Arm-Bar is back after a break. We are sorry to the readers of the blog. Arm-Bar is a blog run by professionals and we try to give you the best content about health, fitness and boxing – free. All content is backed with sources, links and research bodies. We just want to have a blog where we can post great articles .. some better than others that are all free and provide good relevant content.

1 – Turn off the box

Don’t eat in front of the TV. University of Massachusetts showed that people who watch TV during a meal consume 228 calories on average than those who don’t.

2 – Calorie Control

Limit your fat intake by 50g a day. Matt Roberts – ironically just reading about him today, (Mattroberts.co.uk) one of the personal trainers to the stars simplifies it down. He says to calculate your BMR (the amount of calories your body uses each day), follow Harris Benedict Equation (66+13.7 x weight in kg) + (5x height (cm) – (6.8 x age in years) – keep to this and you should lose 1kg a week! – Arm-Bar hotness!

3 – Cut down on bread

Ban refined carbs and focus elsewhere (ban on the white breads, white pastas and rice and fruit drinks)

4 – Run but still walk

Simple actions help. Take the stairs and not the lift.

5 – Size matters

Nutritionist Angela Dowden says an easy way to measure the amount of food per plate is to use everyday objects. Example, a portion of pasta or rice should be the size of clenched fist.

6 – Don’t skip meals

You will probably end up snacking later by ordering a kebab. And skipping meals slows down your metabolism.

7 – Slow eating

Studies, repeat, many studies highlight slow eating has a number of benefits. You can reduce your intake 60-70 calories. So even if you put this to every meal – your going to loose weight and these extra simple and effortless tips go along hand in hand.

8 – Don’t start what you can’t finish

The first rule of weight loss is to be realistic. Small steady steps that are sustainable and fit in with your lifestyle.

9 – Break the fast

Eat breakfast like a king. Lunch like a prince. Dinner like a pauper. Arm-Bar Hotness.

Eating breakfast not only improves concentration, memory and metabolism, but studies show that people who ate half their daily calories first thing lost more weight than those who skimped on calories.

10 – Go green

– Arm-Bar Hotness.

Green tea or drinking a green vegetable drink first thing in the morning won’t just fill you up. It will balance your pH levels and help towards strength conditioning. Being in an acidic state disrupts the body’s chemistry and the hormones needed to convert fat into fuel. mmmmhmmm

Arm-Bar

1. Breakfast
   • Make a direct difference to your day every morning. According to the American Heart Association, a boiled egg is the best way to go. The AHA has also removed its previous limits on weekly egg consumption – as long as you diet your fine. An average egg only contains 1.5g of fat, and 72.5% of it all protein. Here’s the low down on the perfect Egg. Place the egg in a small pan and cover with at least 3cm (1 inch) of cold water. Add a pinch of salt and set at a high heat. When the water is just shy of boiling stir and set the time at three minutes for soft boiled, five minutes for a firm yolk and seven for a hard boiled egg. Now reduce the heat so the water is bubbling and stir again carefully. Done. Remove with a slot spoon and serve immediately.
   • Kitchen Craft White Porcelain Double Egg Cup – £3.50
2. Work Shade
   
   • Make sure your surrounded by colour/color.The Science Journal published a research article stating that certain colours improve your work productivity in different areas.  Seeing the colour red makes you more accurate and blue increases your creativity. Researchers at Columbia University, New York, tested 600 people and found that office workers shown red shades performed better on spell-check tests whereas the ones who ever given blue shades performed far superior in creativity.
3. Drink Smart
   • Drinking caffeine during the day is not a good idea. Whilst it can work wonders, it begins to be a problem once you start to drink it everyday. Your body becomes more tolerant and the stimulant causes less effect as an aid to concentration. Fill the void in your motivation by a sharp shot of glucose. Lancaster University has researched that a small dose of sugar can boost your memory by 50%. Sugar they say has had significant effects to memory long term boosts. They say it is linked with the spike in arousal and alertness associated with glucose consumption. Just 25g of the amount found in a standard bottle of isotonic drink can provide a positive full psychological effect in under five minutes. So your brain will be able to soak up more facts.
4. Listen Up
   
