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Posts Tagged ‘Nutrition’

Proper nutrition is the cornerstone of an athlete’s career. Still, many athletes do not realize the importance of this or they’re just simply clueless about the subject. Not knowing anything about nutrition will lead to bad habits that then result in an unsuccessful career. Take for instance bodybuilders who take weight loss to the extreme before a competition. Extreme weight loss produces a lot of stress on one’s body and this can lead to a difficulty in increasing muscle mass and strength over the long-term. Nutrition simply is eating the right food, at the right amount, and at the right time. Knowing this is not enough, you also need to practice it. This entails you to strictly monitor and record your food and calorie intake and abide by nutritional principles.

Many misconceptions surround nutrition. Fairly recently, high protein diets have become popular. However, limiting yourself to eat only protein has its downsides. Catherine Jackson in her book “Nutrition for the Recreational Athlete” maintains that a high-protein diet often causes irritability and lowers endurance in an individual. This can be remedied by initially consuming adequate amounts of calories. ou can avoid the pitfalls of poor nutrition by making sure you’re not experiencing any of the following throughout your training program:

Dwindling Strength – Strength is an important factor in maintaining a regular training program and too little protein affects strength. Eating the right types of protein, and not relying solely on protein powders and protein bars to meet your daily requirements is essential for good health. It would be better if you source your protein from organic products such as chicken breasts (or white meat), egg whites and soy-based products.

Moodiness or irritability – Moodiness and Irritability is actually brought about by low blood sugar. This can be interpreted as a sign that you’re not eating enough carbohydrates. Not eating enough carbs can also affect your ability to concentrate and focus during your weight training routine, so eat healthy carbs at regular intervals throughout the day to optimize your results. If this is the case then you can stabilize your blood sugar level by eating small amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole grains throughout the day.

More frequent sick days – Not eating a varied diet can make you prone to developing a cold or infection, which makes it very difficult for you to maintain a consistent workouts schedule. Eat a variety of foods that are rich in B-vitamins and minerals such as bananas, lentils, tuna, potatoes, and turkey.

Decreased speed – A lot of people starve themselves before training. This practice is actually counter productive since you’ll mostly run out of energy in the middle of training. Eating carbohydrates at least one hour before training will give you the energy you need to bring you back to speed.

Low Motivation – Losing interest in working out is a surefire sign that you’re not eating enough and getting enough rest. Give your body enough time for rest. Not eating right can also cause stress to your body. Successful athletes typically consume a small ‘meal’ every 2-3 hours to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and sustain themselves through a training program.

Your training efforts would not mean much if you’re not following a sound nutritional plan. A great way to boost your training is to take nutritional supplements, such as Stemulite Fitness Formula. You might not be getting all the nutrients you need, so taking in supplements will plug the nutritonal holes in your diet. Take Stemulite together with a proper nutritional regimen to boost your training results and performance.

Technorati Tags: body building, Bodybuilding, Nutrition, nutritional program, nutritional supplements

Nitric Oxide is produced in the body. It acts as a signaling molecule that communicates with other cells in the body. The enzymes in the body break down amino acid L-arginine producing Nitric acid. L-arginine in the food first enters into the blood stream after passing through the stomach. Then it moves into the endothelial cells that are found amidst the blood and lymph where the production of Nitric Oxide takes place. L-arginine in its natural state is found in grains, meats, fish, poultry and dairy products. Nitric acid is used to treat insomnia, cardiovascular disorders, pain, inflammations, interstitial cystitis, digestive problems, weight loss, diabetes and injury, female sexual dysfunction and sexual function.

Nitric Oxide deficiency can be identified when one experiences physical weakness and extreme fatigue. It is supportive to the sports and bodybuilding activities. Nitric Oxide is to be consumed before as well as after each workout. Nitric Oxide supplements are offered in the market. Intake of the supplement improves the delivery of nutrient and oxygen to the muscle with improved blood flow. This improved blood flow is facilitated by Nitric Oxide, a vasodilator. The improved blood flow to the muscle mean that more muscle building agents such as creatine, nutrients and oxygen reaches the muscle. Moreover, it ensures that the blood vessels open for longer duration throughout the day. This results in higher muscle gains, quicker recovery after workouts, increased strength, and more staying power due to the longer pumping of the blood. The natural Nitric Oxide production too is enhanced in the body.

Dramatic increase in the growth of muscles to bodybuilders is promised by Nitric oxide products. But these claims are still debated. Some Nitric Oxide supplements available in the market include NO-xplode by BSN, Nitrix by BSN, Mid-Cycle by Fizogen, A-AKG by Pro-line, Cold Fusion by Legal Gear and SuperPump250 from Gaspari. These products can be bought from the supplement and health nutrition stores. Consumers and reviewers assessment about these products can be found in the Internet, for instance, by searching SuperPump250 review for SuperPump250.

Nitric Oxide can prevent heart disease and stroke. Dangerous constriction of blood vessels can be prevented. It may be able to assist in controlling platelet function, lower cholesterol and reduce artery plaque. However, in large concentrations it is toxic to cells and can induce dangerously low blood pressure. People with heart conditions are advised not to take any nitric oxide supplements.

Technorati Tags: body building, Bodybuilding, exercise, health, muscle growth, muscles, nitric oxide, Nutrition, Supplements, weight training, work outs, working out, workouts

It’s necessary that you eat proper food following your workout sessions to compensate for the lost energy and nutrition. In order to speed up the results of your regular workout, choosing the right foods is essential. Post workout nutrition therefore, has to become an integral part of your daily workout regime.

The muscle tissue tends to break down after an intense workout session. To counter this, you should have an easily digestible meal immediately post workouts helping the muscles recover sooner than usual.

People often tend to skip the post-workout meal. This meal, however, is most important when it comes to recouping the muscles and achieving the desired results in the shortest period of time.

The meal should contain carbohydrates and protein in the ratio 3:1 making it easily digestible. This meal is digested very easily and therefore, the body absorbs the nutrients very quickly. Such a post-workout meal should consist anywhere between 350 to 500 calories depending upon the individual. This is necessary for faster recovery and muscle building.

Fat is usually difficult to be digested. So, be sure to avoid a fatty meal. Including fat in your post-workout meal will slow down the digestion and absorption processes. This should never happen. The meal should, therefore, be easily digestible, in order to rapidly induce muscle building. Muscle building, on the other hand, will help burn more fat.

Here are some ingredients that you can include in your post-workout meal:

-Whey protein isolate – this is an easily digestible protein

-Pineapples

-Raisins

-Maple Syrup (Natural)

-Yogurt (Fat free or low fat)

-Frozen fruits

A smoothie can be a good post-workout meal. Use a blender to blend 2 frozen bananas and about ½ a cup of berries, along with some skimmed milk and a scoop of protein powder (any flavor), until smooth. Feel free to mix and match ingredients according to personal preferences.

Taking supplements after a post workout meal can be a good alternative to taking whole foods. This is because consuming whole foods immediately after an intensive workout session can sometimes be too heavy for some individuals. A sample post workout diet supplement is as follows:

Sugar – 50 grams

Whey Protein – 40 grams

Glutamine – 10 grams

Creatine – 5 grams

Arginine – 5 grams

Add about 32 ounces of water and mix all of the above together.

During your workout, keep sipping a bit of the mixture at regular intervals. Add another 16 ounces of water when you’re half way through your workout. This is necessary for increasing the body fluids and adding more volume to the blood, which in turn will help pump more blood during your workout.

People who don’t like to eat immediately after a workout can opt for the protein rich smoothie. For about 40 minutes, refrigerate the smoothie and immediately after your workout, consume it.

Since the post-workout meal serves a specific purpose – treating the body muscles soon after workout and helping them recover faster – it’s natural for you to have noticed ingredients that are otherwise uncommon in our regular meals. Although rich, this meal helps regain the lost energy but not add any additional calories since all that you consume is quickly absorbed to compensate the loss.

If not more, the post-workout meal is at least as important as any other regular meal of the day. Remember that skipping this meal will only delay muscle repair, which in turn will delay muscle growth. Post workout nutrition is, therefore, extremely essential to effective and safe body building.

Technorati Tags: Food, health, Meals, Nutrition, Post, Supplements, workout