DELATERRE ROULETTE: REGISTRATION FORM

GLUTE WORKOUT ROUTINE

                  

Looking for an effective workout to give you that sexy round butt? Well, look no further. Lift, tone and sculpt that butt with our "Glutes routine". Enjoy.

Equipment Needed: Dumbbell or Barb bell.

Frequency:  Twice / Week

Rest and stretch: Sometimes you have to take a short break in the middle of a set. Instead of dropping the weight, just pause for a second. Tell yourself, "I only have x reps to go." If your hamstrings or glutes tighten, take a minute between sets to stretch the muscles. You will feel tightness in your glutes and where the glutes and hamstrings merge.

Stay Healthy
The Delaterre Team

RUNNER’S ITCH

  

    Yesterday, I decided to do a round of cardio just after weight training. Routinely, I incorporate cardio indirectly into my Sunday workouts by cycling to/from my house to the National stadium and to the pool immediately after. I like to workout at kill-yourself pace where my lungs are starved of sufficient oxygen and my heart-rate is up to about 150BPM (beats per minute). Doing cardio (usually swimming in my case) right after such strenuous anaerobic activity serves as an excellent catalyst for Beta oxidation (fat burning), and ensures my aerobic threshold and lung capacity are put on blast.

  

     And so it went that on this day my bike had issues and I had to do the distance between my house and the National stadium on foot. An hour and a half later of weight training and I was set for cardio, this time running, as no bicycle automatically meant no swimming. Headphones in, timer on set, I started out. Sauntering along those first few, lazy motions and breaking into a full gallop after about 50 yards. 300 yards in, and just when I was getting into the whole groove I slowed to a halt. It had happened; my brain had sent warning signals to my body.  Those all too familiar warning signals my body gets every time I put it through this hardly physical exertion of a mere jog. Down but determined not to be out, I continued, determined to ignore those lying signals and finish my race at all costs. 

    Mind kept telling body to ignore brain and continue even when body knew better than to play mind games with brain. So this time I forged ahead as slowly as ever, until I was sure my body was interpreting the activity as a diluted jog and not a full-on sprint. Well all of that didn’t mean a thing after the next 100 yards as it was all over. Just like that. I had stopped again. Blimey, I hadn’t even completed the first lap of my timer! I propped myself on my knees for a minute to catch my breath and take in the disappointment of the moment, and thence I made to go home with all running engagements for the day cancelled with immediate effect.

    I hate running.  A lot. I try to do cardio once a week; swimming, cycling, running, the elliptical machine. Running is always the last resort when all else fails and even at that I almost never run. The few times I do, I make a conscious effort to keep it at absolutely low-intensity steady state (LISS) – we’ll explain that some other time. You see, my dislike for running is so deeply-rooted that only time I’m big on it is when it takes the shape of Usain Bolt on TV, I know you wonder why I hate running this bad, which brings me back to the topic of this article, and why I stopped yesterday’s jog prematurely; “Runner’s itch”.

     For as long as I can remember I’ve suffered from “Runner’s itch”. Way back in high school we used to jog outdoors on weekends and I remember suffering from unbearable itching that starts from the calves, up to the buttocks and thighs, and all the way up to the stomach. We used to run in very low, humid temperatures and I used to attribute the itching to my skin’s contact with the moist grass along our running path. I get this itch too when I’m subjected to bumpy motorcycle rides so my last reason being exposure to humid temperatures isn’t entirely tenable.

  Well I never held much thought much to the itching till I left high school and the itching continued into my adult life with every run/jog. I asked a few people and no one seemed to have similar experiences. I feared I was different not until I fell in love with fitness and started reading tons of stuff online on health and exercise. Thankfully, I’m not alone, a lot of people suffer from “Runner’s itch” too and some even have far worse experiences. If you’re one of many people who suffer from this, I hope this article finds you and frees you from the mental shackles tying you from your fitness goals.

  So what causes “Runner’s itch”?

  The human body is made up of major blood vessels and millions of smaller ones known as capillaries. During a prolonged spell of inactivity (non-exercise), these capillaries collapse and shrink due to the decrease in blood flow. Now when you decide to hit the gym or run, these capillaries start to expand due to the increase in blood flow and rapid heart beat. As these capillaries continue to expand as a result of increase in blood supply, the neighboring nerves send impulses to the brain which is interpreted as the urge to itch. Simple. 