   • You might think you’ve heard it all before, but there is now a very sound reason for training to your own tunes. You can pump out 10% more weight. The right playlist can reduce anxiety and increase motivation and even make your kids more sharper.
   • Sennheiser OMX 80 Sport II – Sport Line – headphones ( over-the-ear )

Four easy steps to making yourself younger.

1 SPRAY / AFTERSHAVE

The scent of your youth days may be Lynx Java and Africa and the occasional XL in the P.E locker room, however, your older now so upgrade your aroma. The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that “linalool” a natural scent in fruits lowers the stress hormone level “cortisol”. Get yourself some Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme Sport – the scents of orange, and grapefruit will make you smell and feel more like a modern gentlemen and lower stress levels.

£30-£40 from Amazon – Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme Eau de Toilette Spray 50ml

2 LIFECYCLES

Cycling to and from work a few days a week will make your body nine years younger – wow.
The average pedal to work is 8.7 miles which means that just three days of eco-commuting is enough to keep you upright and roll back the years to keep ageing in the slow lane.

Barracuda Classic bikes, £100 suspension bike – Barracuda Arizona Alloy Full-Suspension Bike

3 HEAD START

Marmite is full of vitamin B. Vitamin B contains B12 folic acid, an effect inhibitor of over production in homocysteine, an amino acid associated with Alzheimers disease. Love it or hate it, get some down you and get a full extra bit of breakfast to to ensure your mind keeps well and young in your twilight years.

Honey, good natural honey is good to, especially because it’s summer honey can reduce your pollen hay fever problems as well increase memory, reduce anxiety, clean your skin, refresh your mind, act as an anti detox and much more. Arm-Bar writers love good honey. New Zealand Natural Food Co Organic NZ Soil Assn Clover Honey 454g

4 HEALING

The Royal Edinburgh Hospital discovered that sex three times a week can make you 10 years younger. A decade long study of 3,500 European and American men found that sexual activity was second only to physical exercise when it came to staying sprightly. Sex releases testosterone which strengthens your bones and muscles. The pleasure releases chemicals in your immune system to ward off the ageing effects of general ill-health. Being in a relationship with a younger woman helped even more. If she is not game either get some new underwear or tell her that it makes women 12 years younger, too. Get some womens underwear and while your there read The Secret Body Language of Girls.

A diet high in iron is vital for men who exercise because of its role in transporting oxygen around the body. But iron deficiency causes other problems, including tiredness and difficulty concentrating. The NHS recommends at least 8.7mg per day for men. Here are the best foods to up your intake.

Bran Flakes 20mg per 100g

Drinking a glass of vitamin C-rich orange juice with these foods will help the body absorb more iron.

Sesame Seeds 10.4mg per 100g

Sardines 4.6mg per 100g

Grilled rump steak 3.4mg per 100g

Crab 28mg per 100g

So why do you need Iron? There are many benefits of having an iron rich diet.

Benefits

1. Iron is anti cancer
2. It boost the body’s energy level and as a result will improve physical performance.
3. Improves the body’s immunity
4. It encourages restful sleep and prevent insomnia
5. It also helps in preventing difficulty in learning among children

Who Would Benefit?
The adult RDA for this mineral is 14 mg daily, equivalent to a handful of dried apricots or a beefsteak. However, in treating certain health problems, the amount can be increased. Certain people may find that iron supplements could help them maintain a healthy body. If you experience the symptoms below, ask your doctor about the possibility of taking iron supplements

Painful Periods
Iron supplements may help to ease the pain associated with monthly menstruation. You may need to take the supplement daily.

