Health Articles for Bodybuilding

The only reliable vegan sources of B12 are foods fortified with B12 (including some plant milks, some soy products and some breakfast cereals) and B12 supplements. Vitamin B12, whether in supplements, fortified foods, or animal products, comes from micro-organisms.

Most vegans consume enough B12 to avoid anaemia and nervous system damage, but many do not get enough to minimise potential risk of heart disease or pregnancy complications.

To get the full benefit of a vegan diet, vegans should do one of the following:

1. eat fortified foods two or three times a day to get at least three micrograms (mcg or mg) of B12 a day or
2. take one B12 supplement daily providing at least 10 micrograms or
3. take a weekly B12 supplement providing at least 2000 micrograms.

If relying on fortified foods check the labels carefully to make sure you are getting enough B12. For example, if a fortified plant milk contains 1 microgram of B12 per serving then consuming three servings a day will provide adequate vitamin B12. Others may find the use of B12 supplements more convenient and economical. The less frequently you obtain B12 the more B12 you need to take, as B12 is best absorbed in small amounts. The recommendations above take full account of this. There is no harm in exceeding the recommended amounts or combining more than one option.

To those unaccustomed to it, swimming in icy waters can be life threatening. In some cases exposure to cold water causes a type of thickening of the blood that leads to blood clots in the coronary arteries. In common terms, that causes a heart attack. In other cases the heart rhythm is disturbed, sometimes fatally.

From a hormonal point of view, levels of norepinephrine, a catecholamine hormone known to stimulate the heart, increases fourfold, resulting in non-shivering thermogenesis. Other hormones, including ACTH from the pituitary, which controls cortisol release; thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH); and cortisol, all rise during exposure to cold water. If exposure exceeds 30 minutes, core body temperatures can decrease enough to cause death.

That all changes when people swim in cold water regularly. Just as muscles get accustomed to regular exercise, so too does the body to regular cold-water exposure. The body's thermogenesis reactions upgrade, while the circulatory system adapts to cold, preventing the dangerous effects that would ordinarily occur. The metabolic adaptation prevents a dramatic drop in body core temperature that could lead to cardiovascular collapse.

Regular cold-water swimmers show increased beta-adrenergic stimulation of skeletal muscle that doesn't result from increased catecholamine release. Normally, exercise increases the release of catecholamines such as epinephrine and nore-pinephrine, which interact with beta-adrenergic fat cell receptors to promote fat release. The same event occurs during cold-water swimming minus the presence of catecholamines. Scientists think that the exposure to cold water may increase beta-adrenergic receptor sensitivity.

That has implications for fat-burning during regular exercise on dry land. The sensitivity of beta-adrenergic receptors determines how efficiently you burn fat during exercise. Theoretically, if cold-water swimming increases this sensitivity, you may tap into fat stores easier during standard exercise sessions. Cold-water swimmers also show skin adaptations. They get less blood flow to their skin, which acts as a thermal insulation. That results from the lower heart rate that occurs after regular cold-water exposure. The question is whether any real health benefits are associated with icy swims.

One study found a whopping 50 percent reduction in insulin levels at the end of 2 1/2 months of winter swimming compared to baseline, or starting, levels. Lowering insulin provides a number of beneficial health effects, including decreased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Excess insulin is also linked to increased bodyfat and decreased longevity.

Other studies show that cold-water swimming galvanizes immune system response. Although it does raise cortisol levels, which are linked to immune-system suppression, it compensates by promoting the release of cytokines, chemi¬cals that prime and promote immune responses in the body. One study showed that regular winter swimmers had a 40 percent decrease in the incidence of respiratory-tract infections. Cold-water swimming may also increase the body's antioxidant protection. Apparently, regular cold-water exposure acts as an oxidant stressor, causing the body to upgrade its an-tioxidant defense system.

