Use chocolate milk as a recovery drink

Fitness experts are discovering the benefits of drinking chocolate milk after exercise.

First, it tends to be cheaper, depending upon how you buy it. Second, it can conveniently be made at home. Third, it doesn't have any artificial coloring in it. Last, and probably the most important, is chocolate milk's nutritional value: 1 cup of lowfat 1 percent chocolate milk has 26 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat and 160 calories.

There are two recent studies I found interesting. Presented at the American College of Sports Medicine's 57th annual meeting in Baltimore, these studies show that chocolate milk may be a worthwhile post-exercise recovery beverage.

William Lunn, Ph.D., who collaborated on both studies, found that ingesting chocolate milk after a run supported skeletal muscle protein synthesis during recovery. They also found that chocolate milk contributes to replenishing glycogen stores in muscles, a source of fuel during prolonged exercise. Muscle glycogen levels in the same eight male runners were tested 30 minutes and 60 minutes following ingestion of either the fat-free chocolate milk or a carbohydrate beverage.

Muscle glycogen content was greater for the chocolate milk drinkers at both measurement times, further supporting the use of this drink in recovery nutrition strategies.

As a parent, I don't feel guilty for giving my child chocolate milk after exercise because I'm convinced "it does a body good."

Top 4 Exercises for Hips, Butt & Thighs

By Kevin Moses CSCS

These are my favorite legs exercises that can be done anywhere; gym, park, or at home. Most legs exercises can be done with your own body weight and resistance bands. I recommend doing 2-3 sets for each exercise with 15 reps for each side.

In the video below I'll be sharing these exercises with correct form. Most injuries are from incorrect form and over doing it. Always start out slow and progress from there.

1. Squats
2. Lunges
3. Side Lunges
4. Penguin

Click here to review video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuaZPV95SZo&feature=player_embedded#!

Burning calories with day-to-day activities

The fact is that the more active you are, the more calories you burn, and in addition to regular exercise and cutting back on high-caloric foods, there are other simple day-to-day activities and hobbies which can boost your heart rate and help burn calories:

- Mow the lawn or garden: This is good exercise and gets your heart rate going. Any type of gardening activity in general is considered a beneficial way to burn off fat.

- Vacuum and clean: According to About.com, if you spend an hour vacuuming (and cleaning your house), you can burn nearly 250 calories (based on a person weighing around 150 1bs). So get out the old Hoover and bucket and mop, and make your home squeaky clean.

- Play Frisbee: If it’s a sunny day and you have time on your hands, enjoy a game of Frisbee out on the lawn. An hour can burn off more than 200 calories.

- Shoot some pool: The pool table has been sitting in your basement for years, and it’s time to dust it off and play. Nothing spells “leisure” as a casual game of pool with friends, which can also burn off more than 150 calories per hour.

- Walk, walk and walk again: The Harvard Health Letter recommends taking the “faraway spot”: Parking your car as far away as possible in the garage so that you have to walk a while to get to your destination. In addition, pacing around the house or your office (as opposed to sitting all day) is also good exercise.

- Go shopping: A number of health experts claim that walking around the mall or dragging your shopping cart around the supermarket help burn off calories. You don’t necessarily have to exercise your wallet, either: Stick with window shopping.

- Shovel that sidewalk: During winter snow storms, start shoveling your driveway. This is a great activity that speeds up your heart rate and burns off a lot of calories.

- Play a musical instrument: You’ve always wanted to learn how to play the guitar or piano, and now here’s your excuse. It may not qualify as a vigorous activity, but according to HealthStatus.com, a half-hour of strumming your guitar strings will result in (hopefully) harmonious melodies, as well as an easy 100-calorie burn.