BROADCASTS.com

In this episode: Portable Protein Snacks, 3 solid tips to keep you on track and ways to treat your muscles right for best results in and out of the gym.



NUTRITION
It can be a challenge to get in the right amount of protein each day to maintain or add muscle to help you lose weight or become leaner. Adding one or two high protein snacks to your daily intake can keep your metabolism burning and hunger away! Especially in the late afternoon hours. Here's a few ideas to keep your body fueled throughout the day, the right way!

1. Cottage Cheese and Fresh Fruit 
Have 1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 cup of your favorite fruit.
Try some super fruits! Bananas, mixed berries, and any high fiber fruit would do.

2. Jerky (Beef or Turkey or Ostrich ) 
Choose low-sodium, natural, or lightly-flavored options of various jerky. You'll find turkey, beef even ostrich jerky! The size of most single-serve packs is about one ounce and contains about 9 grams of protein!  Plus jerky is chewy and keeps your mouth busy! This is a convenient, portable snack that keeps fresh for months when packed properly.

3. Mixed Nuts or Trail Mix 
Measure it out! Mixed nuts provide an easy way to get a delicious dose of protein in a convenient, shelf-stable package. The best nuts for protein? Almonds and pistachios. Add a few pieces of dried fruit (not too much they can be high in sugar and calories) and maybe a few mini choc chips and there ya go! Even the kids will love it!

4. Pumpkin Seeds 
Pumpkin seeds make a great snack once they’re washed, dried, and roasted. Just 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds has about 14 grams of protein! Store bought ones may have salt or sugar on them so be sure to check the labels!

5. Hard-Boiled Eggs
Eggs are one of the best on the go snacks ever! Inexpensive and loaded with nutrients, eggs are one of the best ways to get a good dose of quality protein. Hard boil and pre-peel a dozen at the start of the week, then have them for breakfast or snack. Egg whites are the highest protein while the yolk is the fat. Don't worry about that, because the components in the whites nullify the fats in the yolk so it is a healthy, balanced food!

TRAINING
Myth #1 Lifting incredibly slowly builds incredibly big muscles. 
Not necessarily the best structured study to prove this right or wrong, but the University of Alabama conducted a study with two groups of lifters doing a 29-minute workout. One group performed exercises using a 5-second up phase and a 10-second down phase, the other a more traditional approach of 1 second up and 1 second down. The faster group burned 71 percent more calories and lifted 250 percent more weight than the super slow lifters.

The problem I have with this study is that the protocol  of 1 second up and down is way too fast to be safe or effective. Sure, the faster moves burned more calories, but the slower lifting most likely created a greater muscle response thanks to the time under tension.  Sometimes studies done don't tell the whole truth!  I teach my clients to use a steady pace of 3 or 4 seconds up and the same down.  This becomes a habit and very difficult for them to cheat!

If you are an advanced exerciser, you can play with the tempo and time under tension, otherwise the good habits that come from slower steady lifting are worth the ti...