Keeping Fit is A Daily Battle

If you bulk co enzyme 10 trying to build up muscle or burn off the fat and your eating habits are not optimal… this letter is for you. It’s the 4 (four) Rules of Nutrition.

Normally I don’t like to use the word ‘rule’ as it sounds like I’m being an absolutist and it’s my way or the highway. That isn’t how I mean it at all. But generally speaking, if you aren’t doing these 4 things when it comes to nutrition, you will not succeed at your performance goals.

What exactly is a rule?

“A generalized statement that describes what is true in most or all cases” – Dictionary.com

For starters, I’ve been receiving a whole lot of emails recently from people who are desperate to build muscle quickly or to burn off some fat for an event (wedding comes to mind). These people don’t track what they eat and have no idea about what to eat, when to eat or why eating frequently would be something they would even want to do.

More often then not, when you mention frequent eating, the first response goes like, “There’s no way I can eat 5-6 big meals a day!”

Frankly, if you are not following these simple rules, it’s not really shocking you aren’t getting to where you want.

[Print this letter out NOW before you forget and for 2 days, monitor your own eating habits. If you are not following these rules, you have found a problem that you can easily solve without spending a dime.]

:: Nutrition Rule #1 ::

Always eat at least 5 times a day. Two or three meals simply isn’t enough. Two of the meals can be considered snacks as long as the nutrition ratios are correct as I’m about to describe in Rule 2.

Why is eating so frequently a must they ask?

* blood sugar levels will be controlled (you won’t be as famished as your friends who binge on anything in sight as they are starving*

* you will be feeding yourself protein throughout the entire day. This means you will be anabolic and supporting muscle growth (more muscle = leaner you). Your recovery will be better.

* body fat will not be stored but used as energy. By providing yourself with a steady flow of required calories thru the day, your body’s need to store it as fat will be reduced. Compared this to when you eat infrequently and your body detects this as a famine situation. At this point, too much of the food you consume is stored as fat.

:: Nutrition Rule #2 ::

In planning each of your daily meals (or snacks), a caloric ratio of approximately 1 part fat, 2 parts protein, and 3 parts carbohydrate is a good place to begin. What you will see in Rule 3 below, is this is just an estimate for average people. You can adjust this to fit your needs. Keep in mind, you do not want to eliminate the healthy fats from your diet.

This rule preaches consuming enough protein to support muscle growth and enough carbohydrates to ensure you have fuel for your workouts and you are able to recovery.

Low glycemic carbs are optimal for the choices in this stage. Remember that carbohydrates are your body’s preferred fuel source!

:: Nutrition Rule #3 ::

Ask yourself, “What am I going to be doing in the next hour?” If you won’t be active, then lower the amount of carbs you consume; if you will be training, then bump up the carbs you will consume so you’ll have the energy to train. Alter your carbohydrate intake depending on your anticipated activities.

Remember that low glycemic carbs are optimal for pre- workout consumption.

:: Nutrition Rule #4 ::

If you want to build muscle and lose fat at the same time? Pick a new goal.

Simply put:

Building muscle requires a calorie surplus.

Burning fat requires a calorie deficit.

As you can see, clearly the goals are in conflict. And while it’s true that beginners can do both (their bodies are easily changed) the rest of you will natural deanol bitartrate this an inefficient task.

It’s best to alternate periods of negative calorie balance with periods of positive calorie balance You’ll ultimately build more muscle and burn more fat if you simply pick a single goal.

:: Secret Nutrition Rule 5 ::

I’m not entirely sure I agree with this one but it does make realistic sense to the common person who has a job, maybe married with kids and can’t be a full time cook or simply doesn’t have the time to prepare foods.

This rule says that it’s almost impossible to get all of the nutrients your body needs to remain healthy and active from food alone; especially if you are on some sort of diet. Therefore, it is important to supplement your diet with vitamins, minerals and carefully selected supplements.

Let’s get real here (I fully expect fall-out from this statement)… I’m not preaching you HAVE to take supplements. In fact, many programs out there including my own do not require it any way shape or form. And if you can carefully select your foods, you will be just fine.

Personally I know of one bodybuilder who doesn’t take any supplements and is ripped to sheds and his workouts make me cry. He’s dedicated and proves every time he steps into the gym, natural, supplement-free bodybuilding is the way to go.

But it’s crazy not to at least mention the arguments for this secret nutrition rule because as a bodybuilder myself with a life and who’s occasionally time constrained, these next points happen to most of us.

