Drinking smoothies is healthy and nutritious but you can add different protein powders to boost your energy and build your muscles. Protein smoothies are a good source of protein without the fats and carbohydrates usually associated with eating protein rich foods. If you do not have time to cook, a protein smoothie recipe for building muscles will do just as well and will be of great help to you.
Here is one recipe you will surely enjoy aside from the rich protein source it will provide for your muscles:
Ingredients:
1 banana (chilled)
1 cup of non-fat milk
1/2 cup of yogurt
1 tablespoon of protein powder (check on recommended dose based on age, weight and activity level)
Procedure:
1. Blend the chilled banana and non-fat milk on high speed for at least 30 seconds.
2. Add in the yogurt and blend for another 30 seconds.
3. Add in the protein powder and blend for another 30 seconds on high speed.
4. Chill if desired before drinking.
There are other rich sources of protein you can add to make your protein smoothie such as:
· Soy milk can add more protein to your smoothie.
· Nut milks such as almonds and peanuts will give a rich flavor and aroma to your smoothies.
· Silken tofu will not only pack your smoothie with protein but will also make your smoothie smooth and creamy. To add silken tofu to your smoothie use the same amount of tofu and fruit for best results. You can also substitute tofu for recipes which calls for yogurt.
· Nut butters such as peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter contain the requisite protein and fatty acids that are essentially for building muscles and boosting your energy. Adding any nut butter to a frozen banana will make a delicious and protein rich smoothie.
· Rice milk and hemp are also good protein enhancers to your smoothie.
· Cocoa powder will also make a sweet chocolaty protein rich drink.
· Tahini paste will definitely increase the protein content of your smoothie. Just add a spoonful to your mix for a tasty drink.
· Quinoa is a kind of spinach plant that is full of protein and when added to your smoothie especially if your recipe contains soy in it will make a complete drink.
Using other rich sources of proteins for your smoothie will be beneficial if you are a vegetarian or non-meat eater because you will be able to get the protein requirements your body needs with the use of natural and fresh ingredients.
Make your own protein smoothie recipe to build your muscles. Find a protein smoothie recipe that is best for you by clicking on this link.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jumneez_Swensen
Monday, October 26, 2009
Decide Now
Most people have little trouble deciding from a menu when they go to a restaurant. Within a few minutes they make a decision as to what to order to eat. Sometimes the type of restaurant one is in narrows the choices. Other times the price of a meal may make a difference in what is ordered. But life itself is not usually as simple as picking from a menu.
At meal time one eats, of course. But soon there will be another meal. So the choice you make at the first meal may not have been as good as you had thought. But, never mind, the next meal can make up for it. One's choices in life may not be so easily canceled out or reversed.
As a consequence, some folks have great trouble making decision for their lives. Some of this is understandable. One decisions can make or break a lifetime. This is not usually the case. But sometimes decision can have monumental consequences. You have every reason to be cautious when making important decisions. Such decisions may include but not be limited to marriage, career, health, crime.
But don't be caught in the trap of making no decision about your life. If you say to yourself, "I'll make that decision soon," yet never get around to it, you have decided. You have decided not to decide. And that is a decision. It is a determination by default. In other words, you let what happens to you be determined by forces outside of yourself.
Of course, if you decide not to decide, then you can make an excuse for yourself. You can excuse the mess you're in by saying, "I didn't know that would happen." It's an easy way to get off the hook for your own life.
In order to take charge of your life, stop making excuses about what is happening, you must decide. Yes, I said "must." It is your personal responsibility to say, for example, "I will change... (fill in the blank) beginning now." "Must" is a verb of responsibility. When you make decisions, you are taking charge of your life. When you decide "now," you are not procrastinating and thereby letting fate rule your life.
"Now" is a relative term. The bigger the decision you need to make, the more time you might need to decide. Take your time, as long as that time is not shillyshallying.
Yes, anyone can make a mistake in life over a serious and significant decision. It may turn out to be mistaken and even sadly or disastrously so. But that does not pardon you from making a decision. It only exacerbates the need for you to decide - - to try to avoid sadness or disaster.
Decide now. It is a life phrase that will serve you well. It is a positive way to proceed through your life.
And when you want to find additional ways to take charge of your life, claim your Free Instant Access to a Force-Source Resource. Just Click Here You'll get the Force-Source Resource titled "All the Best - You Deserve It." Remember, one bit of information can give you a lifetime of satisfaction.
