Ideas for Hydrating Summer Protein-full Meals

Since the summer has already begun with its full power this year, your organism starts to ask you to give it more hydration. Normally, at this time of the year, or at least at these temperatures, heavy meat, potato dishes are not on the top of your own menu list. So, here are some ideas for meals that are very hydrating and in the same time high in protein and filling to supplement your exercising efforts. 

Zucchini boats with (cottage) cheese (lunch idea)

1 Zucchini
2 Eggs
100 gr Cottage cheese
100 gr Greek yoghurt
Parsley and cheese to top up

Slice up the zucchini in two and boil it for 15 mins. When you take it out, remove the middle soft part to make space for the filling. Mix the eggs with the cottage cheese and yoghurt and fill in the zucchini boats. Spice up on your choice (Tip: Try not to use table salt ! ) and put in the oven. Bake until the filling starts turning yellow. Put a little bit of  (yellow) cheese on top and leave to bake for 5 - 10 more mins. Sprinkle parsley in top.

Nutrition facts

Zucchini contains a lot of water (95%!!) in it and it is very low in calories. So it will easily make you feel full with almost no fat. In general, zucchini is amazing to add to your diet so eat it more often! Egg, yoghurt and cheese will give you energy from good fats for the day as well as enough protein. Parsley is a great detoxifier and keeps your breath fresh.

Per 100 gr.
Zucchini:
16 calories, 10% protein, 87% carbs, and 3% fats
Cottage cheese:
98 calories, 73% protein, 15% carbs, and 12% fats
Greek yoghurt:
86.7 calories, 10% protein, 12% carbs, 54% fats

Hydrating Fruit salad (breakfast or dinner idea)

Grapes

Mango

150 gr Greek yoghurt

2 Walnuts 

Parsley

Basically, just pick up any two fruit that contain a lot of water: melon, watermelon, strawberries, etc. (Tip: Bananas are not favourites here). The energy here comes from the yoghurt and the walnuts.

Nutrition facts

Walnuts: Here is more nutrition info about the walnuts and another idea how to use them

Resources:
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/zucchini.html
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/enri/pubs/enri129.pdf
http://nutritiondata.self.com/
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-greek-yogurt.html#b
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_yogurt

New HIT workout you can do quickly at home for free

Hey, guys,

Here's a new workout I made for you. The best thing about these workouts is that they are very quick and you can do them at home so they are for FREE. This means that you being in a good shape DEPENDS ONLY ON YOU. 

Here it is:

3 rounds, 3 exercises, 15 reps each exercises

Aim for no rest or as less rest as possible

Overheads (with a dumbbell/weight)

Triceps dips

Push ups with leg cross






In the video below there is modification of the push ups, in case regular push ups are too hard for you. So, choose your level and a good weight and start. Do not forget to always keep your back flat to prevent back pain and also to be able to workout different muscle groups effectively.

Enjoy your workout and post your scores! 

Love and smiles,

Nutrition of the Day, Recipe # 4

Let me share a really healty and easy to make snack which you can consume no matter if you are trying to gain or lose weight.

The meal consist of:

Curd (Cottage cheese)
Walnuts
Honey

Yes, it's that simple.
Take 100-150gr Curd , about 30gr Walnuts and 2 tea spoons Honey.
Break the walnuts into small pieces, put them in a cup along with the curd and the honey and mix up everything.
Here you go! You are ready to eat!

Now let me tell you more about the Curd and the Walnuts.

The Curd (cottage cheese)
Is a concentrate of milk protein - casein, albumin and globulin, contains about 20 amino acids, most of which are essential.

Cottage cheese diet will help you avoid the unpleasant feeling of hunger and at the same to time lose weight.
It is perfect for breakfast, as you will be sated until lunch, and at the same time will  not leave a feeling of heaviness in your stomach.

Nutrition values per 100gr : 117 calories, 5 g fat, 14g protein and 4 g carbohydrate.

Walnuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins (A, C, E, P and the group C), minerals (magnesium, iodine, copper, calcium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, iron), high-quality protein with high content of amino acid tryptophan  and fiber.
Nutritional values ​​per 100 grams of walnuts: 654 calories, 65 g fat, 15 g protein and 14 g carbohydrate.