There’s not a person who’s reading this letter now that hasn’t felt like, no matter how hard you try, no matter how good a cook you are, or where you buy your food:

* You cannot always eat 5-6 times a day

* There are instances when your body might need a certain substance in greater amounts then you and provide with food alone

* Soil depletion has left some foods less nutritious then you would expect. If you shop organic and are extremely careful in your selection, you might avoid this but for us big stores discount shoppers, an apple isn’t always an apple.

* Periods of high stress sometimes lead to higher nutrient needs without an increase in caloric needs.

:: Additional Tips ::

* Eliminate the junk food. Refined sugars and processed foods are usually higher in fats. Neither of these things will be beneficial to you. All these foods really do is promote a rise in your blood sugar level and then a swift decline. You’ll end up hungrier than before.

* Drink plenty of water a day. A really quick formula is to drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces. Drink water during the day in 15 minute increments; not all at once. It replaces water loss from exercise and keeps you hydrated. Your body is 55-75% water you know!

* Determine your daily protein needs. As you know, protein is required for muscle growth. By ensuring that you are getting enough protein all throughout the day, you will keep your nitrogen levels high and your body in a anabolic (growth and repair) state.

* Consume foods higher in fiber. Not only does fiber help lower your cholesterol but it helps lower the glycemic response of some meals and aids in efficient digestion.

* Increase your lean body weight thru resistance training. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. The more calories you burn, the leaner you can be. If you want to burn more fat then build more muscle. By having more muscle, you also strengthen joints, tendons, ligaments and bones for greater overall health. Building muscle is a primary goal of any program! Even people who want to burn fat should build muscle as it aids in doing exactly that.

Copyright 2008 Marc David

Health News Motivation Sexual Fitness

Testosterone is the principle male hormone and a decline in testosterone directly affects male libido. Testosterone levels can decline due to certain psychological and physical factors. However, it is possible to raise testosterone naturally through adopting a healthy lifestyle, good diet, regular exercise, less stress and natural supplements.

Studies indicate that you lose about 1% testosterone every year. Though the decline is harmless in the short term, but it is a cause of

* Obesity
* Brittle Bones
* Muscle Loss and
* Impotence

by the time you reach 60. The changes are slow but evident. Moreover, this decline begins after 30 and you on an average lose around 10% a decade. So by the time you are 40, the effects become more profound.

What is a cause of concern is that usually it goes undiagnosed until you visit your doctor with a telltale complaint: “I can’t get an erection.”

Doctors advice to have your testosterone levels checked if you have reduced levels of sexual desire or libido. You can replenish your depleting testosterone with injections, gels, pills or patches but these medical treatments and synthetic driugs do not come without adverse side effects which include acne, high cholesterol, shrunken testicles and liver damage.

The best alternative is to have an natural or herbal pill that does not have side effects and acts as an HGH releaser which helps your body to increase it’s own production of grwoth hormone. An increase in growth hormone not only raises testosterone production but also helps your body to reverse age effects significantly.

Men with borderline testosterone scores, can raise their levels through exercise and weight loss before going on testosterone therapy. And it might pay to start young. Since your testosterone declines at a steady rate, it’s conceivable that raising your hormone levels naturally in your 20s and 30s could help you maintain higher levels later on. Either way, the reward can be a stronger physique and better bedroom sessions than you’d otherwise deserve.

Below are 13 tips designed to get your juice up — safely.

Get Rid of the Flopping Belly

Excess body fat is likely to elevate your estrogen levels which affects testosterone negatively. Though 2 or 3 extra pounds do not matter and will not cause any change in hormone levels, the hormonal shift takes place if you are 30% over your ideal body weight. Unfortunately due to improper eating habits and lack of physical activity, this is fairly common now.

But Lose Only One Pound a Week

When you want to lose weight quickly, you probably starve yourself. One of the many reasons this stops working in your 30s, when your natural testosterone levels start dropping, is pretty simple: Cutting your calorie intake by more than 15 percent makes your brain think you’re starving, so it shuts down testosterone production to wait out the famine since it is functioned in a way that there’s no need to reproduce if you’re starving. Ironically, this dive in circulating testosterone stops you from burning body fat efficiently, so you’re actually thwarting your hard efforts to melt that tire off your gut.

Skip the Atkins Fad

Research suggests that eating a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet can cramp your testosterone levels. High amounts of dietary protein in your blood can eventually lower the amount of testosterone produced in your testes as observed in a study of 12 healthy, athletic men.

Your protein intake should be about 16 percent of your daily calories. So, if you’re the average 170-pound man who eats 2,900 calories a day, you should eat about 140 grams of protein daily, which is about the amount in two chicken breasts and a 6-ounce can of tuna.

