Will this be your best day ever? Or your beastliest? What you put in your mouth will have a lot to do with the answer. Food can help fuel body and mind to ensure that you perform at the peak of your abilities. Or it can sabotage your best efforts, leaving you panicked, drained, and floundering. Are you eating your way to disaster, or triumph? Let's go through your daily menu of foods and tasks to help you snack, slurp, and sup your way to success.

6:43am -

You've just rolled out of bed. You need to be on the road by 7:20. Big day of work ahead.

Eat This: Bacon or ham and fried eggs
Benefit 1: Fullness and energy
The protein in this power meal will keep you feeling full throughout the morning. A University of Illinois study found that people who eat more protein and less carbs than in conventional meals find it easier to stick to a diet. Protein is satiating and may also boost calorie burn, the study authors say.

Benefit 2: Relaxed blood vessels
When you digest eggs, protein fragments are produced that can prevent your blood vessels from narrowing—which may help keep your blood pressure from rising. In fact, Canadian scientists found in a lab study that the hotter the eggs, the more potent the proteins, and frying them sends their temps soaring.

Not That: Pancakes, or a bagel with cream cheese
These carbohydrate-loaded options will send your blood glucose skyward, and you may feel ready to tackle anything. But don't be fooled: That soaring blood sugar will lead to a crash, and you're bound to feel hungry again before lunch. Resist the tempting ease of most high-carb breakfasts, and go find some protein.

Extra tip: Eat now at home, not later on the road. A University of Massachusetts study found that eating breakfast out instead of at home more than doubles your odds of obesity. Not only are restaurant meals often bigger than home-cooked ones, but you're also vulnerable to an impulse buy at a drive-thru or convenience store.
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   THE "ORIGINAL" 300 WORKOUT  

• Pullups - 25 reps
• Barbell Deadlift with 135 lbs. - 50 reps
• Pushups - 50 reps
• 24-inch Box Jumps - 50 reps
• Floor Wipers - 50 reps
• Single-Arm Clean-and-Press with 36 lbs Kettlebell - 50 reps
• Pullups - 25 reps

All exercises are done without scheduled rest between moves.

 

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  1. PULLUPS (25 reps)  

Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip that's slightly wider than shoulder width apart, and hang at arm's length. Pull your chest to the bar, pause, and then lower your body back to the starting position.

 

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  2. DEADLIFTS WITH 135 LBS. (50 reps) 

Load the barbell and roll it against your shins. Bend at your hips and knees and grab the bar with an overhand grip, your hands just beyond shoulder width. Without allowing your lower back to round, pull your torso back and up, thrust your hips forward, and stand up with the barbell. Squeeze your glutes as you perform the movement. Lower the bar to the floor, keeping it as close to your body as possible.

  3. PUSHUPS (50 reps)  

Get down on all fours and place your hands on the floor so that they're slightly wider than and in line with your shoulders. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. Pause at the bottom, and then push yourself back to the starting position as quickly as possible.

 

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  4. 24-INCH BOX JUMPS (50 reps) 

Stand in front of a sturdy, secure box that's high enough so that you have to jump with great effort in order to land on top of it. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart. Dip your knees. Jump up onto the box with a soft landing. Step down and reset your feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  5. FLOOR WIPERS (50 reps) 

Holding a 135-pound loaded bar above your chest, bring your feet up together to the left plate, down to the middle, and up to the right plate before putting them down in the middle. That's one repetition.

WATCH VIDEO DEMONSTRATION

 

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  6. SINGLE-ARM CLEAN-AND-PRESS WITH 36-LBS. KETTLEBELL (50 reps) 

Stand shoulder-width apart with a kettlebell between your feet. Bend at the knees and grab the kettlebell with an overhand grip. Drive your hips and legs through the floor to bring the kettlebell up to your chest (note: your arm should be tucked in close to your body with the kettlebell resting on the outside of your forearm.) Push overhead before lowering it to the ground in a controlled movement.

That's one rep. Make sure it touches the ground before each rep. Perform 25 reps per arm.

WATCH VIDEO DEMONSTRATION

 

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  7. PULLUPS (25 reps)  

Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip that's slightly wider than shoulder width apart, and hang at arm's length. Pull your chest to the bar, pause, and then lower your body back to the starting position.

Quick!  Let’s do a little word association: When I say, ‘health food’ what’s the first thought that comes to mind?  Does the very notion conjure up images of huge grocery bills or tearful children?  Fear not!  Though a lot of people think that eating healthier would necessarily require a complete diet overhaul, just a few tweaks and sneaks can make a huge difference.  Here are just a few ideas to get you started.

