You may have heard some variation of this statement before: Your commitment to improved nutrition has to be a total, sustainable lifestyle change. WRONG!!!!

When people say this, they’re often doing it with the best of intentions. They’re trying to make eating better seem easier and more approachable. But what comes across is often the opposite. After all, there are an infinite number of nutrition-related variables you could change, and they would all impact your enjoyment, progress, and willingness to continue.

So let’s break it down and focus on doing fewer things better. Here are four techniques you can use to make real progress without getting overwhelmed.

1 DON’T MICROMANAGE YOUR MACROS

Repeat after me: protein, vegetables, water. If you forget everything else after reading this article, at least remember these three words. They’re the nutritional foundation of fat loss.

Don’t get me wrong—fat has its place, and it’s an important one. But if your goal is to lose weight, eating more protein and vegetables and drinking more water are the priorities. Focus on getting more of all three, and you can solve a lot of problems.

IF YOUR GOAL IS TO LOSE WEIGHT, EATING MORE PROTEIN AND VEGETABLES AND DRINKING MORE WATER ARE THE PRIORITIES. FOCUS ON GETTING MORE OF ALL THREE, AND YOU CAN SOLVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS.

Why u might ask Dear Watson? Let me break it down to you one at a time.

Protein: Aside from its ability to help you add muscle—which, in turn, helps to burn more fat—protein has several other benefits. It is slow to digest, which can help keep you feeling full throughout the day. It also has a high thermic effect, which means your body actually has to burn energy to digest and absorb protein. Yes, you understood that correctly: Protein can help keep you feeling fuller while eating less. To keep calories in check and encourage muscle-building at its highest, I recommend using lean animal proteins a majority of the time.

Veggies: After you’re finished pummeling your protein, it’s time to feast on veggies! Aside from the nutrient density and abundant antioxidants most vegetables have to offer, they also help to promote fullness due to their high water content. Fresh, frozen, or canned, each offers few calories per serving, which leads to larger portions and more fullness without the caloric overload or guilt trip.

Water: With all of the hoopla around macronutrients, it’s easy to forget that water is an essential nutrient, too. After all, we’re at least 70 percent water, which means we’re more water than protein! Aside from the cognitive and performance benefits associated with proper hydration, it’s crucial to drink water consistently throughout the day to further promote fullness, prevent dehydration, and boost recovery from exercise. Of course, this calorie-free fluid also takes up ample space in your stomach, preventing you from trying to fill it with candy and cookies.

These priorities can even extend to the order in which you eat things on your plate. Try filling up on proteins and veggies first, with ample sips of water throughout the meal. If you still have room afterward, that’s when to eat your carbs and fats.

2 FIX ONE MEAL AT A TIME

Look at some fitness-related Instagram feeds, and you might get the impression that you have to prep every meal every day to get results. You don’t.

Identify the one meal that is the most troublesome for you each day. Maybe you often skip lunch because you’re overloaded with meetings and projects all day, or you frequent the fast-food drive-thru for dinner on the reg. Maybe you still eat the breakfast of an overactive 6-year-old, and your wavering energy level throughout the day shows it. Tackle whatever meal gives you the most difficulty in consistently making sound nutritional choices.

First, make a plan. Plot out what you will eat for that specific meal each day of the week. Not just today, or tomorrow—every day of the week. If it’s lunch or dinner, iron out your lean protein and vegetables (and carbohydrates, depending on the meal,) and decide which ones you will include in that meal. Maybe it’s salmon and broccoli tomorrow, and grilled chicken with green beans the next.

Once you’ve got your foods picked, make the meal happen! Carve out the time to cook, portion, and pack the ingredients for this meal for the next few days. I’m not asking you to pack a week’s worth of food, or even a day’s worth—just one single meal per day.

ONCE YOU’VE GOT YOUR FOODS PICKED, MAKE THE MEAL HAPPEN! CARVE OUT THE TIME TO COOK, PORTION, AND PACK THE INGREDIENTS FOR THIS MEAL FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
If you can replace a few fast-food or vending-machine meals each week with some quality protein, vegetables, and water, that’s a big step. You’ll eliminate plenty of excess calories, improve your overall nutrition, and start building the habits that will lead to long-term progress.

3 LOOK FOR SIMPLE SWAPS

Steps 1 and 2 can be game-changers on their own, so by all means start there. Then, turn to the other caloric black holes that might be hiding in your life.

