My Poor Man’s Protein recipe is one that I always give to everyone I work with.  It makes a great snack, desert, or even small meal.  The best part is that it is cheap, nutritious and easy to make.  All you need is fat free cottage cheese and your favorite brand of yogurt.

1 Cup of Fat Free Cottage Cheese

1 Cup Of Organic Blueberry Yogurt

Mix togather in a bowl and enjoy!  It equals approximately 35 grams of protein baby!!

Obviously, you can adjust the portion size and also add fresh fruit, raisins, and/or nuts for a more desired flavor or texture.

Hope this helps and feel free to post some of your favorite nutritious snack ideas in the comments section.

To your health,

Jerry

I was amazed at how well the first Muscle Meal video post was received and how many requests I had for another quick and easy breakfast meal that I had to share my famous breakfast egg sandwich.  What is great about it is how simple it is to make and so little clean up afterwards not to mention how nutritious it is.  These are all things I love when it comes to breakfast foods and trying to get to the weight room at 5:30 AM.

Here are the ingredients:

2 Organic Eggs (egg whites could be substituted)

1 Slice of Cheese

Bread or Bagel of choice (always go with wheat or 12 gran breads or natural home baked bread with no preservatives)

Pinch of Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Hot Sauce (optional)

Slice of Ham or Turkey Bacon (optional)

Prep: Just follow the directions in the video.

Obviously, you could modify the ingredients to your liking.  I failed to mention that a nice piece of fruit like a banana or orange with this really helps to complete this small meal.  I really try and get most of my shopping done these days at farmers markets.  The food is healthier for you and is ALWAYS cheaper than a grocery store.  I also feel good that I am supporting local farmers in our area.  If you never shop at farmers markets then you MUST start.  Trust me you will thank me!

Hope you enjoy my breakfast sandwich.

To your health,

Jerry

I have said it before and I will say it again: breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  In this video post I’m going to share with you one of my favorite quick and easy breakfasts.  If you like apple crisp then you will love this and the best part is it’s totally good for you.  Before I get to the recipe I want you to think about food for what it is.  It is nutrition for our bodies to grow, heal, produce energy, fight off germs, etc, etc….  You are what you eat.  If you want to be healthy then eat healthy.

Something that is ingrained in us from childhood is that certain foods are for breakfast and certain foods are for lunch and supper.  I totally fall into this mindset.  There is no reason why you can’t eat chicken and rice for breakfast and eggs or wheat pancakes for dinner.  Remember food is just fuel for the body.  I admit this muscle meal recipe that I am sharing with you is one I typically eat for breakfast.  OK, here is the muscle meal recipe and it is approximates because I usually just eyeball amounts.

1/2-1 cup of organic rolled oats

1 apple

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2-1 cup of water

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

1/4 cup of organic milk

Tablespoon of honey (optional-usually if not using protein powder)

Handful of raisins (optional)

Just follow the directions in the video!

Obviously, you can opt not to use certain ingredients or add others to your liking.  Really any fruit works great in this.  If using a different fruit I would recommend probably not using the cinnamon.  Another option for a sweetener would be organic stevia or agave nectar.  These come from cactus like plants and can be found at most health food stores.  These taste great and are an excellent substitute for sugar.

I hope you enjoy this.  If you have any quick and easy recipes you want to share; please post them in the comments section for all to benefit from.

To your health,

Jerry

I learned this exercise from a kettlebell guru named Steve Cotter a few years ago and have been using it with my athletes ever since.   First take two kettlebells that you know you can safely perform a forward lunge with.  Snatch or press one of the kettlebells above your head and stabilize that weight with the shoulder and core musculature.  Leave the other kettlebell hang by your side.  Contract the abdomin by drawing the belly button in towards the spine (you should still be able to breath).  Keep this type of contraction throughout the  entire exercise.  Step forward with the opposite leg to the arm that is holding the kettlebell above the head (as demonstrated in the video) until you have created a ninety degree angle in the knee.  Then return to the standing position and repeat with the same leg for the desired number of reps.

