Next Level Butt-Building

Wednesday, August 10, 2011 0 comments

Next Level Butt-Building

Next Level Butt-Building

Bust out of your booty training rut and tone your glutes fast with a speedy 12-minute workout.

Whether you want to rock a pair of skinny jeans or a teeny competition bikini, you've got to light a fire under your butt, so to speak, with each workout. The good news: Adding two common fitness tools – dumbbells and a stability ball – to your regular exercise mix may be the key to shaking up your workout and getting the rearview you deserve.

Strength stalemate
Bodyweight moves, like squats and lunges, are only effective to a point. Your legs and glutes are used to holding your body up and moving it around all day, says Christopher Mohr, PhD, RD, an exercise physiologist and owner of Mohr Results, Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky. These traditional upright bodyweight exercises may not be pushing your muscles to their maximum workload because your body has adapted to these actions, and that can mean disappointing results for you.

So what is the secret to great glutes? Continue challenging them, says Michele Olson, PhD, CSCS, professor of exercise science at Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama and creator of the DVD Fitness Prescription: Perfect Legs, Glutes & Abs.

"Once your glutes get used to your body weight, they can no longer improve beyond that point unless you add more load," she says.
The added weight of dumbbells instantly shocks muscles into working at a higher level, and balancing on a stability ball delivers leverage and intensity that's hard to achieve by doing the same moves without it."

Dynamic duo
Adding dumbbells to traditional body weight exercises, like lunges and squats, provides multiple benefits. Dumbbells help you develop firmer, rounder glutes by increasing the intensity in moves you love but no longer feel are challenging to you. And in order to see results, you must resist grabbing what you would use for hammer curls and kickbacks. "Compare the large gluteus maximus to, say, the size of your triceps, and you can easily see why you have to have a greater load," says Olson. Try using 10- to 15-pound dumbbells to start, or any weight that you can safely lift off the racks and carry with your arms by your sides.    

Throwing a stability ball into the mix keeps your posture well aligned during standing moves like wall squats. And incorporating the ball into isolated, floor exercises instantly jacks up the intensity while recruiting additional stabilizing muscles in your lower body. "It's much easier to do a bridge, for example, when your feet are on a stable surface like the floor," notes Mohr. "Move them to a stability ball and you've got a completely new move."  

Let's get physical
This workout is designed to blast your gluteus maximus and the surrounding gluteal muscles while pulling you out of that butt-training rut. These fresh moves are done with a couple of inexpensive but time-tested fitness tools, and will raise your motivation along with your behind. For best results, do this glutes plan two to three times per week using the chart on page TK, following the recommended reps, sets and rest periods. Incorporate just the stability ball at first, and once you've mastered that, add dumbbells where applicable. Stick to the plan and you can say hello to a firmer behind in four weeks!

6 Ways to Find a Fitness Buddy

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By: Alexa Cortese

A recent study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine proved that exercising with a partner improves weight-loss results. Whether you're trying to shed a few pounds or simply want to maintain a healthy lifestyle, here are some great strategies to find a fitness friend.

Related: Are Your Friends Making You Fat?

Zogsports.com

With a focus on young professionals, this organization is a great way to sign up for intramural teams, classes, clinics, and social events. Part of the proceeds go to charity, making this a worthwhile way to meet an exercise buddy.

Related: Lose 10 Pounds in 30 Days




Meetup.com

As the world's largest network for special-interest groups, it's tough not to be inspired by the fun things people are signing up for on this site. You can find anything from a local hiking group to meet-ups for exercising with your pets!

Related: Build Your Own Workout Video






Living Social/Groupon Deals

Thanks to the deeply discounted prices for fitness-related classes, it's easier than ever to sign up for anything from yoga classes to rock-climbing lessons. The dopamine rush from trying something new (like trapeze, perhaps?!) can create a bond between people, so strike up a convo with someone else in your class...she could be the workout buddy you've been searching for!

Related: 9 Tips to Reach Your Fitness Goals


Ask Your Trainer/Coach

Talk to a professional at your gym to see if she knows of anyone who is interested in finding a workout partner. The trainer will know both of your skills and interests -- and it never hurts to go through a mutual acquaintance.