These don’t always have to be attacked with the wholesale “replace a meal with a different meal” approach. Often, a simple ingredient swap can boost your intake of healthful nutrients while slashing fat and calories in half. You’d be surprised how effortlessly you can cut calories throughout your day. Here are a few places to start:

USUAL FOOD CHOICE SIMPLE SWAP POSITIVE CHANGE IN NUTRITION
1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt -160 calories, +10 grams protein
1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt -395 calories, +10 grams protein
Soda Diet soda -200-300 calories
Coffee creamer Low-fat milk -35 calories, +4 grams protein
Sugar Artificial sweetener -50 calories
Regular Potato Chips Baked Potato Chips -7 grams of fat

4 DON’T START TOO FAST

The biggest diet mistake is cutting calories too rapidly. This is because your metabolism is dynamic. It adapts to your current level of food intake and exercise, and it will respond to dramatic changes by trying to slow them down.

If you begin including regular exercise as well as reducing caloric intake by 1,000 or more calories per day, you will place your body in a rather large negative caloric balance. You’re undoubtedly going to lose weight, and lose it fast. Initially, you may lose 2-5 pounds per week. However, this won’t last.

YOU’RE UNDOUBTEDLY GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT, AND LOSE IT FAST. INITIALLY, YOU MAY LOSE 2-5 POUNDS PER WEEK. HOWEVER, THIS WON’T LAST.
Soon, your weight will plateau, and the next logical step is to further increase your treadmill time or to further reduce calories. But do this, and you’ll only end up losing muscle and messing with your hunger-related hormones, both of which will do more harm than good to your results in the long term. It can also set you up for rapid weight gain when—not if—the hunger wins and you engage in an epic caloric splurge.

Losing 50 pounds isn’t going to happen overnight, or in the next week, or even the next couple of months, and that’s a good thing. That rate of loss wouldn’t be sustainable, nor would it likely be healthy.

Here’s what is healthy and sustainable: 1-2 pounds a week. Some weeks it will be more, some less. It probably won’t be linear. But it’s the rate to aim for, and it’s how lasting change is achieved.

But all of this is just advise. You can do whatever the fudge you wanna do.

Keep punching and growing stronger,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie. NY

REFERENCES
Casa, D.J., Armstrong, L.E., Hillman, S.K., Montain, S.J., Reiff, R.V., Rich, B.S.E., Roberts, W.O. & Stone, J.A. (2000). National Athletic Trainer’s Association Position Statement: Fluid Replacement for Athletes. Journal for Athletic Training, 35(2), 212-224.
Casa, D.J. & Clarkson, P.M. (2005). American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable on Hydration and Physical Activity: Consensus Statements. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 4, 115-127.

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Sleep is essential for the production of growth hormone, which is a muscle-building hormone released during your deepest sleep. The less sleep you get, the less growth hormone released. Late-night YouTube binging could be why your six-pack is a few cans short.

And if you want to lose weight, skimping on sleep may make it harder to eat healthy. A study out of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that sleep restriction works to heighten your response to food, making it much harder to turn down the golden arches on your drive home.3 Plus, lack of sleep may increase the circulation of endocannabinoid in the blood, which works to increase your desire to eat by heightening the pleasure you receive from food.

Thankfully, a better night’s rest could be as simple as a trip to the supermarket. Use these edibles to build a sleep-friendly diet and get ready to feel energized like never before. I know I will be meal prepping after this blog! So lets get on with it!

1 SALMON
Reeling in salmon more often for dinner may help you net better zzz’s. A study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine discovered that people who consumed salmon three times a week for a six-month period reached deep sleep more quickly compared to subjects who got more of their protein from chicken, beef or pork.

Researchers found that the group who ate more salmon had less variation in their heart-beat intervals and higher levels of vitamin D, both of which may have a positive impact on sleep patterns.5 Plus, it appears that vitamin-D deficiency—which is fairly common—negatively influences sleep quality and quantity.6,7 Good thing salmon provides between 600-1,000 IU per 3-ounce serving!

Need to know: For the most flavorful and sustainable catch of the day, cast your line for salmon labeled “wild” at the fishmonger. And don’t overlook canned salmon, which offers a cost-effective and convenient source of sleep-inducing nutrition. Mackerel, sardines, herring, and sablefish are other fatty fish that may also help knock you out.

