Garry Y. Itkin

Getting back into the groove: Exercising after a long break.

According to Garry Y. Itkin, returning to an exercise program after a long break can pose quite a challenge. This person may need to rediscover the intangibles such as motivation and inspiration in order to get back into the groove.

Garry Y. Itkin shares two ways to return to a fitness program after a long layoff.

Take it one step at a time.

A lot of people who’ve taken a long break are more than eager to jump right back into the thick of things. This is not the way to do it, Garry Y. Itkin says. Muscles lose mass and strength over periods without training. They need proper conditioning to get used to the old kind of intensity. When people are overwhelmed during their first few workout sessions back, they feel overwhelmed, and worse, even frustrated.

To remedy this, Garry Y. Itkin mentions that people start small, with low-intensity movements, lighter weights, and less reps.

Renew the old commitment.

Starting again is surprisingly hard. Ask Garry Y. Itkin. He’s done it multiple times. To overcome the initial mental hurdle, there needs to be a level of commitment that equals or even surpasses that of previous fitness and workout cycles. According to Garry Y. Itkin, people can begin with setting a schedule and planning it out. They need to keep their minds focused on their main goal and not be distracted by anything else along the way.

College fitness series: Is P90X worth your time?

It’s not uncommon to find fitness DVDs in garage sales. Take, for instance, college fitness enthusiast Garry Y. Itkin, who found and picked up a set of Beachbody.com’s P90X DVDs at a very affordable price.

In today’s blog, Garry Y. Itkin shares his a few facts and insights on the P90X program, so people may know if it’s worth their time.

Tony Horton knows what he’s talking about.

Every original fitness program is only as good as the person who developed it, and the man behind P90X, Tony Horton, sure knows what he’s talking about. He’s separated many of the workout routines and their schedules in ways that a lot of the best gym trainers would.

The workouts are highly modifiable.

A huge plus for Garry Y. Itkin when it comes to workouts is that it can be done by anyone of any fitness level. And anyone can do P90X. Sure, it may take a bit of getting used to, and some routines are harder than others, but because their modifiable, they can be made easier or more difficult.

It’s fun.

Why do a workout or anything at all if you’re not enjoying yourself? What’s the point? And this is what Garry Y. Itkin says about P90X. People on the videos with Tony are loads of fun, and Tony himself is a great motivator. Which is, of course, another huge plus.

Why everyone should take nutrition seriously.

One of the common questions Garry Y. Itkin has heard from people he trains with is why they haven’t been losing weight or why they haven’t been losing inches off their bellies. Nine out of ten times, Garry Y. Itkin discovers the problem to be lack of proper nutrition.

A lot people who enter fitness mistakenly believe that they can lose all the weight they want through working out. However, the truth of the matter is exercise is only a small part of weight loss and overall fitness. In fact, exercise may only be around 15 to 20 percent of weight loss. The other 80 to 85 percent can be found with all the things that people eat. Proper nutrition is the biggest factor in hitting and maintaining one’s ideal weight.

While the main frustration of a lot of people is their lack of progress as indicated by the weighing scale, Garry Y. Itkin mentions that a lot of them are to blame for not taking nutrition seriously. They may go on a diet for a few days, but then binge on booze and the wrong kind of food. However, Garry Y. Itkin also notes that even the smallest tweaks to one’s diet can lead to the most amazing transformations.

The keys though, like all things in health and fitness, are to take it seriously and to do it consistently.

Easy affordable and nutritious: Cheesy egg on toast.

Garry Y. Itkin has always maintained that a healthy and fit lifestyle can be affordable as well. People just need to know how to go about it.

For this blog, Garry Y. Itkin shares another cheap, but healthy and oh-so-tasty recipe for college students on the go. The ingredients and instructions can be found below.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup grated cheese

2 teaspoons butter

1 medium-sized egg

1 sliced bread

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven or the stove before placing the ingredients.
Create a pocket in the center of the bread slice with a spoon, but be careful not to create an actual hole in the bread.
Butter the edges of the slice and then crack the egg in the center.
For that cheesy flavor, put shredded cheese on the edges before putting the bread in the oven. As for the cheese, some people actually suggest using cheddar or mozzarella cheese for that gooey savory taste.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the egg to taste.
If one desires to fully cook the eggs, wait a few more minutes before taking it out of the oven.

