Best Oatmeal Ever

I hear way too many people complain everyday that they can't eat healthy because it's too expensive, or they can't eat breakfast because they don't have time. What a load of malarchy. 

Here's on of my favorite cheap, healthy, muscle buidling breakfasts that easy and quick to make.

I call it the Best Oatmeal Ever.  Try it and tell me I'm wrong. 

All you need plain old oats that come in the giant cylinder container from the grocery store, regular or steel cut, blueberries, your preferred type of milk ( I prefer whole), and glorious peanut butter. 

These are all healthy, cheap, and calorie dense ingredients. Protein from the peanut butter and milk, carbs and grains from the oats, and anti oxidents from the blueberries. 

Forget measurements, just make it to match your appetite. 

Pour oats into a microwaveable bowl

Toss in a handfull of bluberries

Add as much PB as you like (I opt for a fistful)

Add milk to desired thickness. 

Microwave for 90 seconds

Mix well.

Enjoy

Milk and Eggs

Milk and Eggs. Some the healthiest cheapest things to include in your diet, yet everyone seems to have this conception that milk will get you fat, and whole eggs will give you heart disease.
Well, this is just flat out malarchy.

Let's start with milk. It really does do a body good.
For starters, it's an excellent source of Casein (slow digesting) and Whey (fast digesting) Protein. I really don't need to explain the importance of protein in your diet.
As far as calories and weight loss go, any study will show you that people who drink more milk in there diet tend to way less.
You already know milk is loaded in Calcium and Vitamins A and D, but did you know it's also a great source of sodium and potassium which are the most abdundant electrolytes in your body?
And of course, Carbs. Yes Carbs. Everyone thinks Carbs will make you fat but that's just not true. In fact, you NEED carbs for energy, which is why most people on atkins are generally cranky and lethargic.
Here's five reasons courtesy of Stronglifts.com why you should drink milk post workout:
1. Muscle Gains. Research shows a mix of fast and slow digesting protein is superior for muscle repair, and milk has both whey and casein.
2. Fat Loss. Dairy Calcium increases fat loss. The Fat in milk keeps you full longer which keeps you full longer. (Plus animal fat is the healthiest source)
3. Recovery. Milk is superior for rehydration post workout to water and sports drinks due to its NATURAL not SYNTHETIC electrolytes.
4.Cheap. Duh. Have you priced protein powders?
5. Easy. Zero prep. Open gallon. Pour in Glass. Or skip glass if no one's home ;)

(ps, the GARBAGE AND WASTE OF TIME THAT IS SOY MILK WILL BE A WHOLE SEPARATE ARTICLE >:()
Now onto eggs...

Guess what? There has NEVER been a real link between eggs and heart disease. Never. While it's true the yolks contain all of the fat and cholesterol, guess what? It's the kind that raises your good cholesterol, and has virtually ALL of the nutrition in the egg! Plus recent studies have shown that it's not cholesterol from animal sources that cause cardiovascular disease at ALL, but in fact it's sugar that's the culprit.

You see, while it was once though that eating dietary cholesterol meant it went directly to your arteries to form plaque, we now know that dietary cholesterol doesn’t play much of a role in plasma cholesterol…or heart disease for that matter.

In fact a study published in 2007 fed participants eggs daily, upwards of over 6 per week (so around 1 or more per day) and they concluded that “regular egg consumption does not increase the risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases.”

 Here's a table that compares the nutrients in the yolk vs the nutrients ( or lack of ) in the whites.

You're missing a lot of valuable vitamins by skipping those yolks.....

