Muscle Loss Caused by Dieting

Hi,

Something that a lot of people don't like to talk about is the muscle loss caused by dieting. 

That is because they are so concerned about losing weight that they don't think of their overall appearance.

Do you want to look like a smaller version of your body as it is now? 

Or would you like to keep your muscles and lose just body fat?

There is a way to do it so that you don't have hardly any muscle loss caused by your diet. 

Check out my new post at:
http://www.valshealthblog.com/fitnesstips/diet-and-muscle-loss/

Thanks,
Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

Important update

Hi everyone,

I will be moving this blog to the Word Press platform.  I feel there is more versatility with WP than with Blogger. 

I will still keep the Blogger, but it will be more as a feeder to different posts and articles rather than the full blown blog. 

The new blog can be found at: http://www.valshealthblog.com/fitnesstips/

You can still find the main site at: http://www.valshealthsite.com/

Thanks,

Mike Val

Natural Destroyers of Sugar 3

Hi,

This post will finish up the natural destroyers of sugar we started a couple of posts ago.


The first destroyer of sugar today is Banaba Leaf Extract. I found out about this from my wife, who is Philippina. Turns out the banaba leaf is very popular in the Philippines and other south Asian countries.

It is usually processed into a tea. The banaba leaf contains corosolic acid which helps move sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells by mimicing insulin.

Numerous studies have confirmed these beneficial aspects.

Another natural destroyer of sugar you have probably heard of since it has been used in India and China for over 2000 years. It is called fenugreek.

The fenugreek seed helps stimulate insulin release which helps insulin do its job of putting the blood glucose into your cells for energy. 

It not only improves your blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, but also improves your cholesterol and triglycerides levels.

The last blood sugar destroyer is called bitter melon.  As with the others it helps insulin by reducing the blood sugar levels and getting them into the cells for energy use. 

All of these natural destroyers of sugar will help you stave of diabetes.  And that is a good thing.  Just remember, that these are supplements. 

Supplements are designed to help you attack a problem and help keep you healthy.  They are not designed to overcome continuous bad eating habits and lack of any kind of exercise at all. 

So if you don't exercise, eat like a horse, drink like a fish and smoke like a chimney - then no amount of supplements will overcome those behaviors. 

But, if you are really trying to improve your health and blood sugar levels are a concern, then try some of these supplements for a little help.

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

Your Health and the News

Hi,

There has been some talk lately - and these kinds of stories make the rounds every couple of years - that if you are overweight you actually reduce your risks of some heart issues.

Problem is that these stories only take one tiny statistic out of a thousand studies and make big "news" about it. 

Here is an example.  This study looked at cardio and metabolic health in three categories.  Normal weight, overweight and obese individuals. 

They found that 23.5 percent of normal weight adults did not have healthy measures of the assessed values.  These values were blood pressure, insulin resistance, HDL, CRP, triglycerides and fasting glucose levels. 

That means 1/4 of the normal weight population have health issues. 

In the obese group almost 70% of them had health issues. 

In the overweight group only 50% had this increased risk of health issues. 

My take on this is that as you gain weight your levels of risk go up from approximately 25% to 50% to 70%.

However, the news take on the same stats was that 30% of obese people have no health problems.  Here is a quote from one blog; "These studies once again prove that just because you are obese doesn't mean you are unhealthy."

Of course the study did not show that.  It did not measure all health issues for one thing. 

The news did not take into account the whole story.  The one showing the increase risk of these health issues as one gains weight. 

Of course that won't sell newspapers or earn a shot on the TV news.  But, 30% of obese people are healthy will earn a shot on the news. 

Are there some overweight people that are healthy?  Yes. 

Are there some obese people who are healthy?  The overwhelming majority of studies on all aspects of health say no. 

Are there some people that are normal weight who are not healthy?  Yes. 

So it is not just weight.  There are many other things you can do to yourself to harm or improve your health.

Could an overweight person who doesn't drink or smoke, who exercises consistently and eats pretty healthy be in better over all health than a normal weight person who doesn't exercise, doesn't eat healthy and smokes and drinks?  Yes, indeed. 

So when you see health "news" or "statistics" take them with a grain of salt.  Do they even make sense?  In most cases if you really look at the report you will see the flaws. 

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/
Stefan N, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1609-1616.