2 BEANS

Here’s a good reason to spill the beans more often: A 2016 study from Columbia Medical School determined that consuming a high-fiber diet can help you spend more time in slow-wave sleep, a stage of deep sleep that is particularly restorative to the body.9 Beans are an excellent source of fiber—a half-cup has 15 grams!

Researchers found that adding high-fiber options to a diet normally laden in saturated fat and sugar had a powerful impact on sleep quality. A greater sugar intake is associated with more arousals from sleep, which could leave you feeling less than peppy on the gym floor.9 Perhaps improvements in blood glucose control brought about by a diet rich in fiber and low in processed sugars helps encourage improved sleep quality.

Need to know: It’s hard to go wrong with any bean choice, as they are all packed with fiber, so look for ways to work them into your diet more often. Toss them onto salads, add them to soups and tacos, or even mix them into a breakfast scramble.

3 TART CHERRY JUICE
George Washington must have not given a damn about his sleep, or he would have never chopped down his father’s cherry tree. Research suggests that sipping tart cherry juice can bring about improved sleep quality and duration.

The naturally occurring melatonin present in the lip-puckering fruit may work to give it insomnia-busting powers. Melatonin is a hormone that may help support sound sleep habits.

Need to know: When shopping for tart cherry juice, look for brands that are made with 100 percent cherry juice. Skip products diluted with cheap fillers like apple juice. Or, better yet, turn to tart cherry concentrate, which is a syrupy, highly concentrated version of regular tart cherry juice that can be mixed with water.

If you’re having sleeping difficulties, mix 2 tablespoons tart cherry concentrate with a cup of water and drink it an hour or two before you hit the hay.

4 SOY NUTS
These crunchy nuggets are made from soaked whole soybeans that are roasted until crispy. Due to their high isoflavone content, they may just hold the secret weapon to a restful night’s snooze. A study out of the Nutrition Journal discovered that a higher isoflavone intake was associated with improved sleep duration and quality among 1,076 adults.

Isoflavones have a mild estrogenic effect, and since estrogen plays a role in sleep regulation, it makes sense that greater intakes could help you score better shut-eye. Soy nuts happen to contain a large amount of isoflavones, which may be why they work great as a nutty nightcap.

Need to know: Look for dry roasted soy nuts to sidestep the poor-quality vegetable oils often used in oil-roasted versions. Tofu, tempeh, miso, soy milk, and flax are other ways to add some isoflavones into your diet to improve your sleep.

5 PISTACHIOS
Pistachios provide fiber, protein, and heart-healthy fats, and a couple handfuls each day could help you snooze better. The green nuts are a good source of vitamin B-6, a vitamin our bodies need to make slumber-inducing melatonin and the neurotransmitter serotonin.

Consider chopping them up and adding them to your dinner salad, or slather some pistachio butter on a few whole-grain crackers or apple slices as part of a bedtime snack.

Need to know: If you have trouble practicing portion control when it comes to such a delicious nut, purchase unshelled pistachios. Scientists at Eastern Illinois University found that snacking on unshelled pistachios can help control your intake.16 Having to shell the nuts slows down your eating.

So grap these goodies and get some zzz’s on me. But all of this is just advice, you can do whatever the fudge you wanna do!

Your friend and coach,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie. NY

