SWFL IMA Health and Nutrition

Preserving Lentils I have surely spoken of the ridiculous nutrient density of the mighty lentil; yet if I have neglected such, the lentil is perhaps the most cost-effective source of dietary protein available anywhere. A measly one-quarter cup dry serving offers 8 grams of protein. A standard 2 cup package costs less than two dollars at your local grocery store. For those two dollars, 64 grams of protein are yours and can provide a hot meal for minimum effort. Lentils aren’t without their drawbacks; they are small, hard pods that look anything but appetizing, yet with the correct preparation, you can eat quality nutrition to keep your training program consistently achievable. For this recipe, you will need: 2 Mason Jars 1 Cup Lentils 2 Tsp Salt (To taste) Seasoning 1 Tbsp Vinegar ...

  Summer is upon us; that means sun, swimming pools, air conditioning, and relaxing. Staying indoors might seem like the best move for the time being as the sun is looking intimidating for this year, to say the least. In many ways, yes, staying indoors is a great strategy to beat the summer heat, yet if you are like myself, you might find yourself pondering about how much outside activity you should be getting. After all, time in the sun means massive quantities of Vitamin D being made in your skin, it’s free, and you don’t even have to worry about the risks of taking too much of this wonder vitamin as you would had you taken that same amount through a supplement. Becoming acclimated to the heat is an advantage in and of itself, as any subsequent drop in the heat later in the year will allow you to be energetic and motivated until it gets hot again. What does one need to operate within the heat while staying safe, not spending too much time in it, and gaining benefits from it? Regu...

Achieving an optimal 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fat ratio of calories in your diet seems difficult on a budget, with the right know-how and go-to ingredients, eating a healthy and functional diet on a budget is easier than it might seem. Here is a recipe that takes a few simple ingredients and turns them into a budget-friendly dream for proper nutrition, since recovery should be everybody's first priority in any fitness program. This simple recipe packs a walloping 65 grams of protein in a filling recipe that costs less than $5 and uses no cooking oil.  Here's what you'll need: *2 frozen hamburger patties *1 can of beans (I use seasoned garbanzo beans) *Seasoning (black pepper for me) *Diced fresh vegetables *A small measure of water *Step 1: Place frozen patties and vegetables in the bottom of your pan. Turn the heat to medium and stir contents around until patties begin to thaw out and steam begins to rise from the pan. *Step 2: Place a lid on...

Hsing -I , pronounced sheeng-ee, is a branch of martial arts based off of Tai Chi, or Taijichuan, and is thus considered a form of internal martial arts. As a form of internal martial arts, Hsing-I is focused on proper body mechanics above all, yet is not above applying extra power into its strikes. *The Five Elements: Hsing-I's movements are largely linear and best suited to situations where engaging your opponent directly and head-on is the best approach. Hsing-I centers around five basic strikes, called the "five elements," all of which are relatively simple movements meant to be practiced over and over again to quickly build proficiency using those five strikes. Advanced forms combining these elements together do exist, primarily for application purposes, yet the emphasis on the five elements follows the line of reasoning that if there are fewer strikes there also exists many more opportunities to practice them and build your skill in delivering them. The quote, I ...

Recovering from your workouts is the surest way to make sure that you are ready for your next workout since training consistency is the greatest success factor in any training program. Giving your muscles immediate nourishment is an essential practice that will improve the quality of your training and life in general. Sometimes knowing what kind of nutrition to give your muscles can be a complicated task since daily routines and training times throughout the day can differ greatly from person to person. Knowing what to put into your protein shake to meet your nutritional needs isn't an exact science, yet attempting to master this knowledge can benefit you greatly. Let's look at some of the factors at play here: 1. Work load for the rest of the day 2. Level of fatigue 3. Amount of time until your next meal 4. What you've eaten so far today For general purposes, always take a 24 gram scoop of whey protein after your workout, within thirty minutes, to get the most recove...

Protein intake is an important step to a successful health plan, second only to the quality of the workout itself. Without enough protein, your muscles will struggle to return your muscles to a state of optimum performance. The easiest way to ensure your body recovers properly with adequate protein is to buy a bag or other container of protein powder, mix a single serving of it with some water and chug it down. Easy, right? Yes, that was quite easy and will work for most circumstances. Further down the line, you could notice that your normal protein shake isn't quite having the same effect it once did. Adding different ingredients to your protein shake can make that diference you're looking for. This article will delve into some of the more beneficial and popular additions you can include in your all-important post workout shake. Jumping blindly into a list of ingredients to include seems to be a rather structureless way to go about explaining the many options you have for bet...

