Don't Skip the Stretch!

Skipping your stretch after an intense workout is a mistake. It's the key to bring oxygen and blood flow back to your tired muscles. It helps reduce muscle soreness, increases mobility & flexibility and aids in a quicker recovery period. Not stretching regularly sets you up for injury, poor posture, as well as tight hamstrings and hip rotators.

The best is to use a combination of dynamic and static stretches. Dynamic stretches are when you move your muscle through its complete range of motion. Examples are arm swings or shoulder rolls. These stretches are good to use as a warm-up, as well as immediately following your exercise program. Static stretches, on the other hand, mean you stretch your muscle to its furthest point comfortably and hold it there for 15 to 30 seconds and then release gently. These stretches are best used after exercise. Never stretch to the point of pain or discomfort.

I like to dedicate at least 5-minutes at the end of each workout to stretch all the major muscles we used that day. Just keep in mind that if you have an injured or strained muscle you may need to adjust your stretching technique; and it's best to consult with your doctor about the best way to stretch for your specific condition.

Is Your Salad Making you Fat?

You may think you're eating well because you only had a salad for dinner. If your greens are buried under heaps of dressing, croutons and cheese you can wind up with a salad that is equivalent in fat and calories to a fast-food burger.

Here's a great example. If you choose McDonald's Southwest Salad with crispy chicken & dressing it will cost you 530 calories and 26 grams of fat, which is more than a Quarter Pounder. Instead, try the Cesar Salad with grilled chicken and no dressing for only 220 calories and 6 grams of fat.

The key is to pick lower fat, nutrient rich ingredients and set limits on your toppings. Stick to 1 TBSP of low-fat dressing and one ounce of aged cheese or avocado or a quarter cup of unsalted nuts. Feta or aged parmesan will give you lots of flavour and may end up saving you calories because you don't use as much. Adding some complex carbs like couscous or protein-packed quinoa will keep you feeling fuller longer. If you're trying to lean out, you should also add 3 ounces of lean protein to top off your salad like eggs, black beams, tuna, or skinless chicken breast.

If you have any good salad or salad dressing recipes, please send them my way!

Top Recovery Foods

After any intense workout it's really important that you give your body the nutrients and fuel it needs to properly recover. If you don't your performance will suffer during your next workout and your body won't be able to effectively repair and build lean muscle. This is key, as the more lean muscle you have the higher your metabolic rate and the more fat you'll be able to release.

Experts say that the best combo for maximizing muscle repair and boosting your metabolic rate is eating 2 to 1 carbs to protein with very little fat (up to possibly a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein) as quickly as possible after your workout.

Here are three options to consider...

1) Chocolate Milk - This is a fave for many athletes. An eight-ounce glass of low fat chocolate milk provides 32 grams of carbs and 11 grams of protein, an ideal carb to protein ratio.

2) Low Fat Granola Cereal - GOLEAN by Kashi is a good choice: A 1-cup serving has 140 calories, 30 grams of carbs, 13 grams of protein, and 1 gram of fat.

3) Fruit Smoothie - frozen banana, berries, whey protein powder and some water, aiming for at least a 2:1 carbs to protein ratio.