Your Post Workout Meal

by Kris Pitcher

There are two meals of the day which should be your easiest of the day. Getting your fuel in at the right times and in the right amounts is important to your goals.

Whether your goal is to lose fat, or gain muscle...or both, the post workout meal is an important one. It's also one of the most talked about, least understood, and most confused.

And, I can't figure out why. So, today we're going to simplify this mythical meal. After our workout we want to refuel with protein. Not just any protein, we want fast digesting protein. We also want branch chain amino acids (BCAAs - we've talked about these before).

Specifically, we want leucine. Leucine is an essential amino acid (meaning we need to get it from a complete protein source) which basically flips the switch for protein synthesis. It opens the door and leads the way for protein synthesis to begin right after our workout. We want that!

Now, remember we said we wanted a fast digesting protein. Whey is your fast digesting protein of choice. Studies have shown it to provide the best post workout response. Whey was compared to soy and to casein by researchers who recently published in the September 2011 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Their findings concluded that whey delivered the most anabolic effect following exercise.

Many protein powders are going to already have your BCAAs in them. You don't necessarily have to take them separately. Read your labels and save your money.

You want to be taking your 20-30 gms of whey protein following your workout within 30 minutes. It's the first thing I do. Well, I wash my hands first (we've had that conversation too). Then I reach for my shaker cup and down my protein shake.

This should be one of your easiest meals of the day! It's also one of the most critical. It should be simple too. Your post workout meal is one of your powerhouse meals. Are you getting it?

*What's your other "easiest meal" of the day? It's your very first one! Also a fast digesting protein shake to start the day off right. All the rest are going to be real, whole, and clean food.

Love Amongst The Iron

by Kris Pitcher

You may or may not know that my husband and I are workout partners. Some couples just can't workout together. Ever. I've never understood that. I can't really imagine doing it without him.

In fact, and I think I've said this before...I'd probably sit on the couch and eat bowls of cereal were it not for him. He makes me a better person. OK, enough mushiness!

The gym is a great place to meet like valued people. I know a lot of women who go in to the gym, put their headphones on and keep their head down trying to keep eye contact to a minimum. That's all fine and good if you're already coupled up with some cozy situation. But for you single ladies...take a look around.

I think that nice guys do finish last. It's the douchy guys that keep the ladies in baseball caps worn low, headphones on even when their ipod is blinking yellow because it's out of juice. It's no wonder they are trying to avoid these guys.

But how about that nice quiet guy who always asks you how you're doing, or offers you a spot. Maybe you shouldn't be quite so sceptical of every single person in the gym. Who knows...maybe there's someone there worth talking to.

My point is, we meet great people doing the things we love. We meet great people who share our values when we aren't looking, when we're just doing what we do. But we have to open our eyes and drop some of our Men's Health cover ideals about how he'll look, or what kind of job he'll have. Or whatever.

I hear A LOT of fit, beautiful, smart ladies complain about being single. And, I have figured out why. It's not because no one will understand the way you eat, or that you need to do two sessions of cardio a day. It's not that your lifestyle is so crazy, or that Mr. Right isn't out there.

Ladies...we're holding ourselves back. Well - you. You are holding yourself back. There's love amongst the iron. If you're open to it. Next time you're at the gym feeling down on yourself and a little lonely, tip your hat up a little so you can see. And take a look around you. You just might be surprised who's there, waiting. Now, go on! Let him TALK to you! ;)

A Frog Does Not Drink Up The Pond In Which He Lives

by Kris Pitcher

There's something about being in themed stores that makes you want to "be" whatever that thing is. Maybe it was the music that got my attention, or that bin of "bag your own gems". Perhaps it was the kokopelli magnets, or the dark haired mysterious looking shop keeper...

The silver jewelry definitely caught my eye, and the prices actually made me choke on my own spit a little. The case was jammed with red, blue, and green surrounded by shiny silver. Keep walking I thought.

I was being whisked away by the wall of dream catchers when I came upon this Native American Proverb (or so claimed):
"A frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives."

Hmm. It made me think about living a more simplified life, about being grateful for what we have, and about being responsible stewards of our resources.

And in this "Way Out West" themed store FULL of stuff everywhere, I found one golden nugget. So, I raced out of there and took out my tiny book of big ideas and wrote down the proverb. And I started to think about how I might simplify, do with less, or appreciate more fully what I have.

Taking time to be grateful is important. It renews our sense of what is important in our lives and it restores our sense of feeling grounded in our lives. When we get caught up in what we need to have, what we don't have, and what we want to have - we are drinking up our pond.

What are you grateful for in your life? Are you being a good steward of your resources, of the resources of your "pond"? Take time to think about it. You'll feel more grounded and sure of yourself and of your life.

You'll feel more sure than ever about what's important, and I bet one of those things will be you and your wellness!

Out In Front

by Kris Pitcher

"If you're not in front of it, you're behind it." - Kris Pitcher

Today's Yogiism is brought to you by yours truly. A Yogiism is a kind of obvious witticism made famous by Yogi Berra. But this one came out of my mouth this week and I just had to share it with you.

It's true...and it's obvious. Think about it in terms of your goals. If you aren't paying attention to what you've said is important to you, then those things aren't getting done. Period.

