Warrior Blog

Egg & Turkey Stuffed Peppers  WHAT YOU NEED 4 eggs 4 egg whites 2 tbsp. almond milk 1 tsp. coconut oil 1 small onion, chopped  1 lb (450g) lean ground  turkey 2 tsp. oregano 1 tsp. cumin 2 cups (60g) spinach,  chopped 4 red medium bell  peppers 1⁄2 cup (50g) cheese  (dairy or plant-based)  parsley, chopped to  serve  WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Heat oven to 400F (200C). Beat the eggs, egg whites and milk, then set aside. Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 mins until softened and browned. Add in the turkey, oregano and cumin, season with salt and pepper. Cook until meat is cooked through, about 5 mins. Then add the spinach, and mix until it wilts about 2 mins. Increase the heat and add in the eggs. Pull the eggs across the skillet with a spatula. Repeat for about 3 mins u...

 Omelet Wraps WHAT YOU NEED 7 oz. (200g) cottage cheese 4 handfuls watercress 1 lemon, peel only 6 eggs 1⁄4 cup (60ml) soy milk • 1 tsp. mixed herbs 4 tsp. coconut oil 3.5 oz. (100g) smoked  salmon, chopped WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Place the cottage cheese, watercress and lemon peel in a high bowl and puree with the hand blender (or food processor) until smooth paste forms . Beat the eggs with the milk and herbs in a separate bowl. Heat 1 tsp. of oil in the medium size frying pan and fry 1/4 of the egg over medium heat for 2 minutes until the egg solidifies, then turn around. Bake the other side for 1⁄2 minute. Remove the omelet from the pan and set aside. Fry the other omelets with the rest of the oil. To serve, spread the cottage cheese paste over the omelets and top with smoked salmon. Roll up the omelet as a wrap and cut in half. Love it? Downl...

Hypertrophy - Expectations & Goals So you've set your sights on muscle gains! What should you expect - how does the human body respond to hypertrophy training - were we are intentionally working to damage, repair and grow our muscle tissue? As with most external stressors, our bodies respond and react differently to the stress of hypertrophy training over time. You will greater gains in the early phases of your training period. We reference this as your "training age". During your first 6 months of training, if you're working a rigorous hypertrophy program, you can expect to gain 2 1/2 pounds per month for males and 1 1/4 pounds per month for females. As you progress on in your program, during months 7 - 36 you could expect to gain 1 pound per month for males and 1/2 pound per month for females. As you become a more experienced lifter, beyond 36 months of progressive overload training, you can expect to add 1/2 pound of lean muscle mass per month for males,...

  Protein for Training After water, protein makes up the second largest percentage of bodily material.  Humans need protein for growth and repair of bodily tissues, formation of components necessary for bodily functions, and for energy. Proteins are made up of amino acids, often referred to as the “building blocks” of protein.  Proteins are made up of 21 amino acids - 9 of which are considered essential, which means they must be obtained through dietary sources.  Exercise is a form of stress for the body - those who exercise regularly, or at higher intensity or for longer durations, will have higher needs for amino acids, both essential and non-essential.  Protein is essential in the process of losing excess body fat because it is muscle sparing. When you embark on losing weight, you want to work to retain your lean muscle tissues.  If you do not consume sufficient amounts of protein, the body will breakdown muscle and you will expe...

Muscle Monday - Biceps Brachii Biceps brachii is one of the main muscles of the upper arm which acts on both the shoulder joint and the elbow joint. It derives its name from the fact that it consists of two parts (heads).   The Long head is on the outside area of upper arm, and the Short head is on the interior area of the upper arm.   Muscle Origins (proximal attachments) a. Long head: supraglenoid tubercle of the scapula. b. Short head: coracoid process of the scapula. Muscle Insertion: (distal attachments) a. Radial tuberosity. b. Bicipital aponeurosis to the fascia on the medial side of the forearm. Actions - Both Heads: a. Flex the arm (weakly) at the shoulder b. Flex the forearm at the elbow c. Supinate (inward rotation) of the forearm at the elbow

 Healthy Habits - Portion Control One of the key foundations of a strong nutrition plan is understanding portion control.  Today's post looks at a basic visual portion guidelines.  Depending on your program goals and design, your portion control could be based on basic visual guidelines or a more detailed macronutrient portioning and tracking.  When you're not on a measured plan - take on using these visual cues to frame out your meals. The visual guides vary for males and females based on genetic metabolic differences can be used for everyday meal planning.  Follow along in the nutrition and healthy habit series to discover all the background calculations and discover how to refine your portions for your personalized exercise goals and plans! 

