Posted on Monday March 08, 2010 by Pete


Most Americans when they prepare their tea in the morning reach for the box of tea bags. This is in contrast to most other countries where tea is brewed directly from the loose leaves. Are Americans missing out on taste and potential health benefits when they brew their tea from bags.  Here are some of the more compelling benefits of loose leaf tea:




Benefits of loose leaf tea: Loose leaf teas tend to be of higher quality


When you buy loose leaf tea, you're getting whole, loose leaves with all of their essential oils intact. In contrast, the leaves that go into tea bags are leaf fragments and tea dust left over during the processing and picking of the tea leaves. The dry leaf fragments and tea dust placed into tea bags lack the essential oils found in the whole leaves and tend to be of vastly inferior quality compared to loose leaf teas.

Benefits of loose leaf tea: Flavor

Because you're getting the full leaf along with the essential oils when you purchase loose leaf tea, in most cases you're going to have superior flavor compared to tea bags. The best way to compare is to brew a glass of green tea using a traditional tea bag and one using loose leaf tea. Take a sip and let your taste buds determine which is more pleasing to you. In most cases, you'll end up choosing the loose leaf tea over tea prepared from tea bags. Be sure to use fresh tea leaves when preparing your cup of tea since tea leaves tend to loose some of their flavor and health benefits after six months.

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Posted on Monday March 01, 2010 by Pete


"Hi Pete. Well its been about almost a month since you answered my question as how to manage weight loss and muscle gain. Since than following your advice I have lost 12lbs+, along with very noticeable changes to my arms and overall physique. I'm receiving compliments but more importantly I'm gaining confidence. My total weight loss to date since Dec is at 35LBS+. (I keep saying + because I don't want to weigh myself before my actual weigh-in on Saturday. However I'm confident I lost this week though) my next concern that's lingering in the back of my head though is this...I have a significant amount of weight to lose. I started at 351LBS and now down to 317LBS as of last Saturday. I notice that my neck has thinned out but there is skin not as tight as i would like it too be, since I'm able to pull it. I'm concerned that this may start to occur in other places as well later down the road and be even worse. I always hear difference of opinions on the matter as to whether or not the body will respond to heavy training and tighten all the skin. Or that there is no cure for the extra skin other than surgery. What are your thoughts on this? Again Pete thanks so much for your time and advice. It's nice to have someone as acknowledgeable and busy as yourself take time out to help us Joe Schmoes out. It's deeply appreciated that you are going through all this work with the blog. Thanks! Bro"


"Hi Pete, Love your blog. You are an inspiration. After reading your site, I started working out and I've gone from 270 pounds with 50% fat to 190 pounds with 35% fat. So I've lost about 65 pounds of fat :) but also about 12 pounds of muscle :( in this same period. My goal weight is 175 pounds with 10% fat so I need to lose about 50 pounds of fat while gaining about 35 pounds of muscle. Is this possible to do at once? Or do I have to focus on losing fat first and then focus on building muscle second (or the other way around)? Pete, I know this is a very specific question and I'm happy to pay you for advice on creating a personal nutrition and exercise plan. Or would you recommend somebody to work with me up in the San Francisco/San Jose area? Thanks man!"


-Peter

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Posted on Monday February 22, 2010 by Pete


Here is a video clip of me doing some rear delt exercises.  The rear delts are often a forgotten target during shoulder workouts.  Many people have overdeveloped side and front delts, which causes their shoulders to slope forward and can negatively impact their posture.


-Peter  View...







Posted on Thursday February 18, 2010 by Pete


Here is a clip from earlier today training shoulders and traps.  In this clip, you see me doing Smith Machine Shrugs, Machine Lateral Raises, and Front Raises.  This gives you a sense of how I train my shoulders.   This does not comprise my entire workout, but just gives you a glimpse into it.


-Peter  View...




Tags: Shoulders  Traps  Workouts 



Posted on Monday February 15, 2010 by Pete


"I am also moderately hariy, I hate it, I attempted to shave my chest before but it left it prickly and with razor burn. How do you do a body shave and make the hair dissappear and no razor burn?"


"Hi Pete! my question is:my goal is to gain 10 -15 lbs of muscle to my frame.Currently im training 4-5 days a week lifting as much as i can to at least make 3 reps of 8.im doing at least 6 excercises per muscle group.i knocked my cardio down from 30-40 minutes to 20 minutes 4-5 days a week.But im thinking of of cutting back to 3 days of cardio a week(so that im not taking away from my 1st goal)am i doing this right? thanks in advance for your response-kenneth"


"Hey Pete love the blog! I want to get into the workout scene but I really do not know where to start.I have started doing some cardio because I want to lose some weight and eventually get a really athletic, cut body, but I do not know what I should be doing to achieve this. I do not know much about working out or eating to gain muscle mass. I have looked online but there is so much information to sort through that it gets really confusing. What would be my best resource? Thanks!"

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