Saturday, December 8, 2007

Bodybuilding Guide To Different Proteins For Different Occasions

By Dane C. Fletcher

For bodybuilders, there are advantages to consuming different proteins at different times in order to garner the most advantage from their daily schedules. Let's delve deeper into the four primary protein sources from which bodybuilder should choose, and when each one provides the most advantages.

Food

Food protein is almost always preferable to generated proteins. Unprocessed and better for digestion, real food has sustained human life for millions of years, as it was designed for us. Protein powders are simply supplements to assist food in meeting the nutritional needs of bodybuilders - not the main option. Peruse real food sources for protein whenever possible.

Whey

Whey protein is most popular with bodybuilders and strength trainers for regular daytime use (meal replacements) as well as for the all-important post-workout meal. 50 grams (about two scoops of most brands) should be consumed about twenty minutes after completion of the workout, with 25 grams of dextrose. Whey can also be used in conjunction with meals. If you realize your chicken/rice dinner only provided 35 grams of protein, it might be a good idea to knock down a scoop of whey with a cup of water, to round the meal's total protein count to 60 grams.

Casein

Casein is made from milk sources and is a much slower burning type of protein. Many trainers advocate consuming casein before bed, as it will stay with the body for a longer duration than the faster-burning whey protein. Casein can also be taken in conjunction with whey for both a fast- and slow- protein absorption rates.

Soy

Soy isn't a great protein. It's used primarily by vegans or vegetarians who are struggling to meet their protein requirements without the use of meat (vegetarians) or any animal products whatsoever (vegans). Soy is made from plants and can be a good supplemental protein for bodybuilders due to its ability to help the body's digestive system.

Dane Fletcher is the world's most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more [http://www.BodybuildingToday.com ]bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit [http://www.BodybuildingToday.com ]www.BodybuildingToday.com, the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.

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Friday, December 7, 2007

Your First Servings of a Nutritional Supplement

By Ronald Godlewski

This article provides some suggestions on taking your first serving of a nutritional supplement. It focuses on starting an Aloe-Vera and Sea Vegetable supplement but can be applied to starting a variety of liquid nutritional supplements. It shows you how to get the best and the most from every subsequent serving you take.

So, how much should you take as your first serving?

First, if you have not already done so, complete a Health Evaluation Questionnaire and determine your health index. Once you complete the questionnaire and have determined your health index, you will have an idea of the amount and frequency of a liquid nutritional supplement is best for you. If you simply taste the supplement to see if it is right for you, a serving of one to two ounces is adequate.

Some general guidelines about your first serving:

1. Gently shake the bottle of your nutritional supplement. This will mix the tiny bits of sea vegetable pulp with the aloe vera. You should shake the bottle before every serving.

2. For your first servings, use a measuring cup. We have a tendency to under or overestimate how much is one, two, four or eight ounces so using a measuring cup will allow us to reset our estimating process.

3. Use the same glass every time. Once you've measured out the specific amount that you want to consume, pour it into your favorite juice or wine glass. Note the amount from the measuring cup and how much that amount fills your favorite glass. Doing this for a few days will eliminate your need to use the measuring cup. Note that you do not need to worry about taking too much of a whole food product. It is like eating oranges or bananas. You're not at risk of overdosing with a whole food.

4. Take a small sip and hold the liquid nutritional supplement under your tongue. Wait about 10 seconds and repeat several times. Special cells under the tongue absorb nutrients directly into the bloodstream. You will almost be able to feel the supplement 'disappearing' under your tongue. It's actually being absorb by these special cells. The more quickly you body absorbs the supplement, the more likely your body needs it!

5. Store your open container of Aloe Vera and Sea Vegetable liquid nutritional supplement in the refrigerator. It's a whole food that has enzymes, amino acids, and other live nutrients. Keeping it refrigerated will ensure it maintains its potency. In addition to refrigerating a whole food, since it is a whole food the nutritional supplement can be taken on either an empty stomach or with meals. However, when first starting out, taking it on an empty stomach may cause some discomfort with those that have a stomach condition or any stomach toxicity. It could make your stomach feel queasy. If this occurs, you can reduce or eliminate the feeling by eating a little bit of food. The Aloe Vera in the supplement can also be used after a meal to aid digestion and ease any stomach upset or heartburn.

Before you drink your First Serving, take a moment to examine how you are feeling. Sense your energy levels, the degree of pain you may be experiencing, or how other symptoms may be bothering you at the moment. After taking your nutritional supplement (remember holding small sips under the tongue for maximum absorption), take another assessment of how you feel. Some people enjoy the benefits right away, others within a few days, and others over a period of a few weeks. The benefits depend on your body and the amount of toxins within it.

