Choosing Effective Bodybuilding Supplements
Filed Under Natural Athlete, Dr. Zoltan Rona (MD) | 1 Comment
When the average person thinks of bodybuilding, the dangers of anabolic steroids, muscle-bound giants (Arnold, The Hulk, and others), and the “no pain, no gain” philosophy always seem to come to mind. But anyone who wants to look trimmer and feel stronger can become a bodybuilder.
Bodybuilding is for women, too. In fact, a record number of health-conscious women are avid bodybuilders. Weight and strength training can enhance bone mass at any age, preventing osteoporosis. Exercising to build stronger muscles decreases body fat percentage at the same time, thus lowering the risk for breast cancer and heart disease.
A little-known fact about bodybuilding is that the benefits of anabolic steroids can be duplicated by using natural food supplements without life-threatening side effects. This is where people get utterly confused—and with good reason. One 53-year-old woman, very knowledgeable in diet and fitness, recently consulted me on what supplements she could take to build up her muscles for better endurance in competitive swimming. She had visited the health food store and was overwhelmed by the number of supplement choices available. What supplements do you choose and why?
While over 50 different natural supplements are advocated for bodybuilding, in practice, one has only so much time, money, and room in the stomach. This article lists the supplements I recommended for this woman. She found them extremely effective and has continued to use them on and off intensively a month or two prior to competitions.
In my experience, this is the most cost-effective list of supplements for anyone wanting to build muscle, burn fat, and enhance endurance. Yes, both men and women can take these supplements, and they are all generally regarded as safe for both sexes.
1. Whey Protein—One gram of protein per pound of lean mass or more is required daily for maximum muscle strength and growth, as well as to prevent muscle deterioration and loss of lean body mass. The highest-quality proteins, in descending order of amino acid composition, are:
• lactalbumin (from hydrolyzed whey protein concentrate)
• egg albumin (from egg white)
• meat, fish, and poultry
• casein (from milk)
• soy protein
• vegetable protein (half the muscle-building protein quality of lactalbumin)
The right kind of protein optimizes lean tissue health and mass, boosts metabolism, maximizes fat loss, minimizes recovery time and muscle soreness, boosts immune function, and helps prevent muscle and bone damage consequent to weight training.
2. Glutamine (l-glutamine)—Take 6,000–18,000 mg daily in powder or capsule form after workouts or before bed. Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and makes up more than 50% of the amino acids found in muscle cells. Glutamine enhances stamina and exercise performance. The usual aches and pains we feel after heavy exercise are significantly reduced by regular use of this supplement.
3. Arginine (l-arginine)—At 6,000–12,000 mg daily, arginine is another effective amino acid supplement for improving athletic performance of just about any kind. Arginine is an essential amino acid that works by stimulating the release of prolactin, glucagon, insulin, and growth hormone. Growth hormone helps reduce fat, improves healing, and increases muscle mass. The body uses arginine as a base for making nitric oxide, a chemical that relaxes the muscles in the walls of arteries and thereby increases blood flow and tissue oxygenation.
4. Ornithine (l-ornithine)—Take 3,000–6,000 mg daily. Like arginine, this amino acid stimulates the release of growth hormone, which increases muscle mass while decreasing the amount of body fat. Ornithine boosts the immune system and promotes healthy liver function and liver regeneration by detoxifying ammonia. Ornithine is used for bodybuilding and for improving athletic performance and wound healing.
5. Valine, Leucine, and Isoleucine—Take 1,500–6,000 mg of leucine and 800–3,000 mg of valine and isoleucine daily in divided doses. Valine, leucine, and isoleucine are usually called the branched-chain amino acids because of their common chemical structure; they make up 35% of the amino acid content of muscle. Found in proteins, they are important for mental vigor, alertness, blood sugar control, muscle coordination, muscle damage repair, and calm.
6. Creatine Monohydrate—Take 20 grams per day (or 0.3 grams per kilogram of body weight) for five days followed by a maintenance dose of 2 grams (or 0.03 grams per kilogram of body weight) daily. Creatine monohydrate has been the victim of much unwarranted criticism, moralizing, and political debate. It is not a steroid and is found normally in the body. As a supplement, it is a natural, tasteless, and safe nutrient found in animal protein (about 5 grams per kilogram of steak, salmon, tuna, lobster, or lamb).
Creatine monohydrate is especially popular with competitive bodybuilders because it can cause them to look about 5–10 pounds more muscular. This is because creatine attracts water into the muscles. This should not be confused with the bloating and fluid retention caused by allergies, congested organs, or other suboptimal states of health in which the fluid accumulation is outside the muscles. Creatine also acts as a buffer against the buildup of lactic acid and neutralizes the free radicals produced by heavy exercise. During creatine supplementation, your water intake should be at least 64 ounces per day.
For more information, see my previous blog entitled “Why Take Creatine Monohydrate?”
