Milk – Is It For You?

There seems to be a bit of a stir and some controversy when it comes to that white stuff that goes so perfectly with cereal, cookies, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (none of which are Paleo, mind you… these here are).

Yes, I’m talking about milk. There are many fitness enthusiasts who swear by the stuff and claim that “milk + lifting” is a sure fire formula to build muscle. And this is partially true, indirectly. I’ll get to that in a minute. The countering group of people are often of the Paleo mindset, who believe that because our long-distant ancestors didn’t drink the stuff, that we shouldn’t be doing so today either. Which, if you’re going strict Paleo, is true – milk and other dairy products are not allowed for those going hardcore Paleo.

There are benefits to milk as well as a few drawbacks, as are most things in life. For you fitness minded guys and gals, it can really help you out. And as a guy who’s been on both sides of the fence here and grew up drinking the stuff religiously with every meal, let’s go ahead and dissect the issue a bit.

Oh you clever marketing guys...

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Paleo Breakfast Ideas

Since switching back to a Paleo way of eating last week, my grocery shopping has pretty much been limited to the produce section, the meat and seafood department, the bulk nuts area, and eggs. Speaking of eggs, veggie omelets are an obvious choice for the primal/Paleo eater. However, a little variety is nice. And growing up, I’m sure most of us had enough Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch to get that cereal craving every now and then. Or, if you’re like me, you could eat cereal all day every day and be the happiest person on the planet! However, with the loads of refined grains and sugars in the stuff, your body will unfortunately not thank you as much as your taste buds will – nor will your physique, aesthetically or functionally speaking.

The Paleo diet menu list, is well, sparse to sat the least, which some people’s first reaction equals boring. Veggies, fruit, nuts, meat, eggs… cool. So we’re going to eating the same 3 meals every day, month after month? Ahhh… not so fast. God is smart, and put the food on the planet we were meant to eat for a reason! You can pretty much “Paleo-ize” any meal or dish out there. Spaghetti? No problem – get a spaghetti squash. Rice? Cauliflower of all things makes an amazing rice substitute with a food processor.

But back to out childhood favorite (besides Otter-pops and Gushers)… cereal! How? Enter: Paleo Cereal. (Yes, that’s it below)

You're not gonna find this in a Kellog's box...

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Daily Digest: 7/23/10: LET’S FACEBOOK :)

Hey guys and gals – hope you enjoyed this morning’s post… if you haven’t read it yet, check it out here:

How To Lose Bulkiness In Your Physique

Also…

Please feel free to add me on FACEBOOK… yes, we all have one and are somehow overly obsessed with it, ugh. Lol. Anyway, please add me and let’s be friends!

CRAIG AVERA FACEBOOK PAGE

and…

CRAIG AVERA ACTOR FAN PAGE

Please check em both out, and feel free to say what’s up anytime! I appreciate you guys reading my site – now one step further… FACEBOOK!

Might as well check out my official IMDB page while you’re at it:

IMDB PAGE

Thanks a million!

How To Lose Bulkiness In Your Physique

If you have been doing heavy resistance training for awhile now, and have noticed your muscles are starting to bust through your sleeves and your jeans are looking increasingly more emo (not a good thing), maybe it’s time to back it down a bit and lose some muscle. GASP! The bodybuilders at this point are going to hunt be down and punch me in the face if they find me, but for you guys and gals out there seeking the Hollywood Look, losing muscle can actually be a very very good thing.

First off let’s get this straight – creating a bodybuilder’s physique does indeed require dedication and I respect anyone willing to work their tail off to reach their goal, even if it is to build 22 inch arms and a 52 inch chest. However, I strongly advise against aiming in this direction, and since you’re reading this article, you probably agree with me, since the lean athletic physique is what I advocate here 100% and the above measurements do not follow this plan of direction. I know too many guys who have the right amount of muscle but continue aiming to add muscle and are now pushing the limits of becoming “overly muscular”  – which will end up harming their physique.

Hollywood Body VS bodybuilder body

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Fitness Update – 6 Weeks Gymless

So, well under way into Summer now, and I’ve been without gym for about 6 weeks now. Things are good. I do miss the gym or “crave it” from time to time but have been sticking to my original plan of nothing but bodyweight exercises, plyometrics and cardio… All outdoors. I think this California sun is not to be wasted, so I’m outside every chance I get.

Soccer, pullups and pushups have really been the mainstay of my workouts thus far. I have also been grabbing my 15 lb dumbbells and taking them to the park to do the Spartacus Workout from time to time, and yoga sessions up at the gorgeous Runyon Canyon. Check out Darren’s post on Higdon Training and his pics from his recent visit to Runyon.

