No way! This can't be junk food!

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No way! This can't be junk food!


Smart marketing deployed by some “healthy” food product companies have led unsuspecting consumers to fall for their deceitful claims. We all try to eat healthy and make sure that our body gets the best but in this race we sometimes get fooled. I would like to take this opportunity to show you top 6 items that are taken as healthy but in reality they are real junk foods!

1. Energy Bars:
Not only they are high in sugar and carbohydrates but they contain really bad carbohydrates. Most of the energy bars contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated palm oil, so even though the fat content of these bars is within reasonable limits, the percentage of saturated fat in the bar can be quite high (more than 50% of the fat in some bars). Energy bars don’t contain the phytochemicals, bioflavonoids, natural fiber and balance of vitamins and minerals found in natural fruits and vegetables.

2. California Roll:
Eating fish is good but eating a California roll is not good. It is very high in sodium, contains fake crab meat and empty calories. There is nothing good in this food.

3. Fruit Juice:
I would rather eat a spoonful of sugar than eat this so called healthy juice. Not only they are high in calories but they also contain artificial chemicals that we can't even pronounce. Most of the fruit juices are from concentrates and not freshly squeezed.

4. Frozen Yogurt:
The flavors like strawberries, blueberries are generally fake flavors. Frozen yogurts are made with artificial sweeteners. One cannot add natural flavors into a pocket size container and sell it for 79 cents. I would recommend fat free plain yogurt over frozen flavored yogurts.

5. Protein Shake:
Muscle building shakes are supposed to increase your biceps and not your waist-line and these pre-prepared shakes precisely do the latter. Stick to natural food and protein powders rather than these pre-prepared shakes.

6. Salads:
Restaurant salads with fancy names like chipotle barbeque mesquite chicken salad contain close to 1000 calories and the worst part is we eat them as appetizers. The real culprits in these salads are the dressings. Stay away from these super salads and stick to cucumbers, tomatoes, celery & lettuce.

So above are some of the foods that we eat thinking they are healthier but actually they are deceptive because of all empty calories and high amount of sodium, fats and simple carbs...

In my daily food I personally don't consume even a single item from the list. I simply follow one rule what GOD has made is good for you (Fruits, Veggies, Grains, Milk etc) and what is made by MAN is generally bad for your (Chips, Ice creme, Pizza, Candy etc....) So my friends try to pick correct choices.

Now go out there and live a FIT DAY! trust me it feels so good after working out, eating right and sleeping tight :)

KEEP WORKING!

Cheers

-Achal
http://www.bollywoodabs.com
http://www.achaldua.com

Phases of losing weight!

I have a first hand experience in going through these phases. I am sure those who have gone through this knows what i am talking about. There are days when you feel everything is working out for you and you are in the right track and you feel great about yourself but then there are times where you just can't motivate yourself to workout and stay on track. Trust me everyone goes through the phases and that's the time where your brain muscle needs to be the strongest because that's whats going to push your through....

I will go just a little bit out of track and tell you about my client who started with me in 2003 weighing 230 lbs! at 23 yrs of age....now she weighs..120 lbs...and its been 2 yrs since she stayed at this weight...so 3 yrs of brutal training and strict diet lead to an amazing drop of 110 lbs...it was not easy and sure enough she also went through phases where I had to pick it up from ZERO again and motivate her to stay on the wagon but one thing she did is never gave up and look what it got to her..a 360 deg. turn around in her life....from 230 lbs to 120 lbs! is not a joke and for sure was not easy..phases of being totally into it then the phase of total rejection and then the phase of its not working but 3 yrs later it was all worth it....

Coming back to phases....being a trainer and understanding the concept of how mind plays the game when it comes to getting and staying in shape I experienced it even at a advanced stage...I started to lean down in January 08' for my photo shoot for the DVD and I weighed 178 lbs (80 kg) with a body fat of 12%. In march I had my first photo shoot where I weighed 155 lbs (70 kg) with a body fat of 8% but I was not too happy with my body cause I knew I could look better regardless of what people were telling me....

Then started the real struggle...staying on track and keep motivating myself to get better and better and better..I was eating clean..doing cardio and lifting weights 6 days a week....In Sept. 08' I had another photo shoot and I weighed 134 lbs (60 kg) with a body fat between 4-6 % (controversial number cause my machine told me 3.5% but its kinda hard to believe). Being a person from Indian origin the food we eat are so delicious and its so hard to stay away from those amazing desserts and yummy snacks but once you set your mind towards a goal its not that hard..I always believe out sight out of mind ..so basically I stopped looking at those things....












