Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 14 of 21)

Protein Pancakes

September 10, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

A friend of mine in college gave me this recipe for protein pancakes and it?s fantastic:

-?1 Scoop of Protein Powder
– 1 Cup of Oatmeal
– 1 Banana
– 2 Tbsp. of All-Natural Peanut Butter
– 1 Egg
– ? Cup of Fat Free Milk
– Splenda
– Cinnamon

All you have to do is throw the powder, oatmeal, peanut butter, egg and milk into a blender and mix it on slow. That becomes the ?batter?. After that, heat up a small frying pan, spray it so the batter doesn?t stick and then throw the batter in the pan and cook. The batter should cook to the point where you can flip it over and do the other side. Watch yourself though, because it cooks quickly and you?ll burn one of the sides if you?re not careful.

Once it?s done cooking, slice up a banana and put it on top of the pancake. Mix a little bit of the Splenda and cinnamon together and sprinkle that on top for a little taste. You can also put on some sugar free syrup, but don?t go nuts with it because while it?s not supposed to have any sugar, it?s likely still loaded with preservatives.??

Food preparation, Foods products, Protein

Muscle layoff

August 29, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

There was an interesting question asked in the “Malegrams” section of the August 2007 issue of Men’s Health:

Q: How long can I go without lifting weights before my muscles disappear?

Answer (provided by trainer Mike Mejia): Contrary to popular belief, your muscles don’t turn to mush as soon as you stop lifting. In fact, a recent study of recreational weight lifters found that 6 weeks of inactivity resulted in only a slight decrease in power (10) percent after 2 weeks) and virtually no drop-off in size or strength. You could go the whole summer without pumping iron – as long as you’re keeping fit with activities such as swimming or tennis. These sports help retain muscle mass and offer the perfect physical and mental break from the tedium of the gym. Come fall, you can return to the gum refreshed and ready to take your workouts to the next level.

Interesting. Obviously if your goal is to put on a ton of size, you don’t want to go an entire summer without so much as looking at a weight. But those who get sick of the rigors of a gym routine can find solace – at least from Mr. Mejia and his research – that if you partake in sports and other physical activities, you won’t resemble Calista Flockhart by August.

Magazine Hype, Men's Health and Wellness, Sports Health and Fitness, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

Lift. Heavy. Weights.

August 7, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

One of my closest friends – and amateur bodybuilder – often stresses that it doesn’t get any more complicated than just lifting heavy. He always says, “ Like Dave Draper always says, “Train hard, eat clean, and be happy”.

You can sugar coat it any way you like, but at the end of the day if you’re not challenging yourself in the gym, you can’t expect to reap the benefits. Not only that, if you’re still hitting the same 3×8 with the 30lbs on dumbbell curls you were last year, don’t look in the mirror and wonder why you’re struggling to fill out the sleeves of that Hollister t-shirt your girlfriend bought you last Christmas. The only way to expect muscular gains is by challenging your muscles to handle greater and greater loads. The only way to do that is by fighting each and every session to increase the weights you’re using.

Anyone who thinks that light weights and high reps are the keys to getting ripped is kidding himself. You want to get huge? Lift heavy weights. You want to get ripped? Lift heavy weights. What’s the main difference? Nutrition. Feel free to cycle your training and throw in some moderate to light work to give the central nervous system a break, but the meat and potatoes needs to be heavy and demanding. So join the battle on the rubber mats the next time you’re training and blast it. Start leaving the gym with the knowledge that you defeated the iron – it did not defeat you. As the days fall away and those small victories start to add up, the time will come when you’ll reach the mountaintop only to set new goals and dreams far beyond anything you ever thought you could accomplish. Now that’s hard work and there isn’t anything finer.

Bodybuilding, Exercise, General fitness, General training, Men's Health and Wellness, Motivation, Power lifting, Weight training, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

Carb substitutes

July 27, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

Despite what most fat-loss commercials try to tell us, carbohydrates aren’t the devil – not the good ones at least. Carbs require less water to digest than proteins or fats, are the most common source of energy and also balance out our diets.

However, most of us fill our carb intake with pasta, starches and surgery breads. So what to do? Well, for starters, you can find healthy substitutes for the bad carbs easier than you think. Men’s Health.com details ways to substitute for mashed potatoes, spaghetti and even pizza in their “Carb Lover’s Survival Guide.”

Click here to read the entire article.

Nutrition, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

Oil up

July 20, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

Many people that know olive is the best type of oil to use while cooking. Olive oil mostly contains monounsaturated fat, is rich in antioxidants, as well as may limit your risk for cancer and other diseases. But what other oils are beneficial to your health?

Dr. Andrew Weil highlighted the healthiest oils in a recent article for Prevention.com:

Canola
Neutrally flavored canola oil is pressed from rapeseed, a relative of the mustard plant, and contains mostly monounsaturated fat. Don’t believe the myths on the Internet about canola oil’s supposed “dangers.”

Grapeseed
This versatile, neutrally flavored oil is pressed from grape seeds after wine has been made. It has a higher smoke point than other oils but contains more polyunsaturated fats (which lower HDL as well as LDL cholesterol) than monounsaturated fats, so use in small amounts.

High-oleic sunflower, safflower
Oleic-rich seeds have higher levels of monounsaturated fats than other seeds (canola falls into this category). I try to avoid high-oleic oils made from genetically modified crops because they may have hidden risks for both individuals and the environment.

Sesame
I pass on oils that are mostly polyunsaturated-except for dark-roasted sesame oil, which gives distinctive flavor to Asian and Middle Eastern dishes. A little goes a long way.

Peanut
Its flavor ranges from mild to richly nutty, and it contains a mix of saturated, mono-, and polyunsaturated fats, so use only occasionally.

Walnut
Healthy (and pricey) walnut oil contains heart-protective omega-3 fatty acids. Its nutty flavor is nice in salad dressings.

Gourmet oils
These include macadamia nut, avocado, and other expensive exotics. I’d try hazelnut in salad dressings and skip the rest; the flavors aren’t distinctive enough and the health benefits aren’t remarkable.

Corn, soybean
Although these oils tend to be less expensive than others, I don’t use them because they are too high in polyunsaturated fats. What’s more, at high temperatures, corn oil smokes and produces toxic fumes.