Do you eat soy?

A few months ago I started doing some research on what an expecting mother should eat while pregnant for a healthy baby since my sons wife was pregnant and made a comment that she was starting to eat soy burgers for lunch.

My first reaction was what on earth is a soy burger?

Since I have never eaten any soy products or at least that’s what I thought at the time, I never did any research on soy but I new that something called a soy burger was not natural and needed some scrutiny.

I found most people, especially vegetarians say that it’s very healthy to eat soy and you can loose a lot of weight just by switching to a diet completely of soy.

Here are some of the good things that they say about soy:

It’s a good source of protein
Its low in saturated fat
Is full of amino acids
Its high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, good fats)

And it is true that you can loose weight by eating a diet high in soy but not because soy is good for you. It’s because you put yourself in a nutrient deficient state.

Today they mainly use unfermented soy because is quicker and cheaper to make.

Unfermented soy and its counter parts inhibits your body from absorbing protein; calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron due to they are high in phytic acid.

Simply meaning that when you consume a diet high in soy you are actually denying your body of essential nutrients and this leads to weight loss. Obviously this is not healthy weight loss and can lead to some future health problems.

Many people also switch to soy because they are lactose intolerant, but Soy is also a food allergy and many people suffer without knowing the cause thinking that soy is good for them.

Now you are probably saying this is bull since the Japanese are healthier and have been eating soy for many years. As true as this is they only consume an average of 10 to 25 grams of soy a day in their diet plus vegetables, fish, and fruit.

They also consume only fermented soy products that all studies show are fine to consume with moderation.

But today a lot of people are consuming up to 200 grams of soy a day, some on purpose and some without their knowledge.

Soy can be in products under other names, Lecihtin or soy protein isolates (SPI) are the most common and you would be amazed how many products have this ingredient in them.

It’s easy to see how many people are ingesting high quintiles of soy without their knowledge.

Soy protein isolates (SPI) is the left over by product of creating soybean oil, instead of throwing it away it gets added to processed foods to add protein. But it must be treated with a high temperatures chemical process first making it difficult for your body to absorb the protein.

And if it that wasn’t bad enough they also created genetically engineered soybeans (GMO) that are the main source of all soy products used today.

They actually have a soybean called round up ready. In case you have never heard of round up it’s a highly toxic chemical used for killing weeds.

It’s actually illegal for any homeowner to use round up around any lakes or wild life due to the danger of run off and how toxic it is.

Soybeans are also a common feed to cows, so one-way or another you are eating soy unless its 100% organic beef.

Soy is well known for its ability to mimic estrogen, phytoestrogens or isoflavones are estrogen like compounds.

They say if you feed your baby only soy formula it receives the equivalent of 5 birth control pills worth of estrogen a day. They also say this plays a major role in the development of the baby during the first few months of life.

The end result girls will enter puberty much earlier than normal, look at the young girls today as compared to the 70’s the development difference is astounding. Now you may be saying so what, but this comes with a price. Early maturation in girls can lead to reproductive problems, infertility and breast cancer.

For boys it could affect their male characteristics and behavior, some are actually questioning the effect on sexual orientation. Pediatricians say they are noticing a lack of development of the sexual organs and learning disabilities.

Concerns are so great about soy formula consumer groups in Canada and New Zealand have called for a ban on soy infant formula.

If you are pregnant or have a baby you may want to read this about soy from prevent disease.

If you are going to have a baby breast-feeding is the best and safest way to go, unless you cant produce enough milk or have a medical condition. If this is the case I would choose only 100% organic FDA certified cows milk baby formula. Not that I truly trust the FDA but the options are limited when it comes to feeding your baby today.

In the old days baby formulas were made up from scratch when a mother couldn’t breastfeed, and I have read a lot of post where someone would say that they grew up on a home made formula and if it worked for them it must still be a good way to go today.

I was also fed a whole milk baby formula made by my mother but unfortunately today we live in a different world; chemicals pesticides and hormones are in almost everything we consume and I would use extreme caution if you pursue this course.

Even the FDA says you should only consume a certain amount of soy a day in your diet.

This is a statement from the FDA website:
As a science-based agency, FDA recognizes that research information evolves with time and that some of the existing confusion will be resolved as new studies are completed. “We continue to monitor the ongoing science,” Yetley says. “As new data warrants, we make adjustments in our position and the advice we give to the public. We take this responsibility very seriously.”
Now I don’t know about you but when I hear statements like this I say WTF?
If you want to read the entire post here is the link   FDA and soy 

So the debate continues is soy good or bad?

