Look Better, Be Stronger, and Burn More Fat – Part 2‏

By Team eLifestyle Fitness and Lifestyle Expert Robb Armstrong

In last week’s Fit Tip: Look Better, Be Stronger, and Burn More Fat – Part 1, we discussed how avoiding the bad fats in your diet would protect against declining health and the risk of heart-related diseases.

This week we give you Part 2 of our top 3 tips – Vitamins & Minerals: 8 Tips for Optimal Health.


You know that vitamins and minerals are essential for optimal health, but just how is it possible to make sure you’re getting all you need to meet your specific requirements, and how can they help improve your level of fitness?

Follow these sure-fire tips to make sure you’re getting all you need and you’ll not only improve your general health, but your level of fitness too!


8 Best Tips for Consuming Vitamin & Minerals

1. Eating a variety of foods is the best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need each day, as well as the right balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and calories.

2. Always try to ensure your vitamin and mineral intake is from whole food sources.

3. When it isn’t possible to obtain all the vitamins and minerals you need through your daily diet, supplementation can act as extra nutritional insurance.

4. Vitamins and minerals don’t reduce stress, but eating well can help keep you active, which in turn improves your level of fitness and works to reduce stress!

5. Always check with your doctor or general practitioner to determine your specific vitamin and mineral requirements. Plus, to find a starting point, you can refer to Canada’s Food Guide for nutritional recommendations.

6. Mounting evidence suggests that vitamins and minerals play a vital role in preventing and treating such illnesses as cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases, so make sure you’re getting all you need.

7. Vitamins in general regulate metabolic processes and are involved in the transformation of food into energy, thus helping to improve you fitness performance.

8. Adequate dietary intake of vitamins and minerals is essential to the physiologic function of the body during exercise, and deficiencies have been related to decreased physical performance.


UP NEXT … Look Better, Be Stronger, and Burn More Fat – Part 3. Find out next week!


Note: Check back every week for more helpful health and fitness tips from eLifestyle's Fit Tips by Robb!

Look Better, Be Stronger and Burn More Fat – Part 1

By Team eLifestyle Fitness and Lifestyle Expert Robb Armstrong

When it comes to knowing just what to do to gain body strength, burn calories efficiently, and ultimately, look your very best, there are a few must-follow dietary rules to get you there.

In Part 1 of this week’s Fit Tip we lie down the first of three top rules you need to focus on that will protect against declining health and the risk of heart-related diseases.

Rule #1: Avoid the bad fats.

Saturated – Solid at room temperature, these types of fats clog arteries and raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in the body. Some main sources are:

Animal-based sources: red meat and whole-milk dairy products, including ice cream, butter, cheese and sour cream.

Plant-based sources: palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil and coconut milk and cocoa butter.

Trans – Created during the hydrogenated process where liquid vegetable oils are converted to solid fats, trans fats are also known as hydrogenated fats. These fats not only raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, but lower HDL (good) cholesterol at the same time. Some main sources are:

Commercially fried foods and bakery product sources: crackers, cookies, donuts, cakes, pastries, muffins, croissants, snack foods and fried foods, such as French fries and breaded foods.

Up Next … Look better, be stronger and burn more fat. Part 2 next week!

Note: Check back every week for more helpful health and fitness tips from eLifestyle's Fit Tips by Robb!

In, Out or Hold? How Proper Breathing Can Boost Your Training Results

By Team eLifestyle Fitness and Lifestyle Expert Robb Armstrong

In last week’s Fit Tip I told you how to get a ripped midsection when your timing was down to the crunch.

This week's Fit Tip: If you’ve ever felt light-headed after a particular exercise, or your training partner or personal trainer tells you look like your head is about to pop off while you’re completing a set of crunches, this Fit Tip is for you!

It takes correct form and technique – in this case, proper breathing – to make sure you’re getting the absolute best results from your training efforts. So when do you breath in, out or hold during a particular exercise?

Why Proper Breathing?

Conscious breathing or breath control is paramount during exercise in a few ways. It increases the efficiency of cardiovascular training, aids stability and power during bouts of strength and endurance training, and during inner focus (mind and body) and flexibility training, it promotes relaxation.

In, Out or Hold?

Strength/Resistance Training – During weight lifting, exhale upon exertion (the most difficult part of the movement) and inhale upon recovery (the return or easiest part of the movement).

For example, when performing a chest press, exhale when you’re pushing the weight forward (top of the motion), and then inhale as you bring the weight back (bottom of the motion). This equips the body with a more efficient exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide to provide the power and endurance needed to continue.

Important: Never hold your breath during exercise! Following this rule will prevent dizziness and uncharacteristic shortness of breath during all forms of exercise.

Up Next … Look better, be stronger and burn more fat. I tell you how next week!

Note: Check back every week for more current and informative health and fitness tips from Robb at eLifestyle!