Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Like clockwork, every other month when the tomato truck was in town, I used to wake up at 5 am with cramps on the cusp of becoming crippling.

If the tomato truck seems like a too-descriptive visual, then how’s shark week? It seems a little more subtle and might make you feel fierce.

Every other month only?

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http://www.thealternativedaily.com/

Developing healthy habits doesn’t seem like it should be so hard. However, it is easy to tell yourself that you’re going to do something and then give up before that something becomes second nature. Studies have shown that approximately 45 percent of our behavior is driven by our habits, which means they’re essential for cultivating […]

Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

If you work a 12 hour or night shift, this guide is going to be a game-changer.

Working weird hours provides a challenge for those looking to get in shape, so I’ll provide a step-by-plan to help you reach your fitness goals.

Because I’m nice like that. And I like you.

This is 100% doable.

After all, Batman is super ripped and he works nights too.

Today we’ll cover:

• How to lose weight working a 12 hour or night shift? Diet is still the most important thing.
• How to not gain weight while working 12 hour and night shifts: Avoid these things!
• What liquid calories will help your 12 hour or night shift.
• What foods to avoid on a 12 hour or night shift.
• Workout routines for a 12 hour or night shift.
• Prioritizing healthy living 24/7.

Weird hours be damned, I’m gonna help get you healthy.

These are the exact strategies we work with our night-shift clients in our 1-on-1 Coaching Program! Although each situation is unique, we have certain principles that are universal and can help you start living healthier even when your work life is crazy.

Want to see if we are a good fit for each other? Click on the button below to schedule a free call. We’d love to talk to you, no matter what!

How to Lose Weight Working a 12 Hour or Night Shift?

Now, whether you work weird hours or normal hours, diet is still responsible for 80-90% of your success or failure when it comes to staying healthy.

80-90 PERCENT.

This is both a blessing and a curse. It means you don’t need to freak out if you miss a workout after a long night shift, but it also means you gotta take care of yourself while you are working.

Simply put, if you’re not losing weight, it’s because you’re eating too many calories. So if you’re trying to lose weight while working a night shift or working 12-hour shifts, you need to find ways to eat fewer calories without driving yourself crazy.

I’m a fan of any diet that gets you to accomplish this goal, but you’re a unique snowflake, and you know yourself better than others. So any “diet” may help you, as long as you have access to food for that particular way of eating. 

This isn’t a problem, as we have a plan for that!

This just means you need to become the master of meal preparation.

“But Steve I don’t have time to prepare food!” you say.

Yeah, I heard you.

What you’re REALLY saying is, “But Steve, preparing food ahead of time isn’t a priority for me.”

If you are working overnight shifts, you’re gonna need to bring in your own food. Want to know how easy it is?

Here are 3 easy steps to feed yourself on a graveyard shift:

1. Purchase a bunch of chicken breast on Sunday Night (or whatever night you actually have off). Cook them on a tray in the oven, ALL of them. Put them in separate containers or bags in your fridge.
2. Purchase a bunch of $1 steam fresh bags of frozen veggies. Stick them in the fridge at your workplace.
3. Need more calories/carbs in your diet? Buy some sweet potatoes. Microwave one and put it on your plate.

In about 3 minutes and minimal effort, you know have a well balanced meal.

“But that’s boring!” Sheesh, I have to do EVERYTHING, huh? Welp, get creative, sucka!

1. Chop up the chicken and put it in a big salad with whatever you prefer (and keep in your fridge).
2. Make stir fry, put some in containers in your fridge, and then heat it up on your break.
3. Google “chicken paleo marinade” and mix up how you prepare chicken. Or steak. Or pork. Or salmon.

YES, this does require effort. YES, this does require preparation. YES, it does work. YES, you will find your rhythm with it.

Again, it comes down to two things: priorities and excuses:

Do you REALLY not have time? Or are you using “I don’t have time” as a crutch to eat poorly and feel sorry for yourself? I’m currently playing the world’s smallest violin for you. And it sounds terrible, because I haven’t played the violin since second grade.

Is your job REALLY stopping you from being healthy? Or is it a convenient excuse to use when you go to Taco Bell or the vending machine?

Remember: nobody believes your excuses except for you. You can do this. Just don’t let “perfect’ be the enemy of the good.

How to not gain weight while working 12-hour and night shifts: Avoid these things!

Let’s talk about things to eat and avoid while on shift work: the good, the bad, the ugly.

Whether you’re at a desk or up stocking shelves or making your rounds, you probably deal with one of four points:

1. Exhaustion: Let’s be honest, when you work a night shift or early shift, you never get as much sleep as if you were sleeping during the night with normal hours.
2. Lack of “time.” If you’re working long days/nights and trying to raise a family/have a social life, food preparation probably doesn’t figure into your schedule. You need convenience, even if you have to pay a bit more for it.
3. Hunger: If you forgot to pack your “meal” or “meals,” your only option is to eat what you can find, which is unlikely to be healthy at that time of day.
4. Boredom: If you are making rounds or stuck at a desk during the middle of the night, there may be more periods of down time than if you were working during the day.

