Adding Oatmeal To Your Diet

• Over 40 studies show that eating oatmeal may help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. According to Quaker, all it takes is 3/4 cup of oatmeal each day to help lower cholesterol. The soluble fiber in oats helps remove LDL or "bad" cholesterol, while maintaining the good cholesterol that your body needs. In January 1997, the Food and Drug Administration announced that oatmeal could carry a label claiming it may reduce the risk of heart disease when combined with a low-fat diet.

• The soluble fiber in oatmeal absorbs a considerable amount of water which significantly slows down your digestive process. This result is that you'll feel full longer, i.e. oatmeal can help you control your weight.

• You probably already have oats in your kitchen. It's estimated that eighty percent of U.S. households currently have oats in their cupboards.

• New research suggests that eating oatmeal may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes. In fact, the American Diabetes Association already recommends that people with diabetes eat grains like oats. The soluble fiber in these foods help to control blood glucose levels.

• With the exception of certain flavored varieties, the oats found in your grocery store are 100% natural. If you look at the ingredients on a canister of rolled oats, you will usually see only one ingredient - rolled oats.

• According to recent studies, a diet that includes oatmeal may help reduce high blood pressure. The reduction is linked to the increase in soluble fiber provided by oatmeal. Oats contain more soluble fiber than whole wheat, rice or corn.

• Oatmeal contains a wide array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and is a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates and iron.

• The fiber and other nutrients found in oatmeal may actually reduce the risk for certain cancers.

• Oatmeal is quick and convenient. Every type of oatmeal can be prepared in a microwave oven. Even when cooked on the stovetop, both old-fashioned and quick oats can usually be made in less than 10 minutes. And what about instant oatmeal… a hot breakfast in under a minute... incredible! :)

• Oatmeal can be absolutely delicious! Whether instant, cooked on the stove or baked in the oven, the combination of flavors you can fit into a serving of oatmeal is limited only by the imagination.

Tired of BORING oatmeal like this?

 Here are some easy suggestions to add some flavor and/or texture to your oats!

1. Add fresh or frozen fruit. Sliced bananas are particularly good. A little fistful of frozen blueberries not only add flavor to instant oatmeal, but your mouth will marvel over the inviting temperature / texture differential when you bite into each little berry.

2. Add dried fruit such as raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, dates or sweetened shredded coconut.

3. Add chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds. Finely chopped nuts can create a tasty crumbled topping.

4. Add a tablespoon or two of your favorite granola. Mushy boring oatmeal is yesterday's business. Today you can easily add a delightful crunch to any bowl of oatmeal.

5. Add a dribble of pure delicious maple syrup.

6. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Never be afraid of more flavor!

7. Add a little dollop of yogurt. Flavored yogurts add taste and all yogurts add a smooth creamy texture.

8. Crush a little handful of your favorite dry breakfast cereal onto your oatmeal. Cap'n Crunch oatmeal anyone?

9. Stir in a couple teaspoons of your jam or fruit preserves and turn your oatmeal into a fruity fiesta bowl.

10. Add a single tablespoon of ice cream to your oatmeal. Your mouth will go crazy with pleasure as the cool ice cream mingles with the warm oats.

30 Day Squat Challange

Take up this 30 day squat challenge this month and tone up and boost your leg and butt muscles and body strength to the max.

This is one of our most popular challenges to date and gives off the best results – if you stick to it and complete all 30 days !

The challenge only has 1 different exercise which you have to do each day, and the time spent doing the exercise slowly increases day by day to help you build up your core body muscle strength gradually, ensuring you are able to complete the final day of the challenge easily.

You only have to do the amount of time shown on the challenge chart once per day, however if you are feeling brave then you can repeat each days challenge as many times as you like – however remember by day 30 it will be very hard to do multiple times.