REFERENCES
Altevogt, B. M., & Colten, H. R. (Eds.). (2006). Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. National Academies Press.
Takahashi, Y., Kipnis, D.M. & Daughaday, W.H. (1968). Growth Hormone Secretion During Sleep. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 47, 2079-2090.
St-Onge, M. P., McReynolds, A., Trivedi, Z. B., Roberts, A. L., Sy, M., & Hirsch, J. (2012). Sleep restriction leads to increased activation of brain regions sensitive to food stimuli. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 95(4), 818-824.
Hanlon, E. C., Tasali, E., Leproult, R., Stuhr, K. L., Doncheck, E., de Wit, H., … & Van Cauter, E. (2015). Sleep Restriction Enhances the Daily Rhythm of Circulating Levels of Endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. Sleep, 39(3), 653-664.
Hansen, A. L., Dahl, L., Olson, G., Thornton, D., Graff, I. E., Frøyland, L., … & Pallesen, S. (2014). Fish consumption, sleep, daily functioning, and heart rate variability. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine: JCSM: Official Publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 10(5), 567.
Dahlquist, D. T., Dieter, B. P., & Koehle, M. S. (2015). Plausible ergogenic effects of vitamin D on athletic performance and recovery. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12(1), 1-12.
Massa, J., Stone, K. L., Wei, E. K., Harrison, S. L., Barrett-Connor, E., Lane, N. E., … & Schernhammer, E. (2014). Vitamin D and actigraphic sleep outcomes in older community-dwelling men: the MrOS sleep study. Sleep, 38(2), 251-257.
Lu, Z., Chen, T. C., Zhang, A., Persons, K. S., Kohn, N., Berkowitz, R., … & Holick, M. F. (2007). An evaluation of the vitamin D 3 content in fish: is the vitamin D content adequate to satisfy the dietary requirement for vitamin D? The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 103(3), 642-644.
St-Onge, M. P., Roberts, A., Shechter, A., & Choudhury, A. R. (2015). Fiber and Saturated Fat Are Associated with Sleep Arousals and Slow Wave Sleep. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine: JCSM: Official Publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Pigeon, W. R., Carr, M., Gorman, C., & Perlis, M. L. (2010). Effects of a tart cherry juice beverage on the sleep of older adults with insomnia: a pilot study. Journal of Medicinal Food, 13(3), 579-583.
Howatson, G., Bell, P. G., Tallent, J., Middleton, B., McHugh, M. P., & Ellis, J. (2012). Effect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality. European Journal of Nutrition, 51(8), 909-916.
Garrido, M., González-Gómez, D., Lozano, M., Barriga, C., Paredes, S. D., & Moratinos, A. B. R. (2013). A Jerte Valley cherry product provides beneficial effects on sleep quality. Influence on aging. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 17(6), 553-560.
Cui, Y., Niu, K., Huang, C., Momma, H., Guan, L., Kobayashi, Y., … & Nagatomi, R. (2015). Relationship between daily isoflavone intake and sleep in Japanese adults: a cross-sectional study. Nutrition Journal, 14(1), 1.
Peuhkuri, K., Sihvola, N., & Korpela, R. (2012). Dietary factors and fluctuating levels of melatonin. Food & Nutrition Research, 56.
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). November 2013. http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/vitamin-b6/background/hrb-20058788.
Honselman, C. S., Painter, J. E., Kennedy-Hagan, K. J., Halvorson, A., Rhodes, K., Brooks, T. L., & Skwir, K. (2011). In-shell pistachio nuts reduce caloric intake compared to shelled nuts. Appetite, 57(2), 414-417.
RECOM

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You see it on Flex Magazine, Muscle and Fitness Hers, Shape Magazine. Beautiful Women, Amazing Abs, Glutes from the Gods. But you wonder Why don’t I look like her? Well in today’s blog we will provide you the information to get the best body you need.

1.CRAZY WITH CARDIO

There’s no question that getting sufficient cardio is key to looking great and burning fat, but it’s important to be mindful of how you perform cardio in terms of type and duration. Grinding on the treadmill for 30 minutes is going to have limited effectiveness in the long term. Yes, it burns calories during the session, but the aftereffect is quite minimal, and it can get stale fast.

“It’s important to mix it up in the gym and make sure you have a well-rounded fitness regimen,”I often sees women doing too much steady-state cardio, spending hours on the StepMill to no avail. “Being a cardio-machine bunny can jeopardize your muscle gains and burn you out.”

Instead, Latona recommends a healthy mix of 1-3 steady-state sessions per week alongside two high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions. Not only is HIIT more efficient, allowing you to get in a heart-racing, sweat-pouring training session in a mere 15 minutes, but it also burns more calories post-workout and lessens the chance of tapping into your hard-earned muscle along with fat.

Just make sure to wind down after your intense cardio sessions by walking and stretching. I suggest you attend a yoga class to help your muscles relax and your body unwind. Remember, recovery is a two-way street. “Taking care of your body will allow it to work hard for you which, in turn, will help keep you motivated,” she says.

2 NOT BUILDING A MUSCLE BASE
A focus on weight loss rather than muscle gain could also be the reason your progress has stalled. “The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns at rest.”

