Go Ahead and Cheat a Little

During our quest for a healthy lifestyle we sometimes deprive ourselves to much, when a little cheating could actually keep us on the band wagon. For example, I here that it is sometimes to hard to stick with a certain diet or nutrition plan because you crave your favorite unhealthy foods. So instead of sticking with the healthy program you quit or don't even start. Instead give yourself a day to eat those unhealthy foods, just don't go crazy and make yourself sick. This is a great incentive for being good 6 out of the 7 days in a week. The best thing is you're more likely to stay on your healthy eating plan because your providing yourself with balance. As time goes on you'll crave those unhealthy foods less and less. But when you first start don't forget to cheat a little!

Weight Management

Weight Management 101. Burn more calories than you consume. To Lose Weight: stop eating just before you are full. To Maintain Weight: stop eating when you are full. To Gain Weight: keep eating after you are full.

Getting Lean

The key to getting lean is to consume the right amount of carbohydrates that your body needs, and this is mainly dependent on three factors: weight, activity level, and fitness level. Athletes have a advantage over individuals who are not physically fit. An athlete, due to regular intense activity requires more carbohydrates than the average Joe or moderately active person. The more active you are, the more you have earned the right to eat certain carbohydrates.

Build Your Muscles

Whey protein can help to make weight training more effective by making muscles grow bigger, according to a study by Canadian and British researchers, published in the Journal of Nutrition. In comparing muscle responses to various exercises, the study found that two factors work synergistically to produce maximum muscle growth: Resistance or weight training until a muscle is fatigued. The load can be heavy or light-the key is to reach the point of fatigue. Consuming whey protein (15 to 30 grams) immediately after exercise will increase muscle growth and speed recovery.

Protect Your Heart

Vitamin B12 plays an essential role with folic acid and other B vitamins in a series of biochemical reactions called methylation. Methylation is needed to replicate genes and regulate their activity, protect against cardiovascular diseases, and make neurotransmitters and phospholipids. Low levels of vitamin B12 lead to increases in blood levels of methylmalonic acid, which may boost the risk of heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease. To protect yourself, take a supplement containing vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folic acid.

Cleansing for Energy

Think about it, all of your body systems are probably bogged down with waste. Not just your colon, but your liver, blood, kidneys and more. By removing the waste, the energy your body was using to handle toxins can now be used to generate energy for your daily activities. I suggest cleansing a minimum of 14 days to a maximum of 30 days.

Heat Exhaustion

Sweat is the body's way of cooling off. But if you're overheated for an extended period of time and don't replace the fluids you've lost, the internal systems that regulate temperature become overwhelmed and can't release the heat. If you become dehydrated, heat exhaustion can lead to potentially deadly heat stroke. Take immediate action if you feel dizzy, clammy, or nauseated. Get some place cool and drink lots of cool water. Find some sports drinks with electrolytes and take it easy.

Hooray for the Onion

20 grams fresh onion three times per day. Preliminary trials and at least one double-blind trial have shown that large amounts of onion an can lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. The mechanism of onion's blood sugar-lowering action is not precisely known, though there is evidence that constituents in onions block the breakdown of insulin in the liver. This would lead to higher levels of insulin in the body.

Got Magnesium!

People with Type 1 diabetes tend to have low magnesium levels, and magnesium given orally or by injection partially overcomes the reduction in magnesium levels. In one preliminary trial, insulin requirements were lower in people with type 1 diabetes who were given magnesium. Diabetes- induced damage to the eyes is more likely to occur in magnesium deficient people with type 1 diabetes. In magnesium deficient pregnant women with type 1 diabetes, the lack of magnesium may even account for the high rate of spontaneous abortion and birth defects associated with type 1 diabetes. A double blind trail found that giving 300 mg per day of magnesium to magnesium deficient type 1 diabetics for five years slowed the development of diabetic nerve damage (neuropathy). The American Diabetes Association acknowledges strong associations between magnesium deficiency and insulin resistance but has not said magnesium deficiency is a risk factor.

Teen Girls and Sports Injuries

Knee injuries are more ommon in young girl athletes for several reasons. Girls have thinner ACLs, which support leg spins. The small notch on in their knees have a guillontine effect on the ligament when it goes into extension. They also put their ACLs at risk because they fire thier quads more than their hamstrings putting more pressure on the knee. Girls knees are also aligned differently than boys, causing inreased stress on them. Mothers tell your daughters to focus on technique and proper body mechanics to reduce injuries. ACL tears take 6 to 9 months to get bak to your sport healthy. BE CAREFUL!