This reminds me of the debate about cigarettes when I was growing up where they kept coming out with information or studies saying they posed no harm, we all know how that turned out.

Many people could smoke their whole life without any trouble but the majority would suffer serious health problems or death. But still cigarettes are legal and it’s all because it’s a revenue cash cow.

I personally would only eat fermented soy products in moderation if you find it something you must do.

If you want to know how much soy is safe to eat and what products contain them I found this great site called soy online service that also gives you the myths and facts about soy.    

So I leave you with two questions:

Do you eat soy, yes or no?

And why?

Want to know more about a healthy diet?  read  The best foods to eat for fitness

     Do you consume enough water?

Water sustains all life and makes all living things grow yet most people take it completely for granted and live in a dehydrated state and don’t even know it.

So here are the facts about water:

Water is cheap to drink and contains no calories. That alone should be enough to make it something that you would drink continuously every day.

The average human body is made up of roughly 70% water, and a loss of 20% will result in a painful death.

Water is crucial to a healthy body and if you don’t ingest enough it can have dramatic effects on your looks, and overall health.

Water is the most important nutrient you should have in your diet, without it all your good eating goes to waste. Water is the only way essential nutrients can be delivered through out your body.

Lean muscle is composed up of 72% water while fat is only 25% water; this is why anyone who is into fitness that either works at a very physical job or performs intense exercise must be careful of their water loss if they want to hold onto that hard earned muscle.

Without adequate water muscle building protein and energy producing carbohydrates will never be metabolized. Just minor dehydration upsets the delicate balance of electrolytes and their transfer causing noticeable weakness.

If you frequently mildly dehydrate yourself you also run the risk of health problems like constipation, kidney stones or kidney failure.

Signs of mild dehydration are dry mouth or lips, fatigue, dizziness, headache, difficult concentrating, and loss of energy.

The minerals sodium, magnesium, calcium, and potassium are essential for conducting electrical currents from the brain to your nervous system and to your muscles, and water is the delivery system.

Water is also essential for your body to digest food and remove all waste from your body while simultaneously regulating your body temperature.

In order for your kidneys to remove toxic waste from your body you should urinate at least 1 quart a day.

The average adult person will loose three quarts of water daily through excretion and perspiration.

When your body’s water supply gets a little low it goes into survival mode and will compensate by stopping the cooling process and hold onto every once of water left. All body functions will start to suffer and heat exhaustion becomes a possibility.

This is why you need to be drinking water before you become thirsty to eliminate this from happening. Not after you become thirsty!

If you are looking to loose fat, water is the key ingredient to metabolize stored fat.

Contrary to what most people believe you actually need to consume more water to have a leaner body and loose body fat. Not Less!

Just think about it, if your body is composed of almost 70% water doesn’t it make sense to feed it water?

Water is also is a natural appetite suppressor; this is why they tell you to drink a glass of water 10 minutes before eating and a glass with the meal if you want to loose weight.

If you are going to do an intense workout drink a sufficient amount of water before, during, and after this activity to keep your body cool and energetic.

Now you may be asking how much water should you consume a day?

Well this is one of those answers that each and every person has to figure out on their own do to a number of factors.

Now most people have heard of the 8 glasses of water a day rule, unfortunately this is just a blanket statement and has no real bearing on what you personally should consume.

Just like how many calories you need to consume goes by weight, so should your water intake. Take your body weight and divide by 2 and that’s how many ounces you should consume.

Here is an example- if you weigh 150 pounds divided by 2 = 75, so consume approximately 75 ounces a day.

Here are some of the other factors that you need to consider that also play a major role in water consumption.

1. Your environment plays a major role in your water consumption. Is it hot and humid where you live?
2. If you exercise you need to consider the intensity and duration?
3. Do you work or exercise outside?
4. Are you pregnant or breast-feeding?
5. Are you suffering from fever, diarrhea, or vomiting?

All these things require you to consume more water than in normal conditions due to sweat, dehydration, and excretion.

1. What foods do you eat in your diet?
2. Do you take medications?
3. Do you have a medical condition?

These things will cause you to consume less water due to they will add or disrupt the natural loss of water in your body.

Here is a list of healthy foods with the highest amount of natural water content:

Lettuce 96%

Zucchini 96%

Tomato 93%

Watermelon 92%

Spinach 92%

Strawberries 92%

Grapefruit 91%

Cantaloupe 90%

Apples 84%

Carrots 84%

Blueberries 84%

Potatoes 79%

Green peas 76%

Bananas 74%

Even though you can get roughly 20% of your daily water intake from the foods you eat and there is water in almost anything you can drink. Your body will not benefit from all things made with water since they might be mixed with other chemicals making it hard for your body to digest.