Related: Find a Trainer Near You




FindanExercisePartner.com

The title says it all, right? All you have to do is enter your city and a little information about yourself, and you might find a perfect match!


Related: Calculate How Many Calories You're Burning







Work

Have a coworker who seems like she's just as interested in healthy living as you are? Talk to her about it! You may find that you have fitness goals in common, and because you see each other every day and have similar schedules, it will be easy to plan time to exercise!


Related: Get Rid of Job-Related Jiggle



Eat These 3 Foods to Zap Wrinkles and Fight Acne

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By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine

Dermatologists have long reported a link between healthy eating and healthy skin. But are you eating the right foods?

Related: 12 Secret Signs He's Into You

The Huffington Post's Kristin Kirpatrick, MS, RD, has the scoop on foods that can improve your skin. Here are three front runners:

1. Papaya:
 This fruit serves up vitamin A and vitamin C, two essentials for preventing wrinkles and keeping skin supple. (Papaya may also prevent bloating to keep you looking fab in a bikini this summer--more on thathere!)

Related: 21 Flirty Little Date Outfit Ideas

2. Oysters: They're a great source of zinc and can promote wound healing (as in, they may help the giant pimple on your forehead heal faster).

3. Swiss chard:
 This tasty green is rich in biotin, a b-complex vitamin that has been associated with positive beauty attributes, say experts.

Do you eat these beauty foods?


P.S. Three things to eat for glowing skin! And, healthy sunscreen that's a ... ball?

More from Glamour:


Photo Credit: Condé Nast Digital Studio

Exercise for Your Body Type

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Want to lose weight and get fit? If you exercise for your body type, getting in shape will be a breeze.

-Melissa Paris, BettyConfidential.com

It's important when considering a workout to really understand your body and what it's capable of. One of the best ways to do this is to find out your body type. I've created a simple and easy guide so you can reach your maximum workout potential.

Type 1- Mesomorph


This type is genetically predisposed to great musculature gains. Usually very athletic looking, they have a good posture and are symmetric. Mesomorphs build muscle fast and loose fat rapidly if on the right diet and fitness plan. And can also gain fat rapidly if let to do no activities.

Cardio for Mesmomorph

Cardiovascular exercises should be done 2 to 3 times a week for about 20 to30 minutes per session.

• Intensity for cardio should be moderate to high for fat burning.

• I suggest an interval session were intervals are 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off for the 20 minute period.

• Don't go over board as it is believed that Mesomorph could loose lean mass if cardio is too long/frequent, so don't be a hamster on that treadmill!

Weights for Mesomorph

• Heavy weight performed explosively. Super sets are great and 3 to 4 exercises per body part.

• For example if your doing shoulders start with overhead press 3 sets of 15 reps.

• Superset with lateral raises 3 sets of 15.

• Always allow proper recovery (24 to 48 hours), rest and variety as this style of workouts can easily lead to overtraining.


Body Type: Ectomorph

This type is long and lean with smaller muscles. It is much harder for this group to gain size, muscle, or weight.

Ectomorphs usually have a harder time keeping weight on so cardiovascular training should not be a priority. Focusing on lean muscle gains is a good idea for long-term health.

Weights for Ectomorph

• You will benefit the most if you train with heavy weights.

• Exercises using barbell and dumbbell are great at achieving this such as squats, dead lifts, barbell curls, and skull crushers.

• Barbells allow you to use full range of motion and are said to be best at mimicking natural human body movement.

• By taking longer rests between sets (2 to3 minutes), you can replenish your ATP level and lift intensively again.

• Performing such workouts using heavy weight puts a lot of pressure on your body.

• So make sure if you train this way you are taking proper rests between sessions.

Type 3 - Endomorph


Body Type: Endomorph

This particular body type is generally predisposed to higher body fat percent accumulation. It is harder to tone without a proper diet and exercise regimen. When choosing a type of workout, Endomorph's should focus on enhancing their metabolism, since Endomorph's are prone to carrying extra body fat, cardiovascular training must be present and regular.

