Exercise is extremely important for people belonging to any age group. There are several benefits that one can derive from exercise. Doctors have always opined that exercise is the best alternative to medicines. Making exercises a part of your daily routine will help you to remain healthy. Once you start doing it, you will realize the benefits and thank yourself to have initiated it. In the present times, we lead a life punctuated with competition and stress. Physical activity helps you to deal with these and remain fit.

Exercise can fight off chronic diseases, help you to sleep better, helps in losing weight, makes you feel happy and thus extending your life expectancy. There is exercise for each and every part of your body. The more you make your organs work, the more benefits you derive from them. Your body needs to be active and to burn calories and improve the function of the organs. Exercise does that for you.

Living a healthy life is a blend of doing the right exercise and intake of the right kind of food. It is important to do workouts for at least 30 minutes a day to get a healthy mind and body. It acts as a mood elevator at times fighting off depression and stress. During workouts, the brain produces certain chemicals which make you feel happy. It is also important for controlling your blood pressure level and lowering the level of cholesterol. You can also achieve healthy bones and muscles through regular workout sessions.

Working out daily is also important for a healthy heart. It pumps more oxygen thereby improving the blood circulation in your body. Some doctors are also of the opinion that workouts can help you have a healthy looking skin. Workout is important to ward off diabetes and it also promotes emotional well being. Most of the diseases can be cured through workouts. Millions of people have experienced the benefits of physical activity and hence, it is important you incorporate some forms of routine exercise in your daily lifestyle for remaining healthy.

You have probably heard about creatine. Creatine is like the ‘magic portion’ for bodybuilding, and exercises and especially endurance exercises. Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid that helps supply energy to all cells of the body, especially the muscle cells. Creatine is not a steroid. Infact, creatine is naturally found in vertebrates in the liver, kidneys and pancreas, though not in high amounts. So, you probably know creatine is okay and it has been proven to be good for your health. It is known to improve brain performance and improve long term and short term memory for vegetarians. But do you know of the following fun facts about creatine?

1. Creatine does indeed make you look – and feel – stronger!

People will take creatine for various reasons, and that is perfectly fine. Maybe you want to look stronger, maybe you want to ‘feel’ stronger. Taking creatine actually makes you look stronger. It does this by drawing extra water into your muscles. The catch is that the extra water will eventually be used up by the body so to maintain this, take 2 -5 grams of creatine per day. Remember to take lots of water.

The bonus is that you will also ‘feel’ stronger, since creatine creates extra energy for the body. Give this energy an outlet through regular exercises and I promise you won’t regret it. Working out also helps to avoid the puffy look the body might take because of the extra water that accumulates in the muscles without doing some exercises.

2. Too much of anything is dangerous and unnecessary – and this also applies to creatine!

So, one might think, if creatine is this good for me, maybe I should take more of it. Bad idea. Not only is taking too much of creatine dangerous for your good health like the functioning of your kidney, liver and the heart, it has not been proven to cause any ‘extra’ health benefits or aesthetic benefits (for your body). It is therefore safer, and saner to stick to the recommended dosage.

3. Creatine is good for your kids too.

Jose Antonio PhD wonders “What astounds me is that parents would rather give kids a sugar-filled soft drink than creatine.” Creatine is very safe and definitely healthier than a soft drink.

He goes on to add that “Creatine has been shown to have beneficial effects in kids with traumatic brain injury, kids being treated for cancer, [and] kids with muscular dystrophy as well as teenage athletes.”… “So why not give it to healthy kids who are training for a competitive sport or activity?”

Creatine is perfectly safe for children. Infact, a small percentage of children is born with a defect of creatine metabolism which if not treated can cause mental retardation as well as autistic disorders and some of these children have been cured successfully with creatine monohydrate. Creatine has countless solutions for several medical conditions.

4. Creatine is used by pediatric cancer patients.

Creatine has been used by pediatric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Corticosteroids taken by pediatric cancer patients to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy are known to cause rapid gains in body fat. Creatine helps to greatly decrease this body fat.

5. The idea of taking creatine with some grape juice actually works.

It is true that taking creatine with sugar such as grape juice helps.

This is actually a sound and neat trick – for creatine uptake to be enhanced, insulin intake should be encouraged. Think of insulin as a kind of pump pushing the creatine faster into the muscles. Although the main word here is insulin, more basically juice will do the trick, such as grape juice. Just take 100 grams for every 5 grams of creatine and you’re good to go.

A new study has observed that taking protein along with creatine in this fashion has much the same results. The study recommended taking 50 grams of protein for every 5 gram of creatine.

