Category: Recovery

Break The Fast

8/30/2017

You may have heard the saying, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” and that statement may very well be true. I’ll take the previous statement a little further and say consistently eating a smart breakfast is vital to performance success. When you get up in the morning, your body has not taken in fuel for a long period of time. By eating as soon as possible after you wake up, it allows your body to attain the fuel it needs to jump start your engine, think clearly, regulate blood sugar, and replenish muscle and liver glycogen that may have depleted during rest. By consistently eating and replenishing our bodies, we set ourselves up to perform at an optimum level. At TCF, we constantly stress the importance of recovering and replenishing your body with quality foods.

Here are a few TCF recipes that make for a quality breakfast.

TCF Loaded Scrambled Egg Whites with Avocado and Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 2 Tbsp
2 (5”) Sweet Potatoes - Cut into 1 ¼ inch cubes
“All Whites” 100% Liquid Egg Whites – 16oz
1 Avocado
1 cup of diced Onions
4 Handfuls of Baby Spinach
Cherry Tomatoes – to taste

Directions: Cut Sweet Potatoes into cubes and put on a sheet pan. Top lightly with olive oi and bake at 375 degrees for 25 mins. Cook egg whites in a frying pan with spinach, and onions. When finished add diced cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and avocado.

Makes 2 Servings:
Per Serving:
Cals: 477
Fat: 24g
Carbs: 36g
Fiber: 7g
Sugar: 6g
Protein: 29g

- TCF Scrambled Egg Whites and Turkey
Ingredients

“All Whites” 100% Liquid Egg Whites – 24oz
Simple Truth Natural Ground Turkey 93% Lean
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
4 Handfuls of Baby Spinach

Directions: Cook the ground turkey in a frying pan with a little olive oil. Add egg whites and the veggies. Cook until done and serve while hot.

Makes 4 Servings
Per Serving:
Cals: 288
Fat: 8g
Sat Fat: 2g
Carbs: 12g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 40g

These recipes make multiple servings that can be warmed up for "Breakfast on the go." - Enjoy

0 Comments

Lower Body Rollout

7/8/2014

0 Comments

By: Tom Campbell Fitness

The next portion of our Rollout Series focuses on our legs.

Coaching points to think about:

Rock/saw technique
Pin down method: apply pressure to the trigger point and work the adjacent joint

From the knee down:

Quads, glutes, and IT band:

Tom Campbell Fitness © NCSF- Certified Personal Trainer Starkville, MS

0 Comments

From the Ground Up

6/9/2014

0 Comments

By: Tom Campbell Fitness

In the athletic world, a phrase that is used rather frequently is “everything starts from the ground up.” This saying is so true, but it not only pertains to sports. Your foot placement determines your body position which determines your posture and ultimately your performance. One aspect that is important to athletic performance is the body’s ability to exert force and power i.e. jumping, sprinting, running. In doing so, the body becomes stressed, and it carries excess tension in the form of knots. Everyday living can also contribute to tension and the formation of knots. Rolling out our feet daily will limit tension and stress and therefore increase our performance.

How to roll out your feet:

You can use a golf ball or lacrosse ball to get the same affect.

Tom Campbell Fitness © NCSF- Certified Personal Trainer Starkville, MS

0 Comments

The Art of Foam Rolling

6/3/2014

0 Comments

By: Tom Campbell Fitness

If you have been in a gym setting within the last two – three years, there is a pretty decent chance that you have witnessed someone with or using a foam roller. It is becoming a common occurrence in most gyms. Having said that, it is important to identify what we are trying to accomplish and benefit from with foam rolling (or rolling out.) If you are rolling out correctly, it can be a tremendous benefit in injury prevention, recovery, posture, and performance.

What is foam rolling or rolling out?

Rolling out is another term for myofascial release (a slightly more scientific term.) Myo = muscle and Fascia = connective tissue around the muscle. Myofascial = refers to the soft tissue of the body. Soft tissue has the ability to contract and stretch, and that plays a significant role in the way we move and perform.

Over time our soft tissue will develop restrictions or problem areas that prohibit proper movement i.e. Trigger points, knots, fascial tension, and adhesions.

