Top foods for building lean muscle

• Shrimp - great source of protein
• Couscous - great source of complex carbohydrates
• Baked Beans - great source of protein and fiber
• Avocados - great source of healthy fats
• Almonds - great source of Vitamin E
• Eggs - great source of protein, vitamins, and minerals
• Chicken - great source of protein

SLJ Fitness

Nutrition - Reading Labels and Ingredients

These days, food companies are becoming more and more misleading. Today, you see so many food labels which read "Low fat, reduced fat, NO high fructose corn syrup, or NO trans fat", making these foods seem somewhat healthy to the consumer. But what these companies are doing is adding, or not clearly showing you bad or hidden ingredients. For instance, a company might reduce some fat in one of their products, but add sugar or sodium in the process. It's crazy to think how much more money food companies spend just to emphasize on their food labels, when in turn it's only causing the consumer to consume unhealthy substances.

Not only is it important to read the nutrition label to see what you're putting in your body, but it's also very important to look at the ingredients included. When I was younger I didn't care what I was eating or drinking, however since becoming a fitness and health enthusiast I have been starting to notice ingredients in foods. One thing which has really stood out to me over the past few months is "Peanut Butter". Let me tell you, I love peanut butter (on bananas, sandwiches, crackers). So, since I usually eat peanut butter on a daily basis I have become more aware of the ingredients which makes up the peanut butter I love. The peanut butter which I have consumed the majority of my life has been the basic Jiff, Peter Pan brands which you store in your cupboard and eat for weeks or even months. Well, I came to realized the reason you can store and eat the peanut butter for weeks is due to the added simple sugars and hydrogenated oils(fats). If you read the label on a basic peanut butter brand, it reads that it only includes saturated fat, and the rest of the fat is not labeled, making you to believe the rest is "good fat". However, this basic peanut butter contains hydrogenated oils, which from research and facts, this oil causes foods to include "trans fat", which is the worst fat you can consume.

Bottom line - DO NOT be mislead with these BOLD "Reduced Fat" labels, because more than likely food companies are hitting your blood vessels with other unwanted substances. Also, start looking at the ingredients in foods, because they tell the real story opposed to the food label. The more the ingredients in a food, the more likely the food is not the healthiest.


SLJ Fitness

Talk with the trainer - Cardiovascular Interval Training

Interval training can supercharge your fitness, boost your metabolism, burn off that extra fat and start reaching those goals that you have set for yourself. Interval Training is basically activities at high intensity for a period of time, followed by low intensity activities for a period time.

Interval Training is perfect for your any type of cardio modality. Instead of doing the same boring old steady pace cardio workout, implement some interval training sets into it. For instance (the treadmill), jog for one minute, than sprint for 20 seconds, than repeat for duration of workout. This keeps your workout fun and allows you to burn more calories by pushing your body physiologically.


“Continue to make exercise a habit, because exercise is the best habit you can maintain”

Scott Johnson – Personal Trainer