It is worth discussing toxicity for a moment. If you are concerned about heavy metals or toxicity (various elements within your body that have build up over time that your body should have eliminated but could not for a number of reasons) then you may be concerned that an Aloe Vera and Sea Vegetable combination may cause your body to detoxify too quickly, leaving you with an uncomfortable cleansing action. Aloe Vera by itself can have a laxative effect. Sea Vegetables on the other hand can cause constipation in some people. Combining the two into one liquid nutritional supplement may counterbalance these effects. However, you may still experience a bit of cleansing because of the heavy metals or toxins stored within your body. The remedy is simple. Cut your dose in half and add a little bit more each time you take your supplement until you reach your recommended dosage. The cleansing is a natural part of getting your body back to its most natural state. Not everyone experiences cleansing but for those that do, follow the guidelines and enjoy the benefits. It's important to continue taking the supplement so just cut back a bit, then add a little more each day.

Remember to take the Health Evaluation Questionnaire and determine your health index for the recommend amount of your nutritional supplement. Hold it under your tongue for maximum absorption and take it each day as recommended. The benefits to you of any nutritional supplement will come over time. Follow these guidelines and enjoy your Way to Wellness.

Ronald Godlewski has successfully founded and run several businesses and is currently working with Life Force International. You can obtain more information on the nutritional value of vitamin supplements at http://www.PillFreeSupplements.com and get your own copy of the [http://www.pillfreesupplements.com/articles.php]Health Evaluation Questionnaire or call him toll free at 1-888-LFI-CUST (1-888-534-2878) with your questions.

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Thursday, December 6, 2007

The Many Benefits of Vitamin C

By Sam Groat

We have all heard that we should take our vitamin c everyday, but do we know why? Vitamin c is one of the most essential vitamins in our body. It provides benefits that have been discovered, and still more that are currently being researched.

Vitamin c can be obtained through a myriad of fruits and vegetables, as well as a daily supplement found either alone or with a multi-vitamin. By taking vitamin c everyday you are allowing the vitamin to aid in the product of collagen which is an important component in the connective tissues of your body. Collagen is not only needed to make you look good, but it helps with the blood vessel walls, your bones, and your gums. Vitamin c is especially important for people who are healing from wounds or surgery because it strengthens these things to help make your recovery faster.

Another benefit of Vitamin C is that it works as an antioxidant to boost immune function and keep you feeling younger. It has also been shown to protect against certain diseases such as cancer, cataracts, and other chronic diseases. It also enhances iron absorption which can be particularly helpful to your body. Lastly, although it hasn't been proven entirely, Vitamin c can aid in the recovery from the common cold, however that could be in combination of everything else this powerful vitamin does for you.

If you get your vitamin c from orange juice, it is important to know that frozen concentrates hold significantly more Vitamin v then in ready to drink cartons. Most multi-vitamins hold enough vitamin c to fill your recommended 100% dosage per day, or you could take [http://www.chronicfatiguetreatments.com/wordpress/treatments/vitamin-c/]vitamin c supplements to get this essential vitamin into your diet. Whether you feel healthy or not, it is extremely important to get your recommended dosage so that you can fight off disease and stay well for a long time to come.

Sam Groat is own several health websites and studies alternative medicine. Sam runs a [http://www.chronicfatiguetreatments.com]chronic fatigue forum, and blogs about treating various illnesses with dietary supplements

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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Herbal Solutions To Boost Mental Alertness

By Vanessa A. Doctor

Dealing with many factors like stress, tension, and a host of other environmental factors is a task most people need to properly deal with. Whenever we're at work, and our heads feel dizzy and sleepy, or our senses feel out of touch with our tasks, a good shot of adrenaline and extra energy would surely be of help.

Whenever we feel tired and out of shape, we seek help from a number of drinks and concoctions to help us perk up the adrenaline levels in our bodies, and enable us to do the tasks at hand. We take energy drinks, drink coffee, take a short hike, work on the treadmill or listen to our favorite music. Traditional societies have been employing natural methods to increase energy levels, and maintain an alert mind.

They have used an array of herbal mixtures and solutions, which they take whenever they feel sleepy, drowsy, or tired from doing daily chores. The use of herbal mixes for boosting mental alertness is now available in most health stores and pharmacies, and these solutions have helped a lot of people increase adrenaline levels, which help them cope with stress and gives them the energy to do the day's work.

There Are Many Beneficial Herbs Used For Increasing Energy

Today there are a a lot of herbs that are utilized purely for enhancing energy, stamina, endurance, and preventing fatigue. For example, eating food laced with cayenne pepper, ginger, or cinnamon, which contain metabolic stimulants, helps to enhance your energy and alertness levels. Marine products such as sea vegetables or sea weeds can also help stimulate thyroid function, which helps improve metabolism and digestion, thereby increasing absorption and energy.