  There isn't much rocket science to it. Good thing is the itching goes away after a while (that’s if you can withstand not scratching yourself to death). In cases of a prolonged sedentary lifestyle, it might take the body some getting used to before the itching ebbs away. Another reason for the itch could be traced to the accumulation of mast cells after a period of inactivity. These mast cells undergo lysis (cell destruction) which is brought on by exercise and release histamine which could cause itching. In this case, taking an antihistamine 30 minutes before working out would suffice and help reduce the itch. But be warned that your body becomes dependent on the antihistamine and the itching returns when you’re off the medication. Also try to avoid taking Aspirin or any NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) e.g. Paracetamol, Acetaminophen before working out. 

Whatever you read on the internet, remember to always consult your physician before taking any of these measures.

  

    Another factor that could also trigger the itching is cold or hot temperature. In the case of cold weather, the body pumps more blood to our organs to keep them warm and less blood to your running legs and arms. As a result, your arms and legs are cooler than other parts of your body. As you warm up, the circulating warm, oxygen-rich, blood reaches your legs and your skin cells transmit signals to your brain that are interpreted as an itch.

     Itching in such cold temperatures (indoors or outdoors), may be referred to as “cold urticaria” or what is known as an “allergy to cold” in layman language.

On the other hand, itching caused mainly by running or exercise may be called “exercise-induced vasculitis”.

   Asides from the instances stated above, there have been cases of people who suffer from medical conditions like diabetes, hypothyroidism and low-blood pressure that have been known to cause circulatory trouble. Hygiene could also play a part here. Tight clothes and dirty clothes carry bacteria that can irritate the skin and cause itching.

    After all that has been said, long and short of story is that if you've ever run and experienced “Runner’s itch”, it’s just your body’s way of telling you you've been inactive for too long. Taking medication, a shower or applying lotion can help with the itch but there’s never been a better tonic to kick that itch than exercise. Once you feel that itch, don’t be discouraged, get back at running soon again. The itch goes away after one or two more jogs. Get up and be proactive. 

   Don’t wait for that itch to be a barometer for measuring your inactivity. Embrace an active lifestyle of frequent exercise instead of a sedentary one of excuses and half-resolutions. Make that money but don’t take life too serious. You only live once. If you exercise regularly, love and live well, once is enough. Shalom.

Written by: @Jeffiejay

ADVANCED 2 HOUR FULL BODY WORKOUT ROUTINE BY JOEY

Hey Fitfam,

So our friend Joey (who is a mad BEAST in the gym) designed this 4 circuit, full body workout routine below. Its is for the advanced  gym rat! Although, the circuits can be attempted by anyone if its divided into 2 or 4 separate routines for different days of the week. But if you have 2 hours to spare (weekends) or need something that'll challenge you, then do the entire 4 circuits as one workout. Enjoy!

• Warm up: 6 Minutes

BODY WEIGHT MAXIMUM REPS///Circuit 1
	MAX REP	MAX REP	MAX REP
One Arm balance PushUps(20-30)
Pike Presses(15-25)
Dips(20-35)
Plyo Lunges(30-50)
Wide Arm Pull Ups
One Arm balance PushUps(20-30)

Note: Max rep – Do as many as you can  

Circuit 2 (Use Challenging Weights)
	15 Reps	12 Reps	8 Reps
Barbell Bench Press
Deep Squats
Seated Shoulder Press
Barbell Rows
Smith Machine Hip Ups
Dumbbell Swing (30 secs Each Arm)

Circuit 3 (Use Challenging Weights)
	15 Reps	12 Reps	8 Reps
Inclined Bench Press
Tricep Pulldowns
Upright Row to Shoulder Press
Stiff Legged Deadlifts
Inverted Rows
Mountain Climbers(1 Minute)

Circuit 4 (Use Challenging Weights)
	15 Reps	12 Reps	8 Reps
Inclined Dumbbell Flys
Split Squats
Closed grip Bench Press
Back Flys
Shoulder Flys
Renegade Rows(1 Minute)

Stay Healthy

The Delaterre TGZ Team

HOW TO MAKE TOFU

Tofu, also called bean curd, is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is a component in many East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines. Its very high in protein with 8g and only 1.9g 100g of Tofu and a staple food for vegans and vegetarians.