This is one reason 100% organic foods are the best to eat, no pesticides, herbicides or chemicals. If you want to know what organic foods you should buy read the benefits of organic foods.

Your body will only absorb about 70% of a glass of pure water, so anything that isn’t grown naturally or is man made will have a very small effect on your water intake.

For example a tomato is 93% water, and your body will absorb the majority of that water.

But a soda is also primarily water but your body will only absorb about 6% of that water due to the chemicals and preservatives its laced with making it to hard for your body to digest it.

Soda simply offers no nutritional value and creates more problems than it’s worth. Read how soda impacts your health if you want to know more?

80% of your water intake has to come from another source other then food; the best source is obviously water.

If you don’t like drinking plain water just add a slice of fruit like lemon, lime, or orange and squeeze it into the glass and drop the slice into the glass.

Another option is herbal teas; they are healthy and mainly water. If you want to know more about teas read- The health benefits of drinking tea

If you drink enough water you shouldn’t feel thirsty and produce at least 1.5 liters a day of slightly yellow or colorless urine daily. Or urinate every 3 to 4 hours a day.

Don’t get to upset if your urine color varies, your diet (things you eat) will play a major role in the color at times.

Please be advised that it is possible to drink to much water creating a condition called hyponatremia or water intoxication. This happens when your kidneys are unable to excrete the excess water diluting the electrolyte content of your blood resulting in low sodium levels.

This condition can lead some serious health problems or death!

If you are wondering how much water is too much?

This usually happens when a dehydrated person drinks to much water (a gallon or more) in a short period of time without taking in any electrolytes, especially sodium.

If you want to know more about sodium here is a link to the mayo clinic.

When I know im going to be working outside all day in the Florida summer heat where the temperature averages in the 90’s I eat pretzels with salt. I have found this works great when im sweating a lot to keep my sodium levels up.

I also constantly sip water throughout the day to make sure dehydration doesn’t set in.

Now not all water is created equal, the quality that comes from your faucet varies greatly depending on your local water source. And most bottled water is nothing more than tap water in toxic bottles.

If you want to know more about the water you drink read this- is your drinking water toxic?

So i leave you with two questions.

Have you ever thought about how much water you drink daily?

Have you, or do you know of someone that has been effected by the lack of water?

      Why does anyone add exercise to an already strenuous life?

Lets face it; life is difficult enough trying to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. Most people will ask themselves why they would want to add insult to misery and go exercise when they could be enjoying themselves doing something relaxing like watching TV, going to a bar or out to eat?

For most people exercise is very low on their priority list, I mean who wants to go out of their way to endure sweat, pain, and tire themselves doing exercise?

Life is simply to short, enjoy it why you can right?

So why do some people make exercise a priority while others don’t?

What is the difference between people who do exercise, and the people who don’t?

What would you say if I told you that everyone at one time in his or her life used to exercise daily, and they looked forward to doing it?

Think back to when you were a kid, you went out to play every chance you could get?

Maybe it was bike ridding, swimming, or a simple game of tag. The difference between people who do exercise and the ones who don’t is simply there perception. When you were a child you perceived all theses actions as fun things to do, but as an adult you think of them as work or a chore.

When I was a child I had daily chores to do, I hated to do chores and looked for every excuse to get out of doing them. I perceived them as unpleasant and therefore lacked any motivation in doing them unless I was told that I could go out and play when my chores were done, they were done real fast then LOL.

Any physical work that you do is some form of exercise. Like raking the leaves in the yard works your back and arms, we had so many leaves my arm got sore raking so I switched to the other arm.

If I raked the leaves real fast to go out and play I just added cardio to the task, little did I realize that this was exercising the whole time LOL.

Did you ever see the movie karate kid? It’s all about perception, if you perceive something as work or a chore you will usually lack any motivation to do it.

When most people hear the word exercise they perceive that this means going to the gym, or some other type of mundane repetitive action, this simply doesn’t have to be the case. There are many ways to exercise that don’t revolve around the tradition pattern, and you should look for creative and diverse ways to make it interesting and fun.

Nobody is ever motivated to do anything that they perceive as unpleasant!

This is the difference between people who do make exercise a part of their life and people who don’t. If you have the proper perception about exercise then comes motivation the driving force that makes you get up off your ass and move even when you don’t feel like it.

Exercise has to become a priority strong enough to cause someone to arrange his or her life so exercise has a place in it.

