Nutrition Basics for Gaining Muscle Mass

Nutrition Basics for Gaining Muscle Mass With any effective muscle building program should be a diet that supports it. Of course there is a plethora of nutritional information available and it can be overwhelming to say they least. Nonetheless, if you focus on the following four major components when creating your diet plan you will be on the right track.

 

Water

 

You body consists mostly of water. So it should be no surprise that you need to consume lots of water when trying to gain muscle mass. Your body needs water for many functions in the body and muscle growth, or muscle hypertrophy, is no exception. For this reason you need to make sure that you are constantly sipping water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated and to assure that your body has the water it needs to maximize muscle mass.

 

Protein

 

It’s not secret that protein is one of the most important nutrients for gaining muscle mass. In fact this tends to be one of the only things many novice body builders know when they start out. Protein play a major role in the repair and growth of muscle fibers. Protein should be a primary focus in all of your meals not only for muscle growth but for energy as well. Protein is a healthy form of long lasting energy, as apposed to simply sugars that are quickly digested and cause your body to create too much insulin which turns to fat.

 

Vitamins and Minerals

 

This is one area of nutrition that many tend to forget, and not just muscle builders. For some reason, whether for convenience or some other reason, most people lack vitamins and minerals in their diet. Vitamins and minerals are vital to your overall health and  if you aren’t getting enough of either of them your body won’t be at its full muscle gaining potential. So make sure you are eating plenty of fruits and vegetables with every meal. If you aren’t able to get a proper amount of fruits and vegetables with your meals, supplements would be the next best thing.

 

Carbohydrates

 

If I had to guess, I would say carbohydrates are probably one of the least understood areas when it comes to nutrition. Carbohydrates are what your body use for energy and are an essential part of our nutrition. What most people don’t understand though is that how and when you consume carbs can be just as important as counting them. I always hear people talking about watching their carbs and cringe when I hear this because simply counting your carbs and minimizing them won’t give you the benefits you want.

 

Carbs have to be used carefully. The only time I would recommend loading up on carbs in order to gain muscle mass is right before and after a workout. Otherwise, I would minimize your carbs for the rest of the day and stick to foods with a low glycemic index. Also, don’t consume sugar or starch without having some protein or fiber with it to allow your body to use the extra insulin that is produced.

 

So there we have it. There are many other things you can do to benefit your health but if you make sure to take care of these four things you will be on the right track.

 

 

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Jim Clements is the President and CEO of Simply Ripped, LLC, a company dedicated to providing you with the information and tools necessary to build muscle, burn fat, and maximize your muscle definition.

To learn how to build, burn and sculpt any body type go to:

http://www.simplyripped.com

 

 

5 Unique Strategies For a Flat Stomach

5 Unique Strategies For a Flat Stomach

You can get the sexy stomach you have been dreaming about without even a crunch. Probably you are asking yourself “how could this possibly happen? I must do crunches in order to get a flat stomach.” Wrong! There are 5 central strategies that will make your stomach lean and flat.

 

1- STOP being obsessed with crunches

 

Your abs are not made to flex which is what they do when you do crunches, so basically they are useless. Your abs are made to stabilize your entire body while walking, running, sitting down, and therefore they should be trained as such. Even when you do lunges (which are great lower body exercises) your abs are working to stabilize you. For example if you put your hands over your head while doing lunges you would realize that you could lunge even better.

What does this tell us? It tells us that during all these standing types of movements, pushup positions or similar movements, your abs are definitely working the entire time to make sure that your body is stabilized in the specific position. Therefore these are the main exercises you should be doing but not the basic crunch.

 

2 – Work on the principle of muscle overload

 

What do I mean by that? I mean that if you are lifting weights or doing body weight exercises and you feel like you can do 25-35 raps at once with the same weight then your muscles are not working hard enough. You should be definitely struggling a little bit with your weight training at the end of each set. With another words, add some more weight. If you are used to hold 5 pound (2.2 kg) dumbbells every time you are doing presses and you can do 20 or 30 raps without breaking a sweat, then you would never be able to build lean muscles. What you need to do is to consistently and constantly add weight to your routine.

For example if you are doing pushups and they get too easy, then you have to make sure that you make it harder on yourself. One method of making it harder while doing pushups is to put your feet on a bench; this would make the pushups definitely more challenging. You should never let your routine get too easy, but  if it does, then you have to make it more difficult right away.

 

3- Cardio training needs to be challenging as well

 

Interval training is one way to do your cardio more challenging. I am sure that everyone has seen people in the gym walking on the treadmill with 3 miles per hour or so and at the same time watching a show on the TV. This is a perfect example of what you should not be doing if you want to experience any positive changes. You need to do interval training where you vary the challenge of your cardiovascular routine. Running intense for 2 minutes, walking for 1 minute and going back and forth is a great way to increase your heart pulse and sweat a lot.

 

4- Your diet is really where the abs are made

 

You MUST watch your diet; you MUST watch what you eat. I am not a big fan of counting calories although I tried a few times in the past and trust me, it did not work out very well. My tip to you is to count ingredients. Look at the ingredients on the food label, it can be even better if the food does not have any label (like fresh fruits and vegetables), then you know for sure that what you eat is healthy and you should not worry about any calories or fats. If it is a boxed food maybe you are in a bit of trouble because the food is usually processed with a lot of junk in there. Try to eat food with as fewer ingredients as possible.

 

5- Get a support community

 

My fifth tip to you is to get a support community. If you feel like it is very hard to do all this by yourself, you should consider joining a team, a class, a blog, a forum online, or simply find a workout partner. The most important is that you find a positive person with the same or similar interest. Trust me, you can go far if you have somebody next to you who would encourage you and cheer you every time you try to give up.

 

Now what you need to do is to take these 5 essential tips and implement them in order to start seeing results and enjoying your flat stomach.

 

 

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My name is Gergana Ganeva and I am the owner of website called Healthy Body Exercises at http://www.healthy-body-exercises.com . I have been intensively involved in sports for 18 years now. A few years ago I ended my professional career as a tennis player and since then I have been working with people who want to lose weight. My main goal is to teach you how to shape your body and lose weight the healthy way.

 

 

Your first step to vibrant health and life energy!

Your first step to vibrant health and life energy!

Dear Friend

 

How can we influence our Energy? How does the lack of energy result in lack of success?

 

Energy is the key factor to success in every area of our lives. Somebody who feels tired, worn out and has depressing thoughts is more likely to  avoid action and be underperforming.

 

On the other hand, when a person is energetic, highly motivated and thinking positively, their actions are constant and they can perform at the top level.

 

Depressed, overwhelmed = no action Exited, full of energy = great action

 

At the end of the day, all the results you produce are dependent on the state you are in and the energy you have.

 

Factors that influence life energy and the state you are

in: Representations/Meaning, Memory, Internal communication, Physiology, Breathing, Nutrition

 

Tip: To take most out of these factors  we recommend that you get yourself a notebook small enough so you can take it with you wherever you go. Use your notebook daily from both sides. On one side you write my successes, on the other side you are writing down inspirations and questions.

 

As one key to success is what kind of questions we are asking ourselves, we want to inspire you and unleash the hidden potential within you.

 

Lets start with some of your success stories (Memories): It will be easy for you to remember three events when you performed at your best, felt excited, perhaps happy, or had this great feeling of success.

 

Imagine yourself clearly and vividly in these situations.

You can see the colours around you, is there any sound?

What do you say to yourself? Are there people around you?

What do they do and say? How would you describe the dominant feeling?

 

Describe three situations as clearly, as possible using all of your senses including sight, sound, smell, touch and feelings…

 

Simon Thomson Memory example: I’m going to describe for you a memory of mine that gives me goosebumps every time I recount it. It gives me the kind of “warm fuzzies” that make me want to get up and move no matter what I’m doing!

It was in 2003 when I won the first Olympic Selection Trial at the Coff’s Harbour Triathlon and booked my seat to Athens.

 

While there was good prize money on offer that day, every Australian knew that first place was automatic selection and that was the only position that counted:

 

As I rounded the last corner into the finish chute I had well over a minute’s lead and a certain victory when I broke the tape ahead of me. This allowed for the emotions to pour freely as the magnitude of what I had achieved began to hit me.

 

All the pain I had been managing for the last 2 hours simply melted away from my conscious mind and the grimace broke into an enormous smile. I raised my arms to the roaring crowd that were celebrating this special moment with me.

 

The noise was loud and constant and only surpassed by the voice of the commentator that verbalised my movements down the final 50 meters. The sun was shining brightly and the oppressive heat had soaked buckets of sweat from my body during the race.

 

The race bunting and sponsors signage was bright and matched the summer beach clothing of the crowd that were extending their arms towards me over the barrier.

 

I was now skipping and dancing towards the finish line and slapping high fives the kids as I passed them. Despite the energy I had expended during the race, I now felt light as a feather and as strong and powerful as I’ve ever felt before.

 

As I passed under the finish arch I grabbed the tape with both hands and raised it in salute above my head. In one movement I turned to my left to see the crowd that included my best friends from home and with arms raised I let out a primal roar that came from an unknown place within.

 

The noise was drowned out by the crowd and with three steps towards my friends I was suddenly engulfed in a group hug with 15 people over the fence that threatened to sap the last few gasps of breath within me. As I broke free the tears began to flow and I felt the full force of the emotions erupting from everyone around me. I was feeling on top of the world!

 

You don’t need to win a triathlon to have these feelings.

I’ve felt these emotions doing many different things in my life, so be prepared to celebrate many more such great events in your near future!

 

Have fun with these memories and open your mind for the little every day successes that happen all the time and write them down in your notebook.

 

 

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Wanted – Tired and worn out people craving for a breakthrough! Do you want more energy in your life?

Top Workshop coming up on the 17th May 09.

http://www.success-coaching.org/energy.html

If Peth WA is not where you live, you can access later on more invaluable (audio and videos from the event).

 

 

5 top tips for Weight Loss that Actually Work!

 

5 top tips for Weight Loss that Actually Work!

To make weight loss truly easy, 1st you have to know it’s secrets! Then, your lifelong struggles will finally be over.

 

1st why would you want to take tips from a fitness & bodybuilding coach? Well, if you see a Body Builder or Miss

fitness finalist on the stage are they fat?   Of course

not, they are some of the leanest people on the planet!  So their coach, the guy who got them into that kind of shape might just be the person to get some weight loss tips from.

 

Now before we begin with the top 5 tips let’s dispel one

common misunderstanding.   Many people believe they can’t

use my  tips and tactics because they don’t  want to look like one of those people.  They just want to look fit and trim.

 

That would be like saying you’re a Golf enthusiast but you wouldn’t want to take free Golf tips from Tiger Woods because you have no desire to play in the PGA.  Trust me you have absolutely nothing to worry about. You will never look like a professional Body Builder without years of unrelenting dedication, lot’s of steroids and way too many protein shakes. To be your best always learn from the best.

 Now after getting that off my chest, without further adieu here are the Top 5 weight loss Tips as promised.

 

1. Never go on a diet! When you hear a body builder of fitness competitor say ” I’m on my diet” they’re not using the word the same way you are. The ones who are successful at their sport eat very clean year round. They almost never eat any junk at all. Then when they are “on their diet”

they make a few simple weight loss  adjustments and the fat begins to melt off. You see, a diet is something you go “on” and get “off” of. This won’t create long term success and it usually only leads to failure. Instead, focus on eating clean all year long. Then use only little tiny, painless adjustments to keep making  progress month by month.

 

2. Yes at the close of the 1st tip I said “month by month”.

 And guess what, I meant every word. Chances are you didn’t put on the extra weight you now want to lose in 30 days or less, am I right? So why would you expect that you could safely take it off in just 30 days despite what all diet pill pushers say. Think of it this way, if it took you  5 or 10 years to put it on, it may take 6 months or a year to safely take it off again.

 

3. You must eat more not less. This means you will be consuming fewer overall calories but more volume. The simplest way to do this is each time you eat make 1/2 of your meal vegetables.  So, if you look at your plate 50% are vegetables. 30% of what you see is a high quality protein source such as chicken, fish or beef. Then the remaining 20% is complex carbohydrates like brown rice or yams not pasta and bread.

 

4. You need to eat all the time. This is to say that you need to eat a minimum of 5 or 6 small meals per day. Your insulin and your hunger will be under control and your body will have a constant supply of nutrients.

 

5. Follow the hydration equation. You absolutely need to drink enough water to stay properly hydrated and flush out all the bad toxins you need to get rid of each day.

Personally I drink a gallon a day. But the one easy rule is; if you’re thirsty your body just told you that you are already dehydrated. The trick is to continually sip water all day and never actually become thirsty.

 

One extra bonus tip. If you happen to get a flat tire while heading down the highway, please don’t get out of the car and just shoot the other 3 tires. In other words, if you’re doing really well with your weight loss plan and have a piece of cake at a birthday party don’t throw up your hands and say the heck with it and go eat 2 pints of ice cream.

Admit you splurged, even enjoy the fact that you splurged, but for Heaven’s sake get back in the car and get back on the road to success.

 

Disclaimer: please seek the advice of a licensed Physician prior to engaging in any diet or exercise plan. This article is for informational purposes only and is in no way intended as medical advice or as replacement for a proven therapy.

 

 

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Patrick Shelley is an internationally acclaimed Nutritional product formulator with a passion to help you succeed with your weight loss goals. The popular new weight loss system Patrick strongly recommends is available at => http://loseweight.tripleyourinfo.com

 

 

Is Laziness a Sin?

Is Laziness a Sin?

How many times in the past few months you have said to yourself, “from tomorrow on I really start working out and nothing and nobody can stop me?” How many times did you make your statement come true? I am positive that you did start exercising every day, and the reasons for that was that you were lazy. Laziness and tiredness are the main 2 enemies of fitness

 

Is it a sin to be lazy?

 

I believe that there is not a single person in the world who would honestly say that he/she has never been lazy.

Even people whose whole lives are surrounded around sports tend to get lazy sometimes. It is simply in our nature to get sluggish, and honestly it is very hard to fight this feeling. However, it is reasonable if you get lazy once in a while but it is very irresponsible if you let it become your lifestyle.

 

Many years ago in Christianity laziness was viewed as one of the top seven deadly sins. Although over time the nature of this concept has overcome a big change, today it is still perceived negatively. Psychology defines laziness as a mental problem, medicine as a medical condition, and biology defines it as an instinctively behavior of saving energy.The only positive effect that comes out of laziness is that we can relax by doing nothing. Doing nothing sometimes is a pretty good feeling but we definitely do not want to make it our habit.

 

What causes laziness?

 

The major cause of laziness is the excessive consumption of carbohydrates. On one hand, if you consume a big quantity of carbohydrates at once you would start feeling lazy and sleepy. If you get used to consuming a lot of them on a daily basis this would lead to a permanent unwillingness for your body to move. On the other hand, if you do not consume enough nutritional products you would cause a delay in your metabolism which would also result in a lazy behavior.

 

Active athletes, who overestimate their physical abilities, suffer from laziness, caused by lack of proteins. When this is combined with overtraining they tend to get into the so called “sports depression” (frequent and painful muscle pain). That is the main reason why you need to watch what you eat. Never eat too much but never skip meals as well.

Eating various nutritional products on a daily basis is the key to success.

 

Laziness or exhaustion?

 

It happens often that laziness is confused with the symptoms of exhaustion. The laziness you could experience after being sick for a couple of days, after a lot of exercising, or because of a stressful situation at work, are all classic symptom of exhaustion but not of laziness.

The best cure for all the situation above is to relax until you start feeling better.

 

The victims of fatigue

 

Fatigue is a mental or a physical exhaustion. Although its main cause is the lack of sleep, sleepiness is just one of the symptoms for this condition. Other reasons are:

headache, general weakness, muscle pain, difficulty concentrating, slowed reflexes, and irritability. Tired people lose track of the level of their exhaustion and do not realize that if they do not take any action their condition will get even worse.

 

Fitness against laziness and exhaustion

 

It is a widespread myth that if one wants to be healthy, get in shape and lose some weight, one has to exercise a lot. As a result of this belief people started looking at fitness as a job that would only make sense if practiced to a level of exhaustion. If you start exercising to exhaustion, what do you think will happen? You will for sure overtrain. Now, the emphasis of exercising is placed on the physical activity, rather than on its intensity. It is a fact that even light exercising can get you in a perfect shape if you complete it in the correct way.

 

Remember that regular fitness work increases your energy, reduces your stress level, and makes your entire body and mind feel good.

 

Now, let’s get started and achieve the body shape you have been dreaming about.

