Everyone seems to think that consuming tons of protein will build up muscle and that you will lose tons of weight if you stick with a protein rich diet. This is not true and can actually be harmful to your body, creating numerous side effects. Protein does not help boost your muscle mass. On the contrary, consuming more than 30% of your daily caloric intake in protein can cause a lot of stress on the body causing a buildup of toxic ketones. Essentially, you can dehydrate if you exercise heavily because your kidneys will rid your body of these toxic ketones and you will lose a ton of water weight. Moreover, you will lose muscle mass and bone calcium in the process. These symptoms can make you feel very weak and lead to a myriad of other problems.

Basically, eating massive amounts of protein each day can lead to many problems such as weight gain, dehydration, kidney problems, intestinal irritation, seizures, nutritional deficiencies and can put you at risk of heart disease. If you are consuming an excess amount of calories from protein, they may be stored as body fat. Everyone also knows that too much protein can lead to constipation as well. Plus, if you are getting all of your protein from unhealthy sources, this can lead to heart disease.

It is important to note, however, that the above issues are associated with excessive protein diets, but only when you suffer from dehydration and are not eating a balanced diet. Protein is very important to the body, but should be consumed in the appropriate amount with a balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables, whole grains and complex carbohydrates. Furthermore, it is crucial to drink plenty of water throughout the day.

The amount of protein you need depends on a number of factors. Mainly, it depends on your weight and daily calories consumed. It is most beneficial to eat about a third of your body weight in protein a day. So, if you weigh 150 lbs., you should consume approximately 50 grams of protein a day.

For an individual who exercises regularly, the recommended protein intake is 1 gram per pound of body weight. This will provide your body the necessary amount of essential amino acids to build muscle tissue. This is the appropriate method for building muscle, not just consuming an uncapped amount of protein per day. Don’t risk your health to build muscle. Research and study the appropriate ways depending on your body type and level of exercise to make the right choices for yourself when it comes to daily protein intake.

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Fish are a great source of protein and it is the ultimate anti-aging superfood! They contain healthy fats that keep your heart healthy and help reduce cholesterol. However, eating the wrong kinds of fish can raise the level of mercury in your body. So, it is important to choose wisely when consuming fish.

There are trace amounts of mercury in all fish which is okay and will not cause health problems, but some fish do contain high amounts of mercury that can be very damaging to your health and can cause permanent damage to the kidneys and brain.

Those fish with the highest levels of mercury are marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, tilefish, and tuna. They should be avoided. Bluefish, grouper, sea bass and canned or yellowfin tuna also contain high levels of mercury, but eating less than three servings per month should be fine, except for pregnant women and small children.

Fish with the lowest mercury are anchovies, catfish, clam, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, herring, mackerel, mullet, oyster, perch, pollock, salmon, sardine, scallop, shrimp, sole, squid, tilapia, trout, and whitefish. It is recommended to consume 2-3 servings per week.

Those with moderate mercury levels include bass, carp, cod, halibut, lobster, mahi mahi, monkfish, perch, snapper, and canned chunk light tuna. Six servings or fewer per month are recommended.

The key is moderation. Overall, fish is healthy, but if you are concerned with mercury levels, it is important to classify which fish to choose from and what is considered dangerous when consumed in more than moderate amounts.

Those who really need to be careful are pregnant women and children because eating the wrong amounts of high mercury level fish could be very detrimental to their health and can cause serious problems. Most people do not pay attention to the fact that mercury can be so damaging.

It is a huge mistake to assume that all fish are healthy and not be concerned with mercury levels. Consequently, I felt it to be an important topic to be discussed and to distinguish which fish are the healthiest to consume.

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For those of you who have always heard the negative aspects of sodium, listen up, because there are actual health benefits to this electrolyte! It’s not all bad, as we’ve always been told!

Sodium is very important and plays an important role in enzyme operation and muscle contraction. It is needed for blood regulation and helps with heart performance. The recommended dosage is 120mg/day and if you are deficient in sodium, this can lead to a myriad of problems such as diarrhea, vomiting, low blood pressure, weight loss, muscular irritability and even headaches just to name a few. Sodium is needed to regulate cells and nerves in the body.

On the other hand, overdose of sodium can lead to many problems, mainly high blood pressure. Everyone knows that using too much salt can lead to many health issues, but it is actually beneficial to your health if taken in the appropriate amount. Therefore, stick with the recommended dosage of 120mg/day if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Sodium can be beneficial to your health in many ways. One, it helps to restore youthful looking skin by fighting free radicals which accelerate the aging process. Who doesn’t want to look younger? Two, it assists in the removal of excess carbon dioxide in the body which is a great factor. Three, it helps maintain glucose absorption. Four, sodium keeps the mind sharp and assists in the improvement of brain function. We can all use that some days! Five, it helps with muscle cramps by restoring the amount of electrolytes needed in the body. Last, but not least, it maintains blood pressure in the body and therefore, keeps your heart healthy! Isn’t it great to find out that sodium can actually be beneficial?