 Strength Training Strategy Are you out to cause a breakthrough in your strength levels? What goals do you want to take on inside building your muscular strength?  Discover the program design elements to maximize your strength goals. Learn the number of repetitions to maximize muscle strength.  Learn program periodization and cycling to boost your strength levels - and discover what you want to eat to support building  strength levels.  Learn how to build your plan to build up strength and size if that's your goal! Follow along our strength training series to discover the elements for a successful Muscular Strength Training Strategy! Want to get started right away - book a free consultation at HealthyLivingWarrior.com to discover what your personal Muscle Strength Program could look like!

 Endurance Training - Strategy Are you out to improve your overall muscular endurance?  Do you want to take on competing in some sort of event / course or program?  If it's not about getting bigger, but rather building more endurance with the muscle you have - then you want to take on a program designed to deliver muscular endurance results. Discover the number of repetitions to maximize muscle endurance.  Learn program periodization and cycling to boost your endurance - and discover what you want to eat to boost endurance without gaining fat or bulking up. Follow along our endurance training series to discover the elements for a successful Muscular Endurance Strategy! Want to get started right away - book a free consultation at HealthyLivingWarrior.com to discover what your personal Muscle Mass Program could look like!

 Spanish Zucchini Tortilla What you need: 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 small potato, peeled, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 1⁄2 small zucchini, thinly sliced 6 eggs  What you need to do: Heat oil in a non-stick pan and sear the potato and onion over medium-high heat, for about 4 minutes. Next, add the zucchini and sauté for another 4 minutes. In a bowl, whisk eggs and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the vegetables from the pan into the bowl and mix well. Using the same pan, add the egg mixture on low heat and make sure everything is evenly distributed. After about 3 minutes, run a spatula through the outer edges of the tortilla to make sure it does not stick to the pan. After 8-10 minutes, flip the tortilla (this might take more or less, depending on heat, size and pan), using a plate over the pan. Slide the uncooked part back into the pan. After another 5-6 minutes, the t...

 Hypertrophy - Muscle Mass Strategy Are you out to pack on more muscle?   Have you got plan in place to achieve that goal? There's more adding lean muscle than showing up every day at the gym.  You want to take on a targeted program design to maximize lean muscle gains.  This includes an exercise program that progresses weekly to break down muscle and promote both muscle cell repair / growth and new muscle fibre creation! It also includes a nutrition program that is geared towards hypertrophy.  In order to build lean muscle mass you need a calorie surplus - your body needs more energy than maintenance level in order to create.  Here's the critical part - you want to make sure your program is designed to provide "extra" calories without providing "too much"!  The goal here is lean muscle gain, without packing on fat at the same time.   You'll always gain some body fat as the lean muscle is added - and we want to keep that to a minimal lev...

How Much Water Should You Drink? Many health authorities and popular literature recommend drinking eight, 8-oz glasses of water (about 2 litres) per day.  However, this number is completely random. As with so many things, water requirements depend entirely on the individual. For example, people who sweat a lot or exercise regularly may need more water than those who are not very active. Older people and breast-feeding mothers also need to monitor their water intake more closely. Keep in mind that you also get water from many foods and beverages, such as coffee, tea, meat, fish, milk, and especially fruits and vegetables. As a good rule of thumb, you should always drink water when you're thirsty, and drink enough to quench your thirst. If you find you have a headache, are in a bad mood, are constantly hungry or have trouble concentrating, then you may suffer from mild dehydration. Drinking more water may help fix this. Based on the studies, drinking 1-2 litres of water per day shoul...

The rotator cuff is a group of four deep muscles that hold your upper arm in place in your shoulder. These muscles support you to make all the motions of your arm and shoulder.  The head of your humerus (your upper arm bone) [2] fits into the socket of your scapula (shoulder blade) [1] .  When you extend your arm out away from your body, the rotator cuff muscles keep it from popping out of the socket. Four muscles and their attached tendons make up the rotator cuff - with each of them supporting a specific shoulder motion pattern.  All four muscles originate in your shoulder blade, and the other end of each of the muscles is attached to different parts of your upper arm bone. You can use the acronym SITS to help remember these four muscles: Supraspinatus [3] is responsible for about the first 15 degrees of abduction motion (movement away from the centerline of your body). After that, your deltoid and trapezius muscles take over. Infraspinatus [4]  is the main muscl...