Ingredients

• Dry soya beans - 3 cups 
• 75ml of lemon juice.
•  blender
• 2 large pots
• 1 strainer
• mesh bag (or garri/rice bag)

Instructions

• soak soy beans in water overnight.

• Rinse the soaked beans and discard any discolored ones if you spot any.Blend a little at a time with enough water to cover the beans. Add the processed beans to your largest pot with 12 cups of water.

• Stir frequently and simmer for about 20 minutes on stove. This will foam up a bit so be careful not to let it boil over. 

• Strain into your second pot. Use a spoon to press out as much of the milk as you can. The liquid is soy milk. The solids are okara. You can take out a jar or two of soy milk at this point and continue making the rest into tofu.

• Heat the soy milk back up to around 180 degrees. Dissolve 2 TBSP of Epsom Salt in 1 and 1/2 cups of warm water or Alternatively you could use 75ml of lemon juice.
• Remove from heat and gently stir together.
• In about 5 to 10 minutes the curds will separate.

• Your colander with a mesh bag or cloth makes an excellent mold. Skim out curds and pour into mold.
• Press down with a small plate and heavy object.
• Leave for about 20 minutes.

There! That's it. Some soy milk, okara (for soy burgers) and tofu. Enjoy

Stay Healthy

The Delaterre TGZ Team

Reference

How to Make Tofu: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Tofu/?ALLSTEPS

STARTING A FITNESS JOURNEY

Today a friend of mine approached me and asked, if I wanted to write something for a fitness blog. I was a bit skeptical at first, mostly because I'm still trying to reach a target, I'm still learning new things everyday about nutrition and training and there are still many unanswered questions I have.

Best place to start from is the basics. Goal setting. You have your starting point, which is where you are presently. Morbidly obese, a little below average, it mostly boils down to wanting to look and/or feel differently. 

Next, there's a destination. This is about knowing when you want to get there and what you want to look like when you're there. Maybe you want to look like and feel like an athlete, a model, or a contender for Mr/Ms Olympia (:D). You already have an image. 

Next thing you have to do is write it down, and refer to it from time to time. These goals are what will keep you in line over the period, before you attain it. The truth is once you reach a particular fitness goal, you will want to reach another one, because there is no final destination. There is always, the next level.

The next thing you have to do is to work on your nutrition. 70-80% of the work you have to do towards changing your body, is changing what you put into your mouth. It will involve preparing your own meals, counting calories taken in, eating every 2-3 hours, which will add up to about 5 or 6 meals a day, depending on your workout schedule. I'm assuming you're going to be working out.

If you're going to be a couch potato, you might as well stop reading.

Each of these meals absolutely must have a moderately sized serving of carbohydrates, a large serving of proteins and a moderate serving of unsaturated fats. Depending on your goals, you could alter the ratios between carbohydrates and proteins.

Finally, you have to ditch the junk. Fried meats, cookies, candy, fries, alcohol, cream in coffee, processed sugar, you know them. You might think you like them, but they are actually what is keeping that layer of fat on your body. But its not just that, the way you cook your food could turn a nutritious meal into very high calorie junk. 

Do some research on healthier, low fat cooking techniques, there are a lot of them. And try as much as possible to avoid cheat meals, especially if your goal is fat loss. In fact, don't try, just avoid them.

The other part of the equation is exercise. Get in at least 45 minutes each of aerobics and weight training 5-6 days a week, male or female. If you want to go hard core, you can replace aerobics with high intensity interval training. It will make your heart rate better and its good for your brain. And also learn to mix it up from time to time. There are millions of exercise programs on the internet that you can do even from the comfort of your home. Some require you to invest in some.equipment, others don't. Or you could get books pen exercise routines. There are so many means available if you have the right mindset and willpower to achieve your fitness goals.

Hopefully I will share more stuff on fitness and nutrition as time goes by, but for now I will leave you with this. Keep pushing the limits, keep raising the bar. 

Writer: Joey 

Stay Healthy

The Delaterre Team

WINNERS OF THE SHRED GREEN SMOOTHIE CHALLENGE

Hey Fitfam,

As part of the Shred challenge, we asked our challengers to replace one meal/day with a green smoothie for seven days, post pictures on Twitter or Instagram and tag us as proof. Find below our winners, their prizes and their last "green smoothie" posts.