Cardio for Endomorph

• Try switching it up with running, spinning, biking, or elliptical.

• A 30 to 40 minutes (including warm up and cool down) session would be suitable.

• I suggest using a heart rate monitor to keep within your target heart rate range in order to maximize fat loss.

• To find your target range, take 220 minus your age and multiply the result by the percentage of exertion you aim at working out at.

• I suggest circuit training with Repetition range of 10 to 15 reps.

• Short rests no more than 30 to 60 seconds to keep the heart rate in a calorie-burning zone.

• For example 15 squats, 10 push-ups, 20 jumping jacks, 15 overhead press, 15 dips, 15 wood-chop, 15 crunches and 15 bicep curls rest 1 minute and repeat 3 times.

Melissa Paris is New York City based personal trainer.

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How Your Personality Affects Your Weight

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Granola bars can help you deal with a craving; Photo Credit: Conde Nast Digital Studio

Conde Nast Digital Studio

Amy Paturel, SELF magazine

Do friends describe you as spontaneous and impulsive? Or are you more calculated and predictable? 
According to a new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, your answers could impact the number you see on the scale.

After examining 50 years of data, researchers found that people who are high on neuroticism and low on conscientiousness are likely to go through cycles of gaining and losing weight throughout their lives.

See Also: Gwyneth Paltrow's Arm and Abs Workout

In fact, impulsivity was the strongest predictor of who would be overweight (those who were on the impulsive end weighed an average of 22 pounds more than those who were more conscientious).

The theory: People who are impulsive tend to give in to temptation and lack the discipline to stay on track. After all, maintaining a healthy weight usually requires following a healthy diet and getting regular exercise -- a tall order for those of us who are a little rash.
 
If you're impulsive, don't give up just yet. We've got a few tips on how you can keep your weight in check.

Related: Yoga Moves for Flat Abs

-    Plan ahead. Prepare for unknown cravings by tucking easily portable snacks like granola bars, string cheese or pre-measured baggies of trail mix in your purse, backpack or briefcase. If a hectic schedule routinely makes it hard for you to make a healthy meal, collect menus from your favorite take-out restaurants and identify a few balanced choices in advance, before you're ravenous.

-    Get a buddy. If someone expects you at the gym, it's not as easy to stay in bed. And don't underestimate the power of true confessions. Knowing you'll have to come clean to your buddy about indulgent bouts of mindless eating may make you think twice before hitting the fridge.

-    Watch the liquid courage. Calories from alcohol add up fast. A buzz kill, yes, but you'll thank us later. Alcohol stimulates appetite and lowers inhibitions, and makes impulsive folks, well, a little more impulsive. So indulge in a virgin Mojito or sip on club soda with a little OJ. Still jonesing for a "real" drink? Make sure you imbibe with food. That slows the entry of alcohol into the bloodstream and helps you recognize when you're full.

7 best pre-workout smoothie ingredients

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Enjoy a freshly-prepared smoothie to support your workout.

Enjoy a freshly-prepared smoothie to support your workout.Credit: morguefile.com/alvimann, alvimann

While pre-mixed smoothies and protein shakes can be a part of a healthy diet, these usually don't offer the same nutritional value as a freshly-prepared smoothie. A healthy smoothie gives me the boost of energy and nutrition I need to get through an intensive workout, and I usually make these at home so I can try out different recipes and use fresh ingredients. Certain ingredients are perfect for a pre-workout meal, and you can play with different combinations to create your own "standby" recipe for workout days. Buying frozen fruit and stocking up on the bulk-size frozen yogurt or protein powder will help you save on the cost of each smoothie.

I use any of these seven healthy ingredients to make a nutritious pre-workout smoothie:

#1: Blueberries

Rich in antioxidants and vitamins, blueberries are a great way to sweeten an otherwise simple smoothie and will also add much-needed fiber and water to the mix.

#2: Peanut Butter

Not the first ingredient that comes to mind when you think "smoothie," but peanut butter can be a tasty and nutritious addition to your pre-workout meal. High in protein and healthy fats, peanut butter can also make your smoothie that much more satisfying.