The best sources of sodium can be found in apples, leafy vegetables, bananas and egg yokes. Sodium can be found in almost every food, but adding 120mg/day in the form of common salt is necessary for optimal health, unless you suffer from kidney problems and diabetes where restriction of sodium in your diet is necessary.

Ultimately, staying healthy doesn’t mean you have to cut sodium out of your diet completely. On the contrary, it is important to consume a recommended daily amount in order to reap the benefits listed above. This all goes back to my philosophy of “everything in moderation”!

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Antioxidants are so important for our health and can prevent us from developing degenerative diseases such as Cancer, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, Arthritis and Heart Disease. There are many others, but these are just a few of the major ones that many people suffer from in their lifetime. By increasing antioxidant levels in our diet, we can significantly reduce the risk of developing such diseases and perhaps even eradicate them. It is imperative to eat antioxidant foods and daily supplements to avoid ever developing one of these horrible diseases.

Check out the following statistics:

• Cancer: There are over 1.5 million new cases of cancer each year.
• Diabetes: Approximately 25 million Americans have diabetes.
• Alzheimer’s: Currently over 5 million people in the U.S. have this disease.
• Glaucoma: This disease affects over 4 million Americans and is the leading cause of blindness.
• Macular Degeneration: 30% of the population from 75-85 years old develops this.
• Arthritis: Over 50 million Americans are affected by this and the numbers are on the rise.
• Heart Disease: A staggering 81 million Americans have been diagnosed with over 650,000 deaths each year.

Do you want to be one of these statistics? I sure don’t! By increasing the level of antioxidants that we have in our diet, we can gain a better resistance to colds, the flu and allergies. Antioxidants can reduce blood pressure, improve sleep, assist with weight loss, help you to have younger looking skin, have increased energy and provide relief from asthma, allergies and arthritis just to name a few. With such an increasing number of horrible diseases that may develop as we age, it is imperative that we, as Americans, focus on increasing the level of antioxidants we consume. Not only will this help prevent us from developing such diseases, but will help us to improve our overall health.

Getting regular exercise along with eating more antioxidant-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables is the only way to ensure optimal health and to prevent having a heart attack or having some type of heart disease. Otherwise, you will have to resort to a lifetime of taking prescription drugs just to get things under control. This can cause a number of other health issues as taking prescription medication only treats specific symptoms while creating others in the process! It’s a vicious cycle that we all have the power to prevent!

Wake up America! There needs to be a concerted effort amongst American people to spread this information and make positive changes in the overall consumption of food to truly reap the benefits as we age. At the current rate, we are all at risk of developing degenerative diseases unless we educate ourselves about antioxidants and work hard to improve our daily diet.

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Listen carefully, because you will be having an oral exam at the end of this. Sure all men want to make their woman scream, but to really get them to that level, intercourse is not always the way. In fact, 30 to 50 percent of women say they can not reach an orgasm by just intercourse alone. Numbers don’t lie, so time to change it up some.

Time to take some notes for your oral exam and lucky for you, here are some helpful tips about what women want to make sure you ace it.

1. Take Charge. In order to fulfill her needs and desires, you need to put your mouth muscles to work. The women needs to rest and enjoy the moment. Dive right in and let her know who is in charge. Tease her and please her. You don’t have to head straight for the clitoris. Do some work around the area that will get her begging for more. Then, just as the teasing gets to much to take, head right for the clitoris. Ahhh…the rest is history!

2. Finish Strong, but start low. Women take longer for men to get aroused. It seems a good gust of wind can turn a man on. Women on the other hand, not so. When a man is south of the border, he needs to start nice and slow to get her warmed up. Caressing slowly and kissing all the right spots is a great start. Go for the G-spot, which is just about one inch to two inches inside the vagina. Kissing and touching all at the same time, will give you a strong finish for sure.

3. Be Flexible. Just because your last lover liked things a certain way does not mean the new squeeze will. You need to make adjustments to each lover. There are more ways than one to get to know someone, and in the sack is just another, more fun way to bond. Be sure to pay attention to her likes and dislikes, moans and groans. Eveyone is different, so make changes where they are needed.

4. Use extra instruments. Boys and their toys! Bring a few to bed with you. As you are “pleasing” your woman, use some toys to hit her G-spot. If you don’t have your toys with you, your fingers will work just fine. A vibrator is a wonderful toy to use. There are so many shapes and sizes, you really can’t make a bad choice.