So 44 lbs and 8 months...& I knew I was at my best shape ever and I never felt that way ever before....but getting there was a struggle lots of sacrifices...self motivation and a desire to be my best helped me a lot to reach my goal....I am at 140 lbs now and feeling good but one thing have changed for good in me and that is to set goals in order to achieve something....I have to set deadlines but that's me personally...you might not have to do it....find your own way to stimulate your brain..it could be going down in dress size or fitting in your high school jeans or going down in belt buckle..whatever it is but pick a starting point and keep measuring...every week or month to see if you are staying on track...

Don't forget its a lifestyle change and trust me you will that you have conquer the world!

KEEP WORKING

Achal

----------------
www.bollywoodabs.com
www.achaldua.com
http://picasaweb.google.com/achaldua/ - my photo gallery
http://twitter.com/achaldua - read what I am doing

Water Water Water ...everywhere!

You have heard it all...but I will say it anyways!!!

An average human body is 80% water
Muscles are 75% water thus it cushions and supports your muscles
Water increases your Metabolism and results in burning more Fat
Water helps you look younger by keeping your skin hydrated
Drinking water can reduce hunger
Helps fight against diseases and strengthens your immune system

The fact is that muscles loose elasticity with diminishing water content. They get tight and if nothing is done, spasms might develop. So it's very important to keep yourself hydrated while your are working out or otherwise.

Here are some very common symptoms of dehydration.

Fatigue
Digestive discomfort
Headaches
Constipation
Anger
Etc.

As a matter of fact, some experts related dehydration to more serious conditions, such as:
Ulcers
Obesity
Asthma
Allergies

Our body retain water for different reasons..one of the most unknown causes are sore muscles. You know the feeling when your muscles are sore after the workout...that time you retain more water in your body and the best way to neutralize is to drink more water...

So how much water do you actually needs according to the different studies.. ½ oz. of water per pound of body weight. So for example, if you weigh 120 lbs., you would be drinking 60 oz. of water, or 7.5 cups of water per day. A 200 lb. person would require 12.5 cups daily. But I believe that it all depends upon your lifestyle...if you are out there and working hard like most of us you need more water so the best thing is to get the min. which is 8 glasses of water in a day but also get few extras just for the HECK! of it.....it wort hurt you at all....

KEEP WORKING

Achal

----------------
www.bollywoodabs.com
www.achaldua.com
http://picasaweb.google.com/achaldua/ - my photo gallery
http://twitter.com/achaldua - read what I am doing

looking for a all around body...

I noticed something interesting in the gym...there are 2 kind of workaholics at the gym, One that come to the gym and go straight to the machines or weights and start working out like they live there and other kind are those who come to the gym chit chat..warm up...stretch..and then attack the workout.

There is a noticeable difference between the 2. The first category is likely to have a dominating body part and it is more true in guys..they will have big arms, big chest or big back and they keep repeating the workouts to develop those parts or at least they want to. This category will likely to injure themselves several times in their lifetime and will eventually stop working out. So what do you think is going on..its like you are racing a car the moment you sit in it..how long do you think your engine is going to last!!! They do not have attarctive look atleast for me symmetry is way more important than having a big bicep.

Now lets talk about 2nd kind...They come to the gym and spend some time warming up doing some stretches and getting ready for the torture...and at a very early age I realized that this extra 5-10 min. spend in the beginning and at the end are well worth it and will take you places.

The way you warm up shows that how much you know about training. Being careful is first step towards being successful. Take your time in warming up stretching and let your body temperature rise up before you put it up for acceleration. Lower Back, Shoulders, Knees, Hamstrings they are very complicated joints so you have to take time to let the blood go in there and make them warmer before you start using them for workout.

Below is a sample warm up routine that I follow...

1. Treadmill - 8-10 min.
2. Shoulder Stretches (Rotator cuff)
3. Lower Back and Hamstring Streches
AND
Then I follow whatever I am doing (for e.x. chest,back etc) with a very light and weight and do lot of reps to make sure my primary muscles are ready for training.

For those at home> warm up like this...

10 jump rope (you can do it without the rope)
5 push ups
10 squats
10 lunges

Repeat for 3 times and I bet you will be sweating....


The above explained group are different in their body looks. If you look at the later group (the one who warms up and do stretches) they are more athletic and lean looking than the our first group(who doesn't believe in starching).

So next time make a habit of stretching some before lifting and you will feel much better after the workout. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!!

KEEP WORKING

Achal

----------------
www.bollywoodabs.com
www.achaldua.com
http://picasaweb.google.com/achaldua/ - my photo gallery
http://twitter.com/achaldua - read what I am doing