Nutrient	White	Yolk	% Total in White	% Total in Yolk
Protein	3.6 g	2.7g	57%	43%
Fat	0.05g	4.5g	1%	99%
Calcium	2.3 mg	21.9 mg	9.5%	90.5%
Magnesium	3.6 mg	0.85 mg	80.8%	19.2%
Iron	0.03 mg	0.4 mg	6.2%	93.8%
Phosphorus	5 mg	66.3 mg	7%	93%
Potassium	53.8 mg	18.5 mg	74.4%	25.6%
Sodium	54.8 mg	8.2 mg	87%	13%
Zinc	0.01 mg	0.4 mg	0.2%	99.8%
Copper	0.008 mg	0.013 mg	38%	62%
Manganese	0.004 mg	0.009 mg	30.8%	69.2%
Selenium	6.6 mcg	9.5 mcg	41%	59%
Thiamin	0.01 mg	0.03 mg	3.2%	96.8%
Riboflavin	0.145 mg	0.09 mg	61.7%	48.3%
Niacin	0.035 mg	0.004 mg	89.7%	9.3%
Pantothenicacid.	0.63 mg	0.51 mg	11%	89%
B6	0.002 mg	0.059 mg	3.3%	96.7%
Folate	1.3 mcg	24.8 mcg	5%	95%
B12	0.03 mcg	0.331 mcg	8.3%	91.7%
Vitamin A	0 IU	245 IU	0%	100%
Vitamin E	0 mg	0.684 mg	0%	100%
Vitamin D	0 IU	18.3 IU	0%	100%
Vitamin K	0 IU	0.119 IU	0%	100%
DHA and AA	0	94 mg	0%	100%
Carotenoids	0 mcg	21 mcg	0%	100%

At Home Casino Royale Workout

Thought I'd put a fun little variation on the popular Casino Royale Circuit that can be found online. Go ahead. Google Daniel Craig Casino Royale workout and you'll get the same basic circuit everytime:

Clean and Press

Weighted Hanging Knee Raise

Weighted Step up

Weighted Pull up

Push up with feet elevated

Weighted Dips

It's a pretty beast circuit.... but how could you do it at home with no weights?

Simple. Grab a door mounted pull up bar, a couple of bar stools, and a resistance band and apply my five min protocol to the following:

Overhead band press - Max Reps in five min

Hanging Knee Raise - Max reps in five min

Step up - Max reps in five min

Pull up - Max reps in five min

Push up with feet elevated - max reps in five min

Dips - Max reps in five min

Bam. Done. Try this. Did it today myself, and I gotta say.... whoah. Have water close by. 

5 minute protocol/5 minutes in hell

5 minute protocol disclaimer: Do not attempt unless you're feeling like the Dark Knight himself on this particular day, or unless you've borrowed some of Bane's Venom.(or you could just have a cup of coffee, be fully hydrated, and completely fresh and not still sore from a previous endeavour.)
The method is simple. You can use it for one body part OR apply it to a full body workout to get your ass handed to you.
Here's the basic explanation: Pick two exercises for whichever body part you're working, something like bench and flyes for chest, and use a weight you can complete ten reps with. Then keep working the two exercises back and forth for 5 minutes completing as many reps as possible with as little rest as possible.
The first couple sets will be easy. 10 presses, then 10 flys. No rest. Repeat. A couple of minutes in you may find yourself only able to complete 5 reps of each and have to rest a few extra seconds. Towards the last 2 minutes you may only be completing 2-3 reps for each and resting a few extra seconds. But when that five minutes is up you WILL feel an AMAZING pump. Set a timer so you don't have to keep watching the clock, and don't even worry about counting reps. Just keep a glass of water nearby and complete as many reps as possible within the five minutes resting as little as possible to complete reps with good form.

Now like I said, you could just do this for ONE body part in your workout, or you could apply it to a total body workout like this:
Chest: 5 min of push ups and flys
Back: 5 min of 1 an 1/2 pull ups and band rows
Shoulders: 5 min of overhead press and lateral raises
Legs: Bodyweight pause squats and walking lunges
Abs and arms: 5 min of crunches, do triceps pull downs the first 2:30 and Biceps curls the second 2:30

This is an INTENSE full body workout that should not be done EVERY workout, and it WILL leave you exhausted. But when you're feeling up to it give it a shot, and you'll be packing on the muscle and burning fat fast! (PS maybe don't drink the night before this unless you want to see your breakfast again;))