From Dr Robert Henry Schwenk - The "I Know the Meaning of Life" Guy.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Robert_Henry_Schwenk
At meal time one eats, of course. But soon there will be another meal. So the choice you make at the first meal may not have been as good as you had thought. But, never mind, the next meal can make up for it. One's choices in life may not be so easily canceled out or reversed.
As a consequence, some folks have great trouble making decision for their lives. Some of this is understandable. One decisions can make or break a lifetime. This is not usually the case. But sometimes decision can have monumental consequences. You have every reason to be cautious when making important decisions. Such decisions may include but not be limited to marriage, career, health, crime.
But don't be caught in the trap of making no decision about your life. If you say to yourself, "I'll make that decision soon," yet never get around to it, you have decided. You have decided not to decide. And that is a decision. It is a determination by default. In other words, you let what happens to you be determined by forces outside of yourself.
Of course, if you decide not to decide, then you can make an excuse for yourself. You can excuse the mess you're in by saying, "I didn't know that would happen." It's an easy way to get off the hook for your own life.
In order to take charge of your life, stop making excuses about what is happening, you must decide. Yes, I said "must." It is your personal responsibility to say, for example, "I will change... (fill in the blank) beginning now." "Must" is a verb of responsibility. When you make decisions, you are taking charge of your life. When you decide "now," you are not procrastinating and thereby letting fate rule your life.
"Now" is a relative term. The bigger the decision you need to make, the more time you might need to decide. Take your time, as long as that time is not shillyshallying.
Yes, anyone can make a mistake in life over a serious and significant decision. It may turn out to be mistaken and even sadly or disastrously so. But that does not pardon you from making a decision. It only exacerbates the need for you to decide - - to try to avoid sadness or disaster.
Decide now. It is a life phrase that will serve you well. It is a positive way to proceed through your life.
And when you want to find additional ways to take charge of your life, claim your Free Instant Access to a Force-Source Resource. Just Click Here You'll get the Force-Source Resource titled "All the Best - You Deserve It." Remember, one bit of information can give you a lifetime of satisfaction.
From Dr Robert Henry Schwenk - The "I Know the Meaning of Life" Guy.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Robert_Henry_Schwenk
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Body, Mind, and Spiritual Well Being
Here are some ways we can create our mind body spirit health and keep all three healthy. Making sure our three bodies are working at their top performance is essential for good health.
Our first part of mind body spirit health is our mind, subconscious or emotional body, this body works invisibly to help us achieve our goals in life. We have control over it to some degree and are able to reprogram it to help us achieve what we desire most.
Our emotional body
We need to keep our subconscious body healthy by keeping good relationships and fixing broken ones. If we keep hold of old broken relationships and don't try to fix them, either by healing the relationship or by forgiving and then forgetting the relationship then our emotional body still feels hurt, and the hurt can cause other problems.
Another thing about our subconscious body is that it keeps thousands upon thousands of situations and thoughts inside itself. If any of these thoughts or situations are not fulfilled or completed then we are renting rent-free space in our brain for those hurtful or unfulfilled things. If we can complete those things or forgive and forget, we can open our emotional body to better and greater things to come.
One way to help our emotional body is by talking to ourselves in a mirror. This may sound funny at first but it is a very good way of helping our emotional body in its health. We can start out by asking ourselves
"How are you today?" and "It is good to see you again." Then we can start by saying "I would like to complement you today on..." We then start to list all the things that we have accomplished today. They can be very little things like going for a walk, or chewing our food properly so that our digestion will work better, or that we made a step towards a better relationship with someone, or that we are doing more exercise, or we are completing one of our goals.
Our emotional body loves hearing all these praises and it will thank us afterwards by giving us a happy and satisfied feeling. After we are finished talking to our emotional body, we can tell ourselves in the mirror that we love ourselves.
Having a healthy respect for our self is a very important part of mind body spirit health. Telling our emotional body we love ourselves, helps a great deal in balancing our bodies, because many times we may feel that our life is missing love, or friendship, or we may be unsatisfied with our physical body and because of that unsatisfied feeling, our emotional body is affected.
However, when we tell ourselves that we care and we do love ourselves our emotional body becomes happier and is then more willing to listen to our needs.
Next on our list of mind body spirit health is our physical body. This is a very important part because our physical body has a big affect on our emotional body as well.
Our physical body.
We need to keep our physical body fit, strong, and healthy by doing daily exercises, by eating right and by doing our best to live a stress free lifestyle. If we can achieve these things, our physical body will be in top shape. We will feel full of life, energy, vigor, strength and confidence.
