We Have teamed up with James Haskell to offer bespoke tailored Nutrition plans to accompany your hard training programmes
Some virtues of Turkey
Christmas is a time of year when most of us in the UK sit down to a turkey dinner will all the trimmings. Turkey is one of the leanest protein sources our there so it’s a wonder why more of us aren’t making it a regular choice and not just when we’re pulling crackers.
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NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION / 100g |
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Protein |
29.4g |
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Carbohydrates |
0g |
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Fats |
1.0g |
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Energy in Kcals |
158Kcal |
Turkey also contains the Vitamins:
B2, B3, B6, B6, B12 & D
Turkey is extremely rich in B vitamin complex which is essential for a healthy nervous system and metabolism. An average serving of turkey has 40% RDA of B3 and 30% RDA of B6.
As with all meats Turkeys protein content varies but in general it has higher protein content than beef with less fat.
Research displays that athletes that regularly ate turkey breast had an increase of 40% muscle concentration.
This festive meat is a good source of selenium which is essential for thyroid gland function and every cell that utilises thyroid hormone… it also boosts immunity.
Touted as one of the healthiest meats around, turkey consumption has been associated with decreased pancreatic cancer risk.
Quick Turkey & ginger stir fry.
· Sesame oil
· 700g Turkey breast
· 60g ginger cut into thin strips
· Fresh coriander (few sprigs)
· Soy sauce
Heat oil in wok (or frying pan). Chop turkey into chunks and stir fry in wok on a med heat for 5 -8 mins. Add ginger and soy sauce. Cook all ingredients together for 30 secs – 1 min. Plate up and serve.
Some virtues of Beetroot
BEETROOT
Beetroot is absolutely crammed packed with nutrients and health giving properties and as such has would up on this list. We all know to be careful while wearing a white T-shirt when eating beetroot due to its brilliant ruby colour. Well that colour shows beetroot is a powerful detoxifier and high in assimible Iron.
Being high in fibre means beetroot aids digestive health and contributes to the absorption of food – helping regulate metabolic pathways.
Eating vegetables rich in Nitrates can lower blood pressure which as we all know is never a bad thing.
Exeter University says –
Nitrate, a nutrient found in soil that helps build protein. This converts into nitrite in the body and then into nitric oxide, which has a “double whammy” effect: it widens blood vessels, increasing blood flow; and it reduces the oxygen needed by muscles, enabling them to work more efficiently.
As we all know an efficient muscle means a bigger muscle.
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NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION / 100g |
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Protein |
1.6g |
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Carbohydrates |
10g |
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Fats |
0.2g |
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Energy in Kcals |
43Kcal |
Beetroot also contains the vitamins:
B3, B5, C as well as Iron, copper, iodine magnesium and potassium.
Tasty power packed Beetroot juice
· 2-3 raw beetroot bulbs (depending on size)
· 2 carrots
· 1 large orange
· 1 lemon
· 1 juicer / juicing machine
Wash all fruit and veg. place all ingredients into juicer one after the other in a pint glass. Mix. Make sure you drink with a straw – or you may end up with a red ‘beetroot’ moustache.
Cycling Nutrition Tips
Cycling demands a lot from your body so it is important to ensure you are properly prepared – be it a leisurely ride or a stage on the tour de france – Nutrition plays a big part on how your cycle goes. Here are a few pointers to help you when planning a ride, no matter how long its duration.
- Always eat breakfast – sleeping depletes muscle glycogen so after a period of long resting you need to replenish your glycogen levels.
- Drink green tea. Packed full of antioxidants green tea helps scavenge free radicals which occur during day to day life but more rapidly during intense exercise
- When cycling a drink that consists of glucose and fructose can improve performance by as much as 10% when compared to drinks that just consist of glucose alone
- Caffeine can increase your time when training or racing. A good start would be 2-3mg / Kg body weight an hour or so prior. Or a Cpl cups of strong black coffee
- Supplementing with fish oil such as cod liver oil is great for joints and recovery
- Beetroot juice- including beetroot into your diet is great. If you juice several bulbs on a day you are cycling you will increase your performance. Research shows beetroot juice improves oxygen levels in the blood which improves performance
‘Judo’ Jimmy Wallhead BAMMA 12
Congratulations to ‘Judo’ Jimmy Wallhead on his amazing 1 st round win, coming by way of a rear naked choke
Fighting Machines 6
Blueberry Nutrition is proud to sponsor Fighting Machines Muay Thai promoters 6th installment of Championship action at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan. On March 23rd 2013, a selection of the UKs top fighters will face off on this high-profile event with an anticipated 900-strong crowd.