5. Mix it up. The woman doesn’t always have to be laying down. Sitting in a chair, standing up in the shower or leaning up against the wall,all great positions to set the mood. The famous “69″ position has always seemed to be a fan favorite. You can both be pleasing each other at the same time. That is what I call bonding at it’s best.

6. Give her some work to do. Don’t go right in for the kill. Pay attention to her body language. The moans and movements she makes should help you get a better idea if she is liking it. Make her work a little by moving her hips or control your head movements. This way you know you are just where you need to be to make her come.

Women and men are different in so many ways, but both want the same things. With just a little patience and exploring of each other you can get there. Communication is key, and remember..practice makes perfect.

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We all know the importance of diet and excercise. Doing a daily fitness routine with someone is much easier than doing it alone. Just as dieting with someone seems to help one stick to a diet much longer and it makes it much harder to cheat. Having another person that is eating the same foods, working out just as much, really does make a difference.

Wben it comes to choosing foods high protein and low fat is no brainer, but how much food should you be intaking? Just because you and your partner are doing the same type of diet or doing the same types of workouts doesn’t mean that you should be intaking the same amounts of food. This is a very common problem for men and women who diet together. When making meals, a lot of times someone will weigh out food for both themselves and their workout partner. This can be very helpful, but if each person is different sizes and weights they will need to more or less food then the other person.

It all stems back to basic math by factoring in your age, weight, height, and activity level. Your next step is to calculate your caloric intake against your physical output. Sounds pretty easy and it is. What you put into your mouth needs to be the right portion and you need to excercise enough to burn it off.

A key factor to stick to is the portion size of the food you intake. Don’t try to guess, because more than likely you will be over the correct amount for your particular body size. When you are dieting and hungry, it is very easy to give yourself a larger portion. To help make this process even easier and takes much less time, be sure to invest in a digital food scale. They can be purchased at most retail stores and are not expensive. This will save you a lot of time and keep you on the right track.

To stay on the right track there are so many helpful tools and sites that are right on your cell phone and/or on your home computer. Try to connect with people that are going through the same experiences. This makes things much easier to stay on track and along the way, you may learn some new tricks. Use this to your benefit and in the long run, you will be glad you did.

So there is no right portions of food that a man or woman should be intaking. Just like your unique personality, your portion of food is unique to you. Everyone’s body size is different and needs to be calculated to fit you particular body. Start with the basics and try to keep it that way.

Staying in shape and eating the right foods take time and determination. This is not something that happens overnight and it is a long process. So do it the right way the first time and before you know it, you will be on the right track to the new and improved you!

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Most people who are advocates of health and fitness understand that potassium is essential for optimal health. Potassium is a major macronutrient. This nutrient helps carry oxygen to the brain and is essential for healthy brain function. There is also a positive association between potassium and bone mineral density. Intake of high potassium fruits and vegetables has a direct beneficial effect on bone mass.

Moreover, potassium can also help our kidneys by preventing kidney stones from developing. Kidney stones form from calcium in the kidneys and the potassium keeps the calcium from forming those stones. Last, but not least, daily intake of potassium can lower your blood pressure. Those who suffer from hypertension will directly benefit from this.

Potassium and sodium have a direct correlation to one another in that in order for the body to use this nutrient appropriately, an adequate amount of sodium needs to be in check. They work together to regulate our water balance in the cells of the body. It is important to note, however, that diets that are too high in sodium may contribute to potassium deficiency. Eating a lot of processed foods can also lead you to become deficient in potassium.

If you experience the following, then you are deficient in potassium – irritability, excessive sweating, chronic fatigue, earaches, muscle weakness or poor circulation, heart palpitations, insomnia, intestinal pain, swollen glands, water retention and a fast heartbeat. Intake more potassium in your diet and you will see these signs disappear. You will find many natural sources of potassium in orange juice, bananas, spinach, almonds, prunes, peaches, pineapples, cantaloupe, sunflower seeds, potatoes and tomato juice just to name a few.

Essentially, your daily intake of potassium should be about 3,500 mg. There is a small amount in multivitamins so you need to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables in addition to that daily. Remember, however, that potassium can throw off your electrolyte balance if taken in excess and this will ultimately slow down your heart. This is extremely dangerous.

Overall, scientists have linked low levels of potassium to many common diseases such as diabetes and heart disease as well as disorders such as hypertension. It is imperative to increase your consumption of potassium rich foods to avoid these from ever developing. Luckily, it is one of the easiest nutrients to get and is found in many fruits and vegetables as discussed. If you want to feel better and stay healthy, it is recommended that you include potassium rich foods in your diet!

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For proper functioning of the body, proteins must be present. Proteins are made by blocks of amino acids. During exercises, amino acids are used in a great way to replenish the muscles and therefore for those people who continue exercising without taking amino acids, they end up not gaining any muscle or even losing muscle.