Our emotional body will thank us for our efforts because from having, a well toned and healthy body, we create good remarks and admiration from others. We also have good sex appeal. Our emotional body loves these things, so by keeping our physical body healthy we start to help our emotional body as well.
The last part of our mind body spirit health exercise is to help our spiritual body. Doing this will greatly help the other two bodies work together nicely.
Our spiritual body
We can keep our spiritual body happy by giving in charity to others in need, by being kind and humble to others, by praising God or the universe, by setting an example for others to follow.
Anything that we can do that will help others in living better, in feeling better and in learning more about God or the universe makes the soul happier. Our souls are happiest when they are in tune with God or the universe. So, by doing acts of kindness and charity to the less fortunate ones, we can further our progress towards the greater good.
If we can practice on a daily basis, be kind to everyone, be humble to others, and learn to forgive and forget, our souls will develop a great happiness, which will help us to become balanced in all three of our bodies.
Acharya D Hargreaves, is a published author of two health books, Digest Alive Lose Weight and build a great body Naturally, Digest Alive The Natural Cure to Heartburn and the owner of http://www.natural-way-to-lose-weight-fast.com a website dedicated to helping overweight and obese people with their weight problems.
"Obesity and Overweight issues are signs that our bodies are unbalanced, to naturally Lose weight quickly and keep it off, we need to make our bodies feel the need to balance themselves out, when this happens we will lose weight fast and keep it off." He says.
In his spare time he likes to do 3D modeling and work with Art and writing, Acharya D Hargreaves lives on an Organic fruit orchard with his wonderful family.
Personal email: sight800@yahoo.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Acharya_Hargreaves
Our first part of mind body spirit health is our mind, subconscious or emotional body, this body works invisibly to help us achieve our goals in life. We have control over it to some degree and are able to reprogram it to help us achieve what we desire most.
Our emotional body
We need to keep our subconscious body healthy by keeping good relationships and fixing broken ones. If we keep hold of old broken relationships and don't try to fix them, either by healing the relationship or by forgiving and then forgetting the relationship then our emotional body still feels hurt, and the hurt can cause other problems.
Another thing about our subconscious body is that it keeps thousands upon thousands of situations and thoughts inside itself. If any of these thoughts or situations are not fulfilled or completed then we are renting rent-free space in our brain for those hurtful or unfulfilled things. If we can complete those things or forgive and forget, we can open our emotional body to better and greater things to come.
One way to help our emotional body is by talking to ourselves in a mirror. This may sound funny at first but it is a very good way of helping our emotional body in its health. We can start out by asking ourselves
"How are you today?" and "It is good to see you again." Then we can start by saying "I would like to complement you today on..." We then start to list all the things that we have accomplished today. They can be very little things like going for a walk, or chewing our food properly so that our digestion will work better, or that we made a step towards a better relationship with someone, or that we are doing more exercise, or we are completing one of our goals.
Our emotional body loves hearing all these praises and it will thank us afterwards by giving us a happy and satisfied feeling. After we are finished talking to our emotional body, we can tell ourselves in the mirror that we love ourselves.
Having a healthy respect for our self is a very important part of mind body spirit health. Telling our emotional body we love ourselves, helps a great deal in balancing our bodies, because many times we may feel that our life is missing love, or friendship, or we may be unsatisfied with our physical body and because of that unsatisfied feeling, our emotional body is affected.
However, when we tell ourselves that we care and we do love ourselves our emotional body becomes happier and is then more willing to listen to our needs.
Next on our list of mind body spirit health is our physical body. This is a very important part because our physical body has a big affect on our emotional body as well.
Our physical body.
We need to keep our physical body fit, strong, and healthy by doing daily exercises, by eating right and by doing our best to live a stress free lifestyle. If we can achieve these things, our physical body will be in top shape. We will feel full of life, energy, vigor, strength and confidence.
Our emotional body will thank us for our efforts because from having, a well toned and healthy body, we create good remarks and admiration from others. We also have good sex appeal. Our emotional body loves these things, so by keeping our physical body healthy we start to help our emotional body as well.
The last part of our mind body spirit health exercise is to help our spiritual body. Doing this will greatly help the other two bodies work together nicely.
Our spiritual body
We can keep our spiritual body happy by giving in charity to others in need, by being kind and humble to others, by praising God or the universe, by setting an example for others to follow.
Anything that we can do that will help others in living better, in feeling better and in learning more about God or the universe makes the soul happier. Our souls are happiest when they are in tune with God or the universe. So, by doing acts of kindness and charity to the less fortunate ones, we can further our progress towards the greater good.