Using Guarana As A Herbal Tonic

Guarana is a stimulating herb that is believed to improve physical stamina and endurance. Its guaranine content is almost identical to caffeine in the way it acts, as athletes have been known to take it to stimulate and improve their performance and increase their strength and endurance.

It is also known to reduce fatigue and exhaustion. The herb's ingredients, which are a combination of guarinine, theobromine and theophyline, work to stimulate the central nervous system and also acts to enhance the body's metabolic rate, which may be helpful in weight loss programs.

Guarana contains alkaloids like theobromine and theophylline, which act to stimulate the central nervous system and are thought to be useful in cases of neuralgia, paralysis, migraine and nervous headache, and the distress that sometimes accompanies menstruation. It is also thought to increase mental sharpness and concentration, which may also be a result of its guarinine content.

Gotu Kola

Gotu kola is a mild adaptogen, and is famous for its anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer properties. It's also a cerebral tonic, and a circulatory stimulant, and a diuretic. Gotu Kola Teas and drinks help strengthen and rejuvenates the nervous system, strengthens the adrenals, improves mental functions, prevents fatigue, and helps people effectively respond to stress.

Ginkgo Biloba

The extract of the Ginkgo leaves contains flavonoid glycosides and terpenoids This herb is mainly used as memory and concentration enhancer, and anti-vertigo agent. Ginkgo biloba increases blood flow and oxygen to your brain,circulatory system, and other parts of your body. It is a perfect antioxidant that helps your body respond to stress, and is helpful to people whose fatigue is related to decreased vascular capacity. http://primeherbal.com - Prime Herbal

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Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Anabolic Steroids

By Uladzislau Suski

It is a well known fact that getting into shape requires lots of hard work. In addition to eating well you will need to follow a well balanced exercise regime. A short cut to getting a well defined body exists with the use of anabolic steroids. These steroids are a class of hormone steroids. This means that in addition to providing your body with a quick way to gain more muscle definition you stand a high chance of hormonal changes occurring to you.

These changes are well known side effects which occur from using any anabolic steroids. These changes once they occur are not reversible. As these steroids are very harmful to the body there are many sporting associations which have banned the use of these steroids. Among the sporting groups which don't allow athletes who have used these steroids to participate are the Olympic Games body, the NBA, FIFA and others.

One of the best ways to understand why these sporting bodies don't want to see the use of these drugs is that the body undergoes changes which promote artificial body strength and speed. This means that normally trained athletes will have trouble competing against these bulked up athletes.

While exercise which focuses on ways of building your body's muscles and your strength naturally steroids like anabolic steroids build these same muscles up quickly. While the normal route to building your body is through hard work, steroids work with chemical enhancements.

So before you start using any anabolic steroids you should be aware that there is a downside to them. This downside will include the fact that your body is now composed of muscles which have been strengthened up quickly and you may become dependent on these steroids.

There is also the fact that some of these anabolic steroids could be categorized as being illegal. Now one of the best ways to find out if you should use any of the anabolic steroids which are available is to consult with your doctor. Once you have given the real reasons for trying out using steroids, your doctor should be able to provide you with some advice and medication.

If you feel that these medications are not working as effectively as the anabolic steroids you can always look for natural alternatives. Besides these there are some chemical alternatives to steroids that you could investigate. No matter which route you choose to take the main fact to remember is that once you start taking anabolic steroids you will not be able to reverse the side effects.

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Monday, December 3, 2007

What are Long Chain Omega 3 Fats? Benefits of Long Chain Omega 3 Fatty Acids

By Micheal Thomas

There are more than 2,00,000 journals and health reports that suggest, increased intake of long chain omega 3 fatty acids can remarkably improve your health. By this, we mean EPA and DHA fats. Let us discuss these in detail.

Omega 3 fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fats that have a common carbon-carbon double bond between them. These consist of Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

While both DHA and EPA are long chain, ALA is a short-chain fatty acid. This is the main reason why EPA and DHA can be instantly absorbed by our body cells while ALA fats need to be broken down into these fats to be absorbed by our body.

Omega 3 fats are 'Good Fats' that are essential for the healthy functioning of our body. However, these cannot be synthesized within our body and we need to rely solely on our diet to obtain them.

Essential fatty acids activate the secretion of prostaglandins in our body. Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances that play an important role in various body functions and also help in prevention against a large number of diseases.

Long chain acids, EPA and DHA are present in cold-water fatty fishes and in certain marine organisms such as crabs, scallops and shrimps. Cold-water fishes such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, Hoki and sardines are considered the richest dietary source of omega 3 fats.

The Hoki fish found in the pristine waters of New Zealand have very high DHA and EPA content. Fish oils extracted from Hoki fish have 40% higher DHA levels than other oils.

Further Benefits

Most Westerners' diets are very low in omega 3 fatty acids which is the main cause of most of the modern diseases such as arthritis, cancer, heart problems, skin allergies etc.

