This week's nutritional challenge: Fill half your plate with veggies!!

Vegetables are generally low in fat, sugar and sodium and high in vitamins and minerals. This week's challenge is to fill half of your plate with veggies (and some fruits) at every meal and snack. (Perhaps start after breakfast, a 6am plate of broccoli doesn't sound too appealing right?). 

Here's my first meal of the challenge :)

Try to choose fibrous veggies rather than starchy ones, think green beans, summer squash, capsicum, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, artichoke, asparagus, buk choy, brussell sprouts, celery, cucumber, tomato, eggplant, fennel, lettuce, mushrooms, onion, radish, snow peas, carrots, spinach etc. The more variety, the better!


Of the other 50% of the plate, half of that should be filled with complex carbohydrates (this is where starchy veggies like potato and sweet potato come in as well as brown rice, wholemeal pasta, quinoa, whole grains) and the other half with lean protein (steamed fish, chicken/turkey breast, lean red meat etc). A small amount of healthy fat is important too. If you're not having oily fish with the meal, try and add a small amount of avocado, olive oil or fresh, unsalted nuts.


This will help you easily reach your "5 a day" of veggies, give you lots of energy and help keep that waistline trim!

Tabata Training

Tabata Training

"The original Tabata Protocol requires the following:

-5 minutes of warm-up

-8 intervals of 20 seconds all-out intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest 

-2 minutes cool down"

Check out this site for more information!

http://www.tabataprotocol.com/

3 step omelete - Low in carbs, low in fat, high in protein, high in flavour!!

1) Chop up your favourite veggies & lightly cook in a non-stick pan
2) In a bowl, whisk 1x whole egg and 4-5x egg whites in a bowl with salt and pepper. (a dash of skim milk and/or some low fat cheese can be added if desired)
3) Pour egg mixture over veggies and cook on a low-medium heat until just solid.
Enjoy!!

Healthy tip

Healthy tip: to lighten the complex carb load at dinner try steaming broccoli, asparagus and green beans and mix them through half your usual pasta serving. Save those carbs for when you really need them-before an intense workout! Plus, you earn a little extra cheese ;)

Triceps

Triceps

Nobody wants tuck-shop lady arms, right? A sure fire way to get those triceps tight and your arms looking defined is to make sure you hit all three heads of the triceps in your weight training. That's right, THREE! The triceps (hence the "tri") are made up of a lateral head, a medial head and a long head. 

In order to work all three, and to keep those triceps guessing, we need to constantly change the angle at which we're working the muscles.

Here are some tricep exercises:

Tricep cable pushdown

- If a straight bar is used, you will get recruitment from all three tricep heads.

- Use a the rope if you'd like to focus on the lateral head.

- An underhand grip will hit the long head.

For proper technique, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IneRDCLPGg

Skullcrusher/French press (using 1 or 2 dumbbells, a barbell or a plate weight)

For proper technique, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_HxupStU7I&feature=related

Bench dips

For proper technique, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3ZfAM9eHWQ

Overhead tricep extensions (Seated or standing)

For proper technique, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRiJVZDpdL0&feature=fvwrel

Exercise of the week: Deadlift

Deadlift


Instructions:
-Stand with your feet flat beneath a barbell.
-Squat down and grasp bar with shoulder width or slightly wider over hand grip.
-Lift bar by extending hips and knees to full extension. 
-Pull shoulders back at top of lift if rounded. 
-Return by bending knees forward slightly while allowing hips to bend back behind, keeping back straight and knees pointed same direction as feet.


Muscles used: Gluteus maximus, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves. (Shoulders, core and lower back are not the target muscles, but play a role).


Tips:
-Throughout the lift, keep the arms and back straight. 
-Your knees should point in the same direction as your feet throughout the movement and never pass in front of your toes. 
-Keep the bar close to your body to improve mechanical leverage. 


(consult a professional before engaging in physical activity)

400 rep workout

Check out this incredible 400 rep workout posted by Zuzana from Bodyrock.tv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X8tRXaF1Hk