When you are young you really don’t think much about exercising because you have your youth and hopefully good health. You spent a lot of time and energy doing things fun that you didn’t realize were exercise, but as you aged and become a responsible working adult with a full time job you start noticing that you cant do what you used to when you were young.

Your priorities have changed and your body is paying the price.

One of the biggest motivators to exercise has to be your self-image, when you look in the mirror and start to wonder where it all went wrong?

How did I get this way?

By the time you get into your 30’s good health usually becomes a motivation to eat a proper diet and exercise.

Being overweight, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or maybe you have seen some of your friends get sick or die at an early age due to poor health?

Most people don’t want to get old, and they surely don’t want to have poor health. But it’s the simple choices that you make each and every day that compound over each and every year that put you in that position.

Ironically as you get older the things that you looked forward to do in your teens like drinking, smoking, and staying out late, you are now trying to eliminate from your life for better health.

But without the proper perception of why you should and must exercise most people fall far short of their intended fitness goals.

Many people start an exercise program with all the best intentions but stop as fast as they started; they simply lacked the proper perception as to why they should keep exercising.

Either their goals were too easily obtained or they were victims of unrealistic expectations. Making a commitment to exercise should have noting to do with short-term goals like loosing weight or building muscle, they are both by products of exercising and eating a proper diet.

Even though these short term goals are valid desires they wont keep you motivated long enough to make exercise a lifetime commitment. Your perception is for short-term success instead of a lifetime of good health, this is why you see people who were in shape for a period in their life then next time you see them you wondered the hell happened to them.

Your self-image can have a dramatic effect on you overall health and well being. If you are not happy about what you see in the mirror it can affect your physical and emotional life.

People with a poor self-image usually exaggerate their own problems by binge eating, drinking, smoking, or worse start using drugs. Their emotional state of mind is at an all time low and they usually start making up all types of excuses as to why they are doing these things.

They simply become their own worse enemy!

Their perception has now created a negative state of mind with a laundry list of excuses as to why their life is the way it is.

Things like:

I work too much
I don’t have the time
I just can’t loose weight
I can’t put on muscle
I have other things to do
I just wasn’t meant to be in shape
I was born with bad genetics

Saying things like this have a long-term negative effect on your current and future health but most people fail to realize the damage they are doing.

All the talk in the world will never change your life unless you change your perception and priorities about how things affect your life. Everything you think and say has a direct effect on your life and only you can choose to change the outcome.

There is an old saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink!

Only you have the power to control your current and future health and it all starts with how you perceive what you think, say, and do. Nobody else can do this for you!

The people who make exercise a lifetime goal know that they will live a longer healthier life; feel and look better, have more energy and less stress in their life’s to keep enjoying the time they have on this earth.

There are days when I just don’t feel like exercising but I know that if I do I will feel much better afterwards, and I always do and glad I did!

Most people spend more time maintaining the material things in their life that are simply replaceable and neglect their body, the most valuable asset they have.

Without good health and a healthy self-image you will most likely go through life miserable making excuses for everything that happens in your life.

We all have to age, but you don’t have to get old!

Do you make exercise a part of your life?

If so, how?

What motivates you to exercise?

Want to know more read               The best foods to eat for fitness

            Here are those steps.

As crazy as this sounds drinking the proper mixture of honey and cinnamon at the precise time of day will help most people loose a few pounds a week for a few weeks.

The reason it works is it has a cleansing effect on your digestive tract cleaning out parasites, bacteria, and other fungus that has slowed down your digestion system.

You will see inches lost before weight loss, my wife and a few of her friends tried this and they all lost on average 5 pounds in the first week with no other changes in their current diet.

But once your digestive system if fully cleansed you will hit a plateau and your weight loss will most likely stop unless you are eating a proper diet and exercise.

The best part about this it has a few positive side effects like a higher sex drive, increased energy, and a mood enhancer.

If you are a diabetic make sure you monitor your sugar levels since honey has around 16 grams of sugar per tablespoon.

Here are the ingredients needed:

First you need to get raw unpasteurized honey so you benefit from its natural enzymes.

Next you will need to get organic cinnamon

Things needed to prepare your drink:

1 pot that will hold 16 ounces of water.

1 glass covered jar that will hold 16 ounces.

1 tablespoon

Here is the proper way to prepare your honey and cinnamon drink:

1. You will need 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of honey.
2. Now boil the 16 ounces of water and remove from the stove.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to the water and stir, then let it sit for 30 minutes.
4. Now strain the cinnamon water and discard the cinnamon left in strainer.
5. Then add 2 tablespoons of honey and stir and place contents into a glass-covered jar.
6. Then refrigerate since it taste best cold.

When to drink your honey and cinnamon:

In the mourning drink half of the refrigerated drink before breakfast.

Drink the other half at night before you go to bed.

Things not to do:

Never reheat the cinnamon and honey drink.

Never add anything else to the recipe.

Do not drink it at other times of the day.

If you have any questions ask?

Let me know how this worked for you!

Want to know more? see-  Why you shouldn’t diet

         Here is how to help prevent and treat DOMS.

For anyone who works out delayed onset muscle soreness(DOMS) is a part of the game, it can develop within 24 hours and last several days after exercise.

For the beginner its what makes them want to quit ther new exercise program right out of the gate, for the seasoned athlete it’s a sign of a great workout.

DOMS is when your muscles react to the new intence stresses you put them under in your exercise routine. This is where the old saying no pain no gain comes from.

It occurs in the eccentric or lower phase or negative movement resulting in the muscle being stretched or lenghtned.

Reguardless if you are just starting a new training routine or are an experienced athlete you are going to experience delayed onset muscle soreness along the way.

The good part is that it will effect you less as you become more athletic.

Whenever you put your muscles under a stress that they are not normally used to tiny tears develop in the muscle. On the surface this may sound like a bad thing but actually its exactly what you want to happen.

In order to get better stamina, build, or make your muscles stronger you need to keep putting new stresses on them to break them down so they can rebuild better than before you started.

But by doing so you can experience the following symptoms:

Muscle soreness, tenderness, stifness, pain, reduced range of motion or mobility, twitches or spasams, loss of strenght.

The extent of how long delayed onset muscles soreness last varies for each person depending on a number of factors.

Your physical conditioning, diet, and how often you exercise.

Working out legs has to be the number one complaint when experiencing DOMS.

You wake up the next day and its like you have to learn how to walk again except this time you have pain with each step. I think this might be why so many people avoid doing a leg day.

Things you can do to help prevent DOMS:

Warm up before your workout, always use a light weight or your body weight to warm your muscles first.

Do static stretching after your workout, stretch that muscle to its furthest point and hold that position for 10 seconds.

Consume vitamin C each day it helps repair connective tissue. Take 250mg to 1000mg a day depending on your fitness routine.

Proper nutrition pre and post workout (protein and carbohydrates)support muscle recovery and growth.

Include antioxadants in your diet to help fight free radical damge from exercise. Things like green tea, yogart, strawberries,broccoli, green leafy vegatables, fruits, tomatoes.

Things to help treat DOMS:

Get up and move the very first day, the worst thing you can do is sit still it will only make things worse.

2 days after do some other type of exercise not involving the body part that is experiencing DOMS. This will get your blood pumping and help loosen you up.

4 days after do a light, or lighter workout then the first time. As crazy as you might think this is it’s the best way to recovery from DOMS.

Lets say you did heavy squats on Monday, Thursday do light squats with a higher rep routine of 12 to 15 reps and a faster tempo( less rest).

Remember your muscles need at least 48 to 72 hours to recover from the previous exercise before you should put a heavy stress on them again.

Things to remember:

DOMS never happens during your exercise routine, if you feel something hurt while working out stop what you are doing or you can seriously hurt your recovery process.

DOMS should last a week at the most or something else could be wrong!

Want to know more read-  Proper breathing for a healthy life

      Do you know how to control Cortisol?

Its not uncommon to here someone say that they cant get results in the gym after spending hours lifting weights to build muscle, or doing cardio to loose weight.

Assuming that you are eating a proper diet?

If you’re not sure about your diet read this Simple calorie calculator.

Most people don’t know that there is a certain time frame in how long you should exercise until it becomes counter productive and raises cortisol levels in your body.

Cortisol is commonly known as the stress hormone, it is naturally produced by the adrenal gland and can be elevated by emotional, or physical stress.

If you let your cortisol levels rise too much than it reduces protein synthesis and prevents tissue growth. Simply put it will attack your lean muscle tissue for energy and in return increase body fat storage.

This is why most people who exercise too long with free weights or cardio get no results; you can actually do more harm then good by destroying your lean muscle mass.

Now you may be asking yourself what’s the deal here, thinking exercise is a good thing?

Just like everything in life, too much of anything good for you can become a bad thing.

Since intense exercise induces the release of cortisol , the key to reaching your fitness goals is to produce less of it, and to minimize its effects from exercise.

Again assuming that you are actually exercising when you are at the gym and not flapping your gums, something that a lot of people do? LOL

Most people think when it comes to exercise more has to be better, but this is simply not true. If you are lifting weights to build lean muscle then the most time you should be in the gym is 45 minutes to an hour tops.

If you are doing cardio to loose weight 20 to 45 minutes tops is necessary, always do interval training for cardio. Work smarter not harder!

Excessive training is the number one reason why people never see results in the gym.

Once you tax your muscles in your workout you don’t stimulate additional muscle growth or loose weight by continuing to exercise. You are only causing more damage and increasing cortisol levels in your body.

After one hour of continuous training your testosterone levels decrease and cortisol levels increase. As you can see this is not a good thing and becomes counter productive.

Here is how to help counter the harmful effects of cortisol:

Cortisol levels are there highest in the mourning, so eating a proper diet of 5 to 6 meals a day with protein, carbohydrates, and good fats will help reduce cortisol levels.

Stress can also causes cortisol levels to rise, so chill out and relax to help reduce your stress levels.

Limit your caffeine intake, cortisol levels start to rise after that third cup

Don’t weight train more than one hour

Don’t do more than 45 minutes of cardio

Cool down after your workout by doing yoga stretches, proper stretching and breathing has been shown to lower cortisol levels.

The most important time to consume protein and carbohydrates is before and after your workouts to significantly reduce the effects of cortisol.

Now you may have seen some of those cortisol blockers being advertised, especially touting weight loss.

I personally would not use them for a few reasons:

1.You need cortisol to live a healthy life!

2.Cortisol provides a natural pain relief for your body

3.It regulates the immune system

4. It Provides glucose to your body when needed

5. It helps you respond to mental or physical stressful situations

6. Anytime you start manipulating your natural hormones and stop using that product your body may not return to a natural normal hormone production.

Want to know more? Read -  Proper breathing for a healthy life

       Do you use supplements?

Fitness and body building magazines are full of advertisements touting some sort of supplement that will get you the results you are looking for.

The problem though is most of these products have no way to back up there claim, this is why they disappear from the shelves in a short period of time.

The real fact is most are pure bullshit, a total waste of your money. Some will actually hurt your long-term health since they are loaded with all types of chemicals.

I don’t know about you but I workout to be healthy and in shape and there are only a few supplements necessary to accomplish this, and they have been around for a long time.

They have proven that they are worth the money you are spending, getting results year after year and with no side effects.

Without the proper diet and supplements you can actually workout and get smaller and weaker by overstraining your body putting it into a catabolic state.

So lets start with the basics:

Whey Protein:

Consuming protein after your workout (post workout) is key to taking your body to that next level. But it can’t just be any protein; whey protein is a fast digesting protein that delivers amino acids to the muscles quickly.

If you are serious in your workouts this simple act can make a dramatic difference in your fitness goals. Especially if you have a hard time putting on weight, yes it may be hard to believe that some people have a hard time gaining size and muscle mass.

You want to consume at least 20 to 40 grams of whey protein post workout ( after exercise).

Want to know more about protein see How much protein is to much

I have seen many debates to the timing of consuming whey protein but have found within a half hour after exercise works best. But there is a catch that most people don’t realize; you need to consume glucose along with it to get real results.

Glucose:

If you put your body through a high intensity workout you will have depleted your muscles glycogen stores and your body will release cortisol.

If your body releases too much cortisol it will go into a catabolic state and turn your existing muscle into fat for energy.

As you can imagine this would not be a good thing and is why so many people never gain any muscle mass when training. The only way to stop this is consuming simple carbohydrates, and they can come from a few sources.

Dextrose is the preferred choice, followed by honey and table sugar. You want to consume 60 to 100 grams in your post workout drink (after exercise) along with your protein.

Want to know more read using simple sugars to build bigger muscles

Glutamine:

Glutamine is an amino acid that prevents muscle breakdown, promotes recover, and boost hormone levels.

If you take you’re workouts to the max (high intense exercise) the last thing you want to happen is for your muscles to go into a catabolism mode destroying all your hard work.

Plus you will want your muscles to recover quickly so you can get back to the gym.

It’s expensive in comparison to other supplements but well worth the cost.

Take 5 grams before and after your workouts.

Creatine:

If you are looking for larger and stronger muscles creatine is the answer. Creatine works by pulling more water into the muscle cells and helps produce more energy for performing high intensity workouts.

When you first start taking creatine monohydrate you should saturate your muscles (loading the muscle) by consuming 5 grams with every meal for 4 days.

After that take 5 grams of ceatine before and after your workouts and 5 grams on your days off to maintain creatine levels.

L Arginine:

Arginine is best known for boosting nitric oxide levels in your body resulting in more water and blood being delivered to your muscles giving your that muscle pump that you desire.

