Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Exercise benefits
Monday, July 9, 2012
Vanilla Muscle Milk Product Review
Today I will be reviewing the Vanilla flavor of Muscle Milk
by CytoSport.
Taste:
This product tastes a lot of cake batter. This is 1 of the top 2 protein shakes I have ever had as far as taste goes. This is pretty important to me because if something tastes so bad you can't drink it, your not going to stick with it no matter how healthy it is. It does have a very slight artificial sweetener taste, it's almost unnoticeable most of the time. This product gets a 9.5 out of 10 on taste.
Protein (and vitamins & minerals):
This is why most people are drinking these shakes in the first place so it's an important category. Muscle Milk has 16 grams of protein per serving and is also loaded with about 15-20% of around 20 vitamins & minerals. This isn't the most protein I have ever seen in a shake (most have about 24 grams) but it does have the vitamins and minerals many other shakes do not have. I drink mine mixed with 1 cup of milk so I take in 24 grams of protein. You could also mix this with other ingredients if you wish, like a banana or peanut butter, whatever you like. It isn't necessary though, because as I said before, it tastes great. The serving size is 35 grams, only 16 grams of that is protein, meaning the rest is made up of other ingredients (carbs and fat but this has the good kind mostly-2 grams of fiber which is a carb, etc). This product gets a 8 out of 10 on protein.
Servings:
1 container has 25 servings. This breaks down less than $1 per serving. I eat 5 times a day so having 1 of my meals cost less than $1 (plus the cost of 1 cup of milk) is pretty nice. Usually with protein shakes, buying in bulk lowers the cost per serving but I bought a smaller container (1.93lbs) just to try it out and see if I liked it. It's also nice when a container has about a months supply, so even if you buy the smaller container you only have to buy it once a month. 8.5 out of 10
Artificial ingredients:
In our culture, unless you grow all of your own food, it's impossible to avoid artificial sweeteners and the like 100%. That said, I try to avoid them as much as possible. This product does have a few of them in it, namely acesulfame potassium and sucralose (splenda) but they are among the last ingredients listed, meaning they are the least out of everything in it. Unfortunately, 95% of protein shakes have at least some of these ingredients in them. 7 out of 10
So overall I like this product and I can actually drink it because it tastes wonderful. Mixing it with milk I get 24 grams of protein (you don't want to take in to much at a time anyway since you can only digest so much at once). For the price it's good. I would buy this product again but because I want to avoid artificial sweeteners I will rotate this in with other drinks from time to time instead of just always drinking it.
Overall Score: 8.4 out of 10
Taste:
This product tastes a lot of cake batter. This is 1 of the top 2 protein shakes I have ever had as far as taste goes. This is pretty important to me because if something tastes so bad you can't drink it, your not going to stick with it no matter how healthy it is. It does have a very slight artificial sweetener taste, it's almost unnoticeable most of the time. This product gets a 9.5 out of 10 on taste.
Protein (and vitamins & minerals):
This is why most people are drinking these shakes in the first place so it's an important category. Muscle Milk has 16 grams of protein per serving and is also loaded with about 15-20% of around 20 vitamins & minerals. This isn't the most protein I have ever seen in a shake (most have about 24 grams) but it does have the vitamins and minerals many other shakes do not have. I drink mine mixed with 1 cup of milk so I take in 24 grams of protein. You could also mix this with other ingredients if you wish, like a banana or peanut butter, whatever you like. It isn't necessary though, because as I said before, it tastes great. The serving size is 35 grams, only 16 grams of that is protein, meaning the rest is made up of other ingredients (carbs and fat but this has the good kind mostly-2 grams of fiber which is a carb, etc). This product gets a 8 out of 10 on protein.
Servings:
1 container has 25 servings. This breaks down less than $1 per serving. I eat 5 times a day so having 1 of my meals cost less than $1 (plus the cost of 1 cup of milk) is pretty nice. Usually with protein shakes, buying in bulk lowers the cost per serving but I bought a smaller container (1.93lbs) just to try it out and see if I liked it. It's also nice when a container has about a months supply, so even if you buy the smaller container you only have to buy it once a month. 8.5 out of 10
Artificial ingredients:
In our culture, unless you grow all of your own food, it's impossible to avoid artificial sweeteners and the like 100%. That said, I try to avoid them as much as possible. This product does have a few of them in it, namely acesulfame potassium and sucralose (splenda) but they are among the last ingredients listed, meaning they are the least out of everything in it. Unfortunately, 95% of protein shakes have at least some of these ingredients in them. 7 out of 10
So overall I like this product and I can actually drink it because it tastes wonderful. Mixing it with milk I get 24 grams of protein (you don't want to take in to much at a time anyway since you can only digest so much at once). For the price it's good. I would buy this product again but because I want to avoid artificial sweeteners I will rotate this in with other drinks from time to time instead of just always drinking it.
Overall Score: 8.4 out of 10
Friday, July 6, 2012
Motivation
It's never to late to get started. Even if you are so out of shape so can't do any hard exercise, just start by taking a walk everyday. You can make that harder as you progress by mixing in some walks up hill and/or holding hand weights. Even the greatest had to start at the beginning. The important thing is that you start.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Pure Protein's Peanut Marshmallow Eclipse Bar Review
Welcome to my review of Pure Protein's Peanut Marshmallow Eclipse Bar.
Taste:
This protein bar tastes great. I would almost eat this for a snack even if it wasn't a supplement. Taste is important, because if you can't eat it (because it tastes so bad) you won't stick with it. This product gets a 9.5 out of 10 on taste.