 "Resistance Bands Set" Winners

@priiye    & @akunamdee

"Heart / Pulse Rate Monitor & Calorie Counter Watch" Winners


@vesselmakeup, @mzystique & @_OGECHUKWU

                           

"Accu-Measure Body Fat Caliper" Winners

@Tennaira & @aidazzle

Congratulations guys. 

Stay Healthy

The Delaterre Team

CARB NITE RECIPE (LOW CARB): COCONUT FLOUR PANCAKES

COCONUT FLOUR PANCAKES

Ingredients

• 4 eggs room temperature
• 1 cup coconut milk OR 1/4 cup whole milk,
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)
• stevia,
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• olive oil (you can use coconut oil or butter for frying)

Directions

• Preheat frying pan over medium-low heat. In a small bowl beat eggs until frothy, about two minutes. Mix in milk, vanilla, and  stevia.
• In a medium-sized bowl combine coconut flour, baking soda, and salt and mix together. Stir 3/4 of wet mixture into dry until coconut flour is incorporated. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes.
• At this stage your batter should be thick, almost like brownie batter. If it is still fairly thick and dry add the rest of the wet mixture.
• Grease pan with butter or oil. Ladle a few tablespoons of batter into pan for each pancake. 
• Spread out slightly with the back of a spoon. The pancakes should be 2-3 inches in diameter and fairly thick. 
• Cook for a few minutes on each side, until the tops dry out slightly and the bottoms start to brown. Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
• Serve hot with yogurt, butter or fruit.

Macros

• Protein - 24g
• Carb - 36g, Fiber - 21g (usable carbs = (total carbs - fiber) =  25g)
• Fat - 36g (good fat mostly from olive oil.)

References

1. Coconut flour pancakes: http://www.edibleperspective.com/home/2010/5/17/here-i-am.html
2. Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Coconut Flour Pancakes: http://www.plantoeat.com/blog/2013/05/grain-free-dairy-free-coconut-flour-pancakes/

Stay Healthy

The Delaterre Team

Delaterre Shred Phase III Meal Plan: Carb Nite Solution

A lot of you have questions about the carb nite approach we're utilizing for the Phase III of the Shred Challenge .

Carb Nite Solutions (CNS):  Designed specifically for ongoing fat loss, not just weight loss. It is a tool, not a lifestyle, designed to promote optimal health and optimal body fat loss. This simultaneously raises HDL levels, improves insulin sensitivity, and lowers both triglyceride and LDL levels. There is emphasis on maintaining muscle size and strength during weight loss.

The 1st 10 days of the Carb nite diet is called the "recalibration period". During this period, you keep your body in ketosis.

Ketosis /kɨˈtoʊsɨs/ is a state of elevated levels of ketone bodies in the body. Ketone bodies are formed by ketogenesis when liver glycogen stores are depleted.When glycogen stores are not available in the cells, fat (triacylglycerol) is cleaved to provide 3 fatty acid chains and 1 glycerol molecule in a process known as lipolysis. Most of the body is able to use fatty acids as an alternative source of energy in a process called beta-oxidation.

What does ketogenic mean?  Well, there are enzymes that your body produces that convert carbohydrates into fat to be stored.  Keeping carbs low at 30g / day blocks these enzymes by elevating ketones, so the carbohydrates are used as opposed to stored. Increasing to even 50 or 60 can trigger fat storing enzymes.

In lay man's terms, the calibration period is done to force your body into ketosis, so it starts to burn your stored fat cells for energy. Consuming 30g or less of carbs keeps your body in that mode.

Cons of CNS

• Its difficult for most people. You need to be disciplined and dedicated to your goals to enjoy the benefits of CNS.
• It involves very limited range of foods. You'll be eating only protein with your carbs coming from vegetables.
• Performed the wrong way could lead to weight gain.

Pros of CNS

• It works. Performed the right way will force your body to burn those stubborn fats.
• You get to eat your favourite foods every 7 days after your recalibration period.
• You burn fat while maintaining muscle mass.
• For the Shred participants: we want you to be conscious of the macros in your meals. To understand them.