Please follow the challenge chart below each day, and let us know how your progress goes on by comments on facebook.com/killtimewithgymtime or twitter.com/bionic_phitness

5 Tips To Eat Get More Strength

1) Start With Protein

Protein is essential for driving muscle growth and you need to get at least 1 gram per pound of body weight per day if not 1.5 grams per pound. That's because when lifting extremely heavy, protein is even more critical—for several reasons. The most important reason is to protect your muscle. The heavier you lift, the more mechanical damage your muscle fibers undergo. The more damage your muscle fibers endure, the more recovery they will need. More damage and recovery actually translates to more growth. These three processes require protein. When lifting heavy you can make sure you get ample protein to aid recovery and further enhance muscle growth by getting in about 1.5 grams per pound of body weight per day. That's 300 grams per day for the 200 pounder. Good sources of quality protein include eggs, beef, poultry, fish, and dairy, not to mention whey, casein, and soy protein powders.

2) Continue With Carbs

To be strong set after set, you need plenty of carbohydrates, which will be stored in muscle as glycogen. That's because the primary fuel sources you use when training heavy are creatine phosphate (which burns out after about 10—20 seconds) and muscle glycogen (which kicks in heavily after the creatine phosphate has run out to fuel the rest of your reps). You should shoot for about 2—3 grams of carbs per pound of body weight per day and up to four grams per pound the day before a big lift day. That's 400—800 grams of carbs for the 200 pound guy. Good sources at most meals include slow-digesting carbs such as oatmeal, whole-wheat bread and pastas, brown rice, and sweet potatoes.



3) Don't Forget Fat

Fats—both the healthy unsaturated fats and saturated fats—are important for bodybuilders and powerlifters for numerous reasons. Research shows that athletes who maintain higher fat intake, particularly saturated fat, have higher testosterone levels than those who eat lower fat diets. A great source of saturated fat is beef, which kills two birds with one stone—protein and fat. Healthy fats are also important as they not only offer multiple health benefits but they help you stay lean and help your joints recover. When lifting heavy weight, joint recovery is a critical issue. Good sources of healthy monounsaturated fats include olive oil, mixed nuts, avocados, and peanut butter. For essential omega-3 fats go with fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, or white tuna, as well as flaxseed oil and walnuts. Aim to get about 30% of your total daily calories from fat, and 10% of those calories from saturated fat.

4) Count on Calories

You need ample calories each day to fuel heavy workouts. As long as you follow tips 1-3, you should hit about 20 calories per pound of body weight per day. That's about 4000 calories for the 200-pound guy. You need enough calories to make sure you eat more than you burn. If you burn more than you eat, your body will be in starvation mode, which doesn't allow for adequate muscle regeneration, growth or strength gains.

5) Get Stacked

Knowing what supplements to take can make a huge difference in your strength levels. Consider stacking these supplements around your workouts:

Caffeine
This central nervous system stimulant can do more than give you the energy you need for a hardcore workout. Caffeine has been proven in clinical studies to immediately boost muscle strength. It enhances the ability of nerves to intensify muscle contractions. University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers found that taking one dose of caffeine taken an hour before working out allowed trained men to immediately increase their bench press by an average of five pounds. Go with 200—400 mg of caffeine about an hour before workouts.

Arginine
By now you know that arginine increases the amount of nitric oxide (NO) your body produces, which increases blood flow to muscles for a better muscle pump. But arginine is no one-trick pony. One study confirmed that trained men taking arginine for eight weeks increased their bench press strength by almost 20 pounds more than those taking a placebo. Take 3-5 grams of arginine as L-arginine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, arginine ketoisocaproate, arginine malate, or arginine ethyl ester, about 30-60 minutes before workouts.

Creatine
The granddaddy of strength builders is creatine. After years of skepticism, scientists agree that the stuff works well and is safe. Take 3-5 grams of creatine as creatine monohydrate, creatine citrate, creatine ethyl ester, or creatine alpha ketoglutarate, immediately before and after workouts.

Beta-alanine
In the body, this amino acid is combined with the amino acid histadine to form carnosine. Research has determined that muscles with higher levels of carnosine have more strength and endurance. This also holds true in athletes supplementing with carnosine or beta-alanine. Numerous studies on these supplements show that they are very effective at boosting muscle strength and power. Take about 1-2 grams of beta-alanine or carnosine immediately before and after workouts.