Have Morning Sex

German scientists found that simply having an erection causes your circulating testosterone to rise significantly — and having one in the morning can goose your natural post-dawn testosterone surge. It’s a sure bet you’ll burn a little fat, too.

Stick With Tough Exercises

To beef up your testosterone levels, the bulk of your workout should involve “compound” weight-lifting exercises that train several large muscle groups, and not just one or two smaller muscles. For example, studies have shown that doing squats, bench presses or back rows increases testosterone more than doing biceps curls or triceps pushdowns, even though the effort may seem the same. This is why doing squats could help you build bigger biceps.

Make Nuts Your Midnight Snack

Nuts are good for your nuts. Research has found that men who ate diets rich in monounsaturated fat — the kind found in peanuts — had the highest testosterone levels.It’s not known why this occurs, but some scientists believe that monounsaturated fats have a direct effect on the testes. Nuts, olive oil, canola oil and peanut butter are good sources of monounsaturated fat.

Squeeze Out Five Repetitions per Set

Throwing around 5-pound dumbbells won’t help you effect a rise in testosterone. Start off by using a heavy weight that you can lift only five times. That weight is about 85 percent of your one-repetition maximum. A Finnish study found that this workload produced the greatest boosts in testosterone.

Do Three Sets of Each Weight-Lifting Movement

Researchers at Penn State determined that this fosters greater increases in testosterone than just one or two sets. Rest a full minute between sets, so you can regain enough strength to continue lifting at least 70 percent of your one-rep maximum during the second and third sets.

Rest Harder Than You Work Out

If you overtrain — meaning you don’t allow your body to recuperate adequately between training sessions — your circulating testosterone levels can plunge by as much as 40 percent, according to a study at the University of North Carolina. The symptoms of overtraining are hard to miss: irritability, insomnia, muscle shrinkage, joining the Reform Party. To avoid overtraining, make sure you sleep a full eight hours at night, and never stress the same muscles with weight-lifting movements two days in a row.

Drive Home Sober

To maintain a healthy testosterone count — and titanium erections — cut yourself off after three drinks. Binge drinking will kill your testosterone levels. Alcohol affects the endocrine system, causing your testes to stop producing the male hormone. That’s one reason drinking often causes you to go limp at the moment of truth.

Have a Sandwich at 3 p.m.

As any sensible woman knows, the way to put hair on a man’s chest is to fill his stomach. Your body needs a ready supply of calories to make testosterone, so regularly skipping meals or going for long stretches without eating can cause your levels of the hormone to plummet. Then again, that’s probably the warden’s plan.

Buy the Fried Tortilla Chips

If you want to raise your testosterone score, eat a diet that includes about 30 percent fat, and not much less. Your body needs dietary fat to produce testosterone, so eating like a vegetarian aerobics instructor will cause your testosterone levels to sink drastically. This is bad, unless you actually are a vegetarian aerobics instructor.

Stop Surfing for Porn at 2 a.m.

Sleeping less than seven to eight hours a night can screw up your circadian rhythm. That’s why it’s no wonder your testosterone levels are higher in the morning after a good night’s sleep. So if your work or social schedule keeps you stooped in perpetual jet lag, don’t be surprised if you stop craving sex. At least that’ll make it easier to stay out of bed.

Moreover, what can really help you boost your testosterone naturally is a herbal pill called PROVACYL. It is a unique blend of natural and herbal extracts like Muira Puama Bark extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf, Panax Ginseng, Acai Fruit, Chaste Berry etc., some of which have been used as aphrodisiacs for centuries. It not only elevates your testosterone level but also stimulate your growth hormone.

Exercise Health News Sexual Fitness

By David Zinczenko

If some doctors had their way today, Americans would be more medicated than industrial feedlot cattle. But what most people don’t realize is that the first line of defense against stress, fatigue, depression, and so many other maladies is found in supermarket aisles, not in the drug store.

Research shows that the vitamins, minerals, and active compounds specific to certain fruits, vegetables, and even chocolate and red wine have an immediate and lasting impact on your mood, your health, your fitness — even your sex life.

Whether you have a big presentation at work, or the need to burn a few hundred extra calories a day (and who doesn’t want to do that?), why not put food to work for you? Here are seven research-backed quick cures just waiting for you in the fresh produce bins and supermarket shelves.