So you’re tired, hungry, bored, and struggle with time management. Where do you turn? Caffeine! Now, I have no problem with Caffeine. I wake up every morning and drink a few cups of green tea while sitting at my desk to write. We’ve even covered caffeine extensively on this site already. The short version? Don’t get caught in bad liquid calorie trap:

• Empty liquid calories are the devil. If you are drinking soda, energy drinks, or lattes for the caffeine, understand that you are also probably consuming hundreds of calories and 50+ grams of sugar. And these extra calories are contributing to your waistline. So read the labels or do the research before you drink six Monster drinks, a case of coke, or a Coffee Coolata. 
• If you’re going to get caffeine, get it from a healthy source: Black coffee, green tea, and as a last resort, a no calorie or low-calorie energy drink (Monster Zero Carb, for example). Try to wean yourself off the gallons of caffeine and work your way over to black coffee/green tea as time goes on. Hopefully, once you start exercising, you’ll have more energy and need less caffeine to survive your shifts.
  

Avoid the drinks that don’t give you any nutritional value and are full of sugar and calories. See if you can get your caffeine from better sources. Speaking of better sources of calories…

What Liquid Calories Will Help Your 12 Hour or Night Shift

Low on time? Need a meal? Make yourself a smoothie!  

Depending on what you put into it or where it comes from, a smoothie can be an incredibly healthy option for meals during the night or as you’re running out the door to your shift.

A few tips on making smoothies: Buy yourself a cheap blender (or, a ridiculously nice one). Have one at home, or in the break room at work.

Give this recipe a shot for a smoothie that will get you through your shift:

1. Frozen fruit (I usually go with the strawberries or berry medley from Trader Joe’s).  
2. A cup of unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened coconut milk, or cold water.
3. A scoop of protein (I use Optimum Nutrition Vanilla, but I hear the Chocolate is delicious).
4. A few ice cubes if you want to ‘thicken it up’ a bit
5. (Optional) Organic frozen spinach. Doesn’t change the taste, but gets you a serving of veggies.

I drink a smoothie similar to the one above for a meal almost on a daily basis (though I add in extra carbs and calories because I’m attempting to pack on extra weight).

Can’t bring a blender to work? Stick a scoop of protein in a shaker bottle, and BAM – there’s 25 g of protein prepared in 60 seconds. Add a bag of mixed veggies from the microwave and you’ve got yourself a really weird meal that is pretty damn easy to prepare and pretty damn good for you.

A word of caution: Smoothies from Smoothie King don’t count, as they have more sugar than two cans of Coke and HUNDREDS of calories. Naked Juices are also terrible for you. They might look healthy, but they’re not. LOOK AT THE LABEL AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE SUGAR CONTENT!  

Foods to Avoid on a 12 Hour or Night Shift

Now, along with empty liquid calories, let’s talk about empty food calories.

When you are at your desk, are you eating snacks while answering the phone or while on your rounds through the hospital?  

Personally, I’m a big fan of No Snacking, as I find I tend to eat more calories than I need during the day, simply because I’m not paying attention (check out the research in that snacking article for more).

Bring some healthy snacks with you if you’re going to be snacking. My personal favorite would be apple slices with almond butter, but don’t forget almond butter can be very high calorie and easily over-consumed too

If you struggle with overeating, look at your snacking at your night job. Are you eating because you are bored? Are you eating because you’re not paying attention? Are you eating because you’ve trained your body to expect food every 5 seconds?

If it’s any of these things, try the “No eating AND _________” strategy:

• No eating and surfing the internet.
• No eating and watching TV shows.
• No eating AND _____.

If you’re going to eat, that’s the only thing you’re going to do. This can help you not accidentally, absentmindedly over calories.

At the end of the day, it comes down to one thing: ACTUALLY taking an active role in your health. As they say, “Don’t sacrifice what you really want for what you want RIGHT NOW.” That candy bar won’t make you feel better long-term. Neither will those chips. If you want to change your life, you need to stand up for yourself and decide that you are going to make better decisions.

Workout Routines for a 12 Hour or Night Shift

Let’s move onto the other 10-20% of the equation: exercise!

It’s no surprise around these parts that I’m a HUGE proponent of strength training. Guys like Joe (above) travel two weeks a month and yet still manage to have tremendous transformation because they are smart with their time.

From an efficiency standpoint, no other type of exercise gives you as much bang for your buck (aka: the most results with the least amount of time spent exercising).

