Important Rule for Strength Training: Safety First

Many fitness beginners, intermediates or even advanced weight lifters don't consider safety first. Some good safety tips to keep in mind when strength-training are:

1. Keep knees soft (slightly flexed or bent, not locked).

2. Wear a weightlifting belt on waist and wrist straps for heavy lifting.

3. Always use a spotter for heavy weights.

4. Use a slow, pendulum-type motion when lifting rather than a fast up and down jerky motion. The latter can cause muscle tears.

5. Make sure you have a friend or spotter assist you with forced repetitions. 

6. Wear heavy-duty training shoes for good support on your feet.

Question of the Week

Question: 
I am on a weight loss program and have been searching for a way to get protein in my breakfast. I have very limited time, so it can't be anything involved. I've been eating an English muffin (both halves), egg whites (1 egg), fat free low cal cheese and orange Juice. Is it okay for me to eat egg whites every day? I know a whole egg has a lot of cholesterol, but I heard an egg white is okay. Please advise. Thank you.

Answer: 
Egg whites are an excellent source of protein. It is true that egg yolks do contain cholesterol but they also contain iron and other nutrients. Unless you have high cholesterol, you need not totally omit egg yolks from your diet. Eggs, once or twice a week are perfectly acceptable. 

For more protein in your breakfast, we suggest two egg whites instead of one. Since your time is limited, consider hard-boiled egg whites that can be prepared ahead. Other easy-to-prepare good sources of protein for breakfast are a tablespoon of peanut butter (limit the portion due to high fat) or fat-free cottage cheese on your English muffin or on your whole grain toast, fat-free yogurt or skim milk with cereal. It's the milk, not the cereal that provides the protein. Even high protein cereal provides just 3 to 5 grams of protein per ounce while a cup of milk offers twice the amount of protein as does the cereal. There's nothing wrong with having a high protein low fat item such as turkey or chicken for breakfast, either on whole grain bread or as a side dish. 

Fiber is also an important ingredient as most people get most of their fiber at breakfast rather than during the rest of the day. High fiber cereal as well as whole fruit is a good way to add fiber to breakfast. 

For weight loss, trim your English muffin to one half and substitute your orange juice for a whole orange or other fresh fruit. Not that there's anything wrong with orange juice, but it has more calories for the same amount of nutrients and a whole orange provides more fiber as well as fills you up more.

Check our Health & Fitness Home Page for more health tips on exercise and weight loss and just plain healthy living. And let us know how you're doing. Good luck.

The HFT Staff

NOTE: If you would like to see your question featured here, please submit to: questions@health-fitness-tips.com

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