But this doesn’t mean you have to skip cardio for weights. “If time constraints have you feeling stuck to choose between cardio and lifting, try combining them both!” “An intense HIIT session that incorporates a lot of muscle power can burn fat and build muscle like you’ve never known before.”

Some great exercises are pushing a weighted sled and sweating it out with the battle ropes. Looking to cut down on time even further? Take notes from this fitness pro. “Try adding your cardio between weight lifting sets,” “Jump squats, jumping rope, and plyometric training are prefect for that.”

If you’re going to try this technique, just make sure you swap your rest periods for bodyweight exercises that don’t task the same muscle groups with which you’re lifting. For example, throwing jump squats between sets of heavy squats may fatigue your legs too quickly, so try push-ups or something less lower-body intensive on days you train legs.

3. FEARING FATS
Protein’s not the only macronutrient that can leave you feeling fuller longer. Incorporating the proper types of fat into your diet can play a role in keeping you satiated, as well. “Foods such as meat and dairy have saturated fat that you may only want to eat in moderation, but olive oil and avocados provide healthy unsaturated fats that you want to take in”

4. EATING TOO MUCH PROCESSED FOOD
In addition to your total calories and macronutrient breakdown, you should also pay attention to food quality. “Try and stay away from processed foods if you want optimal results.”

Practice shopping just the perimeters of the grocery store instead of going up and down the aisles.” “That’s where you’ll find the whole foods—think vegetables, meats, whole grains, and more—that your body will thank you for. Remember, filling your cart with healthier items means prepping yourself for quality gains!

Then, when you do have a cheat meal, make sure that it doesn’t replace that day’s healthy eats entirely. “If you eat food high in sugar or simple carbs, make sure to pair it with a food high in fiber,”. “You’ll do less damage that way.”

5. SLATHERING EVERYTHING IN SAUCE
One of the biggest problems pro fitness model Amanda Latona sees people making is neglecting to track the add-ons they use when preparing their meals. Long story short, condiments count!

“Dressings and sauces are full of hidden sugars and fats, so be sure to check them carefully,” she says. “You may have the best of intentions eating that salad and chicken breast, but if you slather it in a heaping of heavy dressing, it changes the nutritional value of the meal entirely.”

Amanda recommends that you always ask for the sauces or dressing on the side and pick a lighter or sugar-free version whenever possible. “Try mustard, hot sauce, vinegar, or dry spices for added flavor without the calories,” she says.

6. UNDEREATING
Cutting calories isn’t always equivalent to cutting fat, especially if you cut too drastically from the very beginning. While you need to expend more calories than you consume in order to lose weight, if you go too far, dieting can work against you. You may begin to lose muscle, and your metabolism may eventually adapt to your new low levels of caloric intake.

“Not eating enough can cause the body to store or hold on to more fat,” “Plus, the fatigue and bad mood associated with crash dieting will undoubtedly make it much harder to work out and stay positive about your goals and progress.”

7. MISSING KEY MICRONUTRIENTS

If you don’t cut smart, a reduced-calorie diet could leave you short on the vitamins and minerals your body needs. “Being in a caloric deficit may mean you aren’t getting enough of the necessary vitamins, minerals, and amino acids needed to keep your body running at an optimal level,” Latona Says.

In order to make sure you’re fueling your body to optimal levels, she recommends you supplement with an omega-3 product, a multivitamin, and branched chain amino acids.

In Summary Understanding your body and the science behind it is a beautiful thing. Love yourself regardless of what you do right or wrong in and out of the gym. We are here to help you with Nutrition and Fitness forums that give great advice. A chiseled body is not built in a day. It takes years of blood, sweat and tears. But all of this is just advice. You can do whatever the fudge you wanna do.

Keep Lifting and Staying Strong,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie NY

References:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/amanda-latona-fitness-360-training.html
http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/3-things-sabotaging-your-weight-loss
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/amanda-latona-fitness-360-nutrition.html

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Try these seven suggestions below before relaxing for the night.

1.Move More

Even though you might want to flop onto the coach, cold drink in hand, first move a little more. Slowly and gently is fine. Get the blood flowing into those sore muscles by simply walking around the house or around your neighborhood, or raising your arms over your head while breathing deeply.

