Welcome to Week 2 of the MenScience Boot Camp series. Last week was just the beginning of your transformation. While Week 1 dealt with helping you get set up, Week 2 is more about execution. You’ll repeat some of the steps from last week, but also make some big changes to your diet, fitness and men’s skincare routine. Let’s get started.
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– Week 2: Nutrition
– Week 2: Fitness
– Week 2: Skin Care
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Men’s Nutrition Checklist for Week 2
In Week 1, we focused on helping you become more aware about your eating habits. This week, we build on that to help you start making some easy diet switches.
1. Weigh yourself. From now on, you should be weighing yourself once a week at the same time – in the morning before breakfast. Any more than that and you can get easily discouraged; weight fluctuates greatly throughout the day, so the morning is the best time to get the most accurate number.
2. Review your food journal. Take a look and spot the obvious diet busters: sweets, sodas and fried foods. Also, take a look at the time of the day you eat. If you’re eating late at night before bed, that’s one habit you should consider changing. And don’t stop writing – keeping track of your food intake is essential to your success.
3. If you want to lose weight, cut 500 calories from your daily caloric needs. If you don’t remember the formula, head back to week 1. Once you have the number calories you’re currently consuming, cut 500 from it. This is where your food journal and label reading from last week come in – replace the unhealthy foods in your diet with healthier options such as these fat burning-foods for men. Also, make sure you’re eating at least at least .8 grams of protein for each pound you weigh (e.g. 160 pounds=128 grams). It’ll help you retain muscle as you lose weight.
4. If you want to gain weight in the form of lean muscle mass, make sure you’re not cutting too many calories from your diet, and substitute some carbs and fats with protein. If you want to be bigger, you obviously need to eat enough calories and protein. If you’re not getting between 2,000 and 2,500 calories, then consider adding 500 calories to your daily intake; this will help you gain 1 pound of week. But just because you’re supposed to be eating more calories doesn’t mean you can eat more junk food. You should be getting at eat at least 1 gram of protein for each pound you weigh. A men’s whey protein powder is a healthy, delicious way to boost your protein intake. For more examples of great protein-rich foods for men, read “Top 10 Power Foods for Men.”
5. Take a multivitamin. Even healthy diets leave nutritional gaps. A men’s multivitamin will supply your body with the right amount of nutrients it needs to burn fat, gain muscle and support overall health levels. For more information on how a men’s multivitamin can benefit you, check out this multivitamin supplement article.
Men’s Fitness Checklist for Week 2
Last week, you should have developed a workout routine that incorporates both cardio and weight-training. This week, we’re offering some pointers on getting the most out of each workout.
1. Stretch before and after a workout. This is easy to forget, but it’s essential to avoiding injury during your workout. Do 2-3 minutes of light-stretching prior to every workout to help loosen up and prepare your body for the ensuing workout. After exercise, do a similar cool down stretch
2. When doing cardio, don’t do too much too soon. Resist the urge to be a hero. If you’re using a treadmill, stick to a beginner range; anywhere between a 3-4 speed level is a good starting point. Same goes for other cardio machines. If you’re playing sports outside, don’t strain yourself this week. When you’re tired, call it a day. Consider a pre-workout supplement for men to boost calorie burn and fat loss during workouts.
3. When doing strength-training, take repetitions into account. If you want to build muscle, opt for heavier weights and lower repetitions (the number of times you perform an exercise in one set); 8-10 is enough. If you want to a leaner, more toned look, choose lighter weights and higher repetitions; 12-15 is key. In both cases you want to use enough weight to take your body to the point in which it feels really tired after several sets. You should also consider taking a men’s creatine supplement and men’s anabolic activator formula to maximize muscle growth.
4. Take a CLA supplement. Conjugated linoleic acid has been show to further support muscle-growth processes. CLA is an omega-6 fatty acid that is naturally found in lean muscle tissue. Taking it in supplement form is a fast and efficient way to absorb it, but make sure you get activated CLA isomers to maximize bioavailabilty to your muscles.
Men’s Skincare Checklist for Week 2
Since we focused on face care last week, it makes sense to focus on body care this week. Read on to learn more about keeping your skin young, fresh and healthy.
1. Use a men’s body wash. Do not use a face wash anywhere other than your face. The skin on your body is thicker and oilier than the skin on your face, so it needs its own cleanser for deep cleaning. By using a body wash for men with salicylic acid and other powerful skincare ingredients, you’ll ensure your body stays clear of acne breakouts and looks its best.
2. Moisturize. To avoid dry, flaky skin, use a men’s moisturizer immediately after showering. This is when your pores are open, allowing for maximum absorption. Be sure to apply a moisturizer for men on problem areas such as the elbows and knees; these are more prone to dryness. Check out “5 Dry Skin Causes for Men” for more information on dry skin.
3. Exfoliate. One way to exfoliate (remove dead skin cells) from your body is to use a men’s body scrub. Because of its deep-cleaning properties, a men’s body scrub shouldn’t be use more than 2-3 times a week; anything more than that and you’ll increase the risk of skin irritation. Another option is to combine a men’s daily body wash with buff body gloves. These gloves are made of micromesh, which gently removes buildup from pores and fights back acne.