On that note, Garry Y. Itkin reiterates that for most people, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And with only these five ingredients, a college student can enjoy a fantastic morning meal and have the energy to conquer a rigorous and activity-filled day ahead.

Intensifying your basketball game on your way to fitness.

College life demands you to find ways to do the things you need to do at the least cost on your budget. Garry Y. Itkin believes that instead of adding another expense by enrolling in a private gym to shed off pounds, you can get deeper into a sport you are already familiar with by speeding up and intensifying your game to get better fitness results.

If, like Gary, basketball is your thing, this blog is definitely for you. However, you must first realize that there’s regular basketball, and then there’s intense basketball. If your type of basketball is rather passive, where you nonchalantly perform on the floor, you won’t get better in terms of fitness, or skill for that matter.

First, you need to ramp up on your offensive game by creating more situations for yourself and your teammates, says Garry Y. Itkin. To do this, you need to cut to the basket more often rather than wait from the outside until the ball finds you. In any case, you can always cutback and curl to the outside to receive an assist pass.

Be more active in offensive rebounding. When one of your teammates takes a shot, assume that it won’t go in, and crash the boards to get another attempt at the basket if need be. If the shot goes in, get back down on defense as fast as you can, and quickly find a man to defend.

When it comes to defense, commit to your offensive man and make it difficult for him to move, suggests Garry Y. Itkin. React quickly to his shots, block his passing lanes, and most of all, stick to him as he moves across the floor. This will compel you to move faster than your opponent, because defense is, just rightfully, a game of anticipation. Do all of these to the letter and you will realize your fitness goals in no time, free of charge. As a welcome bonus, you will become a faster and better basketball player, too.

How to prepare simple Bolognese spaghetti.

Students in college can surely use an added survival skill or two, just to make school life a bit more manageable. Truly, there are many skills that are helpful, and one of them is cooking easy meals. In this blog, Garry Y. Itkin shares one of the easiest and most delicious meals to prepare, which is Bolognese spaghetti.

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground beef 1 bottle of ready-made marinara sauce 4 cloves of garlic, minced 1 medium onion, chopped Salt and pepper to taste olive oil water 250 grams of uncooked spaghetti noodles 1 bottle of grated parmesan cheese

Start by setting a cooking pot on medium heat. Add in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil after a few seconds. Once the oil is hot enough, put in the minced garlic until it is a bit brown, but not burnt. Then, put in the chopped onion. According to Garry Y. Itkin, the moisture from the onion prevents the garlic from getting toasted.

Saute for a few seconds, and add the ground beef. The fat from the beef will melt and it would seem that the oil will increase, but this adds to the overall flavor of the dish. Add some salt and pepper to taste and let the boiling juices cook the meat further. Afterwards, pour in the marinara sauce, and let simmer for about ten minutes.

Prepare a stock pot and boil about 2 liters of water with some salt. Once this comes to a rolling boil, pour in the uncooked noodles. In cooking the noodles, Garry Y. Itkin reminds you to cook them “al dente”, or just right to the bite. Once the noodles are cooked, place them in a strainer and run under the tap. Once drained, serve some noodles on a plate and top with the sauce and some grated parmesan. It’s time to eat.

A look at diet plans for the active trainer.

Garry Y. Itkin is all about health and fitness, and he shares what he knows on this site to readers everywhere.

For this blog, Garry Y. Itkin looks at some of the best diet plans for athletes, CrossFitters, or anyone who regularly engages in high-intensity workouts.

Protein, protein, and protein: No other type of food is more important to the development and growth of the muscles than protein. As such, people who actively train need at least 30% of protein in their daily diet. The more serious individuals calculate their protein intake, with the rule of thumb being 0.5g or 1g of protein for every kilogram of bodyweight. Sometimes, if a person truly engages in intense daily workouts, they take 1.25g of protein for every kilogram of bodyweight.