1. When You’re Stressed…

Eat This:
1 Cup of Low-Fat Yogurt or 2 Tbsp of Mixed Nuts

Scientists in Slovakia gave people 3 grams each of two amino acids — lysine and arginine — or a placebo and asked them to deliver a speech. Blood measurements of stress hormones revealed that the amino acid–fortified public speakers were half as anxious during and after the speech as those who took the placebo. Yogurt is one of the best food sources of lysine; nuts pack tons of arginine.

Not That!
A Can of Soda

A study from the American Journal of Public Health found that people who drink 20 ounces of soda daily are three times more likely to be depressed and anxious, compared with those who drink less.

2. When You Want to Increase Your Metabolism…

Drink This:
Green Tea

Catechins, the powerful antioxidants found in green tea, are known to stoke your metabolism, making it burn hotter and torch more calories. A study by Japanese researchers found that participants who consumed 690 milligrams of catechins from green tea daily had significantly lower body-mass indexes and smaller waist measurements than tea-totalers (i.e., they avoid the stuff).

Not That!
Nothing

Skipping meals lets your body’s calorie-burning furnace go cold. Spread out snacks throughout the day. Try a cup of yogurt with fresh fruit or almonds between breakfast and lunch, and a hard-boiled egg or hummus with vegetables in the afternoon.

3. When You’re Low on Energy…

Eat This:
A Handful of Trail Mix

Raisins provide potassium, which your body uses to convert sugar into energy. Nuts stock your body with magnesium, which boosts metabolism and improves nerve and muscle function. (When magnesium levels are low, your body produces more lactic acid — the same fatigue-byproduct that makes your muscles ache at the end of a workout.)

Not That!
Espresso-Based Drinks

Sure, the caffeine will perk you up, but the spike in blood sugar that follows — with anywhere from 16 grams (latte) to 59 grams (white chocolate mocha) of sugar coursing through your veins — will ultimately launch your own personal energy crisis. Stick to brewed coffee with one packet of sugar, max.

4. When You Need a Brain Boost…

Eat This:
Blueberries

Antioxidants in blueberries help protect the brain from free-radical damage, which could decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and improve cognitive processing. Wild blueberries, if you can find them (or grow them!), have even more brain-boosting antioxidants than the cultivated variety.

Not That!
Ice Cream

Sugary foods incite sudden surges of blood glucose that, in the long term, cause sugar highs and lows, and make you as distractable as a toddler in the Disney store. And foods high in saturated fat can clog blood vessels and slow the flow of nutrients and blood to the brain.

5. When You’re Under the Weather…

Drink This:
Ginseng Tea, Hot or Iced

In a Canadian study, people who took 400 milligrams of ginseng a day had 25 percent fewer colds than people who popped a placebo. Ginseng helps kill invading viruses by increasing the body’s production of key immune cells.

Not That!
Caffeinated Beverages and Energy Drinks

Excessive caffeine messes with your sleep schedule and sabotages key immune agents. And insufficient sleep opens the door to colds, upper respiratory infections, and other ills. What’s more, caffeine can dehydrate you, and hydration is vital during illness: Fluids not only transport nutrients to the problem zones, but also carry away toxins.

6. When You Need to Wake Up and Go…

Eat This:
Eggs and Whole-Wheat Toast

Eggs are a great source of protein, and having them for breakfast sets you up for a perfect day of eating. Saint Louis University researchers found that people who eat eggs for breakfast consume 264 fewer calories the rest of the day than those who eat bagels and cream cheese.

Not That!
Bagel and Cream Cheese

At 500 calories and 20 grams of fat, this deli disaster is one of the worst ways to start your day. Sixty grams of fast-burning carbohydrates will cause a dip in energy and a spike in hunger, long before lunchtime. The same goes for croissants, danish, donuts, and pancakes.

7. When You Want to Get ”In the Mood”…

Eat This:
Dark Chocolate

The cocoa in chocolate contains stimulants that increase your body’s sensitivity. Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine, a chemical that can give you a slight natural high. And Italian researchers found that women who often eat chocolate have a higher sex drive than those who don’t. Make sure your chocolate has at least 60 percent cacao.

Not That!
The Third Glass of Wine

The alcohol in wine affects your prefrontal cortex, which can decrease inhibition and up your sexual appetite. But only for the first glass or two. Beyond that, the toxic affects of alcohol in your system take over and are as likely to make you sleepy as they are to make you sexy. The more pouring, the more snoring.

Diet Health News Sexual Fitness

This news is another proof of the saying – “Use it or Lose it” :

WASHINGTON (AFP) – - Older men who have more sex will experience fewer erection problems, Finnish researchers reported in the July issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
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The five-year study of 989 men aged 55-75 in Pirkanmaa, Finland, showed that having sexual intercourse less than once per week doubled the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED), compared to having sex once per week.