2. Stretch

Before relaxing in your recliner, stretch your muscles before they stiffen, helping them to become more pliable and flexible. As oxygen flows into your muscles, you’ll speed their recovery. Whether your choose yoga, Pilates or stretches of your own, you’re relieving muscle soreness. Bonus, Dr. Andrew Weil says muscles contain stretch receptors which can improve your mood.

3. Drink Water

Water is the ultimate rehydrator. Avoid caffeine and alcohol because they can dehydrate you.

4. Feel Kneaded

Gently massage overworked muscles, prompting nutrient-rich blood to flow through, replenishing them. Better yet, get a massage from someone you like.

5. Pack in Protein

Your muscles are hungry after exertion. They crave protein. Choose natural sources such as fish, poultry, lean meats, nuts, lentils and quinoa.

6. Soak in a Tub

Or A warm bath cures many ills, and always helps ease stiff muscles. You’ll also sleep better after a bath, helping you awake refreshed. If you’re brave, try a hot/cold treatment, alternating water temperatures every couple minutes, to open blood vessels more.

7. Ease Back In

When your muscles are feeling rested, ease back into your normal fitness program gradually so your body has time to catch up with all the plans you have in store.

Remember, the most effective way to relieve muscle soreness after an active weekend is to move a bit more, drink lots of water and nourish your muscles back to health.

But all of this is just advice. You can do whatever the fudge you wanna do.

Stand strong my friend,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie. NY

References:

http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/7-ways-to-relieve-muscle-soreness
http://www.mensfitness.com/training/pro-tips/tips-for-relieving-muscle-soreness
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-protein.php

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No ifs, ands, or buts: If you want a nice butt, you must train for it. If an Olympian wants to be the fastest swimmer, longest jumper, or most precise marksman, she has to train for it. The swimmer isn’t going to swim twice per week, then head over to the archery range a couple times, and follow it up with a few hours of sprint drills. She’s going to swim until mastery is achieved.

The rules are no different when it comes to building a strong, round pair of cheeks. But there’s an additional upside here: Prioritize butt-building—namely getting your glutes beastly strong—and your entire body will look incredible.

For that reason alone, it’s almost your duty to train that booty, and train it well. Here’s how to build stronger glutes and get that desired physique:

PICK WELL FOR YOUR POSTERIOR
Set up your workout regimen to directly correlate with the outcome you want. If you want a better booty—and more important—a better body, you need a program that matches that goal. Sounds simple, but so many workouts performed by women are way off the mark, even when they are designed specifically for women. Don’t even get me started on the typical “bro-gram” that many women do in the gym.

Glute building is different than powerlifting. Muscles don’t know weights, they respond to mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage. It’s not about how much weight you can move, it’s about how much weight you can move with the glutes. Having said that, the stress you apply to your glutes needs to increase over time, whether that’s weight, time under tension, volume—whatever. You won’t improve your glutes if they never have to adapt to new stimuli.

BETTER GLUTES TRAINING REGIMEN
Put together a workout to help you get started. Note that 66 percent of the exercises target the glutes from multiple angles. The remaining percentage involves compound upper body exercises.

For best results, do a full-body workout that includes some glute work four times per week.

Don’t focus on how long you train, but how efficiently. A typical training session can last between 45 and 60 minutes. Don’t let this year pass you by. Control your health and wellness. We have one life. Lets make the most of it! Never stop! Never settle.

But all of this is just advise. You can do whatever the fudge you wanna do

Keep growing strong,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie.NY

References:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/97293-butt-exercises-women/
http://www.my-health-site.com/butt-busting-exercises.html
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/butt/exercises/our-top-10-exercises-to-tone-your-butt/

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You can look at almost any food label and quickly find the Calorie content, but do you know how food scientists determine this number, or how accurate it is? Learn the simple science behind measuring the energy in your food!

Whether you’re a keen shopper, a health-conscious parent, or an athlete training for a specific fitness goal, chances are you’ve looked at a food label or two, right? You probably check the total Calories per serving of many foods you eat, taking comfort when you make clean choices. But have you ever wondered how the caloric value of your food is determined?

If this question has crossed your mind, perhaps you’ve gone a little deeper down the rabbit hole and wondered why 1 gram of carbohydrate and 1 gram of protein both equal 4 Calories, but 1 gram of fat equals 9 Calories. Even more puzzling is how the heck they squeeze 100 Calories into those 100-Calorie snack packs!