The Importance of Cardio
So strength training defines the abs, but cardio removes the friendly jiggly layer so you can see all the results of the strength training. High Intensity Cardiovascular work where your heart rate is elevated over 65% of your max for 30min or more is the ideal situation to reduce midriff overload. Not sure what 65% of your max heart rate is? Use the talk test: if you're able to talk, you're not there. During intense cardio exercise you should feel comfortable saying words and short phrases, but not want to carry on a conversation. Cardio for the Core: After Warm Up, Repeat for 30 Minutes, then Cool Down Interval Training- 1 Min Maximum Sprint: 30 Sec Comfortable Jog High Intensity Cross Training's mile sprint: 1 Min Jump Rope: 1 Min Box Jumps

The Fuel
If workouts are the vehicle, then food is the fuel. You can have the best vehicle in town, but if you don't have the gas to get it anywhere it's pretty useless. Let's start with eating regularly - 3 meals and 3 snacks a day is the best routine to keep your metabolism burning fast, and your belly lean. Then be sure to stay properly hydrated. During the summer heat exercising adults should shoot for 100 ounces of water a day. Next be sure you're eating the right amount of healthy fats, proteins, and fiber along with a balanced diet. Add: Nuts, seeds, avocado's, beans, and leafy greens are all known flab blasting super foods that have been shown to help reduce stubborn belly fat.

Resistance Workouts
This is the stuff you've been doing 100 reps of since the 80's with little return on the investment. Crunches are great, but to work the entire core try exercises like the plank, cobra's, oblique crunches, and leg lifts. Also be sure to engage your abs when doing other exercises like running, squatting, and even bicep curls. Doing your regular workout with added instability like the bosu ball, or standing on one leg while you squeeze your stomach requires your core to work harder giving you more bang for your buck. Complete Ab Routine- 3 Sets: 60 Sec Plank: 15 Oblique Crunches: 25 Crunches: 15 Medicine Ball Twists: 15 Leg Lifts

These used to be popular the same time the weight gainers were. Multi-spectrum amino acids (amino acid tablets with many different amino acids in them) are nothing more than crude protein powder compressed into tablets. So it's like taking protein in tablet form.

There are some free form amino acid supplements, but the science here doesn't cut it. In fact, there was no science showing that supplementing with them provided any benefit in athletic performance.



Multi-spectrum free form amino acids may pose an absorption problem due to the varying molecular weights of the individual amino acids. This can cause different absorption rates and characteristics among the different individual amino acids.

It is not recommended taking multi-spectrum amino acid supplements. Singular amino acids, like L-Glutamine, are a different story especially when taken in doses that impart a definite physiological effect.

Killer bacteria and viruses are everywhere. So what keeps the human race from dying out? Our spectacular immune systems, the protectors of our health— and our species. Considering all the junk we feed ourselves, it's no wonder our immune systems get sluggish and we get sick (some even say that cancer is a direct result of a faltering immune system).

The worst immune-system busters include alcohol, high-sugar foods (disease-causing bacteria feed on sugar, especially the refined type in table sugar, candy and alcohol), cured meats—like bacon that's loaded with nitrosamines—and trans fats, or fats that are mutated through man-made means. To avoid trans fats, look for the words hydrogenated or partially hy-drogenated on food labels; if you see them, don't eat that food.

Even if you avoid all of the above, you're still exposed to plenty of bugs that can take you down and force you to miss workouts. To help marshal your defenses against them, try to boost your immune system through your diet. Here are some excellent immune-system boosters:

Berries. Cranberries, blackberries, blueberries and even strawberries contain anthocyanidins and other immune-system-friendly flavonoids. Plus, they contain dietary fiber and vitamin C.



Cruciferous veggies. Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and cabbage contain phytochemicals that can protect against many types of cancer



Green tea. It contains polyphenols, which are antioxidant compounds that can squash the formation of cancer-causing compounds produced in the stomach. Green tea also ramps up the metabolism and increases fat burning.



Soy foods. Eating tofu, soy milk or a soy-protein bar every few days can do wonders for your immune system—and, no, it won't stop you from building muscle. You'd have to eat loads of it every day to get its estrogen-mimicking effects. Taken in moderation, soy can reduce your risk for many diseases, including prostate cancer, due to its many antioxidants and phytochemicals.

