ‘I discovered that the more nice the weather is the easier it is for me to transition from my room to the gym. The gym from my dorm is about a 5 minute walk so I try to put on some good music that will motivate me to get there. This has been something that I used to do to help distract me with the time. The cool breeze sends shivers up my spine because I left my room in shorts thinking it was warmer than it actually was. Getting to the gym I start with my warm up around the track to loosen my body. Today is shoulder and back day so I plan to hit the weights hard. Concluding my workout my body feels exhausted. I am literally drained and arms feel like noodles. It is hard to even lift them up. But I can’t wait to share with you guys about my experience on Wednesday!

First day on my 5 AM Journey

As I wake up today it’s 4:45 and my head is pounding. Feels like someone is hitting a hammer to the back of my head with a nail over and over again but I know I have to workout. I wake up at 4:45 so I can give myself a little extra time to stretch and get myself mentally prepared to go outside and walk to the gym. Today is a little foggy outside because of the rain and my lower body is still sore from a workout that I did a couple days ago. Still wanting to be dedicated to the gym like I said I would be I proceed to get myself out of bed and get myself to the gym. The one thing that I hate about going to the gym here at school is the actual walk. Living on campus the walk is literally all downhill. So during this walk especially today my lower body is just aching with pain but I know right now that it is all mental for me. This is how it’s always has been even this year during basketball season I found out that even when my body is hurting if I can find a way to push through it and distract my mind it dosen’t hurt as bad. Proceeding into the gym I noticed that my lower back is aching as well but after doing deadlifts two days ago after not doing them since basketball season ended I figured this is something that might occur. My warm up on the bike got my body lose and my headache seemed to have gone away and 30 minutes in I seem to feel like I’m going to power through this workout. Today was an arms day and I wanted to do a little bit of abs at the end of it. But while I’m breezing through as I’m moving onto abs I realize that my back start aching again. I think I came up too fast while I was doing a russian twist and it literally feels like something is stabbing me in the lower back. Now having to cut my workout short I move onto the foam roller to try to loosen it up a bit and try to get the pain to calm down. But it seemed like the more I foam rolled then the more it hurt so eventually I just called it quits for today and what was supposed to be an hour and 10 minute workout turned into 45 minutes. And when it comes to working one thing about me is that I hate when my workouts are cut short especially due to something that is out of my control. Being an athlete a part of me wanted to keep going but then again I know my body’s limitations. I hope over the weekend I can get enough rest and recover so I can give you all a better story than today!

Benefits of Squats

Builds Muscle in your whole body

Squats obviously help build your leg muscles including your quadriceps hamstrings and calves but they also create anabolic environment which promotes body-wide muscle building. In fact when squats are done properly they trigger the release of testoterone and human growth hormone in your body which are vital for muscle growth and will also help to improve muscle mass when you train other areas of your body aside from your legs. So in the end squats can actually help you improve your upper and lower body strength.

2. Burn more fat

One of the most time efficient ways to burn more calories is to gain more muscle! For every pound of additional muscle you gain youe body will burn an extra 50-70 calories per day.

3. Maintain Mobility and Balance

Strong legs are crucial for staying mobile as you get older and squats are a fantastic way for increasing leg strength. They also workout your core, stabilizing muscles which help you to maintain balance and also improving the communication between your brain and your muscle groups which helps prevent you from falling.

4. Prevent injuries

Most athletic injuries involve weak muscles, ligaments and connective tissues which squats help strengthen. They also prevent injury by increasing your flexibility and balance.

Hopefully you find this informal, also check out my YouTube video on how to strengthen your legs

Coach Q

Does the Sauna help you lose weight?

When I first started going to the gym I was never really use to the sauna. I noticed that a lot of people would go in before or after their workout and they would come out sweating. So one day I took it upon myself to give it a try and it was my first time and I almost passed out because I stayed in for too long. At first I didn’t see any benefits from it but after a while I thought that it was actually helping me lose extra weight that I did not want. So eventually I started weighing myself before I got in and after I got in and surprisingly there was no major difference. So eventually I went on to do some research to discover if the sauna actually helped people lose weight and here’s the answer:

When you are in the sauna you are losing a tiny bit of weight because you are sweating off water weight. Once you start drinking water again the weight returns. The sauna may also help you burn some extra calories but I would not recommend relying on major sweat sessions alone to shed weight. It is not a real effective tool for significant weight loss.

So at the end of the day if you are someone who has been counting on the sauna to provide significant weight loss for you then I would suggest to look for another avenue. Because at a bear minimum you are only shedding off water weight.

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

Workouts you can do while your at your desk

A lot of people are bombarded with things going on in their life and they often don’t have time to go to the gym. People wonder how it is possible to fit extra time into their busy schedules to exercise. There is a solution to that that includes ways to incorporate stretches and exercise into your daily routine while you are at work! But before we jump into the exercises that you can do the most important thing is your posture. Having a good posture can relieve neck and back stiffness which is helpful when working at a desk job.

One of the worst things you can do while sitting at your desk is maintaining a forward head posture. This causes all of the nerves in your head to be compressed that causes very painful headaches at the base of your skull. The key is to have our head aligned with our spine. Also, your feet should be flat on the floor and your knees and hips at a 90- degree angle. Keep your back pressed against the back of the chair to help maintain a great posture. Now I will be getting into some of the stretches and exercises that you can do at your desk.

1. Push-Ups

This is a great way to get your chest involved at work. I know some of you may not want to get down on the floor, so, another option would be to do them on the edge of your desk or on the wall.

2. Squats

Simply do free weight squats in sets of 10 until you feel your legs start to burn.

3. Tricep Dips

These can be done anywhere! You can use the chair at your desk to do them. I would not suggest doing them if you have the chairs that roll… Dangerous! Do these in sets of 10 as well you will feel your triceps start to burn!

4. Calf Raises

Stand behind your chair hold on to it for support and simply go up until you are standing on your toes and go back down slowly. You will feel your calf muscles working. I’d suggest doing 3 sets of 15.

5. Glute Squeezes

This will be an isometric move. Squeeze your glutes as hard as you can and hold for at least 30 seconds.

6. Wall Sit

Stand with your back against the wall and slowly lower your body into a seated position and hold for 30 seconds.

All of these simple yet rewarding exercises are very easy to do while in your office at work or even on your break!

What should you eat after your workout?

Let’s talk about the right foods that you should eat that can help you after you are done exercising. It is important to understand what happens to your body once your exercise is finished. When you are working out your muscles use their glycogen that they store for fuel. Some of the proteins in your muscles also get broken down and damaged. Eating the right nutrients soon after you work out can help your body recover faster. It is vital that you eat protein and carbs after your workout. Consuming protein helps repair and build your muscle.

Doing this will help your body decrease muscle protein breakdown, increase the size of your muscles and enhance recovery. The timing of your post-workout meal(s) is one of the most important things. Most experts say that you should consume a meal within 45 min after your workout.

Here are some foods that you should eat after you work out:

Carbs

Rice
Fruits (bananas, berries, pineapple)
Sweet potatoes
Chocolate milk
Potatoes
Pasta

Protein

Eggs
Greek Yogurt
Plant Based
Cottage Cheese
Salmon
Tuna
Protein Bar

Fats

Avocado
Nuts
Trail Mix

These are just some sample foods that you can eat after you work out. There are plenty of other foods that I didn’t mention but these are just a few to get you on track on what to eat. Most importantly do not forget to your DRINK WATER!