6. Liquid creatine is actually not the most effective form of creatine.

Liquid creatine has its fair share of advocates who claim that it is more quickly consumed by the body compared to other forms of creatine such as solid creatine. This might be true but in relation to the quality of the creatine, solid creatine comes up best. For instance, creatine in powder form is extremely stable.

The thing about creatine is that when it is exposed to an acidic environment or moisture for a long time, it breaks down to more useless creatinine and the citric and phosphorus acids found in liquid creatine do just that.

Experts thus advise that if you are going to make a portion of creatine shake, make sure you drink it by the end of the day.

7. Creatine from food is great and noble – but it is not enough.

Foods such as beef, cod, salmon and herring contain great amounts of creatine. They are credible sources of creatine.

Deriving creatine from food might be safe and an organic way free from what some would call ‘toxins’ of manufactured creatine products. However, it is not enough. It is estimated that the average person will get about 1 gram of his creatine from his diet. This is hugely attributed to the fact that the cooking process destroys much of the creatine found in foods.

8. There’s no better choice that powder- Powder wins always!

As any industry grows, advances are made to the product with relation to aesthetics. Creatine industry is no exemption. Nowadays, there is effervescent as well as liquid creatine. There is even chewable creatine! All these advancements are commendable but none of them triumphs the good old creatine powder. So, whether you decide to buy these newer forms for the hype or to be hip, bear in mind that no form has been found to be more effective than that plain old creatine monohydrate powder. Countless studies also show that it is also easily assimilated by the body. Not to discourage these products or anything but seriously, creatine powder wins always!

9. Consider the quality of your creatine.

Just like any product, there are variances in quality. For example, Chinese creatine is a lower quality product, with more contaminants such as creatinine, sodium, dicyandiamide, and dihydrotriazine. German creatine, from companies such as SKW (Creapure), are cleaner, purer products. Consult with a professional and zoom in on the good quality creatine to reap the best benefits your money can buy.

10. Yes! – Creatine has different results for different people.

Most people will turn to creatine after seeing the dramatic change in another person – if he/she can do it, I can do it. Well, not exactly. Some people have high levels of creatine in their body naturally. For example, meat and fish eaters are likely to give a lower change by creatine as compared to vegetarians who have lower levels of creatine from their diets.

Muscle make-up is also a major factor. Fast – twitch fibers are responsible for sprinting and jumping whereas slow – twitch fibers are responsible for endurance exercises. Most people will have 50% fast – twitch fibers and 50 % slow- twitch fibers and they will respond well to creatine. However, those people with 70% fast – twitch fibers and 30% slow- twitch fibers will see greater results. This is according to Peter Adhihetty, assistant professor in the department of applied physiology and kinesiology at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Therefore, don’t lose hope if you don’t see the exact result your friend got – there’s a lot more going on for the changes to appear than sticking to the dosage.

Well, there you have it! I hope that now you know a bit more about creatine. Thank you for reading through.

How long does it take to lose belly fat and get a nice defined stomach? The answer depends on a couple of factors. We’re going to talk about 4 main factors today that are going to influence your ability to lose weight and lose it quickly.

1) Your body type, which is going to be heavily influenced by genetics
2) Fat cells
3) Diet
4) Exercise

There are three main classifications of body types: ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs. Ectomorphs have a tendency to be naturally slim and have high energy levels. They never really have a problem losing weight. I am more of an ectomorph. I have a tough time gaining weight and a tough time putting on muscle. It’s easy for me to lose weight, especially if I miss any meals. Ectomorphs are, well, ectomorphy!

Mesomorphs are your 100 meter sprinters, your Arnold Schwarzenegger. They have a high metabolism like the ectomorphs but they have an easier time putting on muscle mass.

Gaining weight is very easy and gaining muscle is very easy for mesomorphs which means that losing weight is very easy for them too because they have a lot of muscle which means they have a higher basal metabolic rate and they burn more calories. It is easiest for the mesomorphs to gain muscle definition.

The endomorphs have the short end of the stick when it comes to losing fat. I will be honest with you, if you are someone who is a little more round, have an easy time holding onto weight and a tougher time losing it, it’s not going to be an easy road to muscle definition.

There could be an association with low thyroid functioning that decreases your metabolism which compounds the issue. If you are an endomorph then pay special attention to all of these lessons.

It is important to realize that depending on which body type you most dominantly exhibit (and we are not one or the other, but really a combination of all three) if you are more of an endomorph, it is going to take a lot more work and diligence than someone who is more of an ectomorph or a mesomorph to lose fat and see more definition.

You can see my muscles no problem. If I want to lose fat it takes me no time at all, but if you ask me to put a couple of inches on my biceps then we’re talking about me being in the gym 24/7 doing serious workouts. It would take a lot of hard work. It’s the same thing with an endomorph.

If you want to lose weight as an endomorph it is going to take a lot of hard work because you are working against your body’s nature to some degree. But, it can be done and millions of people are doing it right now. So if you are in that category, keep your chin up and know that you can do it. We’re going to show you in these lessons how it can be done.

In regards to getting where you want to go as far as muscle definition, it’s going to depend a lot on where you are right now. In the second lesson we talked about fat cells and fat cell receptors.

Today I want to talk about the fat cell itself. Fat cells are known as adipocytes. They hold onto fat as stored energy. Certain receptors on the fat cell allow hormones to influence them such as hormone sensitive lipase and break down the fat into fatty acids to be taken out of the body through the blood and used for energy.

I think it was as recently as 2007 that researchers discovered the adipose gene. This is a gene that determines your fat cell makeup. Generally, an adult has about 30 billion fat cells. Common thinking used to be that you were born with a set number of fat cells, but this might not be the case.

In general, if you are at a healthy weight as an adult, you acquired all of your fat cells before you hit puberty. Puberty is the closing window for any new development of fat cells. If you are a fairly lean adult, you will have the same number of fat cells throughout your lifetime.

Now, if you put on excessive weight even in your adult years, new research shows that these fat cells can grow up to 4-fold and begin to multiply. That is a very scary concept. Instead of having 30 billion fat cells, if you gain excessive weight you can have 40 or 50 billion or more fat cells in your body.

This is just another reason to lead an active lifestyle and stay fairly fit and healthy. You do not need more fat cells. Fat cells operate much like a balloon. If you fill a balloon with water it will expand and as soon as you release it, the balloon will contract back to its very small size.

When you lose weight, fat cells shrink. Fat cells do not disappear but they can multiply – so be wary of that. You don’t want any more fat cells, so the key is diminishing fat stores by using fat for energy purposes.

This is why exercise is so important.

Something you must know about fat is that stores acid in the body. This is why alkalinity is so important in the diet. If your fat cells are holding into a lot of acid, it’s going to be very tough for your body to get rid of your fat stores because they need to be there in order to hold onto the acid. But that is a topic for another day.

If you are an ectomorph, you have most likely been able to get away with eating whatever you want during your life. You may be able to eat fast food every day and not put on weight, but the problem is that you can be fit without being healthy.

If you are eating garbage foods, you are not doing your body any good on the inside. You may not physically show any weight gain but to be healthy and fit you must eat the proper nutrients. Trust me, you will look and feel much, much better than you do right now if you start eating whole foods.

As an endomorph you have to be very strict and diligent with your diet. As you most likely know, if you have the wrong foods in your diet such as refined carbohydrates for instance, you will tend to retain water and put on weight easily.

Hopefully you are listening to your body enough so that you can relate the foods you eat to how you feel. It is important to have that body awareness. If you don’t have a clue how foods affect the way you feel, now is a good time to start making those connections between food and mood.

As an endomorph who wants to lose belly fat and really start to see some definition, you need to pay attention to your diet. You need to make sure that you are in that caloric deficit that we talked about earlier.

You need to make sure that you are eating nutrient dense foods and you need to stay away from strictly carbohydrate-rich, nutrition-less foods such as chocolate bars, pastries, refined bread, sodas, etc. Eat lots of vegetables. Vegetables are very high in nutrients and they act to burn calories because of their thermic effect.

They have a lot of fiber which means that the body has to spend a lot of time digesting them which means that your body burns calories doing so.

Mesomorphs can pretty much eat more or less how ectomorphs can – but it doesn’t mean they should! In general, everyone should stay away from refined carbohydrates. Even if something is made with 100% whole wheat, it is no good.

Stick to the pseudo-grains such as amaranth, quinoa, millet, spelt, etc. Those grains are easier for your body to digest. Wheat is very difficult for your body to digest and a lot of people have issues digesting wheat which can lead to bloating.

One of the reasons it is difficult to have a flat stomach is food sensitivity. If you remove the foods to which you are sensitive, you will have an easier time seeing a flat stomach.

Whether of not you obtain that flat stomach depends a lot on where you are with your diet. If you are an endomorph, again, you’ve got to do a bit more work and be more diligent than an ectomorph or a mesomorph.

If you are a man with less than 10% body fat, you should see muscle definition. If you are a woman, any body fat % lower than the mid-teens should show muscular definition. You don’t want to go too low with your body fat percentage. A certain amount is important to have for energy purposes.

Let’s talk about exercise. If you are an endomorph you will want to spend more time doing cardio as well as strength training. Your body demands more effort if you are looking to burn fat. Endomorphs are looking at 3-4 cardio sessions a week and a minimum of 3 strength training workouts per week.

The goal in your workouts should be intensity. Your workouts should be no longer than an hour at high intensity. If you are an ectomorph, you don’t need to go crazy on the cardio because you are already fairly slim.

The tough thing for ectomorphs is building muscle, so spend more of your time doing full body strength training workouts to build a bit of size and maintain your lean muscle mass. If you are going to do cardio, which you should, keep it short and intense and keep it intervals. I would say 20 minutes three times a week is fine.

Mesomorphs have a bit of leeway because they are naturally blessed. Mesomorphs should incorporate both cardio and strength training in one fashion or another.

I wish I could tell you exactly how long it will take. I wish I could tell you that if you follow my advice you will see results in exactly 7 days, but it doesn’t work like that.

Anyone who makes those ridiculous claims is someone that you should run away from. A given program is not going to produce the same results for two different people. Everyone is unique.

The way that you respond to your food intake and your exercise is going to be very different from someone else. There are so many factors involved. With exercise, there is the intensity, how long you are working out for, what muscle groups you are targeting, etc. There are all sorts of variables.

The goal is to maintain that long-term vision of what you want to achieve and be committed to achieving it. Realize as we talked about in earlier lessons that it is going to take time.

From a general fat loss perspective, 1-2 lbs of fat loss per week is healthy. Over the week, you must create a 7000 calorie deficit to lose 2 lbs. It’s not easy, but it can be done.

Stay committed no matter what. And don’t rely on the scale.

Pay attention to how your clothes fit. Some people may not notice a difference on the scale but they notice a lowering of body fat percentage in the mirror and in their clothes. That is the true mark of improving your health and your fitness.

I’ve never paid much attention to branched chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements until recently. Branched chain amino’s just doesn’t sound all that exciting when you have all these hyped up muscle builders such as various forms of creatine, nitric oxide boosters, and testosterone enhancers out there. However, I’ve done a lot of research on supplements in general over the past few years and I now have a completely different outlook on BCAAs as I now see their vital importance.

I guess advertising really does work. Statements in supplement ads, even though greatly exaggerated, can really catch your attention and half the time you won’t even realize it. But hey, that’s part of advertising. I hate to admit that I’ve fallen naïve to this at times. But I have, and chances are, we all have at some point. BCAAs have never really had the tag lines that other top selling muscle builders have. These days, most supplement formulas contain BCAAs, but at a very low dosage.

Whereas most every major supplement carries some sort of BCAA product, I ran across Scivation’s Xtend about a year ago, and I’m glad I did. Before I get further into this, let me first say that this is not one of those supplements you ‘feel’ or will gain massive amounts of muscle in a short period of time with. Some immediate effects I notice though are less soreness and quicker recovery. I also notice that with taking this during my workout, my muscles have more sustainable energy. Since I do take a pre and post workout drink, I use Xtend during my workout and on my off weight training days, I use it during cardio. The reason for this, which is the reason BCAAs are so important, is because when you work out you’re breaking down the muscle. But if you’re feeding your muscles BCAAs during the process, you counteract this affect.

Xtend, unlike most other BCAA products has a generous dosage of BCAAs at 3.5 grams of leucine, and 1.8 grams each of isoleucine and valine (this 2:1:1 ratio is known to be most effective). Xtend also contains a moderate dose of glutamine and citrulline malate. I don’t know a ton about citrulline malate other than it’s known to enhance performance. At one gram though, I can’t imagine you’ll feel the effect of this unless you take multiple servings of Xtend. The amount of glutamine Xtend contains per serving is 2.5 grams. There have been several studies to that show just two grams of glutamine can increase natural growth hormone levels. Glutamine is also important for recovery. So this is an extremely valuable addition.

The recommendations for this product are to take it before, during, and after workouts and anywhere from two to six scoops (two scoops equals one serving). Again, I take this product only during my workout and/or during my cardio sessions (two, sometimes three scoops). I think it’s extremely important to take this during cardio to prevent muscle breakdown. If you’re not taking anything for pre and post workout, this product is excellent to take for those times as well, especially post workout (your post workout mix should always contain a high level of BCAAs). I’ve also experimented taking Xtend before bed time. When taking this at night, I noticed deeper and more restful sleep. This is probably more due to the glutamine in the product.

My opinion on Scivation’s Xtend is this: It’s the best BCAA supplement on the market in regards to quality and price per serving. In most stores you’ll find the 30 serving containers of Xtend for $25-30 a pop, but I’ve been able to find this product at a few online retailers for around $15. Of course you have to consider shipping, but you’re still saving a substantial amount of money. I’ve told people that if I were broke and could only afford one supplement (other than whey protein), this would definitely be it.

Many men, myself included, are looking for a safe and effective way to boost their natural testosterone. Increased testosterone levels have many benefits, especially for men who are over 35. It will make you not only look better, but feel better as well.

So, what are the safe, legal and effective ways that we men have to boost our natural testosterone levels?

I want to take a look now at 8 popular testosterone enhancing sports supplements. You may or may not have heard about all 8, but do you know if they actually work? This article will answer that question for you.

Here are the 8 testosterone boosters we will be looking at:

1. ZMA

2. Tribulus Terrestris

3. Fenugreek

4. Activate by Designer Supplements

5. 6-OXO

6. Avena Sativa

7. Tongkat Ali

8. Yohimbe

ZMA – ZMA is a designed mineral formula comprised of zinc monomethionine aspartate, magnesium aspartate and vitamin B-6. They are combined in specific ratios to supposedly maximize the effectiveness of ZMA. A 1999 study showed increases of up to 30% in free and total testosterone during an 8 week study of NCAA football players. However, this study was conducted by one of the owners of the company that holds the patent on ZMA. Not completely unbiased.

ZMA may have helped testosterone levels because the mineral zinc and magnesium play important roles in the production of anabolic hormones, especially testosterone. The study participants were shown to have borderline deficient levels of both minerals at the beginning of the study, so raising their levels to normal could have accounted for the rise in testosterone.

I wouldn’t rule out ZMA completely, most people in the U.S. are deficient in both zinc and magnesium. If you are slghtly deficient in zinc and/or magnesium ZMA could increase your testosterone production by bringing your levels back to normal. 8 out of 10 stars!

Tribulus Terrestris – This is a weed that grows in temperature and tropical climates and has been used for centuries to increase libido in males. Does it also increase testosterone levels as many supplement companies would have you believe? That depends on who is taking it.

Tribulus terrestris HAS been shown to increase testosterone levels by as much as 30%, but only in individuals who have low testosterone levels to begin with. It will raise your levels to normal, but it will not raise them if you already have normal testosterone levels.

So, tribulus terrestris is partially useful as a testosterone booster. If you are overtrained, if you are on a low calorie ‘cutting’ diet or if you are recovering from steroid or prohormone use (as part of PCT) tribulus terrestris can be useful n raising your testosterone levels. Don’t expect that it will give you super high test levels or significantly increased libido. 6 out of 10 stars!

Fenugreek – Fenugreek is an herb found primarily in Indian food. It has historically been used by nursing mothers to increase milk production. Studies on fenugreek are scant, but it has been shown to decrease blood sugar levels of type II diabetics.

Fenugreek has become popular recently as a testosterone booster in bodybuilding supplements. There is no proof at all that this is true. Because of it’s effect on blood sugar levels it could be useful as a cutting supplement used to lower blood sugar and insulin spikes. 2 out of 10 stars!

Activate – Activate is a fairly new product from Designer Supplements that claims to increase free testosterone levels in the body. The active ingredient has been trademarked under the name Divanil and is an extract of the stinging nettle plant.

Your body has both free testosterone and bound testosterone. Only the free testosterone is of use to you in building muscle. So, you may have high testosterone levels, but if all of it is bound it is useless to you for muscle building.

Your body controls the amount of free testosterone through a protein called Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG). The SHBG binds to your free testosterone making it unavailable for muscle building. Activate works by inhibiting (decreasing) the SHBG in your body. This means more of your testosterone is free to help with your muscle building.

There are no studies confirming the rise in free testosterone levels, but there are studies showing that lignans from stinging nettle extract inhibit SHBG and user feedback is almost unanimously positive. I myself have used Activate several times and find that it increases focus in the gym, hardens my muscles and also increased libido. 10 out of 10 stars!

6-OXO – This is a product developed and trademarked by Ergopharm. The active ingredient is 4-etioallocholen-3,6, 17-trione. There have been several studies to date that validate 6-OXO as a testosterone booster. These studies while small have shown average free testosterone increases of 126%. Longer term studies are still underway, but initial reports are positive. 9 out of 10 stars!

Avena Sativa – Please don’t believe the hype behind avena sativa. Avena sativa is the scientific name for wild oats. While I enjoy oatmeal as a good source of carbohydrates it is not a testosterone booster? No way! There are no studies or historical evidence that avena sativa does anything to increase testosterone levels. 0 out of 10 stars!

Tongkat Ali – Tongkat ali is an extract from the root of the Eurycoma shrub found mainly in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also called Longjack and Eurycoma Longfolia.

It has been used for centuries in southeast Asia to boost libido and as an aphrodesiac. Studies confirm that it works very well, increasing both sexual function and endurance as well as libido.

Researchers are unsure how Tongkat ali works, but they believe that it both increases testosterone production and increases free testosterone. Like a 1-2 punch. Common effects from Tongkat ali are increased well being, better body composition, increased libido and increased focus and aggression.

Tongkat ali does take some time to start working so it may take up to 2 weeks before you start to see its effects. You also need to make sure you are getting an extract of the root powder and not just root powder. The extract is more expensive, but necessary. 8 out of 10 stars!

Yohimbe – Yohimbe has been used as a testosterone booster as well as a fat loss aid. While it does aid in fat loss through several mechanisms, there is no proof that it boosts testosterone levels.

It is likely that people believe it increases testosterone because it does increase libido, however the libido increase is not due to a testosterone increase. Yohimbe works partially as a vasodialator which means it opens up blood vessels, especially those in the lower extremeties such as the genetalia.

Yohimbe has also been shown to have several negative and possibly dangerous side effects and many physicians advise their patients not to take yohimbe because of these side effects. 3 out of 10 stars!

Health conscious people are on the lookout for the latest products that make claims of being healthy for you and making you feel good.

Products such as Pepsi Max, Diet Sprite and Diet Coke are very popular these days as an alternative to regular sodas. These diet products have fewer calories and contain no sugar. You may wonder if they are really all that healthy compared to normal soft drinks.

Diet products contain artificial sweeteners and are not the real thing. As for real sugar based products, these are loaded with calories.

Not so well known is the fact that the Food and Drug Administrations findings in a 1974 report found that serious health risks may be connected to the use of artificial sweeteners and that they may not be as safe as once thought to be.

Aspartame, an artificial sweetener could possibly lead to such health problems and brain lesions, brain tumors, lymphoma and cancer. A 2007 report issued by the Food and Drug Administrations states that consuming high amounts of this sweetener may be linked to cancer.

One reason that may explain the illnesses associated with artificial sweeteners is how the body views them. They are fake sugars that have to be broken down and metabolized by the body.

When fake sugar is used, the body will begin the process of converting this to energy and is fooled because it cannot break it down into useable energy for the body.

This may explain the reason why some people who consume diet products are always tired and lack energy. They may also have mood swings and behavioral problems as well when they ingest these fake sugar products regularly.

To answer the question, are diet soft drinks healthier than regular soft drinks? No. Regular soft drinks may contain a lot of sugar but you will have fewer side effects from consuming them.

Working out at the gym is a great way to lose weight. The subsequent six-pack abs and steely muscles in the rest of the body will raise the body’s need for energy sources, and what is a better source of energy than the fats stored in the different places of the body?

There is a little snag, however: the digestive system in one’s body.

A problematic digestive system can be attributed to the high levels of fat, oil, preservatives, and chemicals in the processed foods of today. These compounds end up lining the colon, preventing food from being absorbed quickly and efficiently. Years and years of buildup block the lining of the colon, and the buildup can reach levels where the body can no longer naturally dispose of the lining by itself. When this happens, the body’s metabolism rate slows down to accommodate the slower intake of food. As the food is slowly absorbed into the system, it gets converted to fat as there will be no demand for the energy.

This is where a colon cleanse regimen comes into the picture.

Once the colon’s lining has been cleared of toxic substances, the digestive system can begin to absorb food quickly and efficiently, without absorbing the toxins and poisons that is contained in the compounds lining the colon. This effectively speeds up metabolism and allows the body to start building up muscles instead of converting the processed food into fat. It would have a domino effect on weight loss: a clean colon will facilitate rapid and efficient absorption of food, raise the body’s metabolism rate to compensate for the heightened absorption, and then form muscles to eat up the food. And once you have that six-pack abs in your belly, they’ll quickly burn your fat like no tomorrow.

So if you want to lose weight easily and quickly, combine a colon cleanse regimen with a healthy diet and proper exercise. You’ll find those pounds shedding off faster than you expect!

I’m currently in China and have settled in a really cool town, there’s a good mix of locals and westerners. I found this little gym, it’s like half Kung Fu academy, half gym. It’s pretty low tech, but suits me down to the ground, weights and benches, although they could do with a power rack.

I met this colourful Russian character down the gym, who introduced me to The Arm Destroyer, he said he found it online somewhere, after giving it a go, I thought I’d share it with you guys.

First off, this is no walk in the park, I’ve tried this once, and have to say it’s the most I’ve ever brutalized my arms, we’re talking serious DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) here. I challenge you to try it at least once, but you’ve been warned, it’s pretty hardcore, don’t plan on using your arms for a while after.

There’s no fancy equipment needed, just a pull up bar, a chair and a stopwatch.

Your mission, should you accept it, is to complete the following in as quick a time as possible:

50 Pull-ups (narrow or wide grip)

50 Push-ups

50 Chair Dips

50 Chin-ups (narrow or wide grip)

And it has to be in that order!!

Can you handle it?

Make sure you’re properly warmed up before you attempt this. Having some good workout music, such as the classic Eye of the Tiger, helps. Having a crazy Russian shouting in your face also helps, though harder to find.

I wouldn’t really advice this as a regular routine, you can make significant gains with allot less effort, but it is good every now and again, to give your arms a hammering like this.

Try it and post your times here, I did it in 9 minutes and 57 seconds, my Russian friend took a little longer, he put it’s down to an extra bit of body fat.

The body relies on three macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates and fat, as well as many micronutrients. Unlike carbohydrates and fats, protein is not easily stored in the body, however, it will store protein just like the others in the face of far too many calories. Fat is the easiest to digest for the body. The body digests carbs based on what kind they are. Simple carbs are fast and easy to digest and lead to sugar spikes that can cause weight gain. Complex carbs, on the other hand, take longer for the body to digest and do not contribute to the sugar spike, insulin surge cycle.

Proteins are the hardest for the body to digest and start burning energy from the moment that they enter the blood stream. Proteins, in addition to being slow to digest, are vital for every cell in the body and play a major role in a number of functions. Despite the importance of the nutrient, there is an upper limit to the amount of protein that is needed by the body. Ironically, the need for protein is never greater than in the first six months of human life, when pound for pound, the protein need is double what it will be for the rest of life, no matter what the circumstance or life stage.

Some of the Roles of Protein

The most obvious role of protein is in the creation and repair of muscles, but there are countless others. These include:

– Building of connective tissue

– Building cell membranes

– Contributing to the bone matrix

– Regulating the pH balance of the blood

– Forming hormones and enzymes, including those that play a role in the regulation of sleep, digestion and ovulation

– Boosting immune function (antibodies are proteins)

– Creating new blood cells

– Creating RNA and DNA

– Creating neurotransmitters

(Source: Nelson, 2009)

The Digestive Process of Protein

All proteins are made of a number of amino acids. While the human body can create many of these amino acids on its own, there are eight which are not made in the human body and must come from food sources every day. These are called the essential amino acids. A protein is either considered to be complete, meaning that it has all eight of the essential amino acids, or incomplete, meaning that it is lacking one or more of them. These eight amino acids are leucine, isoleucine, valine, threonine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and lysine. Animal proteins are complete, while most plant proteins are not.

These amino acids are technically simple compounds created from molecules of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen or nitrogen. Each of the amino acids will link together to form a chain, which are then referred to as a peptide. The average peptide will have over 500 amino acids in it.

Each protein is broken down into the simple amino acids during the digestive process. These in turn are absorbed and used by the body to make new amino acids, enzymes and hormones.

During digestion, the protein is first sent to the stomach, where hydrochloric acid in the stomach’s gastric acid breaks it down into its first components. The gastric enzyme pepsin, which is the only protease able to digest collagen, a protein in animal connective tissue, digests the amino acids. (Enzymes are classified as either proteinases or proteases.) The next step in the process takes place in the duodenum, the first segment of the small intestine. Here, the pancreas will deliver its own protease enzymes, trypsin and chymotrypsin. Trypsin works to break down the protein into amino acids through a process called hydrolysis, where a water molecule is inserted between two amino acids to break their bond and separate them. At this point in the digestive process, the amino acids are small enough to pass through the intestinal lining and throughout the rest of the body.

During exercise, the production of the body’s proteins is decreased. The remaining protein is then converted to free amino acids and used for fuel for the working muscle groups. After the exercise is done, especially in the case of heavy resistance training, the rate of protein synthesis remains low while breakdown rates remains elevated for about twenty four hours. Without a new source of protein during this, the recovery period, the breakdown will likely exceed that of synthesis and the body will turn to its own muscles for fuel.

Evaluating Proteins

All proteins, especially those being used by elite, endurance and strength athletes, are evaluated on two scales. The Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAA) judges the completeness of a protein. A complete protein, meaning one that has all eight essential amino acids, will earn a score of 1 on this scale. The second score is the biological value (BV) score, which will judge how much of a protein is actually retained by the body after it is broken down. All protein types are often judged against the egg on this scale because it scores 100, meaning that all of the protein that you get from eating an egg is retained by the body. Unless you are an elite athlete, it is not likely that you know or care about the PDCAA or BV score of your protein, and there are simpler ways to evaluate the foods and supplements that you consume.

Your proteins should be low fat, especially in saturated fat. They should be low in calories, or at least not extremely high in calories in relation to the portion size. Finally, they should taste good and have other nutritional benefits as well.

Protein supplements should be high in protein but low in calories and should not have added sugars or fats. Read all labels carefully, since some of the brands of protein bars are trying to pretend to be healthy when they bear little difference from the average candy bar.

Know Your Protein Need

From the infant in his cradle to the elite body builder to the old man who is playing shuffleboard, all humans need protein. Their actual need is as individual as they are, based on their age, their health, their weight and their activity level. Protein is important, but it can also be dangerous when consumed in extremely high amounts. The experts suggest that the upper limit is no more than 35% of the total daily calories, even for the elite athletes. As mentioned before, there is no greater need for protein than during the first six months of life, when the baby should be getting 2.2 grams of protein per kg of body weight. The elite body builder, on the other hand, should be getting around 1.6 grams per kg of body weight. (Source: US Guidelines on Protein and Nutrition) For the average sized man, that translates to roughly about 60 grams of protein per day, or about 8 ounces of meat. Women need less protein than men, unless they are pregnant, when the need increases dramatically. However, when a woman is not pregnant, excessive protein can lead to increased calcium loss through the urine, putting her at a greater risk for developing osteoporosis. (Source: Tsang, RD 2007)

For the average person, the protein need is between.5 and.8 grams per kg of body weight each day, more if you are very active and less if you sedentary. Timing is important as well, with athletes advised to eat a small protein meal or take their choice of protein supplement before they work out and immediately afterward so that the body does not resort to tearing down its own muscle mass in search of energy.

References

Lisa Nelson Protein and Heart Health: How Much Do You Need? Health Central. Highbloodpressureconnection.com November 30, 3009

Gloria Tsang, RD Men vs. Women: Difference in Nutritional Requirements. Healthcastle.com October 2007

The US Guidelines on Protein and Diet, the United States Department of Agriculture

I’ve never paid much attention to branched chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements until recently. Branched chain amino’s just doesn’t sound all that exciting when you have all these hyped up muscle builders such as various forms of creatine, nitric oxide boosters, and testosterone enhancers out there. However, I’ve done a lot of research on supplements in general over the past few years and I now have a completely different outlook on BCAAs as I now see their vital importance.

I guess advertising really does work. Statements in supplement ads, even though greatly exaggerated, can really catch your attention and half the time you won’t even realize it. But hey, that’s part of advertising. I hate to admit that I’ve fallen naïve to this at times. But I have, and chances are, we all have at some point. BCAAs have never really had the tag lines that other top selling muscle builders have. These days, most supplement formulas contain BCAAs, but at a very low dosage.

Whereas most every major supplement carries some sort of BCAA product, I ran across Scivation’s Xtend about a year ago, and I’m glad I did. Before I get further into this, let me first say that this is not one of those supplements you ‘feel’ or will gain massive amounts of muscle in a short period of time with. Some immediate effects I notice though are less soreness and quicker recovery. I also notice that with taking this during my workout, my muscles have more sustainable energy. Since I do take a pre and post workout drink, I use Xtend during my workout and on my off weight training days, I use it during cardio. The reason for this, which is the reason BCAAs are so important, is because when you work out you’re breaking down the muscle. But if you’re feeding your muscles BCAAs during the process, you counteract this affect.

Xtend, unlike most other BCAA products has a generous dosage of BCAAs at 3.5 grams of leucine, and 1.8 grams each of isoleucine and valine (this 2:1:1 ratio is known to be most effective). Xtend also contains a moderate dose of glutamine and citrulline malate. I don’t know a ton about citrulline malate other than it’s known to enhance performance. At one gram though, I can’t imagine you’ll feel the effect of this unless you take multiple servings of Xtend. The amount of glutamine Xtend contains per serving is 2.5 grams. There have been several studies to that show just two grams of glutamine can increase natural growth hormone levels. Glutamine is also important for recovery. So this is an extremely valuable addition.

The recommendations for this product are to take it before, during, and after workouts and anywhere from two to six scoops (two scoops equals one serving). Again, I take this product only during my workout and/or during my cardio sessions (two, sometimes three scoops). I think it’s extremely important to take this during cardio to prevent muscle breakdown. If you’re not taking anything for pre and post workout, this product is excellent to take for those times as well, especially post workout (your post workout mix should always contain a high level of BCAAs). I’ve also experimented taking Xtend before bed time. When taking this at night, I noticed deeper and more restful sleep. This is probably more due to the glutamine in the product.

My opinion on Scivation’s Xtend is this: It’s the best BCAA supplement on the market in regards to quality and price per serving. In most stores you’ll find the 30 serving containers of Xtend for $25-30 a pop, but I’ve been able to find this product at a few online retailers for around $15. Of course you have to consider shipping, but you’re still saving a substantial amount of money. I’ve told people that if I were broke and could only afford one supplement (other than whey protein), this would definitely be it.