The researchers of the Department of Urology of Tampere University Hospital, in Finland, checked for other factors that may affect the incidence of ED, such as age and chronic medical conditions including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and depression.

They found that ED affected 79 out of 1,000 men who reported making love less than once per week. The rate dropped to 32 per 1,000 among men making love once per week, and to 16 per 1,000 for those doing it three times or more per week.

“Regular intercourse has an important role in preserving erectile function among elderly men,” said Juha Koskimaki, one of the study’s authors.

“The investigators advise clinicians to support the sexual activity of their patients,” the study concluded.

Health News Sex Enhancement Sexual Fitness

By AP/BETSY BLANEY

(LUBBOCK, Texas) — A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra — but don’t necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks all night long.

Watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body’s blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra, said scientists in Texas, one of the nation’s top producers of the seedless variety.

Found in the flesh and rind of watermelons, citrulline reacts with the body’s enzymes when consumed in large quantities and is changed into arginine, an amino acid that benefits the heart and the circulatory and immune systems.

“Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that Viagra has, to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it,” said Bhimu Patil, a researcher and director of Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center. “Watermelon may not be as organ-specific as Viagra, but it’s a great way to relax blood vessels without any drug side effects.”

Todd Wehner, who studies watermelon breeding at North Carolina State University, said anyone taking Viagra shouldn’t expect the same result from watermelon.

“It sounds like it would be an effect that would be interesting but not a substitute for any medical treatment,” Wehner said.

The nitric oxide can also help with angina, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, according to the study, which was paid for by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

More citrulline — about 60 percent — is found in watermelon rind than in the flesh, Patil said, but that can vary. But scientists may be able to find ways to boost the concentrations in the flesh, he said.

Citrulline is found in all colors of watermelon and is highest in the yellow-fleshed types, said Penelope Perkins-Veazie, a USDA researcher in Lane, Okla.

She said Patil’s research is valid, but with a caveat: One would need to eat about six cups of watermelon to get enough citrulline to boost the body’s arginine level.

“The problem you have when you eat a lot of watermelon is you tend to run to the bathroom more,” Perkins-Veazie said.

Watermelon is a diuretic and was a homeopathic treatment for kidney patients before dialysis became widespread.

Another issue is the amount of sugar that much watermelon would spill into the bloodstream — a jolt that could cause cramping, Perkins-Veazie said.

Patil said he would like to do future studies on how to reduce the sugar content in watermelon.

The relationship between citrulline and arginine might also prove helpful to those who are obese or suffer from type-2 diabetes. The beneficial effects — among them the ability to relax blood vessels, much like Viagra does — are beginning to be revealed in research.

Citrulline is present in other curcubits, like cucumbers and cantaloupe, at very low levels, and in the milk protein casein. The highest concentrations of citrulline are found in walnut seedlings, Perkins-Veazie said.

“But they’re bitter and most people don’t want to eat them,” she said.

Health News Sex Enhancement Sexual Fitness

A major new study suggests that regular exercise and a healthy diet may be an effective remedy for erectile dysfunction (or commonly known as impotence) and the heart disease that often accompanies it. This is according to researchers at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

Although this is not a surprising news, it’s good addition to the number of benefits of exercising. With a physically fit body, being muscular and with good cardiovascular health, normal sexual function naturally follows.

I remember when I was fat and my belly is actually covering my “thing”, I literally have to stoop down to see it, it brings down my confidence level to perform sexually. But now, being flat on the stomach, and with excellent cardio health, I can say that my confidence level shoots up and this helps me combat my own thinking of being “not able to”. As you may know, ED is almost always 50% psychological, you have to defeat your own self saying your too old or getting old. Of course, it has to do also with physical health, when your exercising or building muscle, your testosterone level normally goes up and this hormone is needed too for improved sexual performance. But for me, the way that exercising helps is mostly psychological – it gives me superior confidence that I can do it and do it longer

Health News Motivation Sexual Fitness

“If you have more than 200 orgasms a year, you can reduce your physiologic age by six years,” Dr. Oz says. — I am so glad that my wife saw this on Oprah yesterday. Hopefully someone can find a link to the Duke study that this references but, in making the argument to a woman, isn’t Oprah good enough.

Yeah, having sex enough is a proof that “it” is functioning, your body system is working well. Plus the mental and emotional benefits of being one with someone you truly love and desire. So we might qualify these beneficial sex as those “safe” sex that we had; if not, then it is really not healthy when you contracted a disease because of frequent sex with multiple partners.

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Health News Sexual Fitness