The magic of this exercise is not that it is a total body exercise but the neurological firing that is taking place as the exercise is being executed.  The positioning of one arm above the head as you step forward with the opposite foot sends a signal through the body similar to any overhead throw, pull, or sprinting motion.  By making an athlete more aware of thier midsection throughout this movement; we can enhance the muscluar firing in the core that takes place in most athletic movements.  Please read that again and think about that for a moment.  This is exactly what is meant when a strength coach refers to training the neurological system instead of training the muscular system.

The contra-lat lunge is an awesome exercise for any athlete to do.  Although I prefer to use kettlebells; dumbbells can also be used instead.  Many of my clients have also benefitted from this exercise.  If you have never tried this, please give it a go and let me know what you think of it.  Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Train for results,

Jerry

I really want to make something clear to everyone; any exercise  program will produce some sort of result if there is effort placed  behind the program. Yes, some workouts are better than others  and I don’t think anyone has the “perfect” exercise program.  Trainers will agree and disagree about fitness training  philosophies but everyone agrees that nutrition is a key factor to  the success of any fitness program.

People make nutrition much more complicated than it needs to be.  What to eat?  How much to eat?  When to eat?  Do I need  supplements? Should I take vitamins? How do I make smart food choices? OK, let’s go through each of these and let’s see if we can’t make them very simple answers without having to open up a text book or pull-up some type of calorie counting system.

What to eat?  Well you know you need carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and water in your daily diet.  The key here is to select the right kinds of these food groups.  Here is some examples of some great food choices:

Carbohydrates: Potatoes, Yams, Brown Rice, Pasta, Oatmeal, Barley, Whole-grain breads and pitas, Oranges, Apples, Berries.

Proteins: Turkey breast, Chicken, Fish (salmon, tuna, swordfish, orange roughy, etc), Lean ground beef, Buffalo, Venison, eggs, cottage Cheese, Low-fat cheeses, Crab, Lobster, Shrimp.

Fats:  With a well balanced diet; usually your fat intake is taken care of through the balance of carbohydrates and proteins.

Water: I recommend a gallon a day. I also believe in water that has gone through a water system to remove all the chlorine that is in treated tap water. It is just not a chemical that I think people should consume into their bodies. I put a water system in our house and although it was a little expensive; I do not think you can put a price tag on removing that chemical from your water source.

How much to eat?  This can get very technical depending on what expert you talk to , but we are going to keep it very simple.  Stick your arms out straight and look at the back of your hands, now make a fist with both hands.  Think of your left hand as your carbohydrate and your right hand as your protein.  These are your portion sizes “for you”.  If you are still hungry between your portion meals eat as many “raw” fruits and veggies as you like.  I never put a limit on fruits and veggies as long as they are raw and as often as you can make them organic.  If you can, lean a little more towards raw veggies; they do not contain as much natural sugar as fruits.

When to eat?  You have always heard your mother tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and guess what…mom knows best!  Always start off your day with a big healthy breakfast.  Then you should eat your portion meals every 2.5-4 hours after that throughout the entire day.  This will equal about 5-7 portion sized meals.  This may sound like a lot at first but your body will become a calorie burning machine and you will be able to use the nutrients much more efficiently than eating 3 big meals a day.  Also note that it is very important to eat 20-50 minutes directly after your workouts.  This is a golden opportunity for your body to maximize the nutrition uptake and start the recovery process from your workout.

Do I need supplements? Should I take vitamins? How do I make smart food choices?
Watch for Part II, as I will give you my opinions. At this time, I want to point out that I am by no means a certified nutritionist. Everything in these posts, I base off my experience and my personal opinion. I recommend that people seek out the advice of a certified nutritionist if you want a very detailed and tailor made program for yourself.

Train with a purpose,
Jerry