If we can practice on a daily basis, be kind to everyone, be humble to others, and learn to forgive and forget, our souls will develop a great happiness, which will help us to become balanced in all three of our bodies.
Acharya D Hargreaves, is a published author of two health books, Digest Alive Lose Weight and build a great body Naturally, Digest Alive The Natural Cure to Heartburn and the owner of http://www.natural-way-to-lose-weight-fast.com a website dedicated to helping overweight and obese people with their weight problems.
"Obesity and Overweight issues are signs that our bodies are unbalanced, to naturally Lose weight quickly and keep it off, we need to make our bodies feel the need to balance themselves out, when this happens we will lose weight fast and keep it off." He says.
In his spare time he likes to do 3D modeling and work with Art and writing, Acharya D Hargreaves lives on an Organic fruit orchard with his wonderful family.
Personal email: sight800@yahoo.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Acharya_Hargreaves
Sunday, October 18, 2009
8 Keys to Proper Diet and Nutrition
There are a few misconceptions about diet and nutrition. I don't typically like the word diet since many associate it with specific eating habits that are followed for a period of time and then you get off the diet. Nutrition on the other hand is something that we all know is important, but it just seems a fancy word that takes itself too seriously. In the end nutrition seemed to be a better description of what I wanted to explore, so here are some basic guidelines for any general diet and nutrition plan.
A healthy body is similar to a finely-tuned car. And there is nothing better than keeping the body tuned than following a balanced diet and nutrition program. This does not have to be restrictive; it should just follow some basic guidelines. The body needs food as its fuel and lifestyle, exercise and mental attitude as its regular maintenance for it to achieve its health potential. This explains the relation between health, diet and nutrition. Putting in the wrong fuel or forsaking the right fuel will prevent your body from delivering its power and best performance. Nothing is more important than proper diet and nutrition because without it, the body engine will splutter, cough and eventually stall. However, when following a balanced diet and nutrition, you can benefit from:
Added vitality and energy
Obtaining the weight that's ideal for you
Stronger and more powerful immune system
Improved overall body performance
Delayed effects of aging
Being fit and active
Lessened fatigue and tiredness
Healthy teeth and gums
Enhanced ability for concentration
Total health which means less risks for diseases
How can you achieve proper diet and nutrition?
Basically, proper diet and nutrition can be achieved from following the simple guidelines outlined below. A well-balanced diet and nutrition program includes:
1. Low fat
Almost all nutritionists and health experts agree that cutting down on fats from butter, cream, fried foods, oils and margarine is the best way to reduce weight and make your modern diet and nutrition healthier. This is also particularly important for a healthy heart.
2. Moderate Carbohydrates
Because many people have gone weight-conscious, they have forgotten the importance of rice, potatoes, pasta, cereals and bread to their health. Carbohydrates are important for vitality and energy so if you want to energize your body, take in foods that are rich in good quality carbohydrates.
3. High Fiber
Fiber is the large indigestible part of the food that you take in everyday. It doesn't only get you chewing, it also keeps the inner part of your body moving smoothly, helps prevent bowel cancer and gallstones, helps lower cholesterol, and keeps your weight in check. Grain breads and whole wheat are good sources of fiber.
4. Vitamins and Minerals
Fruits, vegetables and grains are abundant with vitamins and minerals as well as with other natural substances that functions as antioxidants. These foods help the body fight the free radicals that you get from bad foods and pollutants that could damage membranes, and cells.
5. Eat Variety of Foods
Eating a variety of foods will help you get all the nutrients your body needs. Try having a meal with foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals and you get all the good nutrients your body deserves. Each meal should contain food from all 3 macro nutrient groups.
6. Limit Consumption of Sugar and Sweets
Sugar can help you stay active and on the go however, when taken excessively, adds unwanted kilojoules in your body and can displace and dispose other important foods especially in kids. Excessive intake of sugar and sweets may also cause tooth decay and other dental problems.
7. Limit Consumption of Salt
The usual diet and nutrition program is laden with salt. While most people think that salt is a good flavoring for all foods, it actually masks the real flavor of the food you are eating. Not only that! Many packaged and prepared meals have high levels of sodium that is bad for your health so it is very important that you buy fresh produce. When buying packaged food, look for labels with no-added-salts or foods with reduced amount of sodium. One other alternative is to switch to sea salt for food preparation.
