Category: Xternal Furci (Page 33 of 42)

America?s Unhealthiest Restaurants

March 25, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

YAHOO! Health handed out grades for the unhealthiest restaurants and some might surprise you:

D-
On the Border
On the Border is a subsidiary of Brinker International, the same parent company that owns Chili’s and Romano’s Macaroni Grill. It should come as no surprise then that this chain is just as threatening to your health as its corporate cohorts. The overloaded menu offers appetizers with 120 grams of fat, salads with a full day’s worth of sodium, and taco entr?es with an horrific 960 calories?and that?s the calculation without rice and beans. Border crossing is a decidedly dangerous enterprise.
SURVIVAL STRATEGY: The Border Smart Menu highlights four items with fewer than 600 calories and 25 grams of fat. Those aren’t great numbers considering they average 1,800 mg of sodium apiece, but that’s all you’ve got to work with.
D-
Baja Fresh
It’s a surprise Baja Fresh’s menu has yet to collapse under the weight of its own fatty fare. About a third of the items on the menu have more than 1,000 calories, and most of them are spiked with enough sodium to melt a polar icecap. Order the Shrimp Burrito Dos Manos Enchilado-Style, for instance, and you’re looking at 5,130 mg sodium?that’s more than 2 days’ worth in one sitting!
SURVIVAL STRATEGY: Unless you’re comfortable stuffing 110 grams of fat into your arteries, avoid the nachos at all costs. In fact, avoid almost everything on this menu. The only safe options are the tacos, or a salad topped with salsa verde and served without the belly-busting tortilla bowl.
D-
Baja Fresh
It’s a surprise Baja Fresh’s menu has yet to collapse under the weight of its own fatty fare. About a third of the items on the menu have more than 1,000 calories, and most of them are spiked with enough sodium to melt a polar icecap. Order the Shrimp Burrito Dos Manos Enchilado-Style, for instance, and you’re looking at 5,130 mg sodium?that’s more than 2 days’ worth in one sitting!
SURVIVAL STRATEGY: Unless you’re comfortable stuffing 110 grams of fat into your arteries, avoid the nachos at all costs. In fact, avoid almost everything on this menu. The only safe options are the tacos, or a salad topped with salsa verde and served without the belly-busting tortilla bowl.

Read the entire article, here.

Cholesterol, Diets, Foods products, Nutrition, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

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Boost Your Metabolism

March 20, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Men?s Fitness.com details a couple ways to help give your metabolism a boost.

Drink More Water
When researchers measured people’s metabolic rate before and after downing about 16 ounces of water, they found a rise in calorie-burning capability. The water had a lasting effect as well: Even after 30 minutes, drinkers were using 30% more calories than those who stayed dry.
Eat, Then Sweat
You must eat to get lean. Digesting food and absorbing and storing nutrients requires energy. Severely restricting calories dials back your metabolic rate. Plus, starving yourself eventually drives your body to break down muscle tissue to satisfy energy needs, further lowering calorie-burning. Boost the burn by working out just after eating a meal or substantial snacks.
And Eat Again
Divide daily calories into three meals and two snacks. Research suggests men who eat more frequently throughout the day are leaner than those who consume meals at irregular times.
Pack in the Protein
Protein keeps you fuller longer. Plus, your body uses more calories digesting protein than it does breaking down carbs or fat. High-quality protein from foods such as eggs, lean meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy also ups levels of the amino acid leucine in your body, which is essential for maintaining muscle and burning calories.
Consider Caffeine
A Harvard study of more than 19,000 men found those who got 200 milligrams of caffeine a day (the amount in four cans of cola or eight ounces of coffee) were less likely to gain weight over a 12-year period than those who didn’t. Caffeine helps stimulate fat use, especially during exercise.

To check out more nutrition articles from Men?s Fitness.com, click here.

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Test your strength with the Deadlift

March 16, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Men?s Fitness.com put together a strength test using your one rep max for the deadlift exercise.

HOW IT’S DONE
Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, your toes facing straight ahead. Squat down and grab the bar with an outside-shoulder-width, palms-down grip [1]. Keep your lower back in its natural arch, and drive your heels into the fl oor and push your hips forward, lifting the bar as you rise until it’s in front of your thighs [2]. Reverse the motion and return the bar to the fl oor. That’s one rep.
THE TEST
Estimate your deadlift one-rep max?the most weight you can lift for one rep?and compare it to the calculations below.
Your 1RM (one-rep max) is…
? Less than your body weight = Damn, you’re weak
? 1.25 x your body weight = You’re average
? 1.5 x body weight = You’re pretty strong
? 2 x body weight = You’re a beast!
A 200-pound guy who can deadlift 300 pounds for one rep is pretty strong. If your number falls in the weak or average categories, see below for tips on how to bring it up.

Click here to see MF.com?s guide to deadlifting more weight.

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Rolling Triceps Extension

March 11, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Men’s Fitness.com breaks down the rolling tricpes extension and why it’s ideal for building arm size and strength.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie back on a bench with your arms locked out above your chest [1]. Bend your elbows until the dumbbells touch your shoulders, then “roll” your shoulders back so that your elbows go beside your head and you feel a stretch in your triceps and your lats. Reverse the motion by contracting your lats and triceps simultaneously to pull your arms forward and lock out your elbows [2]. That’s one rep.

Why It Works Essentially a combination of the lying triceps extension and pullover, the rolling extension allows you to use more weight as a result of the involvement of the lats. Perform the exercise for 10-12 reps, as going too heavy for low reps can be stressful on the elbow joint. Do not explosively lock out your elbows. “This is best used at the end of your workout,” says Ferruggia, “as a finisher after dips or bench presses.”

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The Energy Drink Ranking

March 5, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

The MensFitness.com staff breaks down the most popular energy drinks and gives their thoughts on taste and nutritional impact.

LO-CARB MONSTER
20 calories, 6 g carbs
Our thoughts: Seems supersweet at first, but after a few sips, the caramel-ish flavor ends up tasty and thirst quenching.
The expert’s: With just 10% of the calories in regular Monster, you still get the same buzz, thanks to stimulants like caffeine and guarana, but don’t fall for the hype on any herbal or “energy blend” ingredients: Most have iffy research backing them up.
GURU LITE
10 calories, 2 g carbs
Our thoughts: Carbonated cough syrup, the lingering taste of gummy bears, and a chemical afterburn once you finish. Gross.
The expert’s: Guru’s calories come from organic sugarcane juice, plus a few sweet, potent herbs like guarana and gingko, which help with energy, memory, and concentration. But the flavor’s not great. End of story.
RED BULL SUGAR-FREE
10 calories, 3 g carbs
Our thoughts: The gold standard isn’t necessarily solid gold. Even if you drink it a lot, the vodka’s likely disguising the tart medicinal quality that’s similar to aspirin dissolving on your tongue.
The expert’s: Only 10 calories, but keep in mind how small the can is. Plus, the formula is pretty average: taurine., B vitamins, and, of course, caffeine.