Featuring London’s double World Champion Lyndon Knowles, Sheffield’s K.O artist World Champion Joe Mcgovan, Commonwealth Champion Brad Stanton and superstars Sam Omomogbie, Josh Turbill and unbeaten prospect Steven Long among many other quality names, this will be one of the must-see events of the year!
For all event information and to purchase tickets, including VIP packages, visit www.fighting-machines.com.
Find Fighting Machines on Facebook at Thai fightingmachines or follow on Twitter @fmcsthelens.
The road to the Miami Pro World Championships
The Road to the Miami Pro World Championships
Suki Hayer – Mister International Great Britain & Sponsored Athlete
On Sunday 7th April I will be stepping on stage for the first time in my fitness modelling career to compete in the Fitness Model Under 75kg Category. Follow my 10 week countdown blog where I will share everything from diet to training to how I juggle my workouts with my full time sales manager job.
If you have any questions that you would like me to answer in the upcoming weeks, please either tweet me @SukiHayer85 or visit my Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/sukihayer85
How has the week gone…
This week has been one of my more difficult weeks to hit the gym yet I still managed to train every day. Due to my job, I find myself working away a lot. This week I’ve been to Leicester, Darlington, Newcastle, Watford, Nottingham and Grantham. Throw in finishing work at 6pm and therefore constantly being stuck in traffic on the M1, I have found myself demoralised and lacking energy to hit the gym. However I changed my training times so I trained later in the evening so I can go home after work for dinner and rest up before training for couple of hours.
On Thursday I had my first magazine interview of the year with Workout Magazine. The article will be out in the February issue and follows my transformation from Sales Manager to Mister International to Sponsored Athlete. The article will go in depth about how I got to where I am today. Hope you all will check it out and see it as a good read. I am also in talks with a few Radio Stations hosting fitness and training discussions. More information to come in the upcoming weeks.
Week 1 Training Plan
So I am 10 weeks out from the Miami Pro World Championships but before then I have a big national photo shoot. I am a national ambassador for Guide Dogs UK and will be taking part in numerous fundraising events throughout 2013 including a PR shoot on Monday 21st January.
For that reason this week has been very much involved high intensity exercises. Each day has started off with a different type of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) on either the bike or the rowing machine. This is broken down into a 40 second slow pace before sprinting for 20 seconds. This is repeated 10 times before a 5 minute cool down.
After I have completed my cardio I move straight onto weights and spend no more than 45 minutes training. As always I will spend 30 minutes at the end hitting my abs with limited rest doing numerous circuits that I have designed that has brought great results. Below is my weekly training workout:
Monday Chest, Triceps
Tuesday Quads, Hamstrings, Calf’s
Wednesday Back, Biceps
Thursday Shoulders
Friday Quads, Hamstrings, Calf’s
Saturday Chest, Biceps
Sunday Back, Calf’s
The training has involved lots of giant sets (four exercises in one set) doing 12 reps per exercise. As I am trying to burn fat, between sets I go on the bike for 60 seconds to keep my heart rate up. I strongly recommend people to try these giant set workouts as it’s the best way to cut down the time you are in the gym but keep the burn alive so you get a serious pump.