The stages

Reorientation / Recalibration

For the first nine days, keep carbohydrates to 30g or less per day, not counting fiber grams . Eat enough food to keep hunger under control without counting calories.

TOTAL GRAMS OF CARBS - TOTAL GRAMS OF FIBER = USABLE CARBS

Carb Night

Day ten: begin day as normal. Starting between 5-7pm, eat a sizable amount of carbs: pasta, fruits, potatoes, bread, pie, whatever. Eat carbs the rest of the evening.

Note for females: Thanks to your hormones (estrogen: especially during your ovulation period), you aren't free to carb up on anything like your male counterparts. Your body may tend to hold on to water weight. Don't worry, it will shed it in a few days. Also, during your carb nights, Please keep it as low fat as possible. So limit dairy and high fat foods like icecream, full cream milk, oreos, etc. Carb up on white bread, rice, fruits....etc.

Dairy has chemicals in it that are cannabinoid. These chemicals stimulate the same receptors in the brain that smoking weed does. Which makes you hungrier.

The Morning After

Go back to 30g or less of carbohydrates per day.

The Rules

1. Eat Plenty of Fat.Your body needs an alternate fuel source. Avoid 'low fat' products.
2. Enjoy a FULL Carb Night. It is not Carb MEAL. You're looking for 6-8 hours of eating carbs. Say, an early supper, late dinner, with snacks in between and after. You don't need to have large amounts of food, even just snacking on fruit all night does the trick.
3. Never Skip a Carb Night. Carb night keeps your body in an accelerated fat-burning state. Plus, it will drive you crazy.
4. Never have Carb Night Sooner than the FIFTH day after your last one. The body needs at least four days to totally shed all stored carbs from carb night and for the carb storing enzymes to fade. Sooner than that could result in fat-gain.

To our shredders

We know this will be challenging to you. But we're confident that you can do it. You held on till this time, 4 weeks is a piece of cake. If you need help please contact us via twitter or our email address delaterre.ng@gmail.com . 

Stay Healthy

The Delaterre TGZ Team

REFERENCES

• Ketosis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosis
• Carb nite: http://crossfitchallenge732.blogspot.com/2012/07/carb-nite-cliff-notes.html

HOW TO MAKE COCONUT FLOUR

Coconut flour is a delicious, healthy alternative to wheat and other grain flours. Ground from dried, defatted coconut meat, coconut flour is high in fiber and low in digestible carbohydrates. A single 2 Tbsp serving of coconut flour delivers 60 calories, 5 grams of fiber with only 8 grams of carbs. This makes it ideal for those following the paleo diet or who need to be carb conscious for their health. Coconut flour is also gluten free.

Due to the high fiber content, coconut flour swells like crazy, creating much more volume, so when cooking with it, you will use a lot less than you would use if you were cooking with another flour (whole wheat, white  flour or oats), thus reducing the number of calories in the final product.

The light coconut flavor allows coconut flour to blend seamlessly into sweet or savory baked goods. It makes a wonderful coating for chicken, fish or other proteins in place of regular flour or cornmeal. Because of its high fiber content, baking with coconut flour is a unique experience. Coconut flour requires an equal ratio of liquid to flour for best results. 

HOW TO MAKE COCONUT FLOUR

• Purchase your coconuts, remove from shell and chop into small pieces.
• Using a food processor, process the coconut until it is smooth.
• Put all of the coconut mixture into a cheesecloth (sieve) and squeeze as much as you can. Get all of the water out of it. This fluid is the coconut milk. Refrigerate the coconut milk for use.
• Spread the pulp in the cheesecloth onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in a 95 degree Celsius oven until dry.
• If you don't have an oven, you could also pour the pulp in a tray and spread thinly. Dry in the sun until it all moisture is removed.
• Pour dried pulp in a food processor (blender) and blend until you have the flour that you need.

A low energy alternative to the food processor is a mortar and pestle. Extra arm and shoulder workout to pound the pulp to flour. :)

Stay Healthy

The Delaterre TGZ Team

References

• Photo: http://www.realfoodstore.co.uk/organic-coconut-flour/
• How to make coconut flour: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Coconut-Flour-With-Flaked-Coconut 
• Bob's red mill Organic coconut flour: http://www.bobsredmill.com/organic-coconut-flour.html