But Nitric oxide can also increase muscle strength in as little as eight weeks time.

Take 5 grams of L Arginine 3 times a day with a glass of water on an empty stomach is best.

Make sure you take it 30 to 60 minutes before your workouts.

Now some of you may be adding up the cost of these supplements and be saying that steroids are far cheaper and more effective. As true as this statement is, just like anything in life you get what you pay for.

1. Steroids are illegal.
2. Once you stop taking them you will loose almost everything you worked for.
3. This will leave you looking like an old wet newspaper, defeating the whole purpose of working out in the first place.
4. You sacrifice your mental and future health taking steroids.

Want to know more see steroids and growth hornones

If you are asking if you need to take all of these supplements the answer is no, this is why I listed them in order of priority.

But if you put them all together with a proper diet you truly can take your body to a whole new fitness level!

Please note:

Before taking any supplements consult your doctor, especially if you are taking any medication!

Have any questions? Ask them.

Want to know more? See- How to add muscle mass

    Do you eat cloned meat?

When I first heard of this I couldn’t believe it, cloned meat and milk will be coming to our stores. If this doesn’t raise your eyebrows the FDA says that no labels are needed saying that what you are eating is cloned.

Even though the FDA also said cloned animals are either born dead, very weak, or sick.

But they do grow up to become healthy, so they are safe for human consumption.

All this without any long tern research to back this up!

The original cloned animal is not allowed to be consumed by humans, just its offspring.

When the original cloned animal has no more use it’s to be used as dog food.

So let me get this straight, they are all born unhealthy. You can’t eat the original clones, but the offspring is somehow free from any long-term side effects?

If you want to know more read this from the center for food safety.    

I don’t know about you, but the FDA has very little credibility in my book.

Now the USDA has asked farmers to voluntarily not to let cloned animals into our food chain, but unfortunately you can’t stop profit.

Even if they did make them put a label on it what happens when you go out to eat your favorite burger or steak?

McDonalds has already taken its stand, they have no problem using clone meat and milk apparently.

We all know how letting them inject hormones in the cattle turned out; this is why 100% organic food has become so popular.

Would you eat cloned meat?

Yes or No, and why?

     What ab exercises do you do?

First lets get the basics out of the way; everyone has abdominal muscles they are just hidden by a layer of fat. 

You cant spot reduce fat, so you can do all the abdominal exercises till you are blue in the face and never see your abdominal muscles.

You are probably asking why even bother to train abs if this is so?

Simply because your abs are the core muscles to protect and support your back. Without them you couldn’t twist, turn, or bend.

Most people will have back problems when they get older simply because they neglected to exercise these important muscles.

Plus as an added bonus they make you look dam good.

If you follow a proper diet and work your abdominal muscles you will give them strength, definition, and separation to make them stand out.

Your diet is the key to seeing you’re abdominal muscles combined with a good exercise routine. And just like any other routine there is a series of progression you should follow when working abdominal muscles.

So here is the ultimate at home abdominal muscle routine!

Most people have heard of the abdominal crunch to work their abs, this is the basic starting point in most routines. The crunch focuses on the upper abs

Here is how to perform the abdominal crunch:

Lie on your back with your legs bent at your knees and your feet flat on the floor. Fold your arms across your chest, or hold along side your head for extra resistance.

Inhale slightly and hold your breath as you raise your head and shoulders off the floor, concentrate on lifting your upper torso while keeping your spine on the floor. Stop and hold this position for a few seconds then exhale then return to the start position controlling the decent.

Most people fly through abdominal exercises like it’s an Olympic sport this is counter productive. It’s not the quantity; it’s the quality that counts.

Now to work the lower abdominal muscles you can do the reverse crunch.

Here is how to perform the reverse crunch:

Lie face up on the floor and put your arms over your head shoulder with apart, knuckles touching the floor. Now raise your legs with your knees bent until thighs are vertical.

Inhale slightly as you raise and rotate your pelvis up and toward your chest until your hips come off the floor. Keep your knees bent to isolate the lower abdominal muscles and hold for a second then exhale and return to the starting position

Keep your head and neck relaxed at all times, if this is to difficult place your arms by your side palms facing the floor and use your arms to help stabilize and push off the floor.

Now comes the fun part:

Some call them love handles, but the oblique muscles give you that lean definition that completes your abs for that six-pack look.

They are very hard to for most people to obtain so here is an extreme exercise to get them, the reverse trunk twist.