     Taking care of your joints shouldn't be a practice you begin when you have become aged, as popular opinion would have you believe. In this case, proper joint care should begin right now, especially if you are physically active. If you are young, your joints might not feel much pain as you perform physical activity. This is a good thing, yet you should consider the fact that with each torque of your joints, every hour you spend standing at your job, and every heavy object you decide to move, your joints are sustaining damage. You might wake up the next morning with minor discomfort and think nothing of it and for the most part, your day will go unhindered. It is important to keep in mind that with each day that passes, that discomfort will only grow. With every passing year, you will be burdened with an ever-increasing burden upon your body that will lead to greater fatigue at the end of the day, more hours spent in bed dealing with that pain, and soon enough, yo...

     One barrier to a good workout is one of how much activity one can put out in any given day. Even if your diet is full of food that will support your physical recovery and boost your energy levels, some days will seem as if the burden you are placing on yourself increases each day. This feeling can be expressed as a restless feeling when you should normally be calm, brain fog that follows you wherever you go, or sometimes it's a dull pain in an over-trained muscle group. However this strain plays out, you have an exercise plan that can't be broken at any cost. Cue your stimulating beverage of choice, are you a coffee connoisseur? A latte legend? If you spend any time in your local supplement/vitamin store, then you've surely been introduced to pre-workout drinks and powders. If this is you, consider yourself a Spartan standing on the cutting edge of scientific research. Long story short, you need a pickup.      What you will gain from this po...

     After long workouts multiple days out of the week, your body will start to become fatigued. Ensuring you do not become faully fatigued, or otherwise injured while in this state, is an important consideration in light of the time you will have to spend away from attaining your physical goals. Whether your recovery time is weeks or days, understanding how to distance yourself from fatigue will result in more and better workouts, an objective factor for success in any goal.       Muscle fibers can and will recover properly, given they receive a good combination and rest and nutrient intake. Chief among these nutrients, protein, the building blocks of muscle. Comprised of many amino acids, the intake of protein after an intensive workout will undoubtedly lead to faster, more complete recovery. Whether you drink a protein shake or eat a protein-rich meal immediately after your workout will put your muscles into recovery mode, so be prepared to take res...

     Happy 2022, readers. Don't let 2022 become "2020 2: The Sequel," keep your health optimal to give your immune system a fighting chance against the new variants of Covid-19, which will soon become something like a seasonal flu should the less-severe symptoms and lower hospitalization rates that came from Omicron become a trend for future strains of the virus.      That's all you'll hear from me about Covid, I think we're through the worst of it and life can go back to normal. For the martially-motivated among us, let's turn our focus to something decidedly martial since all three of my prvious postings have been on nutrition. Most people visiting are likely hearing the term "Internal Arts" for the first time ever and are probably wondering what the difference between an internal martial art form and any other martial art form. The difference between internal and external martial art forms is the approach the practitioner uses for power genera...

Now that we have discussed two major categories of nutrition, macro nutrients and micro nutrients, you might be lost as to how one can get enough in their diet without spending a lot of money on expensive health food, health supplements, and organic food which is supposedly a lot healthier than non-organic. Perhaps the idea of taking multiple health supplements turns you off completely; trust me, I get this. If you are a person like I just described, then there is plenty good news for you in this post.  After many years of taking supplements and shelling out cash for expensive protein powders, I have developed a plan to get these vital nutrients from regular food. Out of your three macro nutrients, protein is arguably the most difficult to come by at a reasonable price. Specific amino acids, the building blocks of protein, can be beneficial in higher quantities. Knowing which foods contain those amino acids in large quantities can make a big difference in your recovery. Simply by e...

 A common analogy I use when discussing micro vs. macro nutrients is a car. In order to get anywhere, not only does the fuel tank have to be filled, but the internal components also need to be in a functional state or else that fuel won't take you as far as it potentially is able to. Where I am going with this is simple, macro nutrients are the fuel for your car, while micro nutrients are the internal components, such as the fuel line, spark plugs, water pump, etc. More concisely, micro nutrients are what keeps those internal components in proper working order. In my previous post, I discussed macro nutrients and their three sources: protein, carbohydrates, and lipids (fats). In stark contrast to the three sources for macro nutrients, the number of micro nutrients is vast and many in number.  The first broad category of micro nutrients is vitamins. Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K comprise this sub-category of micro nutrients. Each of these vitamins have multiple forms and sub-ca...

          If you are like me, trying to learn more on the subject of nutrition can be a frustrating and difficult task, especially when one does not necessarily know where to begin.          While I am not formally educated on the subject, just like you, I began with a desire to understand proper nutrition as a method to retain health at older ages, feel better, be more focused, and live the best life that I could. My first true experience with health knowledge began with a documentary called "Food Matters," which was a collection of interviews from various health professionals, often nutritionists and alternative medicine practitioners, who set up the comparison between proper nutrition and modern medicine. Essentially, the contrast was made that nutrition and health come first and could prevent a costly trip to the hospital.           Hospitals are an indispensable resource to our society an...