You can get an incredible workout that exhausts all of your muscles and burns a crazy number of calories (not just during the workout, but in the hours afterward as your body tries to rebuild all of the muscle). Just reference any Nerd Fitness success story, all built with strength training and healthy eating.

So, if your time is limited, and your focus is staying healthy/losing weight, you need to be strength training and walking.

When’s the best time to work out? When you will actually do it! If you find yourself too exhausted after your 12 hour shift (and I don’t blame you), then get your workout done before you go to work, even if you only have twenty minutes! Yeah, it might require you cutting your nap a bit shorter, but you’ll actually do it!

As far as the workout itself...

You don’t need to be going to a gym (though if you do, big lifts like squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, and pull ups are going to get you the best results – ask Staci), you can work out at home before your shift starts with a simple workout like the Beginner Bodyweight Circuit.  

I know you don’t need a gym to grow strong because we see it daily here in the Rebellion. We work with coaching clients and design custom programs that take into account each person’s work environment, home environment, and equipment they have available. It works.

We also have the Nerd Fitness Academy which gives you more body weight routines and gym routines if you’re looking for specific instruction and exercise demonstrations.

If you are somebody that works a few days on (for long shifts) and a few days off, try this: a really intense strength building routine on your first day off from work and again on your last day. Two strength training days combined with walks and proper eating (on your work days) is more than enough to get you quality results.

Spreading out the Workout Throughout Your Long Shift

Don’t be afraid of simply exercising here and there, when you can.

Check out the Angry Birds Workout and split up your workout throughout your shift:

• Do squats in the supply closet. Weirdo? YUP. Who cares?
• Push-ups and planks in your cubicle.
• Pull-ups on the bus stop overhang waiting to go to work? I’ve been there.
• Dumbbell rows with your desk and briefcase/backpack.
• Walking up the stairs on your break. Why not?

It all adds up, and every little bit is better than nothing. The strength training benefits are key, but there’s one other key benefit to exercising throughout the day.

Staying Active During Your 12 Hour or Night Shift

Along with strength training, just staying active will help you think healthy.  

I actually have a timer (FocusBooster) on my laptop that goes off every 15 minutes to remind me to get up, walk around, stretch, do some push-ups, etc. Your phone can do the same thing! Technology, amazing.

Stand up at your desk if you can – mix up standing and sitting.

Go for a walk around the office. If you are a nurse or doctor you are probably already doing a considerable amount of walking to make your rounds, so keep it up.

The reason for staying active is so important is three-fold:

1. Every little bit counts. That push-up, those squats, that extra mile walked…they all add up!
2. Your brain keeps thinking “I am active.” Because it has to work more when you move! Remember, diet is 80% of your success or failure. When you exercise and constantly stay active, you are consistently reminding yourself that you are making healthier decisions, and these should carry over to your eating decisions too. Exercising and eating poorly is kind of like paddling a row-boat with one oar – you’re just spinning in circles. Work both together and dominate!
3. Exercising can make you smarter and more alert at work. Detailed incredibly well in the book Spark, studies have shown that exercising can increase brain activity and performance. Healthier on the outside, smarter on the inside = NERD FITNESS WIN.

Prioritizing healthy living 24/7

Remember, it comes down to one thing: taking an active role in your health.

1) Don’t use the job as an excuse, and instead remind yourself that you are in control. You don’t need anybody’s permission to get healthy.

2) It adds up. Every little change. Every meal you switch up. Every minute of exercise.

3) Plan out your day. Spending 5 minutes identifying what you’ll eat and when you’ll work out makes you WAY more likely to actually follow through with it.

Leave a comment and share your story and struggles with the Rebellion. I’d love to hear from you:

Do you work a night shift or have funny hours?

Have you had success and want to share your tips and tricks?

Have a REALLY funky job and need more help (Deathstar operator, daytime student/nighttime superhero)? Post below and I’ll see what I can do.

Let’s get weird with it.

-Steve

PS: Still reading? Want more help?

I’ll again remind you of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program.

Here’s how it works: we get to learn your goals, lifestyle, challenges, and situation: Kids? An old injury? Graveyard shift?

No problem!

We’ll then pair you with a coach from Team Nerd Fitness that fits your personality and situation. Click below to find out if we are a good fit for each other.

###

Photo source: cross-eyed owl, taco bell sign, red bull, smoothies, chips, catdog

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Welcome to summer, everyone. (I think most people agree it starts after Memorial Day, right?) One of the things I’ve always loved about summer is cold brew coffee. As most of you know, I’ll take coffee anytime year round, but cold brew is its own animal and worth appreciating as such. That said, cold brew needs to be done right to achieve the smoothness and sweetness its known for. Here’s how I create my own cold brew.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup medium-coarse ground coffee
• 2 cups filtered water
• Optional: 4 Tbsp. Oat Milk (Thrive Market has a clean and tasty version for those who want to add a splash or two to the final result. Feel free to use regular dairy or another non-dairy milk.)
• (You’ll also want a couple medium mason jars with lids.)