Natural Destroyers of Sugar 2

Hi,

Last post we looked at the first destroyer of sugar called Gymnema Sylvestre and saw how it can help lower your blood sugar levels. 

The next destroyer we will look at is called Chromium.  Chromium is a mineral that most Americans don't get enough of.  It does several good things for the body. 

It aids in digestion and helps turn fats, carbs and proteins into energy.  It does this by helping to move the blood sugars into the cells for energy.

And it helps insulin do its job.  So supplementing with Chromium will help insulin get your cirulating blood sugars into the cells for energy.  Again you have the same problem of too much sugar circulating. 

Either you have to increase the amount of energy you need every day to burn up this energy or you have to decrease the amont of sugars coming in.  Of course doing both together is the ideal. 

The next destroyer of sugar, is one that - paradoxically - is used along with sugar in a lot of cooking. 

You can smell this one at almost every airport.  That is the good old flavor of Cinnamon.  Cinnamon buns smell great, but you can't eat one or two of those things and expect the little bit of cinnamon to counter attack all of that sugar at once. 

But, all hope is not lost.  It was found that blood sugar levels actually dropped after eating apple pie in subjects in this particular test. 

It took a while for the researchers to figure out that it was the cinnamon in the apple pie that caused the drop in blood sugar levels. 

It was found that a compound - called methylhydroxy chalcone polymer or MHCP for short - actually helps insulin process glucose.  It helped to the magnitude of 20 times over just insulin alone. 

I eat a lot of oatmeal - most mornings.  I actually hate the taste of oatmeal by itself.  But, it is a good low glycemic carbohydrate source of food. 

I put some raisons, banana and cinnamon and nutmeg on the oatmeal and that tastes great.  I also drink a protein drink to balance out the meal. 

More natural destroyers of sugars in the next post. 

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

The Destroyer of Sugar

Hi, 

So just what is this Destroyer of Sugar?

It is a herbal supplement that has been around forever.  It is called gurmar and has been used in Ayurvedic medicine.  Ayurvedic medicine is the holistic system of healing developed in India and became known in the West via the teachings of Deepak Chopra.

Gurmar is known more by the name of Gymnema Sylvestre or GS as I am going to call it.  Basically it is one of several known herbs that help regulate your insulin levels and keep your blood sugar levels in healthy ranges. 

The premise of GS is that chewing the leaves decreases your taste of sweetness.  So you don't crave it as much.  Several studies have shown that over a period of time (tests have been done over 18 months) your blood sugar levels will drop significantly. 

If you keep your blood sugar levels under control, then you won't have to worry about developing diabetes.  Since diabetes is the fastest growing disease in the US, this is something you should probably want to be taking.  Especially if you want to control that sweet tooth. 

When you do eat sugars the circulating blood sugar levels increase.  However, there are mechanisms that move these circulating blood sugars into the cells for energy. 

They work fine when there isn't too much sugar.  When there is too much sugar, the cells don't need any more.  So the circulating blood sugars don't have anywhere to go. 

But, they do go somewhere.  They get pushed into the cells and not used for energy.  That means they turn into fat.  Now that is a rather simplistic description and it is way more complicated than that. 

But, I am not an organic chemist and, bottom line is that you all you really have to know is the above. 

GS is not the only supplement that can help you with maintaining and even lowering your blood sugar levels. 

We'll get into more destroyers of sugar in the next post.

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

Looking for Those 6 Pack Abs?

Hi,

Everyone wants six pack abs, or so it seems if you listen to all the ads on tv and radio.  Sure 6 pack abs look great on anyone, but they aren't easy to get. 

In reality, everyone has 6 pack abs.  It is just the way the abdominal muscles are sectioned.  Problem is, in most people, these muscles are covered with a layer of adipose tissue. 

So no matter how many ab exercises you do, or how strong your abdominals are, you will never see them if you have too much body fat. 

So the ideal goal is to work on building up your abdominal muscles while you are losing body fat. 

Today I am not going to worry about losing body fat.  That would make this post 7000 pages long.  So let's concentrate on getting stronger abs. 

The best way to get stronger muscles - not just abs - is to combine an explosive movement with an endurance type of exercise. 

For example with the shoulders you could do a snatch and press for your explosive movement.  Then do a lateral raise hold for your endurance exercise. 

