Friday, August 29, 2008

Post Workout Nutrition


Check out the latest mini-article I featured at Waltham's Waverley Oaks Athletic Club (http://www.waverleyoaks.com/):

September, 2008: Post-Workout Nutrition

By Paul Connolly, WOAC Personal Trainer

We all know by now that breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. I’d argue that the post-workout (PWO) meal/snack is a VERY close 2nd. Exercise is a physiological stressor from which your body needs adequate restoration: enter the PWO meal/snack. A proper balance of carbohydrates, lean protein, and “good” (unsaturated) fat should comprise the PWO meal/snack. Optimum benefits are achieved when eating the PWO meal/snack within one hour of completing your workout. Some examples of nutritious PWO options include the following:

Homemade shake: Mix the following in a blender: 8-12 oz. water or skim milk (depending upon your caloric needs), fresh berries, 1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter, 1-2 scoops protein powder, and 6 ice cubes.

Chocolate milk: No, this is not a typo. Chocolate milk has a respectable Carb:Protein ratio (CHO:PRO of approximately 3:1) for consuming after a workout.

Greek Yogurt with Almonds: Admittedly, I’ve been on a Greek yogurt kick lately (high in protein and low in sugar). A small portion of almonds will provide complementary unsaturated fats.

Check out Paul’s online blog for more information: http://pcconditioning.blogspot.com/

Fuel efficiency for fitness professionals


If you don't own your own fitness studio or strength and conditioning center, you find yourself on the road a lot like me. With today's ridiculous gas prices, it's important to be as efficient as possible when planning your trips. Whether it be going to a fitness center, private home consultation, or a speaking engagement, I try to plan out my trips as efficiently as possible in an effort to save on gas. There are numerous ways to save on gas for fitness professionals. Here are my recommendations:


  • *Purchase gas in the morning when temperatures are lower and gas is denser.
  • Maintain proper air pressure in your tires and make sure you follow your manufacturer's recommendations as far as when to rotate them. The max amount of air pressure (PSI is the standard unit) will be written on each tire itself. Your guidebook (keep it in the glove box) will give a recommended pressure for both normal and cold conditions.
  • Slow down!
  • *Close the windows when driving on the highway. Open window increase drag and force your car to work harder, thus using more gas.

*Special thanks to IDEA Fitness

Mom & Dad monitoring school lunches


Moms and Dads can now monitor what their children are eating at school through a new system called "My Nutrikids." Parents can log onto http://www.mynutrikids.com/ to set up an account. Sure, this doesn't prevent kids from their continued trips to the vending machines, but it does give parents an idea of what schools are serving. While the number of obese children continues to soar, this is a great example of how to get parents more involved in their children's eating habits.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Too good to play baseball?


I'm sure you've heard about this story by now, but this 9 year old Connecticut boy isn't allowed to play because he is "too good."


Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Fall nights


There's nothing like a late-night jog with this gorgeous weather we've been having lately. Gone (I hope) are the nights where it's still above 75 degrees. Fresh air and some good tunes on the iPod make for a nice little workout. What a great way to work off some stress too. Give it a shot!

Fighting Cancer with Exercise


Gyms and fitness centers have begun stepping in to meet a small but growing demand for programs designed to not only hasten recovery but to address the fatigue of chemotherapy, the swelling of lymphedema and the loss of muscle tone.

Check out the NY TImes link here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/health/nutrition/14fitness.html?_r=1&ref=health&oref=slogin

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Another healthy snack


I've been snacking a lot with whole wheat crackers and roasted garlic hummus- delicious. While I like Trader Joe's brand, click here for a good recipe if you want to make your own and tweak any ingreadients:

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

DVD Recommendation

Just saw Man on Fire again. One of my all-time favs. Amazon has it here:

Music Production


I used to hate this time of year, as the summer slowly comes to an end. It gets darker earlier, and the start of school is right around the corner. However, this has now become one of my favorite times of the year. I get to plan my music out for my group classes for the fall/winter/spring sessions. If there's one piece of feedback I always get, it's how much people love the music I put together for the classes. That being said, I'm spending a big chunk of this week planning out all the tunes for my upcoming classes. For those I'm about to teach (can you hear me Danvers town employees?), any requests? :-)


Summertime Safe BBQ


Summer is almost over yet we typically have weather conducive to griling up until December. That being said, there has been some concern as to chemicals that appear during the grilling process called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). They are "carcinogenic" (cancerous) that can be caused by grilling at excessively high temperatures. These chemicals do not appear when grilling fruit or veggies. Long story short: pre-marinating your meats and cooking them on low/medium heat is your safest bet for a health, delicious, and safe meal.


For more info, click here:



Fall Boot Camp Wrap-up


Just wanted to give a quick shout out to my boot camp group who just finished up with me this week. Great job everyone!!! I look forward to seeing you in the near future.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Interesting diet for Mr. Phelps




So I'm sure you've seen Michael Phelps win his 8 gold medals by now- simply amazing. However, have you seen/read his nutrition plan- how 'bout them calories?!?! Too bad we can't all eat like that! Train like him and you can basically eat whatever you want. For more info, click here:


Friday, August 15, 2008

Recommended book


Awesome book to recommend: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth." VERY good. Here's a direct link to order your copy through Amazon:


Sunday, August 10, 2008

New e-book


My new e-book/training manual on resistance bands will be out in the fall. I'm doing some of the photo shoot stuff today for it. More details to follow in the future...

Friday, August 08, 2008

Sleep improves athletes' performance


Another notch for advocating good quality sleep to ensure optimum athletic performance:

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Going Organic


While "going organic" presents a monetary challenge, it may be the way to go when it comes to certain fruits and vegetables. Washington D.C.-based Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently ranked the produce that contained the highest amounts of pesticides. Personally, these are the ones I'd strongly advise purchasing the organic versions of. In order, they are as follows:


  1. Peaches

  2. Apples

  3. Sweet Bell Peppers

  4. Celery

  5. Nectarines

  6. Strawberries

  7. Cherries

  8. Pears

  9. Grapes (imported)

  10. Spinach

  11. Lettuce

  12. Potatoes

What is "Blood Doping?"

I had a conversation with a client recently about blood doping. We've all heard the trem, especially since we are getting closer to the Olympics in Beijing. Here's a link to an explanation on what blood doping is: