Social Icons

twitter follow facebook followgoogle pluslinkedinrss feedemail

Featured Posts

Supported Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

Supported Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

Hold a dumbbell in your right hand, place your left hand on a bench in front of you, and assume a staggered stance, left foot forward. Hold your elbow in as you row the wight to the side of your torso. Do 10 reps, switch arms and leg positions, and repeat the movement.

Dumbbell Triceps Kickback

Dumbbell Triceps Kickback

Grab a pair of dumbbells, bend your knees and lean forward so your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Tuck your upper arms next to your sides, bend your elbows, and hold your forearms about parallel to the floor, palms facing up. Simultaneously extend your arms straight back and rotate the weight so your palms end up facing each other. Return to the starting position. Do 15 reps.

Dumbbell Hammer Curl and Press

Dumbbell Hammer Curl and Press

Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold a pair of dumbbells at arm's length by your sides, palms facing each other. Without moving your upper arms, curl the weights to your shoulders, and then press them overhead until your arms are straight. Reverse the move to return to the starting position. Do 10 reps.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Important Minerals: Selenium and Zinc


Selenium has gained attention for its association with vitamin E in combating the damages of oxidation. It can stand in for vitamin E in some of its antioxidant activities, thereby sparing vitamin E. It is a factor in the regulation of metabolic rate and is needed for proper immune response. Its relationship to vitamin E as an antioxidant has made it the subject of study in terms of offering protection against cancer. Deficiencies are rare as long as our farming soil contains enough selenium.

Food Sources of Selenium are: Brazil nuts, garlic, grains, and vegetables; amount depends on soil conditions.

Healthy Minerals

Zinc works with proteins in every organ as a helper for more than one hundred enzymes. It participates with these enzymes to perform the following functions:
  • Makes parts of cells’ genetic material
  • Makes heme in hemoglobin
  • Helps the pancreas with its digestive functions
  • Helps metabolize carbohydrate, protein, and fat
  • Liberates vitamin A from storage in the liver
  • Disposes of damaging free radicals
  • Zinc also affects behavior and learning.
  • It assists in immune functions, is essential to wound healing, sperm production, fetal development, and growth in children. It contributes to taste and vision. 
Food Sources of Zinc are: Variety is important. Grains (especially breads made with yeast), brewer’s yeast, and wheat germ. Legumes, nuts, tofu, peas, yogurt, green leafy and other vegetables.
Healthy Minerals

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Vitamin B12 and Folate


These two B vitamins are partners m many body processes. They both work to make red blood cells. Vitamin B12 helps maintain the sheath that protects nerve fibers. Folate is thought to protect the genetic material of cells and is required to make new cells. It is especially vital during pregnancy when cell multiplication is very rapid. It plays an important role in the prevention of certain birth defects, such as anencephaly and neural tube defects. There is evidence that woman chronically deficient in folate have a significantly higher risk of developing cervical cancer.

Folate comes from the word foliage; thus, as is the case with most vitamins, green leafy vegetables are an excellent source. Fresh fruit and vegetables are the best sources since folate is easily destroyed by cooking. Legumes and seeds are also good sources.
Healthy Vitamins

Sunday, January 27, 2013

What Is High Blood Pressure?



High Blood PressureEvery time your heart beats (about 60 to 70 times a minute when you're resting), it pumps blood out through large blood vessels called arteries. Blood pressure is the force of that blood as it pushes against the walls of the arteries. Your blood pressure is at its highest when your heart beats and pushes the blood out—doctors call this the systolic pressure. When the heart is at rest between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is called diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is always given as two numbers: first the systolic and then the diastolic pressure.

Normal blood pressure ranges from below 130 to 140 systolic and below 85 to 90 diastolic. If your blood pressure is less than 140/90, then, it's normal. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is anything above 140/90. High blood pressure gets more serious as the numbers get higher. Your risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease go up along with your blood pressure.

If your blood pressure is high, there are many lifestyle steps you can take to lower it, like losing weight, getting more exercise, avoiding salt, giving up cigarettes, and drinking less alcohol. If that doesn't help, or if your blood pressure stays high, your doctor may prescribe drugs to bring it down. Vitamins, minerals, and other supplements, along with diet and lifestyle can help you overcome high blood pressure problems.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

What Are Multi-Vitamins and Multi-Minerals?



Every athlete needs a good multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplement. This ensures you a complete spectrum of all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to carry out the millions of intricate functions your body goes through every second of the day.

MPR
Most athletes are so busy looking for that magic supplement that they tend to forget the basic needs of the human body for every single function it goes through. You need a continual supply of vitamins and minerals to assist all the activities that govern every growth process in the human body.

The importance of vitamins and minerals in the life of an athlete can't be overstated. Every function in the body is directly or indirectly controlled and assisted by the essential vitamins and minerals. This is a primary reason why each serving of a good MRP contains 100% of all essential vitamins and minerals.







Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Stay Healthy: Substitute Your Food (Part 2)


Substitute: Cheese with: Soy, rice and almond cheeses (Look for casein-free products.)

Healthy Substitutions

Substitute: Ice cream with: Frozen desserts made with rice or soy milk.

Healthy Substitutions

Substitute: Beef, veal, lamb, and pork with: Fish, shellfish, and range-fed poultry, soy-based chicken substitutes, and occasional range-fed red meat.

Healthy Substitutions

Substitute: Hot dogs, breakfast sausages with: Tofu, soy hot dogs and sausages

Healthy Substitutions

Substitute: Meat loaf with: Multigrain and legume loaves

Healthy Substitutions

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Safeguard Your Elbows


Triceps

Some of you live in perpetual pain from inflamed elbow tendons. Elbows have rarely bothered those who avoided the exercises that aggravate them—which unfortunately include nearly every type of triceps extension performed with free weights. Once you acquire tendinitis of the elbow, your elbows are never quite the same again. To avoid that disheartening state of affairs, take extra care to prevent injury.

Never jump right into heavy training for any of the pushing muscles: chest, shoulders or triceps. With triceps in particular, warm up thoroughly with at least two or three 15-to-25-rep sets of cable push-downs before starting work sets. Never bounce, or rebound, out of the bottom of a rep to cheat a couple more reps or even use more resistance. You may want to consider wearing neoprene elbow sleeves, available at any sporting goods store, to keep your elbows warm and tightly supported. Just don't buy them too tight or wear them too long, or you'll find your hands going numb from blocked circulation. In all seriousness, though, take good care of your elbows and never skimp on warmups. A key factor in getting bigger triceps is your ability to train them heavy with a wide variety of movements, something only possible when you have healthy joints and connective tissues.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Tea Will Make You Healthier And Stronger


Helathy Teas

For general information we present to you a list of healthy teas and the conditions and disorders they help to prevent and heal:

Borage (Borago officiniale) - antimelancholy
Burdock root (Arctium lappa) - helps sciatica and rheumatoid arthritis
Butcher's Broom(Ruscus acluteatus) - good diuretic
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) - relaxant and mild depressant
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) - calms hyperactivity, good before bed
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylancium) - clears the brain, improves thought process
Cornsilk - reduces pain of urinary infections
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) - improves liver and kidney function
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) - an appetite supressant, relieves gas, abdominal pain.
Fenugreek (Trigonella graecum) - relieves sinus congestion, eases sore throats
Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) - restores appetite
Jasmine (Jasminum officinalis) - mild nerve sedative
Parsley (Petroselinum sativum) - diuretic
Roships (Rosacaea) - adrenal stimulant during daytime
Sage (Salvia officinalis) - improves brain nourishment, the "thinker's tea"
Slippery elm bark (Ulmus fulva) - pain reliever
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) - sooths sore throats and colds
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) - natural sedative
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) - general tonic

Saturday, January 12, 2013

The Most Important Vitamin B Sources


Here are some of the basic B Vitamins sources and foods:

Thiamin: Sometimes called the “good humor” vitamin, it is necessary for energy metabolism and nervous system responses—remember the women (in chapter 1) whose personalities were altered by a deficit of this vitamin; it is also important for the response between nerve cells and muscle. Alcohol causes excretion of thiamin in the urine.
Food Sources: Green leafy vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, legumes, and nuts.

Riboflavin: Necessary for energy metabolism of all body cells, normal vision and healthy skin.
Food Sources: Green leafy vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, milk products.

Niacin: Also necessary for energy metabolism and healthy skin, contributesto health of nervous and digestive systems. It is also positive in stress prevention. Niacin can be converted in the body from an amino acid, tryptophan, which is present in almost all proteins.
Food Sources: Whole grain and enriched breads and cereals, legumes, nuts,milk products, all protein-containing foods. Sometimes it is prescribed in large dosages by physicians as a measure against atherosclerosis.

Biotin and Pantothenic Acid: Both are necessary for energy metabolism. Pantothenic acid participates in more than one hundred different steps in the synthesis of lipids, neurotransmitters, steroid hormones, and hemoglobin. It also acts to stimulate growth.
Food Sources: Both are widespread in almost all food.

Healthy Vitamins
.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Facts About Basic Fats


Basic Fats

Cholesterol: A waxy, fatlike substance, classified as a lipid and found in all tissues in humans and other animals. It is thus in all foods from animal sources—meat, eggs, fish, poultry, and dairy products. No plant-derived food contains cholesterol. Cholesterol is essential to life. It is part of all cell membranes, certain hormones, vitamin D, and other substances. The body makes all the cholesterol it needs; you don’t need to consume any to stay healthy.

Lipoproteins: Packages of proteins, cholesterol, and triglycerides, assembled by the liver and circulating in the blood.

LDL, or low-density lipoprotein carries cholesterol through the bloodstream, dropping it off where it is needed for cell building—and leaving any unused residue of cholesterol in the arterial walls. Since it takes cholesterol into the system, LDL is referred to as bad cholesterol. It can be oxidized (combine with oxygen) in the bloodstream, and that may enhance its ability to produce the artery-blocking plaques that can lead to heart attack.

HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, as it circulates in the bloodstream, picks up cholesterol and brings it back to the liver for reprocessing or excretion. Because HDL clears out cholesterol, it is referred to as good cholesterol.

Triglycerides: These fats circulate in the bloodstream along with cholesterol and other lipids. They come from the food we eat; they are the body’s stored form of fat. Thus when people say, “I’m too fat,” you might say their triglycerides are showing. The body can also assemble triglycerides in the liver.

Monday, January 7, 2013

What Is Alpha Lipoic Acid?


Alpha Lipoic Acid is a unique amino acid that we introduced 3 years ago that works as an insulin mimicker. It actually mimics the action of insulin to help shuttle nutrients into the muscle cell.

There is an advantage in using ALA with creatine to help increase the absorption of creatine. The only problem here (and is a perfect example of how most supplement companies get their information) is that ALA is a very unstable chemical. Putting it in a powder will cause rapid breakdown in a very short period of time. You can certainly use ALA to help creatine absorption, but not mixed in with the creatine. You must take it in capsule form.
ALA Supplement

Take 200 milligrams with each meal for enhanced nutrient uptake. It is also recommended taking ALA each time you take creatine for enhanced creatine absorption. Remember, never take ALA if it's pre-mixed into a powdered supplement. Only take ALA in capsule form.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Important Minerals: Chromium and Copper


Chromium is important in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats. It works closely with the hormone insulin, facilitating the uptake of glucose into cells and the release of its energy. Thus both the regulation of glucose and the action of insulin are impaired by a dietary deficiency. Some studies have shown that supplements of a specific form of Chromium called chromium picolinate encourage the building of muscle. That makes it a hit with body builders.

However, other studies have found the chromium picolinate supplement to be ineffective. Although chromium is available in a variety of foods, food processing results in losses. A diet high in simple sugars also depletes chromium in the body.
Food Sources of Chromium are: Whole grains, nuts, broccoli, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, fortified cereals, prunes, peanuts, peas.

Health minerals - chromium


Copper helps in the formation of red blood cells and assists in keeping bones, blood vessels, nerves, and immune system healthy. Studies indicate that copper deficiencies may be related to anemia, arthritis, heart disease, high cholesterol, heart irregularities, and high blood sugar. It is still under study for the role it may play in heart disease. Megadoses of vitamin C interfere with copper absorption.

Food Sources of Copper are: Whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, tomatoes, bananas, grapes, potatoes and dried fruit.
health minerals - copper

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Nutrient Differences Between Plant and Animal Products




Plant products:
  • Nature doesn’t package cholesterol in any food.
  • Nature supplies primarily unsaturated fat.
  • Nature generally packages this fat in small quantities, except in nuts and seeds.
  • Nature never packages fat without fiber and an array of vitamins and minerals.
  • Nature never packages protein without fiber and an array of vitamins and minerals.
  • Nature generally includes carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and water together in all plants in more modest quantities rather than large concentrations of just one element.
  • Nature has equipped plants to be our major source of energy and protection from disease.

Contrast that with animal products:
  • Flesh and dairy foods all contain cholesterol.
  • These foods supply saturated fat.
  • These foods supply the dangerous combination of both cholesterol and saturated fat together.
  • Cholesterol and saturated fat are in larger quantities than the unsaturated fats in plant foods.
  • Fat comes without fiber.
  • Protein comes without fiber.
  • These foods are noted for supplying only a few elements, in higher concentrations, rather than a wide array of nutrients in modest amounts.
  • Flesh has no significant carbohydrate, the body’s premium fuel.
 

Ultimate 30's Workout

Increase the amount of testosterone and growth hormone your body produces by working multiple muscle groups and keeping rest periods short. For cardio, your lactate threshold can still be increased throughout your thirties, so intervals are king to counter any loss of lung power.


Ultimate 40's Workout

Short, sharp shocks are the way to fire up your body in your middle years - which means you can forget long-winded weights workouts. Vary exercises, intensity and timings to keep your muscles guessing.



Ultimate 50's Workout

You may not be able to lift the heaviest weight, but that's okay. Instead, stretching and yoga should be part of your training, and body-weight moves can replace heavy workouts. Do three sets of 10 reps of the following exercises to protect your joints and maintain muscle mass and testosterone.