My Chest Workout
A1 Incline Bench Press / 80kg / 12 reps
A2 Incline Bench Press / 60kg / 12 reps
A3 Incline Inverted Dumbbell Flies / 12kg / 12 reps
A4 Press Up with Medicine Ball / Failure
End of set. Repeat 4 times in total
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcYtDSH3PfU
TIP
Focus on the technique not the weight. When bringing the bar down to your chest on the incline bench press, pause for a split second then with an explosive movement push up
B1 Flat Bench Press / 80kg / 12 reps
B2 Reverse Flat Bench Press / 60kg / 12 reps
B3 Flat Dumbbell Flies / 12kg / 12 reps
B4 Press Ups / Failure
End of set. Repeat 4 times in total
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4ze4EsTYcs
TIP
If it is your first time doing a reverse flat bench press, use the smith machine. Stability will be key here
Week 1 Diet Plan
My plan for this week is different from what it would usually be as I’m cutting up for a photo shoot in 2 weeks. It comprised of the following ratios:
3000 Kcal/day – 39% Protein/30% Carbohydrate/31% Fat
With each meal I used the addition of sauces and condiments, within reason. Fluid/drinks – I ensured I drank at least 3.5L /day and refrained from caffeinated drinks after midday
To give you an idea what I was eating, below is my Monday diet plan:
Breakfast – Porridge, 50g with Almond Milk, 125ml and Sun Flower Seeds 32g. 2 Pears, BCAA’s & Cod Liver Oil
Snack – Whey Protein, 48g with Glutamine, 5g and BCAA’s
Lunch – 2 Chicken Breasts, 226g with Broccoli, 85g, Quinoa, 85g and Red Peppers, 160g
Snack – Whey Protein, 48g
Dinner – Lean Mince Beef, 300g with Sweet Potatoes, 260g and Green Beans, 90g
Snack – Cottage Cheese, 200g with ZMA’s and Glutamine
Totals: Fat Totals – 114g Protein Totals – 300g Carbohydrate Totals – 223g Calorie Total – 3012
Meal of the Week – Beefcake Nachos
Ingredients
50g Tortilla chips
225g Lean mince beef cooked.
100g black beans
120g picante sauce /salsa
1 Tbsp. chopped jalapeno peppers
60g reduced fat cheddar cheese (grated)
1 Tbsp. chopped coriander
Method
Pre heat oven to 180°C
Coat baking tray with a little oil/cooking spray
Layer baking tray with tortilla chips
Add minced beef on top of chips
Add beans, sauce and peppers
Top with cheese and coriander
Bake uncovered for 10 minutes
Totals: 45g Protein, 46g Carbohydrates, 31g Fats, 645 Calories
Hydration & The Athlete
When it comes to Fitness, Training, Nutrition and Health we are all aware that we need to tailor our diets to manipulate our Protein, fats and Carbs in order to achieve our goals. One aspect that is absolutely integral to anyone’s regime that often is overlooked or taken for granted is WATER and hydration.
Each of us is made up of approx. 80% water. Our Brains (most of us) are made up of 70% water, our lungs are 90% water and lean muscle is comprised of around 75% water – so it is easy to see that it is crucial to remain hydrated to optimise performance.
There are several factors that promote fluid loss, these include
• Surrounding temperature
• Exercise duration
• Exercise intensity
If we do not replace the fluids lost from exercise or indeed from day to day activities then we are prone to DEHYDRATION. We all know dehydration is a bad thing but did you know that dropping a certain % of body weight due to fluid loss can have the following effects
• 2% loss can affect aerobic capacity by 10-20%
• 5% loss can affect aerobic capacity by up to 30%
• 8% loss can cause severe problems including dizziness and confusion
As a rule of thumb if you consume 3000kcals/day you need to be drinking a minimum of 3 litres of fluids / day. So if you consume 1750Kcals / day you need to drink a minimum of 1.75Lites of fluids / day.
So the question is – HOW MUCH WATER & WHEN?
Before you engage in any form of physical activity, be it 80 minutes on the rugby pitch to just going for a leisurely jog around the block you should take on as much water as comfortably possible. This means that you are adequately hydrated before you start exercising and of course you should top up throughout the time your exercising.
It is possible to maintain optimal performance by replacing 80% of fluids that are lost via sweat (Montain and Coyle 1992) Also if you are exercising for longer than 30minutes you should try to take on 150-300ml fluid every 20-30minutes where possible.
What about sports drinks?
Hypotonic:
Hypotonic drinks have a low osmolality – this means that it has fewer particles (electrolytes such as slat potassium etc.) /100ml than our body’s own fluids (blood etc.) this fact means that hypotonic solutions are absorbed quicker than water. Hypotonic solutions should be used when hydration is priority.
Hypotonic solutions typically contain 4g Carbohydrate/100ml.
Hypotonic solutions should be used during exercise of low – moderate intensity that lasts less than 1 hour.