Over half of the less than two ounces of magnesium in a 130- pound person is in the bones. Magnesium is critical to the operation of hundreds of enzymes and directly affects the metabolism of potassium, calcium, and vitamin D. It plays an integral role in nearly three hundred body functions. It aids in bone growth, basic metabolic functions, and the functioning of nerves and muscles, including the regulation of normal heart rhythm. Low intake hasbeen linked to high blood pressure, heart-rhythm abnormalities, and heart attack.

People whose drinking water has a high magnesium content experience a lower incidence of sudden death from heart attack. Magnesium is easily washed and peeled away from foods during processing, so fresh or slightly processed foods are your best choices.

The food sources of Magnesium are: Nuts, legumes, whole grains, wheat bran, dark green vegetables, bananas, apricots, etc.

Ingredients:
7.5 cups water per day (or 10 oz per glass)
12 tablespoons Organic Grade B Maple Syrup (or 2 tbsp. per glass)
3 freshly squeezed lemons (or 1/2 lemon per glass) a little over half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or 1/10 tsp. per glass) or to taste
Instructions:
1.) drink 6 (10oz) glasses per person per day.
2.) before bed drink warm "smooth move" tea. (available at healthfood stores)
3.) duration as desired.

Vegetable calcium can't be dissolved by our stomachs (ruminants, like cows, can dissolve it—they have an extra stomach loaded with special bacteria who do the actual retrieving of calcium). Tablet-form calcium can't be dissolved well either, especially as we age. We need predissolved calcium if a little is to go a long way. Primitive people who lived on fish or stone-ground meal ate 4-6 grams of calcium a day.6 Even if only 20% of this got dissolved,they would still have about 1 gram of utilizable calcium for themselves. Chances are good they dissolved even more,since they were young (life expectancy was less than 50 years). Their skull remains show beautiful, cavity-free teeth. They lived outdoors, mainly, so getting enough sunshine-derived vitamin D was not a problem. Their natural diet supplied enough vitamin B2 to protect them from UV (ultraviolet) damage from sunshine exposure.

But these are civilized times. Our lives are stretched into old age, when our stomachs no longer produce enough acid to kill bacteria, nor to dissolve the minerals in our food. So they need to be dissolved for us. Milk is a beverage where the calcium has already been dissolved by the other ingredients. The lactic acidin milk formed during digestion gives the calcium the correct chelated structure for absorption by the intestine. Even the bile participates in calcium absorption. Milk also contains phosphate, but not too much to be useful. It is  recommended milk as a calcium source to heal the jaw bone after and before dental work. You need 1+ grams a day. One quart of milk has 1 gm (1000 mg) of utilizable calcium. You absorb only 250-400 mg. The rest is excreted and eliminated. Only the absorbed calcium can heal your jaw bone. Use milk in cooking as well as a beverage. The calcium in it is indestructible.

Many antioxidant products are marketed with claims that, by blocking the action free radicals, they can help prevent heart disease, cancer, and various other conditions associated with aging.

Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms that have at least one unpaired electron, which makes them highly reactive. Free radicals promote beneficial oxidation that produces energy and kills bacterial invaders. In excess, however, they produce harmful oxidation that can damage cell membranes and cell contents. It is known that people who eat adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and cataracts. Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, but it is not known which dietary factors are responsible for the beneficial effects.



Each plant contains hundreds of phytochemicals (plant chemicals) whose presence is dictated by hereditary factors. Only well-designed long-term research can determine whether any of these chemicals, taken in a pill, would be useful for preventing any disease.

The most publicized phytochemicals with antioxidant properties have been vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene (which the body converts into vitamin A). Evidence exists that vitamin E can help prevent atherosclerosis by interfering with the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), a factor associated with increased risk of heart disease. However, vitamin E also has an anticoagulant effect that can promote excessive bleeding. In 1993, the New England Journal of Medicine published two epidemiologic studies which found that people who took vitamin E supplements had fewer deaths from heart disease. These studies did not prove that taking vitamin E was useful because they did not rule out the effects of other lifestyle factors or consider death rates from other diseases.

Moreover, other studies have had conflicting results. The only way to settle the question scientifically is to conduct long-term double-blind clinical studies comparing vitamin users to nonusers and checking death rates from all causes.

Here is a list of persons which are most probable to suffer from Vitamin B deficiency: 

Alcohol abusers. Alcohol blocks your ability to absorb B vitamins and also makes you excrete them faster. Alcoholics are most likely to be deficient in thiamin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, and folic acid.

The elderly. You absorb less of some of the B's as you age. Also, elderly people who live alone or in nursing homes often don't eat properly and don't get enough B's from their food.

Smokers. Tobacco smoke decreases your absorption of B vitamins across the board.

People with chronic digestive problems. These people may not be absorbing enough B vitamins through their intestines.

People on strict diets. Vegetarians and vegans (vegetarians who don't eat any animal foods such as milk or eggs) may not get enough B vitamins. Vegetarian children and people following macrobiotic diets are especially at risk.

Heat injuries, heat disorders, heat-related illness: all refer to a medical condition arising from failure of the body to properly regulate its heat level, resulting in over-heating. Heat injuries are common in physical activities of a strenuous nature (sports, outdoor activities, endurance events, outdoor recreation sports, outdoor power sports, outdoor water sports). These activities do not need to take place in an outdoor setting for someone to be at risk of developing a heat injury. It is important to realize that heat injuries can have very serious consequences including damage and failure of major organs in the body leading to death.

Certain factors can increase the risk of heat injuries.

• Weather conditions. Hot, humid and sunny environments are associated with higher incidence of heat injuries. The temperature of a person's skin is lower than that of his body core, usually 86-90 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus when the air temperaure is higher than this, heat is gained by the body through radiation. If the air humidity is high, this reduces sweat evaporation and leads to decrease in heat loss through sweating. It should be appreciated that heat injuries can occur at night if the conditions of heat and humidity are high. In sunny weather, there is heat gain from the solar radiation. There is less heat gain and improved heat loss when the weather is cloudy, cool and breezy.
• Prolonged high intensity physical exercise or activity. Such activity increases the body's heat gain as a result of repeated muscle contractions, while the duration of the activity may prolong a person's exposure to unfavorable environmental conditions and a greater risk of heat injuries.Insufficient hydration status, illness and insufficient cardiovascular and sweating response are other factors that increase risk.
• Heat injuries represent a continuum of a medical condition rather than the usual per¬ception of distinct injuries: heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.
• The current opinion on muscle cramps is that these arise from muscle fatigue and not necessarily from over-loss of electrolytes. However, exercise in hot conditions with excess loss of sweat may be related to muscle cramps, which are then sometimes known as heat cramps.

Heat stroke exhaustion is conventionally considered as due to the inability of the cardiovascular system to meet the needs of both the contracting muscles and the supply of blood to the skin for sweating processes. The common signs symptoms of heat stroke include thirst, fatigue, weakness, and headaches. Heat stroke is generally considered when the body core temperature exceeds 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and represents a failure of the body's temperature regulation mechanisms. The person will have experienced the signs of heat exhaustion and may then show signs of decreased sweating, feeling faint or dizzy, mental irritation (confusion, altered consciousness, irrational behavior), and finally collapse. In addition, there may be feelings of thirst, by which time the body has already started to dehydrate. Salt staining of clothing indicates a loss of minerals associated with excessive sweating.

Once a person shows signs of heat injury, treatment should begin immediately. This includes:

• Reducing the intensity of physical exertions, stopping if necessary
• Movement to a cooler location (eg. more shade, breezy, under a fan, in an air-conditioned room)
• Consumption of water or electrolyte-containing fluids, preferably cooled to lower body core temperature and to improve absorption
• Removal of clothing to assist with cooling, wherever practical
• Application of cooling methods (towels soaked in cold water, ice packs, immersion in cold water, etc)