I believe I’m writing to two types of readers: those who go organic all the way down to the creamer in their coffee, and those who save their money and steer clear of organic, altogether. It’s no secret that organic foods cost exponentially more than conventional foods, but is the absence of pesticides and other chemicals worth the extra buck? Sometimes. Some fruits and vegetables have higher chemical concentration than others. The Environmental Working Group (EWC) considers the following fruits and veggies “the dirty dozen:”
Celery, Peaches, Strawberries, Apples, Blueberries, Nectarines, Sweet Bell Peppers, Spinach, Kale/Collard Greens, Cherries, Potatoes, and Grapes.
The list above is categorized from highest levels of pesticides to lowest, but keep in mind the least offender of the twelve worst is still a concern! Pesticides can disrupt the endocrine system, and, among other health concerns, make it harder to lose weight. But hear me on this: we all consume pesticides. Even if you subscribe to a completely organic diet, you may be consuming them from your drinking water, coke/tea/alcohol, restaurant food, preparation ingredients, etc. So the hum-dinger is how much is too much? To air on the side of caution, a great start to cleaner eating is to go organic on the “dirty dozen.”

Just by transferring the Virtual Workouts listed under “Audio Inspirations” on cardiopump.com to your iPod, you have breath-taking, calorie-burning, body-changing workouts right there at your disposal. Moreover, they’re all FREE! The question is, what are you going to do next? Just let them take up storage space on your iPod while you jam to other music on the couch? Or get your rear in gear and exercise to those virtual workouts?
There are plenty of virtual workouts to alternate so that you keep your body guessing and see results:
Trekking 1, Trekking 2, Trekking 3, Cycling 1, Cycling 2, Abs

Do I use these virtual recordings for my own, personal, workouts? You bet I do! I know that I have to work harder than I’d like just to stay the same, and I have to work harder than that to get fitter. These virtual workouts push me to my limits, and that all-out training catapults my body to a higher level of human performance. These workouts work for me, and they’ll work for you.

Download Virtual Workouts from cardiopump.com to your iPod then USE them! Don’t let them waste space like your old Air Supply and Milli Vanilli tunes. Commit to them! Perform the drills with all the stamina you can muster up. Prepare yourself for big body changes.

In the 1972 Munich Olympics, Finnish long-distance runner, Lasse Viren’s leg got tangled with Emil Puttemans in the twelfth lap of the 10,000 meter (10K) race. Viren fell. He bounced back up, and in less than 150 meters, he caught up with the leading pack. With 600 meters to go (a lap and a half), Viren bolted into an unprecedented pace. He not only won the race, but with a time of 27:38:40, Lasse Viren set an Olympic record. This man FELL in the Olympics then recovered time to take home the gold metal, and slash the (then) Olympic record! When asked how he did it, Viren’s response was simple. He planned for it. He had conceptualized possible setbacks and strategized exactly what response he would have to make if such things were to happen. His fall lost him 20-30 meters. Because he had planned for that exact scenario, he knew precisely how much time he would have to shave off of the remaining distance in order to finish in the time he desired.

Chances are, when you make the decision to begin an exercise routine or to start eating healthier, a stumbling block is going to cross your path. Visualize these things actually happening. Picture things as small as someone bringing cookies in to work and you slip and indulge; know precisely how many calories you will need to shave off in other areas to make up for that cookie. Picture an injury occurring that prevents you from being able to withstand hi-impact exercise; plan for what lo/non-impact workouts that you will do instead. Picture the holidays coming up and your favorite foods sitting right there on the table in front of you; what will you eat and how much- but don’t stop there- if you slip up and overeat, how will you handle that?

When you are at the top of your game, steaming forward with great momentum on the diet/exercise bandwaggon, Emil Puttemans leg just may come around and trip you up. Plan for it. Prepare for it. Setbacks will only defeat you if you raise your white flag to the fall. If you refuse to be broken, no stumbling block can conquer you.

Protein receives so much applause that you almost forget that every gram you take is an extra 4-calories. Calories add up, but so does the amount of protein that you consume that your body can actually use. The average person who does little or no weight training can only use 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (per day). Those who do moderate weight training, which I have a feeling is the majority of the people reading this article, need 1.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Those who do very intensive heavy weight training can use up to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. What happens if you consume more protein than your body can use? Well, whatever is excess is either released as bile (too much protein can lead to some real gas and “potty” episodes!) or it is stored as body fat. There is a “more is better” misconception with protein, especially among weight lifters. Many people get plenty of protein in a day without even having to think about it. Animal sources are very good, absorbable sources of protein, but they can also be high in saturated fat and cholesterol, so be sure to select lean animal (fish, chicken, turkey, Longhorn beef, etc) if you consume your protein from animal products. In order to calculate the number of grams of protein that is just right for you, you need to convert your weight in pounds to kilograms. To do that, take your weight in pounds and divide by 2.2. That gives you kilograms! Figure out which category you are in (light to no weight lifting, moderate weight lifting, or frequent heavy weight lifting), and that will determine what number you need to multiply your weight in kilograms by (0.8, 1.0, or 1.2). Ta Dah! That’s the number of grams of protein that you can consider to be your upper limit each day.

Dietitians and nutritionists alike have been hesitant to answer the question “does eating dairy promote weight loss?” However, studies that have been done in the past decade seem to reveal that, yes, adding 3-4 servings per day of dairy (cheese, milk, or yogurt products) to your diet does seem to enhance weight loss in individuals who are consuming appropriate caloric intake. That means that when you compare people who are consuming a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet, those who eat 3-4 servings per day of dairy (not calcium supplements; actually eating dairy products) seem to lose slightly more weight than those who eat the same number of calories but consume them from other sources. Please understand that this is NOT a recommendation to add 3-4 servings of dairy to your diet on top of what you already consume. For a slight weight loss boost, consider replacing some of the calories you eat from other sources with calories from milk, cheese, or yogurt.