Eggs

I'm a big fan of eggs! They are easy to make, can be made many different ways, and can be enjoyed any time! Here's 7 Reasons You Need to Eat More Eggs:

http://www.bicycling.com/food/nutrition/7-reasons-you-need-to-eat-more-eggs?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=Social&utm_term=550985608&utm_campaign=-----------Internalonly:BI

The Best Time to Have a Protein Shake?

Lately I've been wondering, when is the best time to have a Protein Shake. I'm sure the majority of us, myself included, would assume it's after a workout. I've been wondering, if having a Protein Shake before bed is the best. There probably isn't a right or wrong answer, but I found this article about it.

http://www.newhealthadvisor.com/Protein-Shake-Before-Bed.html

I am going to try having my Protein Shake before bed, instead of after my workout for a while. I can report back in a few weeks.

Update: I've tried having my Protein Shake at different times during the day, not just before bed. If you're like me, and you're hungry all the time, I've found the best time for a Protein Shake is about 10:30am. Having a Protein Shake at that time, it keeps me from eating my entire lunch at noon, and getting hungry again at 3:00pm.

Chest Flys, Dumbbells vs. Cable

I'll stick with an injury theme.

When you exercise regularly, you'll deal with injuries or pain due to over use, that's just how it goes. It's a good trade off from dealing with being sick, and/or over weight. I mentioned in May, I was dealing with a sore left shoulder. I have a gut feeling, it's due to doing Dumbbell Chest Flys.

Reading about Dumbbell Chest Flys, yes they can irritate your shoulders, because they put too much pressure on your shoulders when your arms are at the bottom of the movement, at our sides. I enjoy Dumbbell Chest Flys, and didn't want to stop including them in my chest exercises. After thinking about it, I was wondering if Cable Chest Flys were better for our shoulders. According to this article, they are! Performing them while standing, is better for our shoulders then lying down. Plus the tension is constant during the entire movement when using Cables, compared to Dumbbells, when there's no tension when the Dumbbells are at the top of the movement, above our heads.

I don't have a Cable Gym, but I do have a lot of workout bands and a door anchor, which works the same as a Cable Gym.

You can read more about the difference between Dumbbell Flys and Cable Flys here:

http://seannal.com/articles/training/best-fly-exercise.php

Injuries

Last month I tore my left calf running to First Base in a Slow Pitch Softball game. I couldn't play for 2 weeks, and I've had to cutback on jogging outside. I'm almost back to 100%, but I've done some indoor jogging on the spot, and online spinning class, while I wait to jog outside again.

I've had an exercise bike for a couple years, but other then using it to warm up my legs, before I did a leg workout, I didn't use it much. If you're similar to me, and rehabbing a leg injury, or just looking to use your exercise bike more, I found 2 great 20 minute Spinning Class workouts on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hl1WAGKjMc&spfreload=5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd9VxqWxPuw&spfreload=5

One wasn't enough, so I did them back to back, and could really feel I worked hard after I was done. The next day is always the key, and my legs were sore, in a good way, so it was a great replacement for jogging.

I'll go ahead and address what we all are thinking in the first workout. Funny, how they always have to put the woman with the biggest chest right in front of the camera. I'll just leave it at that, but doing the workout, you're focused on cycling, so it isn't a distraction.

Shorts or No Shorts over Tights

If you're Canadian, like I am, Happy Canada Day. Our country is 149 years old today. Next year is the big 1-5-0! If you ask me, I don't think Canada looks a day over 125.

One of the fun things about being active is buying all the gear that goes along with it, like clothes, accessories, and equipment. As mentioned, I play Flag Football in the Fall. A lot of the guys, myself included, wear tights under their shorts while we're playing. I find they're easier to play in then sweat pants. They're also great for jogging when it's cold outside.

I personally think guys should wear shorts over their tights, but I see some guys jogging who don't. I guess it's a debate on some websites.

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-debates/should-guys-wear-shorts-over-their-tights?cid=OB-_-RW-_-ABP

To each their own I guess. I'll just say, I'm happy all the guys in my Flag Football League wear shorts over their tights.

Muscle Confusion

Our bodies are amazing, they adjust quickly to our workouts, which is why programs like P90X has "Muscle Confusion". Muscle Confusion keeps our bodies from getting to used to our workouts by changing our routines once a month, so we don't plateau, and we see results.

I recently found out another way to confuse our bodies, when using dumbbells. It's simple, just balance on one foot while performing an exercise. For example, if you're doing Bicep Curls, just raise one foot. Balancing on one foot makes the dumbbells feel heavier, and it also engages your core, so you're working your abs at the same time.

Be careful though, safety first, because you don't want to injure your back. Drop your weight few pounds if you need to.

Pull Ups and Chin Ups

Pull ups and chin ups are a great body weight exercise, and is a great way to workout your back, biceps, triceps, and chest. However, they are an intimidating and take a lot of energy to do them, I know from experience. I've thrown up twice exercising (gross!), and both times the routine that day included pull/chin ups.

If you can't do many pull/chin ups, or none at all, don't worry. I did a google search about pull/chin ups, the military says male recruits need to do only 3, and females are not required to do them.

If you want to include pull/chin ups in your routine, or already have them in your routine, and are having problems doing them, here's a great tip. If you have workout bands, they can be used to help perform pull/chin ups. Just hang the band on the bar, put your foot in the handles, and perform your pull/chin ups. It helps with full range of motion, you can straighten your arms at the bottom of the pull/chin up, and pull yourself back to the top easier.

Once you master pull/chin ups with bands, you can stop using the band and perform a full pull/chin up without them.