For the abdominals it becomes a little tricker depending on if you are doing this at home with no equipment vs. being at a gym with tons of equipment. 

If you are at a gym, then you can use a medicine ball.  Hold the ball overhead with both arms, contract your abs and slam the ball into the ground.  Do this for as mnay reps as you can. 

Then immediately lie down (on your back) and raise your upper body off of the ground and hold it for as long as you can. 

Repeat these two exercises at least twice - three times is better.  Don't rest more than 20 seconds after the second exercise. 

If you are at home with no equipment then try this.  Lie down on the ground on your back.  Bring your left knee to your chest while you try to sit up slightly and touch your right hand to your left toe.  Do the opposite side and repeat until you can't do any more. 

Then immediately, while still lying down, raise both feet off the ground about 6 inches, push the lower back into the ground and hold for as long as you can.  Rest 20 seconds and do both exercises again. 

There are probably hundreds of combinations you can do and I might do a video and post it on this blog to give you some more ideas.  But, start with these and pretty soon you will find those 6 pack abs.

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

Men: Are Your Estrogen Levels Out of Control?

Hi there,

Okay, most men might think that their estrogen levels are not out of control.  They might not even believe they have to worry about estrogen levels. 

Well, men, you do have to worry about it.  And women also.  Once estrogen levels go out of control, so does menopause. 

Out of control estrogen levels affect everyone.  Estrogen is being force fed to all of us.  Food companies have been force feeding cattle and chicken hormones (mostly estrogen to plump them up) for years now. 

This practice has been banned in most countries, but the FDA in the US seems to think it is okay. 

They think it is okay for men to have breasts as large as women.  They think it is okay to totally throw our natural hormone levels out of whack. 

This leads to more prostate problems for men.  It leads to worse menopausal symptoms for women.  It leads to more wrinkles, more sleepless nights, a lack of sex desire, more memory loss and so on for both. 

Nice to know your hard earned tax dollars are going to a government organization run by corporate sponsors.  Okay that was my rant, now what can you do to counteract your estrogen levels being out of control. 

Well, you can stop aging.  Aging is also one of the reasons estrogen increases in men.  It used to be this didn't happen until latter years.  But, today you can go on any college campus and look at the breasts forming on the soft bodys of the college aged men. 

It will only get worse. 

The other contributor to estrogen levels rising is because of environmental toxins.  You can read more about this in a previous post on toxification. 

So outside of moving off the planet is there anything else you can do?  Sure is. 

First you can eat more of your veggies.  Especially the cruciferous vegetables.  This include broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, turnip, brussel sprouts, rutabaga, kale and mustard. 

You can also stop eating the meat and poultry you find in your local grocery stores.  You can search online for organic or grass fed meats.  Try to find someplace local. 

You can go to your local farmers market and ask where to find grass fed beef.  There is almost always a farm or two where you can pick up healthy meat, poultry and organic eggs. 

Make sure you wash all your fruits and vegetables before you cook them or eat them.  If you can shop for natural or organic foods then do so.  Eat more veggies raw.  That way none of the many nutrients are not lost. 

You can also add a supplement called DIM or di-indole methane.  This is one of the nutrients found in the cruciferous vegetables mentioned above.  Problem is because of the environmental toxins it has been estimated that you would need to eat approximately 2.5 pounds of veggies a day. 

I know that isn't going to happen.  So a supplement of 50-100mg a day will help greatly. 

Try these things and your estrogen levels will no longer be out of control. 

More later.  Thanks,

Mike Val
The Organic Health Food Cookbook
THE JOY OF EATING NATURAL FOODS the Complete Organic Cookbook
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

What is Your Ideal Weight?

Hi,

Just what is your ideal weight? 

Depends on who you ask.  

There are all kinds of charts available that show that you should weigh so much based upon your height and age.

There are others based upon your BMI or body mass index.  This was designed to take into account the proportions of muscle to fat in your body. 

And most of these involved all kinds of fancy calculations, that no one is really going to do. 

However, I found a pretty simple one the other day and thought I would pass it on to you.

First you take your height over 5 feet in inches and multiply that by 5.  If you are under 5 feet tall then this formula doesn't work for you. 

Then you add that number to 110 pounds if you are a woman and 120 pounds if you are a man. 

So an example for a woman who is 5'3" tall would be:  She is 3" over 5 feet tall, so take 3 x 5 = 15.  Add that to 110 pounds and you get 125 pounds. 