Our main goal while foam rolling is to identify the problem areas, and to get those muscles to release. We can do this by exploring daily and by working on the problem areas that arise. Understand that rolling out is a daily activity and your problem areas will change.

Over the next few weeks I’ll feature the TCF Foam Rolling Series…..So stay tuned.

Tom Campbell Fitness ©            NCSF - Certified Personal Trainer       Starkville, MS

0 Comments

Two Beneficial Mobility Exercises

4/21/2014

0 Comments

By Tom Campbell Fitness

We’re continuing with the flexibility/mobility series today, and we’re focusing on two exercises that may be beneficial to you. The first mobility exercise is called a wall hip flexor mobilization. This exercise focuses on lengthening the rectus femoris which is extremely important for flexibility, strength and posture. The rectus femoris is a hip flexor and a knee extensor, therefore making it vital for sports performance and general health. By lengthening the rectus femoris, it improves posture and allows the glutes to function properly. This is an amazing mobility stretch to add to your routine.

Rectus femoris is in red

The second mobilization exercise that we’re talking about is called a supine bridge with a reach. This exercise is beneficial in developing flexibility in our thoracic spine (the middle part of your back.) This is beneficial for rotational athletes (baseball players, track throwers, golfers, etc.) and it also helps with everyday living. While completing this exercise, try to keep your hips straight and rotate in the middle part of the back.

I highly encourage you to give these two exercises a try.

0 Comments

Downward Dog, Heel Press, and Spider-man

4/7/2014

0 Comments

By: Tom Campbell Fitness

Today we’re focusing on our flexibility series! Developing and maintaining flexibility is absolutely vital to general daily activities, as well as sport performance. As we age, our flexibility deteriorates mainly due to a sedentary lifestyle. This becomes even more of an issue for people who sit at a desk all day long. Below are three stretches for you to incorporate into your daily routine that emphasize lower body flexibility throughout the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, and calves) and the hip flexors.

As a certified personal trainer, I want to emphasize the importance of stretching the lower half of the body while maintaining good posture throughout the upper body. This concept is extremely important in our effort in maintaining core stability.

Ease your way into these stretches and remember to breathe- there will be more to come.

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!!

Tom Campbell Fitness NCSF - Certified Personal Trainer Starkville, MS

0 Comments

The Importance of Stretching

4/1/2014

0 Comments

By: Tom Campbell Fitness

I am often asked about stretching. How important is it to stretch? How long do I need to stretch? Do I need to stretch before or after exercise? These are all valid questions, and I’m sure everyone has heard several different answers from numerous media sources over the years. I have also noticed that stretching is an often overlooked aspect in an exercise program. However, I feel we need to identify and determine what we’re trying to accomplish with a stretching regimen.

When we stretch, the objective is to gain or maintain flexibility. Flexibility simply refers to the range of motion in our joints, and the length of the muscles that cross the joints. Improvement in posture, reduced risk of injury, less muscle tension and decreased soreness are a few of the benefits of being flexible. Also, an individual needs to be flexible to perform daily activities easily and effectively. As we age, flexibility tends to deteriorate more, and it is usually due to a sedentary lifestyle.

It is vital to warm-up with movement before exercising; this concept is called a dynamic warm-up. Dynamic warm-ups allow the body to gradually increase blood flow to the muscles that are going to be worked, and it excites the central nervous system for the workout. It will increase performance and reduce the risk of injury.

The most opportune time to stretch is immediately after you are finished exercising. This works well due to the fact that our muscles are already warm from exercising, and a warm muscle is a perfect candidate to be stretched. This is a deliberate act to increase our range of motion and it should not be rushed. It is also extremely important to remember to breathe and to not force the stretch.

Over the next few weeks, I will feature some excellent stretches that you may find beneficial – stay tuned!!

0 Comments

Break The Fast

Lower Body Rollout

From the Ground Up

The Art of Foam Rolling

Two Beneficial Mobility Exercises

Downward Dog, Heel Press, and Spider-man

The Importance of Stretching

Tom Campbell

Archives

Categories