Fatigue
If your doctor believes that your weak body or frequent fatigue are associated with poor iron intake in the diet, your condition can be improved by using iron supplements.

Improve Concentration
Young girls who have poor dietary iron intakes would normally have academic problems because they just cannot concentrate in their classes. Iron supplements have been proven to be beneficial in this scenario.

Treat Anaemia
If you have this health problem, your doctor would normally prescribe you with iron supplements.

Sources – http://www.oohoi.com/healthy_living/vitamin-info/benefits-of-iron.htm – Benefits of Iron – 1st June 2006

Many foods that are called “bad” are actually “good” for you.Welcome back these foods but not at once. Just forget the old nutrient taboos that surround them.

Nuts

The Myth “Causes you to gain weight”
The Truth

Nuts contain fat. That is a fact. What most people forget is that they contain the mono-unsaturated fat – the good stuff. Studies suggest that fat delays muscle fatigue. According to the British Journal of Nutrition, almonds keep you slim by controlling appetite. They’re also full of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes.

There are a number of ways to enjoy your serving. Cashews in stir-fries, almond butter on oatmeal and walnuts – just mix and match.

Cheese

The Myth “Diary is high in fat and causes you to gain weight”
The Truth

Cheese is also fatty. However cheese is rich in calcium and magnesium and protein. Cheese is readily absorbed and used to repair muscle. Both Berdan and Clarke say runners can budget in one serving of full-fat cheese a day. Hard, aged cheeses like Parmesan, Swiss and Sharp cheddar are higher in protein and calcium then softer cheeses.

There are a number of ways to enjoy your serving. Cashews in stir-fries, almond butter on oatmeal and walnuts – just mix and match.

Potatoes

The Myth “High-Gl foods are bad for you.”
The Truth

Baking potatoes do have high Gl (as opposed to new sweet potatoes), but they are actually very good for athletes, especially during ultra events. The high GL means that a potato’s carbs will reach the muscles more quickly giving a instant boost for running. Because these are complex carbs it will make you last longer when running.
Check out Nancy Recipe a day to make the potatoes salad in the image..

Red Meat

The Myth “Meets like beef are high in saturated fat.”
The Truth

Some cuts are fat. Others.. well others make my mouth water. Other cuts can be as lean as chicken. Red meats are rich in thiamin, riboflavin and B6. These are needed for energy production and improve endurance.

Chocolate is a combined mixture of cocoa paste, cocoa butter and sugar. Just saying the word cocoa is delicious enough. These days, in the commercial sector, we find starch, diverse sugars and fats – as well as vegetable proteins inside it.

Yes, chocolate can be a stimulant, euphorisant, and anti-depressor. It is not, alas an aphrodisiac according to the majority of scholars in the Science… I think it would be fair to say that “chocolateers”, would say otherwise, based on the idea which goes back to the beginnings of civilization, even  before its arrival in Europe: it was the 16th century, while the Aztec’s  prepared a drink called tchocoatl (made of cocoa nibs) known for its nourishing, fortifying, and even aphrodisiac qualities.

1) Chocolate contains the same addictive, crave-inducing components believed to contribute to alcoholism.

2) A 40g square of dark chocolate may have as many cancer-fighting antioxidants as a glass of red wine.

3) The ancient Mayans used chocolate. As stated above, maybe for sexual enhancement for an aphrodisiac.

4) The word chocolate comes from two ancient Indian words which mean “bitter water”.

5) The blood in the infamous shower scene of Hitchcock’s Psycho was actually chocolate syrup. Just take one bottle into the shower.

6) Chocolate makes you immortal. Well not quite, but in a study of 7,800 men, researchers at the Harvard University found that those who eat chocolate live longer than those who rarely eat it.

7) It may help for the LDL-cholesterol levels and keeping them in some form of control. It contains a type of fibre which is known as lignin and is said to be found to have this effect.

8) Seventy per cent of the world’s chocolate comes from just three places: Ivory Coast, Ghana and Indonesia.

