It's mine and I'm keeping it!

Me, I'm all about muscle. Its Austin! Looks cool, like a freaky suit of armor, or some futuristic exo skeleton. When properly cared for and stretched it helps to create a grace in motion. It also acts as amazing engine that burns fat thus keeping the machine, keeping on. The goal of everyone who begins this endeavor of athletic training, body sculpting, or body building, should be to keep as much of their hard earned muscle as possible. Recent studies have stated that a pound of muscle is only burning six calories as opposed to fats 2, but that's not really the point. You don't want to step backward. Due to the stressful lives that we live and the additional stresses we place on ourselves by working out, staying up late, yada ,yada ,yada. You all know what your doing. Stressing over things we can't change. Our bodies release a stress hormone called cortisol. Its supposed to help bring our bodies back into homeostasis, but depending on our levels of stress, it can run amok. Like angry little robots, rebelling against their human oppressors. They begin to tear down the masonry that you just constructed, burning the drapes. Its a mess. Some things that you can do to keep cortisol levels in check are through supplementation. I've recently adopted the habit of taking ZMA before I power down. ZMA is zinc/magnesium designed to replace deficiencies caused from exercise and stress. I also like to take about 40 grams of a time release protein with about a quarter tea spoon of glutamine powder before I go to bed. I slowly feeds your body throughout the course of the night. You could also add a scoop of natural peanut butter. The fat in the peanut butter is going to further slow the digestion. Now, most of us sleep for between five and ten hours. Ten is extreme, and extremely lucky. Optimal is eight, so that your body can recover. Its not just recovering, its actually fasting as well. So when you get up in the morning, more then likely that measly shake is long gone and your body has renewed its feast upon itself. To end this unauthorized party, I have a shake consisting of about 20 grams of whey protein with the quarter tea spoon of glutamine. That's pretty much it. If you wanted more of the sciency information on cortisol check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol
and for more information on ZMA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZMA_(supplement)

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.—Albert Camus

Alright people, go out there and channel your inner Austinness, yes it is a word, and go get it!

Oh by the way, feel free to forward this to anyone that you feel could benefit from it, lets see how big we can build this thing.

Careful planning

What up people? Today I wanted to address the issue of meal planning. Not necessary nutritional timing, but simply making a plan to eat during the days weeks and months, yada, yada, yada. You want to start off by monitoring your self during one of your busy days and one of your lighter days. Notice how your body feels, wither your hungry, and when the hunger monster springs its well disguised ambush on you. Also note your energy levels during the day. Once you know the average times when you hit these walls that's when you can make a viable plan to combat them.

Big meals. On the weekend cook all of your food for the week. If not all then have a set meal that you can stand to eat almost everyday when on the road. You may not even have to prepare it, you can get by if you just devise a system where slapp'n it together in about six , or seven minutes is nothing. I started this about two months ago and seriously, it hardly seems like I'm dieting. I basically eat a variation of two meals, the first is a breakfast burrito type deal, the second being a burrito, burrito type deal, substituting eggs for a lean meat. Either chicken, beef or turkey. Turkey being the ideal seeing as though its the leanest choice. I begin by dicing up veggies ant the start of the week. Bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and such. Keeping those in a plastic container for storage. Now I've adopted grating my own cheese. If possible low fat cheese, but truth be told, I personally am not a fan of cutt'n corners on my cheese. I'll save a few calories somewhere else, better yet, I'll burn a couple more. I season and brown the meat, then I saute the veggies. In a separate pan I'll place a whole wheat tortilla over a glaze of olive oil, I then cover the surface of the tortilla with the cheese, place the veggies and meat in, the cheese melts the tortilla hardens and it actually becomes more of a taco then a burrito, but whatever, you get my drift. I dig it. But that's my system that's what works for me, you have to come up with a system that is efficient for you. I say efficient because most of you probably already have a system.....problem is, your system sucks. Where people fail in there diet is when there out in the world. The goal should be not to spend money on food when your not in the grocery store. Wise man once said, "the more you cook, the better you look". I really can't remember if I was the first wise man that said it, but dammit I'm say'n it now! It'll say you money you'll look Austin, I'll be great, everybody wins. So get you some rubber ware or tupper made or whatever there storing food in now, make a plan and eat better. Aight people, hope you have a Austin week, an well talk soon, gone.

The bonus

Today I wanted to address the bonus. The bonus can be one of many things. It can be a bonus set, a bonus rep, a bonus finishing exercise, ala a widowmaker, where as you put your body through one last kick ass set, of say, twenty plus, Simply to show it whose the boss. Naw, I'm just kidding, there are many different reasons someone would want to perform burn out set at the end of a workout. The most important being to fill the muscle with blood causing it to swell up with nutrients an such.
Anyway before I get off track. Do a little bit more each day, soon what you used to think was enough, when previously you were on the verge of death, won't seem all that bad at all in no time. Alright everyone be Austin and have a awesome workout, or was it be...never mind. Gone.