Moreover, the high content of omega-3 fatty acids makes walnuts indispensable in the fight against cardiovascular disease. You might have heard they are also called "brain food" again because of the omega-3 fatty acids and also because they stimulate brain activity and enegizes the body.
Walnuts also strenghten human bones.
However, if you are trying to lose weight you should know that this is high-calorie food and should not consume more than 30gr per day

The third ingredient - HONEY , I put honestly because I cannot eat curd straight. Many people including me just doesn't like the taste.
You can replace the honey and put a banana or\and some forest fruits.

Got hungry...
Stay strong!

The 100 REPS Workout! Quick Home workout

Hello all,

Today I decided to show you a really quick but very effective workout that you can do wherever you are without using any weights or other equipment.

Here's how it goes:

100 Push ups
100 Crunches
100 Squats

When you finish with all 100 reps then you can go to the next exercise. 100 reps might look too many, but don't worry. You do as many reps as you can, then take a short break (10 to 20 seconds) then continue. The idea is to make as many reps as you can with as less rest as possible.

However, I know that some of you (especially women) might have problems doing 100 push-ups, that's why you can start by doing push ups on your knees.

Note: Try to do this workout for a time. Record it everytime and watch your progress.
I'll be glad if you share your time with me here in the blog.


Cheers,
Iavor

Workout to Tone up your Legs and Arms VIDEO

This workout is suitable also if you are healing from an injury in your leg or just a temporary overload. I had not trained seriously for around a month because of an overload on my knee during a run. Anyhow, two days after the workout, I still feel those muscles tight. 


The next workouts I will be showing you, guys, will be excluding any heavy leg exercises since my knee is still recovering. So, this is very useful for those of you who encounter a similar problem or just get ideas what can you do if you do have the problem in future. Almost everyone has an injury at least once in their lives, so you should be prepared for that. However, this workout is suitable for everyone.

If you want to recover quickly, keep up the spirit

From my experience I can tell you it is very important that you keep on training during the time you are recovering. I did not do it and this is why I am telling you ! You will loose some of your shape and your conditioning and you will recover longer time. In the case of a leg injury, you can always work the abs and sometimes do even push ups.  You will not be able to do any cardio-type of exercises, but you can keep your muscles toned.

The Workout of the day: Toning legs and arms

3 rounds: as less rest as possible

1st round - 21 reps

2nd round - 15 reps

3rd round - 9 reps

Dead lift 

Push ups

Get some weight

NOTE: If you do not have a bar or dumbbels, improvise. I used to do it with a bag filled with water bottles. In this way you can also regulate the adequate weight for yourselves but DO NOT make it too light. 

Choose the type of push ups according to your level. I have explained a few variations in the video. Just go through all the reps with as less rest as possible.

How to Detoxify your body & Easy Smoothie Recipe #3

These are simple advices to get the toxins out of your body once in a while, and they will not interfere with the results from your workouts

Recently, I decided to cut down on some food because of two reasons: to keep myself slim while I still cannot actively workout because of the injury; and to detoxify my organism. I don’t know what is the real reason, but in the last couple of months pimples started appearing on my face and neck (I haven’t had those for ages!).  So, even if you are trying to eat quite healthy as I do, it is still a good idea to cleanse the inside of your body from time to time.

So, here’s my simple way of doing it. You can do it as many days as you want (but not less than 2!). I decided to go for a week myself.

First thing in the morning: A cup of warm water + honey + cinnamon + lemon

What does warm water do for you? Drinking a cup or two of warm water before you have eaten any meal in the morning is said to improve your metabolism for a great start off. Adding to it some organic honey makes it more tasty and gives you energy for the day. The lemon gives you an additional energy boost, it helps toxins get out of your body and protects you from getting a cold because of the Vitamin C. The cinnamon helps you stay slim! It regulates the blood sugar levels and has an anti-bacterial effect.

Before leaving to work: Yoghurt + a few drops of olive oil + parsley + lemon drops (possible black pepper, salt)

The yoghurt can be full since you eat it in the morning, so that it also gives you some energy for the day. The olive oil helps your stomach function perfectly. Moreover, it makes you fills just enough with less and good calories.