 

• Chop up fresh spinach and toss it in with your tomato sauce.  It’s an easy way to sneak in one of nature’s super foods and your kids won’t likely notice.  Plus, they might even develop a taste for spinach!  Imagine that!  Oh, and speaking of tomato sauce, what kind are you using?  A little label reading goes a long way here.  Some have a ton of added junk–sugar, high fructose corn syrup, fats, sodium–and can be rather high in calories.  So take a peak at that marinara label.  Look for one that has maybe 50 or so calories or less per serving, which is typically 1/2 cup.  Or!  If you are really feeling wild, try making your *own* marinara sauce.  Sounds like a lot of work, but you can actually whip up a batch with little time and effort.  All you need is a drizzle of olive oil, some minced garlic, a healthy splosh of white wine, a big can of crushed tomatoes, and your favorite Italian herbs and spices (e.g. basil, oregano, marjoram, parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, etc.).  Toss in a couple handfuls of that chopped, fresh spinach and you’ll have an easy dinner with huge nutritional value.
• Keep a bag of blueberries in the freezer.   Not only will you get all those lovely health-protective antioxidants, but you’ll also get a much needed taste of summer when the pickings are slim.  Try a handful in your yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, smoothies, desserts–whatever you can think of!
• Try using low-fat Greek-style yogurt in place of sour cream or cream in all sorts of recipes.  Über thick and creamy, this stuff lends itself ever so well to dips, salad dressings, desserts, creamy sauces, and more, and yet packs a nutritional wallop.  It’s high in complete protein and immune-enhancing probiotics while being generally low in calories and fat–if you choose a low-fat variety; be warned that full-fat versions are anything but low-cal.  (If you are needing a boost in protein and calories, however, go for those full-fat varieties!)  Ditto if there’s a bunch of added sugar.
• Swap your regular pasta for a whole grain variety, like Barilla Plus.  Made with lentils, chickpeas, spelt, barley, flax seed, oats, and wheat, Barilla Plus is higher in fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, iron and folate…oh, and my husband likes it!  Though many will choke down any horrid bit of cardboard in the name of health, I’ve always believed that good nutrition and good taste don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Visit Maureen Boswell's Blog at Maureen Fraîche - Mixing Business and Pleasure in the Kitchen

Almost never will a day go by and you will not see some sort of infomercial or advertisement selling you a DVD for the latest and greatest workout to get you into the best shape of you life, especially around the New Year. It’s simply overwhelming, and most of them don’t hold up to their claims. I have seen almost all of them from P90X to 6 minute abs, and had everyone from clients, friends, and family members try them, even I have dabbled in P90X, and enjoyed it. This portion of our blog is usually designated for reviewing one exercise DVD and telling you from a trainers stand point whether I think it’s worth its rocks. After some thought I came to what I think is a more helpful conclusion. I don’t like being ripped off, just ripped, so I’m going to go over 5 key components that an at home exercise DVD should have to be effective and hold up to its claim to truly get you into the best shape of your life.

 

1. Diet- This in my opinion is the first thing you should look at when buying one of these products. If it does not come with some sort of meal plan then it simply is going to be mediocre AT BEST. It needs to come with a diet that is not only easy, but something that has tempting enough food that you will stick to it. Without diet you will fall short of your goals. PERIOD.
2. Sufficient exercise time- I’m sorry to be the barer of bad news but you will not get fit from exercising for 6 minutes, 3x times a week. It just will not burn enough calories to make a difference. It has to make you sweat, and it has to take some time. The program needs to call for at least 30 minutes multiple times per week.
3. Weights-the program has to have some kind of resistance training. I do not like exercise programs that are solely cardio. This in my opinion will allow you to drop weight, but some or most of it will be muscle. With some resistance training you can retain muscle, strength, raise your metabolism and make faster progress.
4. Cardio-with that said it also has to have some sort of cardiovascular balance to assist in the weight loss and blast through fat. Whether this be intervals, circuits or plyometrics.
5. Progression-This might be the one that annoys me the most when I see TV exercise programs. If your body does not have a way to keep progressing it will stop making changes and you will plateau. This has to be either in the way of weights, cardiovascular stress or just overall difficulty. Look for a program that progressively gets harder as the weeks go on.

In my opinion, still to this day p90x holds the crown as the best at home exercise DVD. It includes all of the above factors and also has things like yoga and kenpo boxing. At times Tony Horton can get a little cheesy but that’s easy to look past when you start seeing results.