 

 

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My name is Gergana Ganeva and I am the owner of website called Healthy Body Exercises at http://www.healthy-body-exercises.com . I have been intensively involved in sports for 18 years now. A few years ago I ended my professional career as a tennis player and since then I have been working with people who want to lose weight the healthy way. My main goal is to provide you with all the knowledge on how to shape your body and stay healthy.

 

 

(Nitric Oxide) Heart Health Supplements: Fact or Fiction?

(Nitric Oxide) Heart Health Supplements: Fact or Fiction?

With all of the claims out there that dietary supplements can cure everything from cancer to toe fungus, it is hard to know what to believe. Some dietary supplement products have undergone rigorous testing. Others have not. Some supplements contain ingredients of the highest possible quality. Others do not. There is no wonder that people haven’t been taking full advantage of the supplements that are worthwhile; no one knows what to believe. One thing that is for sure is that there have been a number of studies that have validated the usefulness of a collection of supplements that focus on heart health and aid the body in doing more easily what it does best.

 

Heart health is arguably the most important aspect of personal health that we should be concerned with. This is the case for a number of reasons. First of all, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of Americans. Millions of people die every year from heart health related issues. Another reason why so many people are becoming concerned about their heart health is because more and more people are beginning to realize what role the heart plays in their overall sense of well-being. You may or may not know that a healthy heart allows you to benefit from a variety of healthy lifestyle advantages. When your heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood throughout the body, you feel more energetic and have more stamina to do the things that you love. The heart is arguably the most vital of all organs so finding ways to keep it healthy and at an optimum working level is definitely advantageous.

 

So what types of supplements are available that can help strengthen your heart health? Research has shown that the supplement L-Arginine can have dramatic benefits in the prevention of symptoms of cardiovascular disease.

L-Arginine has a dual benefit. First, L-Arginine will provide immune system benefits that range from simply feeling better from day to say, to keeping the blood flow to the heart at a healthy level. L-Arginine is so efficient in the fight against illnesses because it is an amino acid.

More specifically, L-Arginine restores production of nitric oxide to the body, a key element in improving blood flow.

As was previously mentioned, improved blood flow means that the heart does not have to work as hard to do its job. You benefit not only from a higher energy level but you also gain the long term advantages of lowering bad levels of cholesterol and avoiding putting unnecessary strain on your heart (very possibly prolonging life and the quality thereof).

 

Of course the benefits of using supplements that can enhance the health of your heart are obvious, but you must also consider that having a dietary supplement that provides benefits to other aspects of your health is also going to be an important addition to your diet. It stands to reason that the best supplement combinations are the ones that address the most pressing health concerns and are specifically formulated to work with each other to enhance overall health. Proven products such as this are hard to find. Use products that include vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbal extracts to create a wellness system that can benefit you. Talk with your doctor to see if the product is right for you. You will want to make sure that you discuss any current medications that you are taking as well as information regarding whether or not you have been diagnosed or are being treated for any cardiovascular disease.

 

 

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Eric Glenn is the successful owner of several global health businesses and regularly advises clients and customers on health, nutrition and creating their own global business.

Eric strongly recommends the use of supplements with Synergy Worldwide to improve your health. To learn more about supplements that can help to improve your health visit http://www.ericglenn.com or his health supplements website http://www.synergyteamglobal.com

 

 

Top 4 Ways To Reduce Diabetic Complications

Top 4 Ways To Reduce Diabetic Complications On a regular basis, I talk with diabetic individuals that are scared of lose of a foot or toe. They are often told of the worst case scenarios and just told they need to be careful. They hear about going blind, heart attacks, wounds that don’t heal and even death from the “complications of diabetes”.  This scare tactic has been ineffective at reducing the complications or helping people prevent these complications.

 

My feeling has always been that education is the best way to limit further complications and problems. Therefore, I would like to provide the top 4 ways to limit complications based on current research:

 

1. The best way to limit complications of diabetes (all the

complications) is strict blood sugar control. You should be monitoring your blood sugar and seeking to have a A1c of 6 or lower. Spikes in blood sugar are not recommended at any time, as this provides opportunity for the complications to start. As you talk with your doctor, you can get an aggressive program to keep blood sugars managed. The better the blood sugar control, the smaller chance you have for diabetic complications.

 

2. Exercise helps control blood sugar. Exercise in a diabetic is an important part of your self care. Recent studies have shown exercise improving diabetic symptoms (especially in type 2 diabetics) and may reduce the need for diabetic medications.  This program should be under the direction of your physician and should include adjustments in medications as necessary, diet changes and carefully monitored exercise.