Isotonic:
Isotonic drinks have an osmolality that is the same or very similar to our body’s own fluids. This means that isotonic solutions are absorbed as fast or faster than water. Isotonic solutions are a compromise between re-fuelling and hydrating due to the fact that they contain between 4-8g Carbohydrate/100ml. Isotonic solutions should be used during exercise od high intensity that lasts less than 1 hour.
Hypertonic:
Hypertonic drinks have an osmolality that is higher than our body’s. This means that the fluid in a hypertonic solution is absorbed slower than water. However the function of a hypertonic solution is to provide energy as a hypertonic fluid contains more than 8g Carbohydrate/ 100ml. Ideally hypertonic solutions should be used during long periods of high intensity exercise that last longer than 1 hour.
Gaining Lean Muscle Mass
When it comes to nutrition, one area of interest that is on many peoples minds is how to bulk up the right way and make themselves more muscular. This blog tackles this subject, albeit very briefly but you’ll get the picture. Using this as a guide you can pack on a few kilos of muscle and improve your performance on the field or just for posing in the mirror.
Many people think that all they need to do to make their muscles bigger is simply eat as much protein as possible. Lots of chicken breasts, tuna and turkey appear on the menu as do vast quantities of Protein shakes and various other supplements. Protein does indeed play an integral part in muscle building as do Carbohydrates and Fats which tend to take a back seat on peoples shopping lists when embarking on a muscle building programme.
How much protein should you be consuming is a question that most people ask. Our bodies can only process approx. 30-50g of protein in one go (this depends on individual body biochemistry), the excess is excreted or small amounts may be used as fuel. Protein requirements for a muscle/weight gain programme equate to approx. 2g-2.5g protein/kg body weight so:
A man weighing 76Kg (12stone) would need to consume approx. 150g- 190g protein per day (600kcal- 712kcal)
Carbohydrates are often overlooked and in some cases left out entirely by some individuals as they think that eating Carbs will make them fat. This is simply not the case, our bodies need Carbs to function and they are absolutely essential for muscle growth. Carb intake when trying to promote hypertrophy (muscle growth) should be approx. 50% of calorific intake, so:
A man weighing 76Kg (12stone) would need to consume approx. 333g Carbohydrate (1250kcal)
The balance left once you have calculated your protein and carb intake is the amount of fat you need each day, so:
A man weighing 76Kg (12stone) would need to consume approx. 70g fat (630kcal)
Food sources
Knowing how much protein, carbohydrate and fat you need to be consuming is one thing but what are the best sources of these foods that will help pack on quality size. Eating a ‘clean’ diet is a great way to ensure your body is receiving the necessary high quality nutrients. As a general rule if something that ends up on your plate hasn’t lived, breathed, swam or grown – don’t eat eat it
Macronutrients – Continued…
Carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are metabolized into the blood glucose to become the body’s primary source of energy and exist in our diet in two forms – simple and complex. The simple forms of carbohydrates are the sugars, which are generally present as single units called monosaccharides. These include glucose, fructose and maltose. Disaccharides are also simple sugars and are formed when monosaccharide’s combine in pairs. The most well-known disaccharide is sucrose (table sugar). It is formed by the condensation of glucose and fructose. Simple or refined sugars offer calorific energy and nothing else in the way of nutrition – they are empty calories. Complex carbohydrates are found in whole grains, vegetables, pulses and fruit and exist as sugars that include starches and fibre as part of their molecular make up.
Complex carbohydrates provide a slower and more sustained release of energy than simple carbohydrates .In their natural form they contribute to long-term good health, appetite control and sustained energy levels.
(The diagram above displays the disaccharide sucrose which is comprised of glucose and fructose monosaccharides. A starch molecule is also displayed showing it is made of many monosaccharide sub-units)
The average person’s diet normally consists of approx. 50-60% Carbohydrate. So an average man eating 2500kcals /day would eat approx. 312g- 375g daily
Good sources of complex carbohydrates include –
• Sweet potato (130g) – approx. 36g carbohydrate
• Brown rice (45g) – approx. 37g carbohydrate
• Banana (130g) – approx. 32g carbohydrate
• Quinoa (43g) – approx. 28g carbohydrate