“CALORIES” AND “KILOCALORIES”
While this article uses the terms “Calories” and “kilocalories,” these units are typically referred to simply as “calories” in the interest of clarity.

How the energy in your food is determined may seem like one of life’s great mysteries, but there’s actually a simple method behind it all! To understand how that energy is calculated, it helps to first define a calorie.

A calorie is simply a measurement of energy. Specifically, it’s the amount of energy needed to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. However, that’s not what you actually see on food labels. The Calorie—note the capital C—you see on a food label is actually a kilocalorie (kcal), or 1,000 calories, which is the amount of energy needed to raise 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Celsius. No, you don’t need to start counting your calories and multiplying by 1,000. This information is really just to clarify the science and the different versions and meanings of the word. Just keep in mind that, when talking about food, we’re talking about Calories, or kilocalories.

DROPPING THE CALORIE BOMB
So how are the Calories of your favorite foods determined? The original method, called bomb calorimetry, involved placing a food item into a sealed container surrounded by water and literally igniting the food until it completely burned up. The heat given off by the food would subsequently cause a rise in the water temperature. Scientists could then measure the change in water temperature to calculate how many Calories were in the food. From this method, the following values were calculated for the macronutrients:

Carbohydrate: 4.2 kcals
Fat: 9.4 kcals
Protein: 5.7 kcals

This is slightly higher than what you see on packages, right? That’s because bomb calorimetry provides an accurate measure of the total calorie content of food, but it slightly overcalculates the actual amount of useable energy, since the absorption and digestion rates of nutrients vary in actual human beings.

A CALORIE IS SIMPLY A MEASUREMENT OF ENERGY.
What you see on a food label—4 kilocalories for carbs, 4 kilocalories for protein, and 9 kilocalories for fat—are indirect calorie estimations made using the Atwater system, a conversion system named after its creator, Dr. Wilbur Olin Atwater.

THE ATWATER SYSTEM
The “4-9-4 Method,” or the Atwater system, is how the caloric content of foods is determined today. For instance, a food with 20 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fat, and 6 grams of protein contains around 140 kilocalories.

This method takes into account the gross energy value, apparent digestibility coefficient, and urinary correction of a food source to provide the most accurate measure of macronutrients that exists to date. For example, dietary fiber reduces the percent of the food that is useable by the body for energy production, so the fiber component is usually subtracted from the total carbohydrates before calculating calories. This is why we’re familiar with 4 kilocalories per 1 gram of carbohydrate, rather than 4.2 kilocalories. There are some limitations to this method and slight variations in the actual content of foods, but overall, it gives pretty accurate values.

ARE FOOD LABELS ACCURATE?
Now that you know how Calories in your favorite foods are determined, the next step is to ask: Are the labels on those foods accurate?

A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association showed that the actual caloric content in packaged foods differed by as much as 25 percent from what was on the label.1 To add to that, a study out of Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, investigated the food-label accuracy of restaurant foods and frozen meals. Researchers reported that some restaurant foods contained up to two times the stated calories, and the average calorie content of frozen meals was 8 percent higher than what was on the label.2

More recently, a report from the National Institute of Health demonstrated that the caloric content in the most commonly consumed energy-dense snack foods in the U.S. is overall slightly higher than stated on the nutrition label.3

THE BOTTOM LINE
Although these studies found some food labels to be inaccurate, the discrepancies are often relatively small and should not be a major concern. However, if you’re concerned about the accuracy of food labels, weigh out your food (in grams or ounces) rather than using the approximate serving sizes on labels, and be consistent in your tracking. Even if the numbers are slightly off, as long as you track your calories consistently, you can make small changes in the amount you’re eating to help you reach your desired weight.

REFERENCES
Allison, D. B., Heshka, S., Sepulveda, D., & Heymsfield, S. B. (1993). Counting calories—caveat emptor. JAMA, 270(12), 1454-1456.
Urban, L. E., Dallal, G. E., Robinson, L. M., Ausman, L. M., Saltzman, E., & Roberts, S. B. (2010). The accuracy of stated energy contents of reduced-energy, commercially prepared foods. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 110(1), 116-123.
Jumpertz, R., Venti, C. A., Le, D. S., Michaels, J., Parrington, S., Krakoff, J., & Votruba, S. (2013). Food label accuracy of common snack foods. Obesity,21(1), 164-169.
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