Protein: (and vitamins & minerals):
This bar is 50 grams, 19 of those grams are protein. This bar is a good snack or meal replacement, depending on your goals, and it isn't a huge protein bar so it's nice to get so much protein from it. The rest of the grams come from fat and carbs (which isn't necessarily bad). Sugar is what people really need to be looking out for and this product has next to none. It also contains 25% of many of your daily vitamins and minerals. This product gets an 8.5 out of 10 on protein.
Servings:
This varies on if you buy a box of them or buy it as a single protein bar. The price per bar also varies depending on if you buy it in a box or single. Protein bars cost a little more per serving than protein shakes typically but they are nice to break up the same old thing all the time, and you can carry it with you. This product gets a 7.5 out of 10 on servings.
Artificial ingredients:
As always I try to avoid these whenever possible. Overall this protein bar isn't bad. It's biggest offender is Sucralose (Splenda) and it's the last product on the list (meaning it contains this in a smaller amount than anything else in it). This product gets a 9 out of 10 on Artificial ingredients.
Overall this is a great product and an easy way to get 19 grams of protein. It's handy and you can take it with you anywhere you go.
I give this product an 8.6 out of 10.
Taste:
This protein bar tastes great. I would almost eat this for a snack even if it wasn't a supplement. Taste is important, because if you can't eat it (because it tastes so bad) you won't stick with it. This product gets a 9.5 out of 10 on taste.
Protein: (and vitamins & minerals):
This bar is 50 grams, 19 of those grams are protein. This bar is a good snack or meal replacement, depending on your goals, and it isn't a huge protein bar so it's nice to get so much protein from it. The rest of the grams come from fat and carbs (which isn't necessarily bad). Sugar is what people really need to be looking out for and this product has next to none. It also contains 25% of many of your daily vitamins and minerals. This product gets an 8.5 out of 10 on protein.
Servings:
This varies on if you buy a box of them or buy it as a single protein bar. The price per bar also varies depending on if you buy it in a box or single. Protein bars cost a little more per serving than protein shakes typically but they are nice to break up the same old thing all the time, and you can carry it with you. This product gets a 7.5 out of 10 on servings.
Artificial ingredients:
As always I try to avoid these whenever possible. Overall this protein bar isn't bad. It's biggest offender is Sucralose (Splenda) and it's the last product on the list (meaning it contains this in a smaller amount than anything else in it). This product gets a 9 out of 10 on Artificial ingredients.
Overall this is a great product and an easy way to get 19 grams of protein. It's handy and you can take it with you anywhere you go.
I give this product an 8.6 out of 10.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Sugar is the enemy
One of the best things you can do to lose weight and improve your health in many other ways is to severely limit your sugar intake.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
All weight is not created equal
This is why it's important to find out your body fat percentage. Sometimes people lose weight and think they are doing good, but they have lost muscle. Sometimes people gain weight and think they are doing good but it's fat.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Total Gym Review
We have all seen the infomercials with Chuck Norris, Christie Brinkley and several other celebrities. So the question is, is the Total Gym all it's cracked up to be? In my review we will explore just that question. There are many different versions of the Total Gym, the largest difference between them is on some versions you can add weight resistance while on others you can't.
The good:
The Total Gym has a LARGE variety of exercises that can be performed on it, so it's hard to get bored. This alone makes the Total Gym worth because if you get bored with equipment and stop using it, it's not going to do you any good.
Since you will not be lifting any actual weights with the Total Gym, you do not have to worry about dropping one on your foot or any other weight lifting related problems. The Total Gym also has a board to lay on so even if you have back problems you are supported for most exercises.
Because you are only using a percentage of your body weight, exercises like the pull up, which most people can't do, are doable on the Total Gym. The Total Gym has several adjustable resistance levels that use a different percentage of your body weight so you can continue to work your way up as you get stronger. This also makes it a machine that both men and women of all fitness levels can use.
The bad:
There really isn't much to say here. The leg exercises are perhaps the thing that are lacking the most but you still have plenty to select from. If you are a bodybuilder and looking to use massive amounts of weight, the Total Gym is probably not for you (though if you have a version that allows you to add weight resistance, that helps). Though you can get around that by doing things like a 1 arm pull up, it just takes a little longer.
The price can be a little high depending on the model you get but there are various models that cover all budgets.
Final verdict:
With it's wide range of exercises (including Pilates for the ladies), back support and various levels of resistance, the Total Gym is a great piece of equipment that 95% of people from all age ranges can use. I highly recommend it.
The good:
The Total Gym has a LARGE variety of exercises that can be performed on it, so it's hard to get bored. This alone makes the Total Gym worth because if you get bored with equipment and stop using it, it's not going to do you any good.
Since you will not be lifting any actual weights with the Total Gym, you do not have to worry about dropping one on your foot or any other weight lifting related problems. The Total Gym also has a board to lay on so even if you have back problems you are supported for most exercises.
Because you are only using a percentage of your body weight, exercises like the pull up, which most people can't do, are doable on the Total Gym. The Total Gym has several adjustable resistance levels that use a different percentage of your body weight so you can continue to work your way up as you get stronger. This also makes it a machine that both men and women of all fitness levels can use.
The bad:
There really isn't much to say here. The leg exercises are perhaps the thing that are lacking the most but you still have plenty to select from. If you are a bodybuilder and looking to use massive amounts of weight, the Total Gym is probably not for you (though if you have a version that allows you to add weight resistance, that helps). Though you can get around that by doing things like a 1 arm pull up, it just takes a little longer.
The price can be a little high depending on the model you get but there are various models that cover all budgets.
Final verdict:
With it's wide range of exercises (including Pilates for the ladies), back support and various levels of resistance, the Total Gym is a great piece of equipment that 95% of people from all age ranges can use. I highly recommend it.
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