It is improtant that you also do not drink any coffee so these should give you some energy boost. However, you can always make yourself a fruit smoothie or a shake for during the day. Energy boosting fruit are the citrus fruit - grapefruit, orange, kiwi and lemon.

Later during the day: Fruit salad / Vegetable dish on the grill

The fruit should mainly be citrus or contain lots of water, such as strawberries, melon, , watermelon, etc.  You can always combine this with some yoghurt and honey. Fruit contain lots of antioxidants.

I made myself today vegetables on the grill and this was yammy: eggplant, a paprika, a tomato, mushrooms, garlic and onion.

For dinner: Watermelon / Tomatoes + basilicum + olive oil

Basically something light and filling, so the more water it has in it, the better.

Last tip: Drink a lot of Water and Green tea

Bonus: Easy Smoothie Recipe in 5 mins

Products for 1 liter:

• 5 big chunks Watermelon
• 8 strawberries Strawberries
• 1 Peach
• 200 gr Greek yoghurt
• 2 spoons coco milk

Add the fruit in small chunks in a blender

Add the yoghurt and coco milk and blend. It is ready for 30 secs

What do you do when you decide to detoxify your body?

Resources:

http://bembu.com/detox-foods

http://www.dnaindia.com/health/1631329/column-detox-your-body-in-just-5-days-with-citrus-fruits

http://www.naturalnews.com/034260_cinnamon_health_benefits.html

http://life.gaiam.com/article/10-ways-detoxify-your-body

http://www.wikihow.com/Cleanse-Your-Body-Naturally

http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/851787/foods-and-drinks-that-help-cleanse-the-body

Nutrition of the Day #2

Hi everybody,

I'm gonna show you a fast and really healthy meal which is ideal for small breakfast or between breakfast and lunch.

This small meal includes fruit salad and raw nuts, here it is...

Fruit salad. I put one apple, kiwi, orange and banana. Why I chose exactly these fruids ? Probably because they are easiest to find in the groceries store and because I love them. You can pick any fruit you like. It doesn't matter that much.
Here some nutrtion facts:

Kiwi is a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Vitamin C and Vitamin K

Banana is a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin B6

Orange is a good source of Calcium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin C.

Apple  is a good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin C.

All of them are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium

Small serving, about 50-70gr of raw nuts... yes RAW!
Today I took cashew, walnut, brasilian nut and almond.

All of them are rich in proteins, minerals like magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, calcium and some good fatty acids

Looks good:

The combination of fruits and nuts gives you pretty much everything you need from a small meal...vitamins, minerals and protein

Bon appetite!
Iavor

Introduction of myself + a really nice abs workout!

Hi everybody,
I just joined Lora's blog. We both decided that it will be cool for me join the blog so I can share my experience with you and help you as much as I can.
Oh and by the way... she's my sister ;)

So to introduce myself.
I'm training and competing in martial arts. Currently I'm training MMA, Muay-Thai and Grappling.
I used to train and compete in Karate-do for about 10 years.
Along with all that I have a 10 years experience in the gym, doing all kind of fitness workouts, crossfit, high intensive workouts, cardio, strength and explosiveness and so on.
That's it about me in short.

I will try to motivate you and help to progress in your trainings!

Now LET'S BEGIN with the first workout that I will give you today!

It will be specifically ABS workout!
Just to warn you that it might be a bit difficult for most of you in the beggining
This workout will help you to put some muscles on the abs.


ABS workout #1


1. Toe Touchers with weights - grab a 5-15kgs weight and try to touch your toes with it. Try doing 20 reps.
immediately after this do
2. Alternate Heel Touchers do 10-15reps at each side
3. Stretch for a minute and rest for another one
- repeat 2 more times

4. Scissors kick On Parallel Bars do about 10-15 reps for each leg by alternating them. Usually scissors are done lying on the ground, but I prefer them on the parallel bars :)
immediately:
5. Barbell Side Bend - grab the barbell, put no more than 10kgs on it and do 10 reps each side for
repeat for 3 more times.
6. Stretch for a couple of minutes

This workout is really close to the one I did the last time. However I do not stick to the same workout twice. I change it everytime. Sometimes I change the reps, sometimes I add or exclude an exercise or add more weight.

Here is a recent photo of my abdominals :)

That's it! If you have any questions do not hesitate!
Keep going Strong :)
Iavor