The body utilizes amino acids in two forms i.e. branched chains or in their free form. In these two forms, the amino acids do not undergo any form of digestion as they are directly absorbed into the body muscles where they are needed. On top of supplying the body with enough of amino acids, BCAAs also supply the body with up to 70% of its nitrogen requirement.

Differences between essential and non-essential amino acids
Essential amino acids are those that cannot be produced by the body. For you to get them, you must take them in the form of complete protein food or a combination of incomplete foods comprising of vegetables. There are nine types of essential amino acids i.e. phenylalanine, histidine, tryptophan, isoleucine, leucine, methionine valine and lysine.

On the other hand, non-essential amino acids are made by the body from other amino acids and vitamins. Although the term non-essential may be misinterpreted to mean that they are not important, these amino acids are very important in the body for various processes and also to fight infections. There are a total of 13 non-essential amino acids namely tyrosine, cystine, hydroxyproline, arginine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, alanine, glycine , serine, and proline.

BCAA proteins are very important to the athletes due to the fact that they are metabolized in the muscles as opposed to the liver.

How BCAA helps body builders
Body builder who have insufficient BCAAs in the body suffer muscle reduction and reduced energy levels, resulting from reduced protein breakdown and synthesis. It is important to note that having enough BCAAs will not automatically increase the size of your muscles and strength but will help to avoid the adverse effects that may result by having inadequate levels of these proteins in the body for example training stagnation and slow recovery.

If bodybuilders are able to have adequate supply of BCAA in their diets, they will be able to see positive results with their workouts. It is also important for the body builder to take enough carbohydrates and calories which will help to save BCAAs. If your body has stored enough glycogen, the BCAAs will be spared and they will be used for muscle growth instead of being oxidized for energy. Rest and recovery are also important to ensure that BCAAs are utilized for muscle growth.

Benefits of BCAAs
There are many benefits that come with supplementing BCAA; Increased recovery. Many athletes experience post exercise muscle soreness and pain after their workouts. However, on supplementing with BCAA, this muscle soreness tends to reduce. Workouts usually damage the muscles and this is the cause of pain and soreness. It is important to note that muscles will grow in size and in strength after this damage has taken place. With BCAA offering faster recovery from these damages, it is a demonstration that your muscles will grow faster and so will your strength increase.Increased Endurance. If glycogen stores are depleted, BCAA will provide nitrogen used to form l-alanine which is used to supply the body with glucose. Therefore you can continue with your activities without experiencing energy shortage.Stimulate fat loss. BCCA supplementation has shown great effects in helping people lose visceral body fats. These kinds of fats have proved resistant and other forms of workouts.Stimulate the synthesis of proteins. Taking BCAA supplements helps the body to synthesize proteins. Even without subjecting yourself to workouts, supplementation with BCAAs has shown that you can increase muscle size and strength. Various studies have also shown that BCAA supplementation helps to increase the levels of growth hormone, insulin and testosterone. This supplement has shown great effectiveness in boosting muscle growth without anabolic stimulus for example weight lifting.Boosts body’s immunity. BCAA has been proven to boost body’s immune system hence allowing you to avoid most of the infections. When you are sick, it becomes hard for you to engage in training and therefore you experience no muscle growth at this time. When you resume training after the illness, you should expect to lose muscles and strength to a certain extent. It is important to note that if you over-exercise, you risk losing glutamine which exposes you to low immunity. However, if you supplement with BCAA, you are able to reverse the loss of glutamine which helps to boost your immunity. On top of boosting your immunity, BCAA helps to prevent catabolic state in your body and when this happen, little damage is done on your muscles during exercising and also the recovery period is minimized. Anti catabolic effects- BCAA works by suppressing the breakdown of muscle proteins for energy i.e. they resists the body’s temptations to use muscle proteins as a source of fuel thereby preventing muscle loss. Therefore, when you engage in workouts, the result is protein synthesis which could only lead to increased muscle mass and more strength. BCAAs achieve this by sacrificing themselves as a source of body fuel. A study done on obese people who were starved and subjected to BCAA supplement showed that they were able to lose body fat and at the same time gained on muscle mass.

Where can you find BCAA?
BCAA are found in all protein foods although they are found in red meat and dairy products in the largest quantities. You can also find good amounts of BCAA in egg proteins and whey protein supplements. BCAA supplements provide the body with amino acids isoleucine, leucine and valine.

How much of BCAA does your body require?
Most of the diets listed above will provide your body with enough of BCAA proteins. An average person’s daily requirement is 25-65 mg per pound of your body weight. Those people who are involved in high intensity workouts require 4 grams valine, 2 grams isoleucine and 5 grams leucinen per training day. These amounts are enough to prevent any muscle loss and also to facilitate muscle growth.

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