#3: Raspberries

Another antioxidant-rich berry that can pack a punch, raspberries in season will sweeten up your vanilla smoothie and can be mixed with almost any type of fruit.

#4: Fat-free or Low-fat Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Instead of using fresh yogurt or milk as a base for your smoothie, try fat-free or low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt instead. I've found that frozen yogurt makes my smoothies creamier and more like a rich milkshake. You'll also get a boost of calcium with this ingredient.

#5: Whey Protein Powder

Adding a scoop of whey protein powder to your smoothie will make it thicker and that much more nutritious. Whey protein powder is fairly easy to digest and will give your body that much-needed protein you need as you push through a workout. Try vanilla or chocolate flavors for some variety. My favorite is Pure Protein 100% Whey Protein. It's lower in carbs than other brands and contains 25 grams of protein per scoop.

#6: Mango

Fresh is the way to go when buying mangoes, but if they're not in season and you still want that mango flavor in your smoothie, go with the canned variety. Do check your grocer's freezer section to see if they have frozen mangoes. Mango can improve digestion and will also add vitamins and minerals to your pre-workout smoothie.

#7: Bananas

A common ingredient for many fruit smoothies, bananas are high in potassium and vitamin B6 -- essential for any workout. They will also make your smoothies a little denser, so your pre-workout meal will actually feel like a meal.

Find Your Motivation

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Though they may have you subconsciously biting your nails, lighting up after lunch or grabbing one more fistful of fries, your bad habits didn't start out bad. There was motivation behind them.

"All habits -- even bad habits -- start out as true friends. They help, or helped, us deal with something," said Meg Selig, a counselor and author of "Changepower! 37 Secrets to Habit Change Success."

Many habits help us regulate our moods, she says, so changing could leave us without a way to feel good.

When you "want" chocolate to "feel better," for example, you don't really want chocolate.

"You want a dopamine release," said Marie-Josee Shaar, founder of Smarts and Stamina in Pennsylvania.

Dopamine is a chemical that makes you feel good, and chocolate helps your body release it. That good feeling is the motivation behind your craving. But if you can find another way to get the dopamine -- through sleep, exercise or interaction -- you can satisfy the craving without the calories, Shaar says. (See the sidebar "Get What You Really Want" for more on this.)

Motivation is the driving force behind our bad habits, so tap into yours and use it to form new, good habits. By identifying what you want and how you'll get it, you can shape new behaviors that, with a little practice, will become as routine as your bad habits ever were.


Find Your "Why" to Get Motivated

When performing interviews with weight-loss research subjects, Joanna Buscemi is not only interested in what people want to change, but also in what they don't want to change.

"If they're fine with how many vegetables they're eating, then I'm not going to harp on them about that," said the psychology researcher and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Memphis.

Instead, Buscemi says, she focuses on things that her subjects want to change and helps them find motivators. And these motivators can stem from any number of influences, not only from the positive things we see.

"People can also be motivated by wanting to avoid pain," said Selig. "I quit smoking because I had a beloved aunt who couldn't quit and died from lung cancer."

Selig kicked her habit to avoid the pain of cancer and to prolong her life. The motivators you find should be specific to you, she says, and make you want something positive for yourself. Instead of "I don't want to die," choose a statement like "If I quit smoking, I'll have a good, long life."

Once you've found a motivator, staying amped up can be challenging. People who want to make a change "are very motivated, but that motivation is teetering on the brink of collapse," said Jared Meacham, owner and personal training director at Precision Body Designs in Covington, Louisiana.

You can strengthen faltering motivations, though, with quickly noticeable results. Set an easy, short-term starter goal to give yourself an early boost, Meacham suggests. Choose a one- or two-week mark, and pick something very attainable: Reduce your fast-food consumption by one meal per week or increase your workouts by one session per week. Use your success with the smaller step to get pumped for the next, bigger step.


Be Specific and Realistic About What You Want

Think back to the chocolate mentioned earlier. When you're craving chocolate, you know specifically what you want. You don't want candy. You don't want sugar or even just a treat. You want chocolate.