 

Some key points of an exercise program should include not exercising when blood sugars are highest, limiting exercise until 30 – 60 minutes after meals and addition of carbohydrates may be required to reduce hypoglycemia (low blood sugars).

 

Talk with your doctor and get an exercise program that will work for you.

 

3. Examine your feet twice a day. The American Diabetes Association recommends you examine your feet daily for new areas of redness, new calluses, blisters, or any skin changes. Since you are putting shoes on and taking them off, I recommend checking your feet twice a day. This provides you information on if a certain shoe or activity is causing any of these changes.

 

If changes are noted to the feet, your feet should be checked by a foot and ankle specialist to help improve the problem before it becomes a bigger problem. As you examine your feet, you are performing the most important exercise to reduce wounds, infections and amputations.

 

4. Play an active part in managing your disease. No matter how good your doctor is, you are the key to good diabetic control. Learn all you can and work to reduce your diabetic foot complications (as well as other complications).

 

Diabetic complications can be limited with an integrated approach to self management and a good health care team including your diabetic doctor, a podiatrist for foot care and a dietician to help you manage how you eat.  With this team, you are the key to the best reductions in your risk of diabetic complications.

 

Brandt R Gibson DPM

http://www.UtahFootDoc.com

 

 

What You Need to Know About Acne Skin Care Part I

What You Need to Know About Acne Skin Care Part I Adult acne starts with an understanding of how a pimple forms.  Cleansing skin care can only work by understanding the cycle.

 

How does a Pimple Form?  Clogged pores, oil, and bacteria are three of the main causes of acne and according to leading dermatologists, the more points you can intervene at during the acne cycle, the better results you’ll get.

 

Step 1 – The pore, which is also the opening of the hair follicle, becomes clogged with dead skin cells, dirt, and oil.

 

Step 2 – Acne bacteria feed off the oil in the clogged pore and literally attract white blood cells to the area.

 

Step 3 – Your body then responds with inflammation that causes the redness, swelling, and pain associated with the pimple.

 

Do you ever wonder why some of us only get blackheads while others get full-blown breakouts?  Genetics, hormones, environmental factors, and immunity all play a role in the development of acne.  The inflammation response that causes a pimple is really our bodies’ immune response to foreign material (sebum) which penetrates into the dermis.  The greater the immune response, the more severe the acne becomes.

 

Adult acne takes the form of one of five types, which each require their own unique cleansing skin care regimen that are uniquely tailored to their adult acne type.

 

1. Blackheads and whiteheads are both types of comedones, which is another term used to describe a clogged pore.

These are most common in what’s call the T-Zone, which is comprise of the forehead, nose, and chin.

 

2. A pustule is a lesion that contains a mixture of white blood cells, dead skin cells, and bacteria, otherwise known as pus.

 

3. Papules are another type of blemish but these are solid raised bumps – not squeezable.  Papules lend a rough feel to the skin and are caused by a local reaction to the acne bacteria that causes acne.  These are most common on the cheeks and along the jaw line.

 

4. Like a papules, a nodule is a solid lesion.  A nodule is characterized like inflammation and this type of blemish extends into deeper layers of the skin that usually cause pain and scarring.

 

5. Cysts occur deep in the skin and contain pus.  They are larger than pustules and are usually severely inflamed.

They may be very painful and often result in scarring.

 

In this series on cleansing skin care, we are discussing adult acne and specific acne skin care.

 

John Russell

http://www.hormones-beauty-health.com

 

Fight Father Time With Strength Training

Are we settling for less than we should with our health? For the vast majority of us health is quite literally defined as the “absence of disease”. If we get to the fifth or sixth decade of life without a major disease or illness should we relax and consider ourselves fortunate “so far so good” we might say with a sense of relief. But what else could there be? Something you may not have considered is our level of strength throughout our life.

Being strong and fit means being able to do the things that you want and need to do every single day. Your level of strength is the foundation of your life and equals your level of health. Being strong enables you to do more, and be more, which means more of everything – more vitality, more energy and more out of your life. It will take you beyond the goal of simply “not being sick”.