My bodyfat is still sub 8% and my weight is dropping, but only slightly. I’m sitting around 164 lbs in the morning now. Which I feel is actually a great weight. I feel light enough to move around and play sports with ease but still have enough muscle without going overboard. The Hollywood Look is intact I’ll be sure to keep you keep you posted on any changes I make, workout-wise or physically. David is trying a similar workout regimen this Summer.

I’ve been eating less calories on average, but still implement my feast=>fast day on a regular basis. In fact today is my Eat Stop Eat (fasting) day after eating sushi, ice cream, and pizza yesterday. Yeah it was a fun day for food to say the least Followed by a night swim and movie with some good friends here in Hollywood. Life is good! Now, off to the park with my resistance band for some various band exercises, pushups, pullups, and soccer!

PROGRESS PIC - 6 weeks into the GYMLESS SUMMER WORKOUT - BF% 7.4%

Video Posts and More… Coming Soon

I truly hope you are enjoying the reads here at Hollywood Body Fitness. Your comments are much appreciated and I love the feedback I’ve been getting from everyone! I’ve even been emailing back and forth quite a few of my readers, giving one-on-one fitness advice, which is great!

I am planning on bringing a few new elements to the big picture here. Some of which include:

1. Video posts; on fitness technique, specific workouts, my life in general, and more
2. Broadening the site with other categories other than just fitness. I’m talking style advice, women advice, and more… kind of like Men’s Health does
3. Sports-specific training techniques

And anything else you guys would like to see – Post any suggestions in the comment box please! Looking forward to help you through your fitness journey even more

Love the effect the editor used here

World Cup Finals, Opening Night, and Fitness Update

You know when you wake up with that “It’s gonna be a great day” feeling? Well I totally had that this morning. In fact I sprung out of bed with a big fat smile on my face. Why? Well there are too many awesome things and events going on today not to! First off, World Cup Finals in about 2 hours – GO SPAIN! The long awaited final match is here, and I’m sure it’ll be a great one. Remember that “Write the Future” Nike Commercial I posted up here awhile ago? Great visual effects, but it now said to be a curse, especially if the Nike sponsored Netherlands loses today. So we shall see… I’m an Adidas guy anyway, when it comes to soccer.

GO SPAIN!

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Doing Something CRAZY This Summer!

Fitness-wise, that is. Every day in Hollywood is pretty much crazy so that’s a given. I’m talking about my fitness regimen and the biggest change I’ve ever made to it. First off let me tell you where I currently stand:

At 5’10″, I’m weighing in at 167 lbs @ 6.8% body fat. My waist is 30″ and my chest is 40.5″. Compare this to last summer, where I was 155 lbs @ 5% body fat with a 29″ waist and 39″ chest.

Over the course of the last year, I put on some muscle, but also some fat to go along with it. I did want to add a bit of mass, which I have now achieved. The reason for the change I’m about to let you in on, is more experimental than anything. I just want to see what happens to my body when I do what I’m about to do. Prior to this, my workouts consisted primarily of heavy resistance workouts and circuit training for cardio, with hill runs and long walks on the beach thrown in occasionally.

My goal is to drop body fat and a little weight this Summer, but I’m happy I gained some muscle and am pretty much where I want to be, physique wise. I’m aiming for 160 lbs at 5% body fat, which I feel would be perfect for my body type and size. Remember we want to work with our genetics. So now onto the big bang… what am I changing this Summer?

A wild night in Santa Monica last week

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Daily Digest: 7/4/10: Happy 4th of July!

To all you faithful HWBF readers, a big Happy Fourth of July to you all! Make it a fun one this year, it’s 2010! If you plan on partying like a rockstar tonight, you might want to do as I am, and fast up until an hour or two before you start drinking, have a light meal, and let the fun begin! Coupled with a late night drunken munchie meal, you should still be able to maintain below maintenance calories for the day and avoid impeding your goals

If you haven’t already, check out my post on Alcohol and Fitness and how to stay lean while practicing both.

Either way, have a great 4th everyone and I’ll be putting up a very exciting post tomorrow, hangover willing…

These pictures have to do with tomorrow's post - stay tuned!

Fasted Cardio for Fat Loss

The main reason most of us perform cardiovascular exercise is with the intention of burning body fat in mind. There are exceptions – some of us might be training for a sport or athletic event, marathon, triathlon, etc. But generally speaking, we are vain creatures, let’s not lie, and want to achieve a more defined look, which is perfectly normal and okay!

Now wanting to look better and becoming a completely narcissistic person are different matters – but wanting to lean up for Summer or whatever is a positive thing. I want to let you guys in on a little secret to help you achieve that goal faster. Today, we’re going to talk about performing cardio while your body is primed for fat burning. If you see “that guy” or “that girl” at the gym who in grinding away calories but not changing shape or losing fat, well – they’re doing something wrong. You want to get the most “bang for your buck” at the gym so to speak, so learn how to master this technique before your next gym sesh and prepare for some killer results.

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