But when we resolve to make changes, we're rarely this specific. We want to "lose weight" or "eat less junk food" or "exercise more." And such vague goals are problem No. 1, says Selig.

"You have to know how you'll know when you've succeeded," she said, adding that a good goal is a "S.M.A.R.T." goal. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for "specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely," and the first two in the list are the most crucial. Creating a measurable outcome -- losing 20 lbs, drinking two fewer sodas a week or going to the gym three times per week -- makes your goal as specific as your craving.

How do you choose an attainable measurement for success? Start by analyzing and recording where you are now, says Buscemi.

If you'd like to drink fewer soft drinks or visit the gym more, she suggests spending some time recording how much or how little you're performing these behaviors now to set more realistic targets. If you're drinking four sodas per day, for example, cutting back to three per week is probably too ambitious at the start.

"If you're not exercising at all, don't go straight to seven days per week," she advised.

Turning your larger goal into smaller, bite-sized steps will help you reach the bigger outcome.

"I work with the client to focus on very short-term outcomes, to inch them forward," Meacham said. The smaller goals build to larger goals and can have a domino effect.


Figure Out How You'll Do It

"Studies show that when people start engaging in healthy behaviors, they're likely to engage in other healthy behaviors," Selig said.

But be aware: You are going to fail and falter along the path to your big goal. Everyone does; it's inevitable. But dealing with these small failures properly is the key to lasting change, Selig says.

"Change your self-talk from discouraging to encouraging," she said. If you fall off the diet wagon and double up on dessert, don't beat yourself up and consider the day a waste. Instead, Selig suggests telling yourself "that mistakes are just a part of change. I'm not going to make matters worse by overdoing it for the rest of the day. Begin talking to yourself like your own best friend rather than your worst enemy."

Even friends can make us trip up, offering temptations to slip. Be ready with a plan of how you want to react, advises Shaar, and rehearse it.

"Be ready with what you'll say: 'No thanks, I'm good' or 'I don't want to feel bloated,'" she said. Rehearsing the exact words you'll use will help keep you from fumbling or clamming up when faced with an enticing offer.

"The other benefit is that it tells other people that you're someone that doesn't overeat," said Shaar. "They won't be prompting you as much in the future."

Sharing your goal with certain friends can help you stay on track, too, Selig says.

"Telling other people will help hold you accountable. They'll give you support, and it gets your pride into it in a good way -- you don't want to have to tell them you didn't exercise this week," she said. "But be selective. Tell the people who can really help you, rather than those who can undermine you."


Practice Any Way You Can

Turning a behavior into a subconscious habit can take a while -- about 66 days on average, Selig says, but up to 250 days for a more complex habit.

You get there with practice -- and not always in a direct way. If you're trying to avoid junk food, for example, you can make the behavior stick better by finding other ways to practice the habit, says Shaar.

"Speak your resolution, write your goals and visualize yourself doing it," she said.

Find creative ways to reinforce your goal. Make a text version of the goal, for example, and use it as the screensaver on your computer.

Or change your password. "Instead of the name of your spouse, use 'sexy2011,'" said Shaar, "because you want to be sexier in 2011. You're reinforcing it: 'I'm a healthy person. I'm an active person.'"

By: Greg Presto

Finding Time to Exercise When Life Feels Too Busy

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Source: Finding Time to Exercise When Life Feels Too Busy

It's easy to skip out on exercise, especially if it's prioritized as an afterthought rather than a must-do. Tired of making up excuses as to why you keep missing your workouts? Here are some easy ways to make sure that exercise is as much as part of your day as eating lunch.