Here is how to perform the reverse trunk twist:

Lie face up on the floor with your arms out to your sides and your palms down. Your arms should be out to your sides so your body looks like a T. Raise your legs to create a 90% angle at your hips, keep a slight bend in your knees and your feet together.

Now lower your legs to one side while keeping a 90% angle in your hip joints, touch the floor with you’re foot keeping your shoulders and arms in contact with the floor.

Then raise your legs back to the top and continue over to the other side touching the floor. Exhale when you raise your legs, and inhale at the top center position.

If this is too difficult slightly bend your legs to reduce the resistance, but make sure you use correct form when performing this exercise.

To work both upper and lower abs together the V up is a great way to finish off your ab routine.

Here is how to perform the V up:

Lie face up on the floor legs straight and arms by your sides. Keeping your legs straight and feet together lift your legs and upper body simultaneously off the floor reaching for your toes with both hands.

Hold at the top position and your body should look like a v shape, and then reverse back to the starting position. Exhale on the lifting part and inhale on the return down, this exercise requires a lot of balance so it might take you awhile to get the hang of it.

Now to put it all together for the ultimate at home abdominal routine:

Start with and perform in this order:

1.The abdominal crunch
2. Reverse abdominal crunch
3. Reverse abdominal trunk twist
4. The abdominal V up

Do one exercise than move onto the next with no rest in between.

Your first goal should be able to do 2 sets of 15 reps for each exercise.

Always hold the crunch position the longer the better.

Never rock or use momentum to work your abdominal muscles.

Always control the return motion.

You can work your abdominal muscles 3 days a week, but just like any other muscle they need a day of rest in between workouts.

If you reach this goal go to 3 sets.

After 6 weeks reverse the order in which you perform the exercises.

Have any questions or comments, let me here them?

Want to know more read-  Why you can’t loose that last few pounds

   Do suffer from lack of sleep ?

So you exercise and eat right but cant loose that weight. You could be suffering from sleep apnea?

Most people don’t realize that proper sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health and well-being.

Lack of sleep can contribute to obesity, depression, and physical inactivity.

The National Sleep Foundation reports that most adults need seven to nine hours a sleep a night to feel fully rested.

Without proper sleep your body simply can’t repair it self especially if you are looking to build lean muscle, this happens in your sleep not in the gym.

You may be saying to yourself that you do get a good nights sleep, but unless you suffer from a severe case of sleep apnea like I do that forces you to jump up out of bed gasping for air you wont even know it.

Most people have no clue that they are not getting a goods nights sleep, people who suffer from sleep apnea will wake up and fall right back asleep with no knowledge of doing so.

That simple act interrupts your sleep long enough so you never achieve uninterrupted REM sleep. REM is rapid eye movement; simply meaning you have achieved a deep sleep. This is when you body can repair all the damage that it has incurred threw out the day and prepare you for the next day.

This is also why most people look for coffee or some other stimulant containing caffeine or sugar to get them going again.

But what most people don’t realize is that they put themselves in and endless cycle once they get into this pattern with stimulants.

If you don’t get a good nights sleep and use some sort of stimulant to get you through your day, you have two possible outcomes.

1. If you take to much or take it to close to bed time it will also keep you from getting a good nights sleep, putting you into a endless cycle that can have some serious health effects.

2. People who use stimulants to get them going usually find that when it wears off that they have no energy so they use more stimulants eventually becoming addicted and not being able to function without them.

Its very common to here someone say that they can’t start their day without that morning cup of coffee or soda. Or in order to exercise have to take an energy drink to get the motivation.

If you wake up with a dry mouth this is a possible sign of sleep apnea.

The way I get around this is two fold, one I use nasal strips on my nose at night to get better airflow. This little strip works wonders especially if you snore.

Two elevate your head while you sleep, if you use between 3 and 4 pillows and make an incline this will stop your sleep apnea.

Insomnia is when you just can’t go to sleep and is very obvious since you know you are tossing and turning in bed.

Here are some simple steps you can take to help you get to sleep, avoid eating heavy meals, caffeine, alcohol a couple hours before bed time . Make your bedroom like a tomb, block out all outside light. Keep it cool and add some white noise like a sound machine or you can achieve both by installing a window ac unit.

Make sure you have a good bed and pillows so you are comfortable. Use your bed only for sleep and sex, do not watch TV in your bed unless its for sex LOL. This will get you in the mind set that the bed is the place to sleep.

Have sex before bed, especially if you are a man. Research has shown that when men ejaculate they release a cocktail of brain chemicals making then fell relaxed and tired.

So instead of taking a sleeping pill have some sex!

And don’t give me that crap you are single. God didn’t give you two hands for nothing LOL.