Instructions:

Grind 3/4 cup of whole bean coffee to a medium-coarse consistency as pictured to make about 2/3 cup ground coffee. (I wouldn’t advise the pre-ground coffee you find in the store, since you’ll have a heck of a time trying to drain it. The result? Coffee that’s likely too strong and muddy instead of smooth.)

Divide the ground coffee between two medium mason jars. Pour room temperature filtered water over the coffee—one cup of water per jar. Screw the lids on tight, and let infuse at room temperature for 12 hours. This is where the magic happens. You could go a little shorter (e.g. 10 hours) if you need it sooner, but I’d be cautious about exceeding 12 hours as I’ve found a lot of coffee gets bitter pretty quickly past that point. Start with 12 hours and experiment from there if you want a more concentrated brew. Some people like to put the jars in the refrigerator for added chilling. This works, but the infusing process will be a little slower.

After 12 hours, open each jar. Filter through a clean dish towel or cheesecloth. I know some folks use a very fine sieve or paper coffee filters for this step. Others like to double filter.

Check for concentration and dilute (to your own personal taste) with cold, filtered water, diluting less if you’re going to add milk or cream or if you’re going to use ice.

Put a few ice cubes in the bottom of two glasses, pour coffee over them. Add milk or cream if that’s your thing.

Store any extra filtered coffee in a clean mason jar in the refrigerator, and use within a few days for freshness.

Thanks for stopping by, everybody. Do you have a recipe you’d like to see the team or I cover? Share your ideas below. Have a great week.

The post Mark’s Cold Brew Coffee appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Lighten up your summer eating with this chickpea based vegetarian burger. Mixed up with a compliment of Italian seasonings, these chickpea patties bring a bit of pizzaz to your table while providing protein and fiber. One of the problems I’ve come across when making vegetarian burgers is that they tend to be more of a challenge to hold together because the legume base is a lower fat content than using meat. In order to allow this burger to be pressed together and remain moist, ground flaxseed and olive oil are added.

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Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Biologically, men maintain most of their mass in their upper half while women maintain most of their weight in the lower half. Body types come in endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph flavors with variations. The title of “hard gainer” typically attributes itself to the ectomorph, you know, long and lanky—imagine an adolescent basketball player.

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Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Bodyweight training is fast, effective, accessible, and the best way into training. With a progressive, consistent approach, elite levels of fitness can be forged in this manner. After all, the body and its environment are really all most humans have ever had to train with. Bodyweight calisthenics is the backbone of Georges Hebért’s Natural Method and the training of nearly every elite fighting unit throughout time.

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http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Lindsay and I are back today with another video in our new Primal + Keto Made Easy Cooking Series. (Check out past videos here. There will be many more to come over the next several weeks.)

This week we’ve got another great Primal + keto snack, and this time it’s a sweet treat anybody (Primal or not) will gravitate to. I’m cooking with two of my personal favorites: dark chocolate and macadamia nuts. Fair warning: be sure to make a good size batch.

Macadamia Nut Clusters/Bark Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces keto-friendly chocolate (75-90% dark chocolate)
• 2/3-2 cups roasted unsalted macadamia nuts (based on your own preference)

Instructions:

Simmer a pot of water. Place a glass bowl on top of the pot, with the bottom of the bowl a few inches above the simmering water. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt them in the glass bowl, stirring with a spatula. Add macadamia nuts into the bowl of melted chocolate, and stir until everything is covered in chocolate.

Scoop the chocolate-covered nut clusters onto parchment paper using a teaspoon. Sprinkle sea salt on top, if desired. Refrigerate until hardened.

Or, if you’d like to make bark, pour the entire chocolate-nut mix onto a parchment paper-lined plate or sheet pan. Sprinkle sea salt on top, if desired.

Refrigerate clusters or barks until hardened. Use your hands to break up the hardened bark into smaller pieces—and enjoy!

Nutritional Information (1/8 recipe with 90% dark chocolate and 2 cups macadamias in recipe):

• Calories: 335
• Net Carbs: 3.6 grams
• Fat: 33 grams
• Protein: 4.5 grams

The post Primal+Keto Cooking Made Easy: Chocolate Macadamia Clusters/Bark appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

http://www.thealternativedaily.com/

Believe it or not, you are flushing valuable, nutrient-rich liquid down the toilet every time you pee. We don’t think twice about putting cow manure, chicken droppings, and various other animal excrements in our garden, so why is the thought of peeing on your plants such a disturbing one? Instead of immediately dismissing the idea […]

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

“Over-sentimentality, over-softness, in fact washiness and mushiness are the great dangers of this age and of this people. Unless we keep the barbarian virtues, gaining the civilized ones will be of little avail.”

Theodore Roosevelt

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