The Chicken Finger Nightmare

My eating is very clean and healthy 99% of the time. All of my meals from breakfast to dinner is home cooked. Every once in a while I decide to eat out, and every time I pay for it. The chicken fingers and fries are still spinning in my stomach. After writing about getting sleep I couldn't get any. Every time I eat out, my body pays for it. I haven't had chicken fingers and fries in 3years, and it will be another three years before I try it again. Somebody told me I should have gotten a salad, but going out to get a salad doesn't scream danger and excitement. The way my body feels now, I am going to stay away from danger for a long while.

Go To Sleep!

The consequences of sleep deprivation go far beyond the miseries of fatigue and diminished performance. Decades of clinical research document that a good night's rest supports nearly all systems of the body, including: skin health and youthful appearance, healthy collagen formation, insulin levels already within normal range, healthy body weight, glucose levels, blood pressure, healthy cell division, cardiovascular health, and good mood. But a lack of sleep has the opposite effect. Scientist attribute sleep related difficulties to the unprecedented levels of stress most of us endure in today's society.

Short On Exercise Time, Jump Rope

We would love to spend an hour or two dedicated to transforming our bodies, but sometimes we just don't have the time. My alternative is jump rope. This is a full body workout that burns more calories than and has a higher cardiac output than indoor cycling, elliptical, and jogging at a moderate pace on the treadmill. 15 minutes of jump rope is the equivalent to 20 moderate minutes on the treadmill, 25 minutes on the stationary bike, and 30 minutes on the elliptical. Try it, you will feel the difference!

Are Your Joints Keeping You From Exercising?

A lot of us have joint problems like arthritis or or early osteoporosis, so normal
resistance training and high impact exercise are not an option. Here are some non-weight-bearing and non-impact activities:

• Bicycling and indoor cycling
• Deep water walking
• Stretching and flexibility exercises (avoid bending forward)
• Swimming
• Water Aerobics

CoQ10(Ubiquinol)

As we age, the levels of antioxidants in our bodies fall. Due to the natural course of aging and the increasing reach of environmental toxins, it may be difficult to get the optimal amount of antioxidants through food alone; dietary supplements may be of benefit to optimize and maintain a healthy cellular redox balance. CoQ10/Ubiquinone is one of the best for your heart health and energy. CoQ10 is a coenzyme, meaning that it partners with other enzymes in the body to produce particular reactions. It plays two vital roles in cellular and body health: energy production and free radical production. After age 40 the liver conversion rate of CoQ10 to Ubiquinol slows down. It is better to get Ubiquinol already in its active form which is utilized better in the body. You will be able to feel the difference.

What Motivates You To Lose Weight?

There was a conversation around the gym the other day about what motivates individuals to work out and lose weight?  Specifically to seek out a personal trainer to lose weight? This question is interesting because it generates a lot of different answers. 

Some of the common answers includes: illness, illness that could lead to death, vanity, special life events including weddings.  The number one answer (to the question of what motivates an individual to lose weight) in the mind of a personal trainer is the hope that the individual extends their quality of life. 

Of course everyone will answer these questions differently, hence why i wanted to pose the question here: What motivates you to lose weight?

Working Out?

Walking is effective for the elderly and the obese.

 

For exercise to really be effective you must increase your heart rate for at least 30 minutes.

Good workouts can be productive and addictive. The more you exercise and see results, the more you want to workout. The problem is not allowing your body the proper rest can be counter productive. Your body needs rest days and the proper nutrition to be able to rebuild it-self and get ready for the next challenge. Muscle damage, heart problems, high cortisol levels, free radical cell damage, and a host of other health problems will occur if you don't properly space out your workouts. Be smart and listen to your body, REST!

Fat is Good!

Welcome to all our new followers. For more information on fun and innovative ways to a healthy lifestyle, please visit our website at athletes4life.net! EFAs(essential fatty acids):
These fats are considered essential because the body cannot make them. Our intake needs to come from our diet, or supplements. Recent research has revealed that EFA's benefit most of the major diseases we face such as: heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, and major skin health issues.