For a man who is 6 feet tall:  That is 12" over 5' tall so 12 x 5 = 60.  Add 60 + 120 and you get 180 lbs.

This is pretty simple to figure out, but it does have a few problems.  One of them is the same problem that the charts have.  A person that is more muscular is going to weigh more.  An athlete who is 6 feet tall and weighs 215 would be considered overweight and even obese based on the charts and this formula. 

But, let's just take the average person.  I think the above formula is a little too heavy for the women and maybe just a little light for the men. 

So can you use the formula in helping you maintain an ideal weight?  Sure.

Using the example above, a 5'3" female who weighs 125.  If you feel good and healthy and look good to yourself at this weight then your goal is to maintain it for your lifetime. 

Weigh yourself once a week at most.  Your weight will flucuate on a daily basis no matter what you eat or do.  So don't bother weighing yourself daily. 

If your weight starts going up then you can do a few things to get it back to normal.  Eat more nutrient dense foods.  Cut out more junk food.  Take an extra walk every day.  Do an extra workout at the gym. 

You don't have to do all of those things, but try a couple for a week.  Then weigh your self again. 

The trick is to not gain a lot of weight in that week in the first place.  If, for example, after Thanksgiving week, you gained 1 or 2 pounds, then spend the next week getting it off. 

If you go for 3-4 weeks without weighing yourself and have gained 6 or 7 pounds, then it is going to take longer and be harder to lose that weight. 

It is much easier to maintain your status quo then it is to "go on a diet" or increase your calorie burning workouts. 

So the bottom line is to use this, or any other formula you want, to figure out your ideal weight.  Then use a weekly weighing to maintain that weight.  Any changes in weight should be small ones and easily manipulated to keep you at your ideal weight. 

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/ 

The Vitamin D Plot to Kill Sunshine Part 2

Hi,

Last post we talked about the Plot to Kill sunshine and replace it with Vitamin D.   The hysteria against the sun created by the pharmaceutical and medical industries along with sunscreen and sunblock manufacturers has erupted full force. 

Now hardly anyone goes to the beach without slathering on pounds of chemicals to "protect" themselves from the sun. 

So how does this affect the pharmaceutical industry.  Well, back in the 1930's the pharmacy industry was able to isolate one secosteroid.  They called it Vitamin D, or the sunshine vitamin.  Never mind the fact that there are hundreds of these secosteroids. 

And a couple of posts ago we talked about the synergistic benefits of fruits and vegetables.  Same thing applies here. 

But, there is no money to be made in sunshine.  There is money to be made with Vitamin D.  Actually, the first uses for this isolated Vitamin D was as a rat poison. 

This synthetic D has the ability to fake out the body (human and rat) and make the body think it is a real vitamin.  But, it isn't.  And it was used as a very effective poison against rats. 

Guess what, this also affects you.  Even though it is a little bit, continuous use of Vitamin D will throw your hormonal balance out of whack. 

This induces calcification (another "ation" - see previous posts) and can lead to heart failure, kidney damage and excess fatigue. 

As usual big Pharmacy has gotten it wrong.  Yes, we get secosteroids (of which Vitamin D is one) from the sun.  But, the interaction of all the hundreds of secosteroids is what is beneficial to the body.  And only in limited exposures. 

Isolating one secosteroid and calling it the miracle drug is a stretch at best and a rat poison at worst.  This accumultion of D in your body's fat cells allows it to wreck its havoc on your body over a long period of time. 

Bottom line, get a daily dose of sunshine as often as you can.  Don't overdo it.  And if you live in a place where it snows 6 months of the year, make sure you get out on every sunny day.

You can also take cod liver oil (non fortified).  Eat non-farmed salmon, sardines, beef or chicken liver and eggs.

That way we can stop the Vitamin D plot to kill sunshine.

Enjoy the sun.

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

The Vitamin D Plot to Kill Sunshine

Hi,

Last post we looked at the pharmaceutical marketing ploy to replace fruits and vegetables in your diet.  Today we look at the Vitamin D plot to kill sunshine. 

This is really a great look at how the pharmaceutical industry really works.  It is a two part strategy.  One is the killing of sunshine.  The other, which we will talk about in the next post is the elevation of Vitamin D to a miracle "drug".

