STRETCHING

I just uploaded my stretching video on YouTube, but I want to talk about the benefits of stretching and what to avoid.

It improves your flexibility. Most guys don't care to be "flexible", i understand, but it's NOT like that. Flexibility helps improve your athletic performance and it also decreases your risk of injury. Think of it like this - when you have full range of motion, such as running, throwing, & jumping, you perform better. and at the same time, when you exert your energy into doing those movements, you can pull a muscle that isn't used to being stretched in that way. Get it?

It ALSO helps with your exercises - ex: squats - if you can't go low on squats because you lack that range of motion, you don't reap the full benefits of the movement. same with lunges. another example - sit-ups. Decline sit-ups are more effective than sit-ups on a leveled ground. but if your back can't handle the stretch, you're hurting yourself more than you're helping yourself.

WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN STRETCHING:

1. Make sure your muscles are warmed up before you start stretching. You can improve flexibility more when your muscles are warm too, so I recommend stretching AFTER your workout if you're crunched on time.

2. Stretch the muscles that you used or will be using. There's really no point in stretching your legs if you're doing arms.

3. BREATHE. yes, even when you're stretching, you need to focus on your breathing. deep, relaxed breaths of air can help you calm down so you're not tensing up while stretching.

Now...GO CHECK OUT THE VIDEO :)
Stretching with Alina

Healthy Snacks & Cheat Meals

Happy Sunday!! I hope your week has been going great :) I just uploaded my "Circuit Training with Alina" last night so feel free to check it out on my channel - Alina Belly

I get a lot of questions regarding diet and what to eat. It's hard to explain sometimes, but i found some things that helps me explain it a bit better on here.

Soooo..snacking is NOT a bad thing, if you're doing it right. and this pretty much means - don't eat if you're not hungry. pretty simple...but difficult to do lol snacking is meant for times like:

1. you're in-between meals and are starting to get super hungry, but don't want to or can't eat your meal yet
2. you're up later than you thought and you don't want to eat, but you're hungry and won't be able to sleep if your stomach is growling
3. you don't have time to eat, but you NEED to get something in your tummy

I found a list of healthy snacks that you can buy to munch on and what some of their benefits are.

1. FRUITS:
    -Mangoes: protect against a variety of cancers
    -Peaches: rich in potassium, fluoride, and iron
    -Blueberries: protects your heart
    -Oranges: helps maintain great skin and vision
    -Apples: helps develop resistance against infections
    -Watermelon: helps control your heart rate
    -Pineapples: helps fight arthritis

2. Snacks that give you energy:
    -Raisins
    -Dried plums
    -Dried Cranberries
    -Bananas

3. OTHER HEALTHY SNACKS (Boosts Metabolism - M; ):
    -Almonds
    -Cucumber
    -Celery
    -Peanut Butter
    -Hummus (with carrots! =D or Naked Chips)
    -Broccoli
    -Oats
    -Yogurt

AND....CHEAT MEALS!!
Everyone loves cheat meals...just not the after effect haha What I found out to be most effective for me is this thing called the 90-10 Diet (EXCEPT IT'S A LIFESTYLE =P)

It pretty much means that you eat healthy 90% of the time and it's okay for you to eat a cheat meal 10% of the time. This is hard to calculate, i know. But the way I think of it is: I am allowed to have a cheat MEAL 1-2 times a week. Doesn't seem like a lot, but it WORKS. It's not a day filled with eating whatever you want, because you should still take into consideration that you have to portion your food and the aftermath of a whole cheat day. So remember that IT'S OKAY to reward yourself to help with keeping those cravings down. Just don't do it all the time.

Video Blog :) Face-to-Screen

And yes, I am aware that there is one strand of hair that's sticking up...lol oh well.

Hope your enjoy! Good night everyone :)