  • Put exercise on the calendar — It's easy to skip out on workouts when your week is filled with happy hours, dinners, and meetings. To make sure you have time to exercise, start putting it on the calendar. When planning out your week, pencil in workouts the same way you would with other engagements. Doing this will be a visual reminder that you have a workout scheduled, and keep you from overbooking the week with other engagements.
  • Schedule a fitness date with a friend — This option is a win-win in my book. Your less likely to skip out on a workout when there is someone else counting on you. And on the days when you do feel sluggish, they can help get you out the door and moving! The added bonus is that numerous studies have shown that working out with a friend can lead to greater weight loss, and, beyond that it will give the two of you time to bond.
  • Sign up for a class — Many studios and gyms allow you to preregister for classes, which is a surefire way to make sure you keep your promise to stay fit. The last thing you want to do is waste your money by not showing up to class.
More from FitSugar: 5 Ways to Get Rid of Your Muffin Top

  • Keep fitness gear where you can see it — Whether you keep a gym bag under your desk (like I do), or have a corner of your room devoted to fitness gear, keep your workout gear visible. This visual cue will keep exercise in the front of your mind and help motivate you to work out.
  • Something is better than nothing — For weeks when you are feeling overwhelmed or have a hectic schedule, know that a 10- or 15-minute workout is better than nothing at all. Try and make the most of what little time you do have and working out twice as hard as you would otherwise. Move a little faster, up the incline, or give yourself a round of supersets. All of which will help you make the most of your time.
  • Turn your errands into exercise — If you've got a busy day ahead of you, try and turn it into your own cardio circuit. Run, walk, and bike wherever you can, and fit in strength training moves and stretches whenever you have some downtime like these yoga poses you can do while getting ready in the morning, strength training moves to do in the bathroom, and stretches to do in the shower.

5 diet habits that are working against you

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Make sure your dieting habits are supporting -- not sabotaging -- your health and weight loss goals!

Make sure your dieting habits are supporting -- not sabotaging -- your health and weight loss goals!Credit: sxc.hu/ikbenasha, ikbenasha

Whether you're low-carbing or sticking with a six-mini-meals-a-day plan, some diet practices could actually be working against you and preventing you from reaching your weight loss goals. Your probably already know that drastically cutting calories will set you up for failure and could put you on an endless cycle of yo-yo dieting. Some other eating habits could be standing in the way of success with your diet plan. There's no one-size-fits all plan when it comes to losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight, but there are some pitfalls to avoid.

These diet habits could be sabotaging your efforts to maintain a healthy weight and be working against you:

  1. Eliminating carbs completely. Your mind and body need carbohydrates for energy. The key to diet success is to eat the right type of carbs. Complex carbohydrates, like oatmeal, brown rice and sweet potatoes, are excellent sources of healthy carbohydrates. If you're watching your weight, eat these earlier in the day and stick with a high-protein dinner.
  2. Starving yourself to reduce daily calorie intakeExtremely restrictive diets of any kind might work for a few months, but they will leave you feeling tired, irritable and also make you lose much-needed muscle. Starvation diets will also make you feel deprived, and this state of deprivation puts you at risk for binge eating. Stick with a plan that isn't so restrictive so that you're feeding your body properly.
  3. Counting on diet pills to burn fat. Fat burners and thermogenic pills are designed to be supplements -- not a quick-fix solution for unhealthy eating habits. If you're counting on diet pills of any kind to do the hard work for you, you're out of luck. Most diet pills will deplete your body of nutrients, minerals and vitamins because they contain caffeine and ingredients that act as diuretics. If you're not eating enough calories and taking diet pills to lose weight, you could be causing irreversible damage to your body and even become addicted to some of the ingredients. Be very careful about using supplements like these when you're trying to manage your weight. There are plenty of natural, simpler and non-destructive ways to maintain a healthy weight.
  4. Eating high-carb foods late in the evening. Unless you're an endurance athlete preparing for a marathon in the morning, just say no to carbs in the late afternoon and evening. Even if they're healthy carbohydrates, eating a carbohydrate-rich meal later in the day can prevent you from shedding body fat. Tweak your daily meals so that you're eating most of your carbs as early in the day as possible (see #1). Remember that successful diet programs aren't so much about restriction than they are about the types of foods you eat over the course of the day.
  5. Snacking late into the night. If you can't seem to go to bed without a late-night snack, you could be setting yourself up for diet failure. Dr. Bill Misner, Ph.D., points out that fasting at least three hours before bed time is actually the best way to allow your body to release human growth hormone (HGH). Human growth hormone is needed for mobilizing fat so that you don't end up storing it. Let your body do its work by eating your meals as early in the day as possible.