The moment your focus fades so does your attention, and there goes your actions. Once that happens you're just done for. You've got to stay out in front of your goals in order to make them happen.

How do you do that? You do that by paying attention. You do it by doing the things necessary to get you where you want to be. You break things down to their tiniest parts, and you do them. Bit by bit.

That's how you keep from getting behind them. If you feel frustrated, overwhelmed, ready to quit...you're "behind it". It's time to go back a few paces and figure things out. Where did you get off the rails? 

Usually it's because we took on too much and it all started to move too fast and we couldn't keep up. So, slow it down. Pick a few things (1 or 2) to focus on and do those few things. Once you are comfortably out in front of it again, you can always add more things to it.

So, just stating the obvious here, if you're not out in front of it, you're behind it. Where are you? I'd like to see you back out in front!

Metabolic Make Over

by Kris Pitcher

Now this is a hot topic! It's sciency and you know I'm going to get excited! We have some room for improvement when it comes to heating up our metabolism. So, today we're going to take the three "M" approach to a metabolic make over.

The first of the three M's is Morning. If you aren't a morning person, that's OK. But we've got to get things going first thing in the morning. We have slept over night, hopefully a full 7-8 hours. When we wake - we need to fuel. During our sleeping hours, we haven't had any fuel and our metabolism begins to slow.

Morning is the time to get our metabolism going by putting some fuel in the tank. I like to think of our metabolism as a fire. We need to add fuel to the fire to keep it burning. No fuel, the fire goes out. In this time of opportunity we want a fast acting fuel, and a whey protein is perfect. It is fast digesting and gets us off to a great start.

The next M is, Muscle. We lose muscle as we age. But this isn't necessarily age related, it's activity related. We become more sedentary as we age. Use it or lose it. So, it's time to increase our muscle mass to increase our metabolism. Muscle tissue is metabolically active tissue. It's burning fat all the time for fuel.

We tend to think of doing cardiovascular exercise when we want to lose fat. And that's important, however we want to increase our metabolism by adding strength training to our program. This is an effective metabolic boosting strategy. The more muscle mass we maintain, the higher our metabolism.

Our final M in our metabolic make over is Meals. We started our morning with fuel and we need to keep that fire burning all day long. This means mini meals throughout the day. Stoking the fire keeps that fire burning. Make sure you've got a plan that includes at least 4 meals and some snacks strategically planned during the day.

You've got 24 hours in the day to fuel your body. Your final meal should be before bed. What?! That's right, keep the fire burning into the night by fueling with the right kind of fuel before bed. A slow digesting protein works really well. Carbs at night = four letter word. No, no on carbs. It's critical to have the right fuel at the right time.

There's your three M approach to a metabolic make over. Get things heated up, burn more calories by getting your morning off to the right start, by increasing your muscle mass, and by making your meals count. Your metabolism is counting on it!

What's In Your Letter?

by Kris Pitcher

I got a letter the other day. The kind that the post "person" brings and puts in the mailbox. You know, it comes in an envelope and is written on paper. A letter!

I really needed it too, because I had been struggling with this certain thing. I'd been conflicted about it, going back and forth...unsure if I could really make it happen. And just at the right time, the letter came.

The letter was penned by a good friend. It said all the things my dear friend might say. It didn't include any of the things I might hear from myself. There weren't any uncertainties, any "I'm not sure," or "Maybe I can't". The letter just stated how strong I was, how confident and smart. It talked about how professional and determined I was, and how I'm good at what I do.

And here's my secret...I wrote the letter to myself! When you are struggling with something, when you feel conflicted or you are lacking confidence all you need to do is think of what your closest friend would tell you.

What would he/she say? What would they write to you? Now, they are going to be honest with you. This is the friend who will tell you when you actually do have spinach in your teeth.

This friend will tell you just how much you really are capable of. They'll tell you you can do it. They'll tell you that you will do it. You are strong and capable, you are confident and able. And you are determined, skilled, and have a lot to offer.

Get yourself a piece of paper. It starts like this: Dear Self,

Re-Believe In You

by Kris Pitcher

We need reminders in our lives. My reminder for today is about belief. In Ice Age: The Meltdown, Ellie who is clearly a mammoth...believes she is an opossum.

Her brothers are opossums and so having been brought up with them, she believes she is one too. I'm like Ellie, I think we are what we believe we are. But maybe not in such literal terms.

For instance, if someone tells you that you are weak, insecure, and without value - you become those things if you believe it. On the other hand, if you don't believe it, it doesn't matter how much that person tells you those untruths...you know it isn't you.

If you tell yourself you can't do it, sure enough you can't. It's all in what you believe yourself to be. Do your behaviors follow who you want to be? Who you believe yourself to be? Or, do they follow what others say you are...or what you've been mindlessly repeating in your head?

The point is that it is up to you. What you believe about who you are is completely up to you. No one defines that but you. If you haven't been the person you'd like, redefine who you are. Reinvent, re-believe in you.

Statements of affirmation help us get the process going. You should try them, until you believe them. "I am strong and confident." "I am in control of my choices." "I am worth taking care of." "I deserve to be cared for." "I am supported in my efforts." "I am making choices to reach my goals."

Whatever reminders you need to start believing in yourself, you owe them to...well, you! We all need reminders from time to time. Start reminding yourself today.