Several studies show that regular intake of omega 3 can reduce deaths from cardiovascular disorders by 65%. This is because these fats reduce the triglycerides in our blood and increase the HDL or good cholesterol levels, thereby reducing the risk of various coronary heart diseases.

The EPA and DHA fats present in fish oils have blood thinning properties that enables better blood flow throughout the body. This also inhibits formation of platelets and artery blockage.

Breast, colon and prostate cancer can be prevented by regular consumption of fish oils. Omega 3 activates the secretion of Sphingomyelinase, an enzyme that protects against cancer-causing substances.

Not only physical, but mental health can also be restored with the help of such fats. Both DHA and EPA fats are beneficial for treating various mental disorders such as depression, Alzheimer's disease, ADHD, Schizophrenia and insomnia. Fish oils are known to increase I.Q., memory and concentration power among children.

Skin disorders such as eczema, rashes, acne and psoriasis can also be treated effectively with the regular consumption of omega 3 supplements. Fish oils accelerate the metabolism rate in our body that helps in burning away excess fat.

Joint problems, especially arthritis and inflammation can be treated with the help of omega 3. The DHA and EPA fats present in fish oils strengthen the joints and improve mobility.

Consuming high quality fish oils regularly is an excellent way to fulfill the needs of your body. The richest source of Long chain Omega 3 fats is Fish oil. However, don't make a hasty decision by picking up just any fish oil you see on the supermarket shelves.

Purchase only pharmaceutical grade, molecularly distilled fish oils. These are [http://www.omega-3-fish-benefits.com/Ultra-Refined-Fish-Oil.html]ultra-refined, superior quality supplements that provide you with all the benefits you will need.

Micheal Thomas is an editor for a series of health related websites. Learn about the best fish oil capsules that we ourselves use daily after extensive product comparisons and research over at http://www.omega-3-fish-benefits.com

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Sunday, December 2, 2007

By Micheal Thomas

Yes, Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for our health and have innumerable health benefits too. But, this does not mean that you increase your consumption beyond permissible limits. Megadosing on supplementation will not accelerate the health benefits and can be harmful for you.

Before explaining what the right dosage is, let me give you a brief insight into these remarkable fatty acids. These acids are a group of polyunsaturated fats that are essential for the proper functioning of every cell in our body. These fats cannot be synthesized within our body and we need to obtain them through our diet.

The diet of the Western population lacks in these acids and this is the main reason behind most of the degenerative disorders such as heart problems, cancer, diabetes, depression, arthritis etc.

So what can you do to keep away from such diseases? The answer is simple; consume more omega 3 rich food such as fatty fishes, leafy vegetables, tofu, soybeans and walnuts. Certain vegetable oils such as flaxseed oil, canola oil and sunflower oil are also considered rich in essential fats.

The richest source of fatty acids is Fish Oil. This is because they contain both EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) fats in the natural form and in good quantities.

Being extracted from the issues of cold-water fishes, fish oils are bound to contain toxins such as mercury, metals etc found in ocean waters.

Superior quality oils go through a specialized refining process called Molecular Distillation. This removes all the impurities and toxins from the oil making it safe and pure for regular consumption.

Molecularly distilled, pharmaceutical grade fish oils are the safest, purest and richest form of these fats

Regular consumption can provide respite from a large number of diseases. However, as we have mentioned earlier, the dosage should be within the recommended limits and Mega-dosing should be avoided.

By Mega-dosing we mean, consuming ten times more essential oils than the Recommended Dietary Allowance or RDA. By consuming to much of any one nutrient, it can be hazardous for health.

According to the National Institute of Health, 650mg - 900mg of fish oil supplements should be consumed daily to ensure good health. In general, a minimum of 2% of the total daily calorie intake should contain omega 3 fatty acids.

For vegetarians, 2.22 gram of Flaxseed oil or Canola oil should be taken regularly to fulfill the needs of the body. In addition, green leafy vegetables and other sources should also be included in the diet.

Research shows that 2 tablespoons of Flaxseed oil contains approx. 3 grams of ALA fatty acids while 4 ounces of fatty fishes (such as salmon, Hoki) contain 1.5 gram of EPA and DHA fats, the two most essential fats.

Fish oils extracted from the Hoki fish have 40% higher DHA content than other oils. Hoki is a cold-water species found in the oceans of New Zealand and has naturally high [http://www.omega-3-fish-benefits.com/Dha-Fish-Oil.html]DHA and [http://www.omega-3-fish-benefits.com/Epa-Fish-Oil.html]EPA content.

Micheal Thomas is an editor for a series of health related websites. Learn about the best fish oil capsules that we ourselves use daily after extensive product comparisons and research over at http://www.omega-3-fish-benefits.com

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