There is a lot of good about sunshine.  As the sun's rays hit your body it causes an interaction.  This interaction produces a body of hormones called secosteroids.  For a pretty current list you can check out
reference.md.  Just put secosteroids in the search box on the site and you will find a lot of long chemical names.

Anyhow, secosteroids are good for your body.  You know how you feel much better on a sunny day than a cloudy day.  Well it is not all psychological.  It has to do with these secosteroids and the fact that they make your body feel better.

Is it any wonder that many retirees live in Florida, southern California, Nevada, and Arizona and other "sunshine" states. 

All of these hundreds of secosteroids act in unison to produce these good effects on your body.  They help to control bone density, blood sugar levels and whole body inflammation.  These hormones also help ward off cancers, obesity and type II diabetes. 

It has been found that they also activate and interact with over 900 of your genes.  That is how they help control the above stated effects. 

So if sunshine is so good for you, how can it be killed? 

Well, as with many things in life, too much of a good thing can harm you.  You know what sun burn is right?

Sun burn destroys your skin cells.  And continuous exposure to it will dry out your skin and cause wrinkles before your time.  There is also some evidence that it can cause skin cancer if taken too far. 

Many doctors now proclaim that you must stay away from the sun.  The whole pharmaceutical industry says the same thing. 

If you must go out into the sun make sure your have sun block 99,999,999,999 on. 

All of it is hysteria.

The sun heats you up.  If you are sitting in the sun for more than 20 minutes at a time, you will start getting too hot.  This is when you body is telling you it is time to go inside. 

You will no longer be getting the good benefits of these secosteroids.  In fact they actually stop reacting with your skin in a good way.  Then the destruction starts. 

Now please note, the 20 minutes is just a frame of reference.  If you are at the equator and are lily white, then you will start to burn much faster.

If you have a good tan or have darker skin then you can probably get the benefits for more than 20 minutes.

The goal is to be prudent about your exposure to sun.

Okay, next post we go into the second phase of the Vitamin D plot to kill sunshine.

Thanks,

Mike Val

http://www.valshealthsite.com/

Natural Antioxidants vs. Pharmaceuticals

Hi,

You probably know that natural antioxidants are good for you, but are they better than pharmaceuticals?

If you ask the naturalists, they will tell you that natural antioxidants are best. 

If you ask the pharmaceutical and medical professions they will say pharmaceuticals are best. 

So who is right?

It would seem that natural fruits and vegetables would be better for you.  That natural is always better than synthetic or man made concoctions. 

But, then you run into the argument about the amount of nutrients in fruits and vegetables today.  Some say the soil is so polluted that an apple grown today does not have nearly the same nutrients as an apple that was grown just 20 years ago.

Add in the pesticides, coloring dyes and who knows what else that is added to fruits and vegetables and maybe you aren't getting all the nutrients and antioxidants that you think you are getting. 

For the most part, the pharmaceutical industry (at least in the US) has very strict standards of operation for cleanliness and standardization.  So you can be assured that what ever the label says, you are getting. 

However there is something that the pharmacy industry can't get around.  They can analyze an apple - for example - and break down its constituent nutrients and antioxidants. 

However, they can't seem to put it all into a pill.  You see, an apple is designed to have all these nutrients and antioxidants together.  Because they don't all work separately.

They work together.  They work synergistically.   That means all those nutrients in the apple work together to make a better whole.   Their value is more than just the sum of all the individual nutrients. 

The pharmacy industy can't top that.   But, that doesn't stop them from bringing products to market and promoting the heck out of them.  After all they are after the bottom line. 

And if they can convince you that their brand of Vitamin C is better than an apple, then they make money.  They do this to the tune of multi-billions of dollars a year.  Guess they are pretty good at convincing.

My take is to stick with the apple.  It has so much more than just Vitamin C.  And it costs less. 

Just make sure to wash the apples and any other natural antioxidants you eat really well.  If you can afford to, just go organic.  Then you don't have to worry about the pesticides, and other additives. 

Next post we will talk about another natural substance that the pharmaceutical industry is trying to take over.  This one will blow your mind. 

Stay tuned.

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

Women Need Muscles Too - Part 3

Hi, 

Here is part three of women need muscles too.  If you missed the first two posts, just check out the archived posts on this blog.