Although Father Time takes its toll on a body, we don’t have to sit back and let the effects of aging take place without a fight. It is important that our health span is equal to our life span. Wellness living requires taking personal responsibility for our health and implementing positive programs to improve health and quality of life, and achieve total wellbeing.

This approach to life-long health begins with healthy actions to prevent and manage the many health conditions that can affect you. The normal process of aging if left undirected results in a reduction of muscle mass, bone density, and a reduced ability to perform life’s activities. If you stay sedentary, you will lose about 300 -500 grams of muscle issue every year. Decreased muscle tissue also means less heat and fat burning potential, fatigue problems, immune weakness and a susceptibility to injury.

An exercise program that includes at least 60% strength training exercise will help you hold the line against this loss retaining muscle strength and power as one grows older rather than losing it. Strength training is often referred to as the Fountain of Youth. When you become stronger your energy, stamina and vitality is boosted, you will feel better, healthier and have new found self confidence and happiness.

You will even notice that you look trimmer, tighter, and firmer than you have for years. If you are carrying excess baggage from years of good cooking and not enough exercise, you will see this excess body fat vanish.

With a basic strength training program, exercises done in less than an hour a day, twice or three times a week, can turn back the clock. If you are not involved in a strength training program now go along to your local gym or fitness center and get started. In a few short weeks you will feel better, have more energy, be stronger, and healthier.

Strength training is a risk free anti-depressant, guaranteed to lift the spirits and put a smile on your face as you watch your strength and muscle tone grow and your flabby, weak body become firm and trim.

We can control our present and future health in lots of ways, but using a proper exercise program will rejuvenate virtually every organ in your body, adding energy to your days and years to your life.

By: Gen Wright

Strength Training Helps Combat Lifestyle Diseases

Heart disease and cancer are the primary cause of death in older people. These diseases along with others such as diabetes, degenerative diseases and joint problems are sometimes called “lifestyle diseases”. This is because how we choose to live increases our risk of contracting them and therefore affects our health. These diseases are becoming more widespread as countries become more industrialized and are different from other diseases because they are potentially preventable.

The signs of aging, declining energy, gray hair, wrinkles and poor eyesight are changes that come on gradually but noticeably. The most profound change however creeps up on most of us in stealth like fashion totally unnoticed. It is the slow, progressive and unrelenting loss of muscle tissue, called sarcopenia (which means vanishing flesh).

From at around age 30 this loss of muscle tissue amounts to 300-500 grams per year accelerating as one gets older. Although sarcopenia is not an actual disease, it sets the stage and is the backdrop against which most other diseases are played out. The loss of muscular strength is associated with a downward spiral of declining health and physical function.

Sarcopenia is both a fundamental cause and a contributor to disability and disease progression. The severity of this loss of muscle tissue is determined by how we take care of ourselves in the years and decades before we get old.

Inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle is more of a sinister enemy that we realize. Many people just sit around, endless hours of watching TV, work at jobs that require them to spend long hours sitting at a desk so they engage in virtually no physical movement at all on a daily basis. As a result, chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other life threatening diseases are being diagnosed – all related to lack of regular physical activity and premature death.

The human body was designed to be used and vigorous activity is critical for its health. In fact, the more you do the stronger and healthier your body gets. Activity gets everything moving, the blood, the oxygen, the nutrients delivered to the cells which need them to carry on the process of life. Movement is the root of health and without enough of it we head towards ill health and disease.

The risk of contracting these diseases can be lowered with changes in lifestyle, changes in diet and activity levels as we get older to help escape the spiral of inactivity. A proper exercise program that includes strength training exercise can prevent and even reverse muscle tissue loss throughout ones life. By subjecting our muscles and bones to adequate loads they will keep their strength and help protect us from killer “lifestyle diseases”.

Strength training is the fastest way to improve muscle strength and endurance which allows a person to perform everyday tasks with less effort. Simply forcing the muscles to work on a regular basis significantly improves their capacity to work as well as someone 20 years younger and will bring life back into your body and keep it there.

Physical activity keeps us vibrant, youthful and alive and ensures we are strong enough to live our lives to the fullest. Everyone needs to make adjustments throughout their lives to ensure they give priority to an exercise program as a protective measure to lower risk of disease. An added bonus is many other benefits including greatly improved functional capacity, a more independent lifestyle and a higher quality of life.

By: Gen Wright

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