8. Increase Intake of Fluid
Two liters or eight glasses of water is needed to keep your body hydrated as well as to keep your kidneys and other organs working efficiently. Don't be fooled by fruit juices, energy drinks, or alcohol! Many of these drinks add calories that people ignore in their daily consumption and drinks like coffee and alcohol actually dehydrate the body. They are not considered helpful fluid because they act as diuretics that force your kidneys to excrete more fluid. Water is your best choice, so stick to it.
Summary
Proper diet and nutrition is rather easy to achieve. Just incorporate the above mentioned foods in your daily diet and nutrition program. Enjoy the food you eat and take your time to appreciate them and for sure, you'll be healthier than ever!
You can read more articles like this Diet and Nutrition article on my Fitness and Health website.
Your friend in fitness and health,
Kobus
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kobus_DeVilliers
A healthy body is similar to a finely-tuned car. And there is nothing better than keeping the body tuned than following a balanced diet and nutrition program. This does not have to be restrictive; it should just follow some basic guidelines. The body needs food as its fuel and lifestyle, exercise and mental attitude as its regular maintenance for it to achieve its health potential. This explains the relation between health, diet and nutrition. Putting in the wrong fuel or forsaking the right fuel will prevent your body from delivering its power and best performance. Nothing is more important than proper diet and nutrition because without it, the body engine will splutter, cough and eventually stall. However, when following a balanced diet and nutrition, you can benefit from:
Added vitality and energy
Obtaining the weight that's ideal for you
Stronger and more powerful immune system
Improved overall body performance
Delayed effects of aging
Being fit and active
Lessened fatigue and tiredness
Healthy teeth and gums
Enhanced ability for concentration
Total health which means less risks for diseases
How can you achieve proper diet and nutrition?
Basically, proper diet and nutrition can be achieved from following the simple guidelines outlined below. A well-balanced diet and nutrition program includes:
1. Low fat
Almost all nutritionists and health experts agree that cutting down on fats from butter, cream, fried foods, oils and margarine is the best way to reduce weight and make your modern diet and nutrition healthier. This is also particularly important for a healthy heart.
2. Moderate Carbohydrates
Because many people have gone weight-conscious, they have forgotten the importance of rice, potatoes, pasta, cereals and bread to their health. Carbohydrates are important for vitality and energy so if you want to energize your body, take in foods that are rich in good quality carbohydrates.
3. High Fiber
Fiber is the large indigestible part of the food that you take in everyday. It doesn't only get you chewing, it also keeps the inner part of your body moving smoothly, helps prevent bowel cancer and gallstones, helps lower cholesterol, and keeps your weight in check. Grain breads and whole wheat are good sources of fiber.
4. Vitamins and Minerals
Fruits, vegetables and grains are abundant with vitamins and minerals as well as with other natural substances that functions as antioxidants. These foods help the body fight the free radicals that you get from bad foods and pollutants that could damage membranes, and cells.
5. Eat Variety of Foods
Eating a variety of foods will help you get all the nutrients your body needs. Try having a meal with foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals and you get all the good nutrients your body deserves. Each meal should contain food from all 3 macro nutrient groups.
6. Limit Consumption of Sugar and Sweets
Sugar can help you stay active and on the go however, when taken excessively, adds unwanted kilojoules in your body and can displace and dispose other important foods especially in kids. Excessive intake of sugar and sweets may also cause tooth decay and other dental problems.
7. Limit Consumption of Salt
The usual diet and nutrition program is laden with salt. While most people think that salt is a good flavoring for all foods, it actually masks the real flavor of the food you are eating. Not only that! Many packaged and prepared meals have high levels of sodium that is bad for your health so it is very important that you buy fresh produce. When buying packaged food, look for labels with no-added-salts or foods with reduced amount of sodium. One other alternative is to switch to sea salt for food preparation.
8. Increase Intake of Fluid
Two liters or eight glasses of water is needed to keep your body hydrated as well as to keep your kidneys and other organs working efficiently. Don't be fooled by fruit juices, energy drinks, or alcohol! Many of these drinks add calories that people ignore in their daily consumption and drinks like coffee and alcohol actually dehydrate the body. They are not considered helpful fluid because they act as diuretics that force your kidneys to excrete more fluid. Water is your best choice, so stick to it.
Summary
Proper diet and nutrition is rather easy to achieve. Just incorporate the above mentioned foods in your daily diet and nutrition program. Enjoy the food you eat and take your time to appreciate them and for sure, you'll be healthier than ever!
You can read more articles like this Diet and Nutrition article on my Fitness and Health website.
Your friend in fitness and health,
Kobus
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kobus_DeVilliers
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