Functional carbohydrates: While some keto enthusiasts may balk at the idea of consuming carbs, Garry Y. Itkin mentions that some carbs are as good as energy sources. These functional carbs, which come in the form of sweet potatoes, fruits, and other veggies, are great for digestion as well. They are also abundant in glycogen, which is stored in both the muscles and liver and can help a person get through intense training sessions.

Protein shakes: Back to protein-centric food, Garry Y. Itkin explains that most of the time, people fail to hit their required daily protein intake. Protein shakes help them reach the number. Whey protein and other supplements are a great addition to one’s diet.

Fitness corner: Is P90X a good investment?

Fitness enthusiast Garry Y. Itkin has been busy writing and releasing a number of informative and educational blogs about health and fitness. For today, he looks at one of the most popular fitness trends to come out in the 21st century – fitness videos from Beachbody.com, specifically Tony Horton’s P90X series.

The question is, is P90X a good investment?

Garry Y. Itkin managed to borrow a couple of P90X DVDs from his friend in order to come up with his own definitive review on it.

First off, Garry Y. Itkin was surprised at the number of programs in P90X. There are a couple of cardio programs, a majority of it are bodybuilding programs, and there’s even a yoga video for rest days.

Garry Y. Itkin tried a few programs himself and the difficulty level definitely raised his eyebrows. He didn’t expect it to be as hard as it was, even with moderate weights. However, he believes anyone can overcome it over time.

So, as far as if it’s a good investment is concerned, Garry Y. Itkin believes it to be so, since it will take a person a few months to get used to, way more than the 90 days Tony Horton promises.

And even if a person manages to complete the entire 90-day program, Garry Y. Itkin explains that it can easily be modified to make things more challenging.

Amazing stretches people can learn from golfers.

Garry Y. Itkin believes in an all-around approach to fitness. He has also advocated the study of different sports to help fitness enthusiasts incorporate more elements on their journey toward their goals.

For this blog, Garry looks at golf, specifically, the stretches golfers do that can benefit almost anyone looking to be stronger and more flexible.

Lying Shoulder Rotations: While lying on the back, stretch out the arms to the side, perpendicular to the body. Close the fists and have the thumbs up. Rotate the hand back until the thumbs touch the floor, then rotate forward. The shoulders should feel a good stretch.

Pelvic Tilts: This is an easy way to see how flexible the pelvis is. First, assume the five-iron posture, with the arms across the chest. Tilt the pelvis forward, then in the opposite direction.

Toe Touches: One of the most basic stretches in fitness is the toe touch. With legs shoulder-width apart and without bending at the knees, bend forward from the waist and try to touch the toes with the fingertips. This stretches most of the major muscles of the back.

What’s your favorite stretch? What stretch helps you the most? Feel free to share your thoughts with Garry Y. Itkin in the comments section below.

Keeping one’s mind healthy during a pandemic

While Garry Y. Itkin typically blogs about how to keep one’s body in tiptop shape, today, he plans on making a slight change; Garry will share tips on how people can keep their minds sharp and healthy.

A huge part of the overall effect of the current global health crisis is psychological. With a majority of people locked in their homes, anxiety levels are up. And this is just for people who have no mental issues. For those with existing psychological problems, things can be so much worse.

Garry Y. Itkin believes that the first step in helping the mind stave off a mental health crisis is to stay busy. There are several ways to achieve this, especially in lockdown, and even if people have to stay in the same place for long periods.

If people are working from home, there are already ways to keep one’s mind busy. Garry Y. Itkin explains that in many ways, tasks that involve the combination of both the mind and body are more effective in keeping the mind busy.

Exploring one’s home, for instance, may seem like a rather mundane task at first, but it does have its merits, for the home and one’s mind. Picking up new hobbies that lean toward art or fitness is another great way to get those neurons firing. And starting a journal or one’s autobiography that recalls one past is a great mental exercise, Garry Y. Itkin adds.