9. Feel good.


More exercise causes more muscle and tighter muscle which makes you feel good and look good. More

exercise also causes the release of endorphins which make you feel great.

10. Raises your spirits.

You feel good everytime you look in the mirror.

You feel good everytime some one comments on how fit and great you look.

Add these to all the extra feel good endorphins you are getting, the extra energy you have and your whole

essence or spirit is high all the time.

11. Live longer.

Fit, active and lean people live longer. Obesity is associated with over 38 life threatening diseases.

Being fit helps keep all those diseases away. 

12. Lower insurance rates.

Fit, non-obese people are usually healthier. They pay lower life, health and auto insurance premiums. 

13. Lower medical costs.

Fit, muscular people go to the hospital and doctor's office less. This keeps their insurance costs down, their medical costs down and their medical prescription costs down.

Just an aside here.  My dad lived to 82 years old.  But, he smoked and drank a lot throughout his life.  Even though he had a strong constitution, his last 15 years were filled with heart surgery, by-pass surgery and tons of medications.  This put a great financial burden on our family. 

And he still wasted away.  Don't let this happen to you. 

14. Job promotion.

Even though it is discrimination, fit, lean and healthy looking people get promoted more often. (This goes

for men too.)

They are seen as leaders and team players.

The final part will be tomorrow.

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

Women Need Muscles Too - Part 2

Hi,

Welcome to part 2 of women need muscles too.  If you missed the first post just check out the previous posts sections to read part 1.

3. Prevents falls.


A more muscular body helps with your balance.  The constant stimulation of the muscles of a fit person helps the body react better and more quickly to potential falls.

The strength of your leg and hip muscles alone can help prevent a fall if you slip. 

It also helps keep your bodies proprioceptors (balance mechanisms) at their peak efficiency.



4. Stronger bones.

There is nothing in the world that helps keep your bones strong than exercising and making your muscles

stronger.

Weight bearing exercises and weight training are the best for this.  You can start exercising today.

Make sure you supplement with enough calcium, magnesium and Vit D also.

Continue doing these things the rest of your life and you won't have to worry about hip replacement surgery or ending up in a nursing home in your later years.

5. Increased mitochondrial levels.

The mitochondria are the power houses of your cells.  The more you exercise the more energetic your

mitochondria are.

Instead of decreasing in number with age for non-exercisers, your mitochondria stay at the same

levels throughout life.

That means you have more energy throughout life.

6. More muscle = more fat burned.

Muscle helps in the fat burning process. The more muscular you are the more energy you burn – even

while you are sitting down. You get this energy from carbohydrates and fat.

Most exercise will burn off the carbs, but you need to get into the fat stores.

This is done with your raised metabolism, which comes about from exercise and bigger, stronger muscles.

The food you eat will be used to feed your muscles and not stored as fat.

Now this raised metabolism is not a lot.  But, here is the great part about it.  Your raised metabolism stays with you 24/7/365. 

That means a stonger muscled you burns more fat every second of every day for the rest of your life.  That is a lot of calories.  It will help keep you slim throughout life. 

7. Increased metabolism.

This is like a good "Catch 22". You exercise and this burns fat and raises your metabolism. You also gain

muscle tissue. Muscle demands more energy which also helps raise your metabolism.

More muscle means a higher metabolism which means more fat burned.

8. More energy.

You get more energy from exercise, from a raised metabolism and from more active mitochondria. 

Bottom line is you can't go wrong by exercising  and developing those muscles.

Stay tuned for part three tomorrow.

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

Women Need Muscles Too - Part 1

Hi,

Yesterday's post showed how women will get more out of trying to build strength by lifting heavier weights than they would by trying to tone their muscles with lighter weights. 

But, do women really need muscles?   Yes, they do. 

Now every woman has muscles.  The goal is to have functional muscle.  That means muscle with enough strength to help you maintain a healthy body.  This means stronger muscle. 

I wrote an article several years ago with the above title.  It was pretty long, so I am going to break it down in the next few posts and add a few things. 

So here goes:

"But, I don't want to look like Arnold!"


How many of you women have said this, or heard other women say something similar?

How about the men? Has your wife or girl friend ever said this?

Well women of the world, don't worry.  It isn't going to happen.

In fact, every man in the gym that has ever heard this statement, just has to laugh.

Why?

Because all these men that are working out are struggling to look like Arnold and they can't.

Even though they have plenty of testosterone (muscle building is one of the things testosterone does).

So if all these men can't look like Arnold, then women, you have nothing to worry about.

To look like Arnold you would need to have or to do at least these five things:

1. You need to be a man.

2. You need to be a genetic superfreak.

3. You need to take steroids.

4. You have to eat like a horse.

5. You have to work out for hours.

For most women, none of these things are possible or even desirable.

But, you still need muscles.

Why?

Well, lets list the reasons and then go over them in a little detail. Today you will get the first 2.  Then you will get the rest over the next few days. 
1. Look good

Women just look better when they are muscular. (So do men.)  Yes, there are extremes that some women

go to, but we are not talking extremes here. Just well conditioned and tight muscles.

It also helps your posture and shapeliness.

2. Move better
 
Whether walking, jogging, sitting, standing or doing back flips, a more muscular and tight body reacts better.

It is more coordinated because your muscles are used to activity and action. A more coordinated and toned

body moves and looks more graceful.

Stay tuned for more tips.

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

Strength vs Toning Exercises

Hi,

There is a common misconception in the weight room.  It affects men and women alike. 

Do you know what is best - strength or toning exercises?  Well of course it depends on what you are trying to do.

If it is to build muscle and strength then you would think that lifting heavy weights would be best. 

If it is to just tone the muscles and lose a little body fat, then you would think that lifting lighter weights for more repetitions would be best.

There is a problem though.  Neither of the above statements are entirely true. 

Yes lifting heavy weights will make your stronger.  And it will build your muscles up to a point.  However, if you do not combine this with an increase in calories, you will be limiting your muscle building and strength building efforts. 

So what about toning?

Turns out that lifting heavier weights for less reps is much better than lifting lighter weights for more reps. 

A study done on women showed that lifting up to 85% of their 1 rep max was much better than lifting just 45% of their 1 rep max. 

The higher weight group burned more energy and raised their metabolism higher for a longer period of time.  So not only did they gain strength but they lost more body fat in the process. 

So the next time someone brings up the strength vs toning issue again, head on over to the heavy weights and build those toned muscles the right way.

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/

Sit and Burn Calories?

Hi,

Can you really just sit and burn calories?

You have probably seen the ads:  Just sit and watch tv all day and watch the weight and fat melt off your body.  Is it all BS?

Well, pretty much. 

Yet, sitting does burn calories.  Even sleeping burns calories.  Your body at rest is burning calories.  If it isn't burning calories that means you are dead. 

Okay, so let's assume - for the sake of argument - that you are not dead and don't want to be.  Can you really just sit and burn calories and actually lose weight?

The answer is no.  Unless...

And no this is not where I tell you about the latest and greatest miracle pill that will allow you to sit and lose weight. 

So let's look at this a little deeper. 

Sitting will burn about 80 calories an hour.  Now this will vary a little bit.  A very small person might not even burn that much.  A very muscular person will probably burn more (because more muscle = a higher metabolic rate).  Still, we can use 80 calories per hour as an average. 

So if you did nothing but sit all day long, you would burn just over 1900 calories.

Since a pound has 3500 calories you could easily burn off a pound of fat in two days (1900 x 2 days = 3800 calories). 

Now the problem is that you can't eat anything.  So if you can go without eating anything and only drinking water (regular water, not the sugary kinds) then yes you can burn some of that fat off of you. 

But, this isn't the healthiest way to do so.  And you are going to be very tired and lethargic. 

And, the odds are you are not going to be able to do that for very many days. 

If you add something simple like a moderate walk, you can burn around 350 calories per hour. 

So let's say you keep your calorie intake the same, but add a simple 30 minute walk 5 days a week.  You would burn an extra 1750 calories in 1 week.  In two weeks you will have lost 1 pound (1750 x 2 days = 3500 calories). 

It is easy to do and as an added bonus, you will feel great.  Another added bonus, is that your muscles will get stronger and a little bigger.  Which means, when you are sitting you will be burning more calories.

Here is the bottom line.  You don't have to kill yourself with exercise.  A simple walk will get you started on the path to losing weight and burning calories. 

It doesn't matter if you can't do 30 minutes to start with.  Start with 15 minutes.  Start with 10 steps if you have to.  The point is just start and build up from there. 

Forget the sit and burn calories mantra.  It is no way to live a life. 

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/