9) Dark chocolate is the healthiest, and has the most nutrients and fewest calories, white milk chocolate is the least health and the highest in total calories. While milk chocolate is the least health and the highest in total calories. Best to ration the chocolate buttons then.

10) The swiss eat more chocolate than any other nation, with each person average scoffing 24 pounds of the stuff a year. We Brits come second in the chocoholic league, eating a shocking 16 pounds a year.

11) The average person in Britain spends around £8,000 on chocolate in their lifetime.

12) The Aztecs were thought to use cacao – the plant cocoa comes from – to boost fertility in men.

13) In its illustrious history, chocolate has been used to treat exhaustion, anemia, fatigue, tuberculosis, fever, gout and kidney stones.

Check these great blogs on chocolate if you wish to know more, including reviews, videos, recipes – these are some great sites with lots of information.

chocablog.com – Brilliant site

choklit.net

And thanks to

http://www.pastrywiz.com/archive/whatis.htm

Arm-Bar – Literally drooling having wrote this.

Everyone knows we live in a modern, fast and digital world – the planet is changing, more and more people are connecting through social networking and more and more people are eating snacks from vending machines. Confused? It’s clearly true, there are more vending machines for crisps, chocolates, sweets and fizzy drinks then ever, especially in the UK. We are so busy and consumed with our daily lives we have adopted buying snacks on the move like sugar bag filled Coke-a-Cola and Sunny D that we have stopped to think about the long term effects.

Eating slowly is recommended for health. Slow eating reduces the consumption of food, as it postpones much of the meal to a time when the absorption of nutrients begin to produce physiological signals of satiety (feeling full). By taking your time eating, not only will the food you have eaten release signals to make you feel and think your full, it will help you relax, sleep better and unwind – you can appreciate your food and find “me time” to contemplate – gain patience and humility.

Slow eating will help you with chewing your food and this will result in the exercise of your jaws mixing with saliva with food, hence a complete efficient digestion taking place, food particles are cut into smaller pieces, not requiring much churning in the stomach or intestine.

“A bad stomach is the cause of the majority of the worlds problems” – Arm-Bar..

Do you agree with our quote above? Food causes problems to your heart, your brain – food can make you greedy, angry, depressed – over eating can of course. Eating food that causes you to feel bloated to a degree, fill and poison your bile flow will disrupt your whole body overtime. Poor stomach digestion is the cause to much of the worlds problems on a clear degree.

Take a look at three reasons why you should take your time to eat and remember our advice on the last reason #4 about balance.

1) Better Digestion

When taking your time to chew food rather than wolfing it down, you will absorb more nutrients. The digestion process begins in your mouth and not your stomach – your digestive system can absorb only a small fraction of the nutrients available in inadequately chewed food. More goodness is taken when you chew properly.

2) Less Stress

Eating at a sensible speed not only causes less stress on your stomach, it helps with relaxing your brain. Pausing to actually taste and savour the food, instead of rushing to get it from plate to gut as soon as possible, releases feel good chemicals in your brain, helping you stay happy and relaxed. It can increase your tolerance and being patient skills.

3) Weight loss

Studies have shown that you can loose 20lb (9kg) a year just by eating slower. It takes your stomach around 20 minutes to produce the hormones that tell your brain that it’s full. Eating more slowly allows you to become more full before eating – meaning you are less likely to reach for seconds on a high-calorie desert.

4) Arm-Bar.co.uk – Balance Formula

Remember this formula on balance.

Your stomach should separated into three parts; One-third for food, one-third for liquids, and one-third for breath.

If you you split your stomach into three portions, 1/3 part of it for your food which you have consumed slowly, another 1/3 for water and liquids – lastly making sure you have 1/3 of your stomach empty and free for air and circulation. This is a flawless solution to becoming more healthy – taking into account your other actives like sports and training at the gym.

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