How much protein do you really need?

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By Sarah B. Weir and Lori Bongiorno
Posted Mon Aug 8, 2011 2:04pm PDT More from Green Picks blog

Guess how much protein is in a juicy, 8-ounce cheeseburger washed down with a milkshake? This single meal contains two to three times as much as most people need per day.

It's no great surprise that Americans chow down on a lot of protein. We love beef and consume about 67 pounds per capita annually (that's four times the international average). The popularity of low-carb regimes such as Atkins has also made meat the go-to food for dieters.

In fact, the average person eats about double the amount of protein that their body requires, according to the results of 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How to fulfill your daily protein requirement

The human body uses protein to repair damaged cells and to build new ones. Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at NYU and author of What to Eat, estimates that the average adult man needs about 65 grams of protein a day and the average adult female needs about 55 grams. Some sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization say you can maintain a healthy diet with even less.

What does this actually mean in terms of food choices? The National Institutes of Health explains that most people can meet their daily protein requirement by eating two to three small servings of a protein-rich food a day.

Examples of a single serving of protein include:

  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
  • 2-3 ounces of red meat, poultry, or fish (about the size of a deck of cards)
  • ½ cup of cooked dried beans such as black beans or chickpeas

Whole grains, seeds, and some vegetables also contain protein, so consuming enough is not difficult even if you don't eat meat. Vegetarians and vegans can easily get what they need by balancing complimentary proteins such as corn and beans or rice and tofu. Nutritionists used to recommend combining foods at the same meal, but research now shows that is unnecessary.

Are there drawbacks to eating more protein?

Eating large amounts of red and processed meats is associated with higher rates of heart disease and cancer, and most nutritionists such as Marion Nestle recommend cutting back on meat, especially on fatty cuts.

However, it's less well known that your protein choices can have a substantial impact on the environment. Meat and dairy production requires tremendous amounts of fuel, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, and generates greenhouse gases. The Environmental Working Group's (EWG) recently published Meat Eater's Guide points out that if you ate once less burger a week it would be the environmentally-positive equivalent of taking your car off the road for 320 miles.

Meat is also expensive. Not all proteins are created equal -- neither at the doctor's office, nor the cash register. Here's a comparison of three typical proteins:

Porterhouse steak
Serving size: 4 ounces
Protein: 22 grams
EWG carbon footprint rating: 2 nd worst out of 20 analyzed
Cost: 4 dollars
Fat: 22 grams
Saturated fat: 9 grams

Farm-raised salmon
Serving size: 4 ounces
Protein: 22 grams
EWG carbon footprint rating: 5th worst
Cost: 3 dollars
Fat: 10 grams
Saturated fat: 2 grams

Lentils
Serving size: 1 cup
Protein: 17.9 grams
EWG carbon footprint rating: best
Cost: 20 cents
Fat: zero
Saturated fat: zero

Many people find meat to be a delicious and satisfying component of their diet that they don't want to sacrifice. But if you want to save money, eat a nutritionally sound diet, and are concerned about the impact meat and dairy production has on the planet, consider reducing your consumption.

Here are some tips from the EGW's Meat Eater's Guide:

  • Reduce portion sizes by eating one less burger or steak each week, or participate in Meatless Mondays by skipping meat (and cheese if you can swing it) just one day a week.
  • Choose the healthiest protein sources when you can. Beans, low-fat yogurt, and nuts are all high in protein and low-impact.
  • When you do eat meat and cheese, eat the highest quality that you can afford. (One way to save money is to eat less, but better quality meat and dairy products.) Here's a guide decoding the labels, from cage-free to grass-fed.
  • Don't waste meat. Uneaten meat accounts for about 20 percent of meat's greenhouse gas emissions.
You don't have to become a vegetarian or go to other extremes. These small changes will help reduce your impact, while providing plenty of protein in your diet.

 
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