7. Bovine Colostrum—A special non-milk breast secretion produced by all mammalian mothers during the first 48 hours after they give birth. Bovine colostrum has health benefits for bodybuilders because it contains many muscle-building complex proteins and growth factors, including growth hormone. Colostrum contains insulin-like growth factors and insulin-like growth factor I, hormones that can improve athletic performance. The usual effective dose of colostrum is four to six 500 mg capsules twice daily on an empty stomach.
8. Chrysin—Take 500 mg twice daily. Chrysin is the chemical name for a type of isoflavone (bioflavonoid) that minimizes the conversion of testosterone to either estrogen or dihyrdotestosterone by blocking an enzyme known as aromatase. Too much estrogen can cause increased fat gain, water retention, and breast enlargement in males, while too much dihydrotestosterone can cause prostate enlargement and accelerated male pattern baldness.
Chrysin is a naturally occurring chemical extracted from a plant called Passiflora coerulea. Several studies conducted on chrysin have shown it to increase natural production and blood levels of testosterone by 30% without the usual conversion into estrogen or dihydrotestosterone.
9. Tribulus Terrestris—Take 750–1,500 mg daily in divided doses. Also known as gokhru, nature’s Viagra, and puncturevine, tribulus terrestris naturally increases luteinizing hormone, a pituitary hormone that stimulates the manufacture of testosterone. It contains diosgenin and other not-yet fully identified saponins, which are thought to be the active ingredients.
Tribulus can increase testosterone by 30% or more within five days and without any clinically proven toxic effects. Since testosterone promotes protein synthesis and positive nitrogen balance, the benefits for the bodybuilder or any athlete are muscle cell growth and increased body strength. In addition it offers faster recuperation and recovery from muscular stress. Tribulus also has a mild diuretic effect, increases muscle size and lean body mass, boosts immunity, lowers cholesterol levels, boosts libido, and enhances mood.
Each and every one of the supplements discussed here will help both men and women lose excess body fat while gaining lean body mass, provided they exercise at least one hour 4 times a week. They are all best taken before and/or after heavy exercise for several months at a time, depending on your bodybuilding goals. If you want more information about these and other supplements, see my book, Supplements for Natural Body Building (Alive Books).
Dr. Zoltan Rona
One-Minute Comfort Measures
Filed Under Mom Talk | Leave a Comment
Birth partners, especially dads, do well when support or comfort measures are listed in bite size chunks. Here is a simple list for your birth bag that can be your partner’s “cheat sheet” to assisting you through the process.
Psychological support
• Encourage/lead imagery
• Role modeling breathing
• Eye contact and soothing words
• Reassurance, encouragement, praise, empowering statements (“You can/are doing this”)
• Take change when woman is agitated, discouraged, unfocused
• Lead relaxation exercises
• Share words of love and admiration
Physical support
• Hand, foot, back massage
• Cold packs
• Hot compresses (microwaved rice bags, warm blankets, etc.)
• Acupressure
• Reassuring touch: holding, patting, stroking
• Suggestion for position changes
• Hydro/aquatherapy: shower or tub
• Double hip squeeze
• Lunge
• Wipe face with cool cloth
• Support in different/changing positions
For more information on how to implement these comfort measures, check out “Labour and Birth Coach 101″ at www.newmom101.com. These comfort measures should be reviewed with your partner since they will be the one needing to cue you and make suggestions on the day!
Happy Birthing!
Cheers,
Andrea Page
Lorna Vanderhaeghe Interviews Dr. Mostovoy
Filed Under Breast Health | Leave a Comment
Click here for an interview about breast thermography with Dr. Mostovoy. This episode of the Ask Lorna live internet show aired November 21, 2006.
When You Change—But Others Don’t
Filed Under Law of Attraction | 1 Comment
Sometimes when we make a shift in how we understand life, our friends and famly look at us cock-eyed, wondering what magic potion we just swallowed. For most family and friends, they will be happy for you. However, you may have to prepare some of them.
The good news: nobody else has to believe what you believe for you to follow your bliss. If you have people in your life who see you changing, some of them may be a little unsettled or even scared. You’re not allowed to be frustrated with your colleagues or family because they don’t understand your new-found peace and joy. After all, you trained them who you were. Now you have to train them about who you are.
The best way to eliminate their fear is simply to tell them the new realizations you have had about life and let them know why you seem a little different. They will get used to you—sooner or later. Remember, be patient. After all, you did train them that you don’t always follow your barometer, so now it’s a question of letting them know that from here on in, you are going to listen to the call of your heart.
It takes years to train people that you are a limited human being. It will only take weeks to train them that you aren’t. Good deal, hunh?
Jennifer Hough
Making the Grade vs. Making the Difference
Filed Under Law of Attraction | Leave a Comment
Instead of making your life about getting it right, make your life about making a difference. It will instantly become more juicy.
There are so many times that we fall into the same paradigm that we lived in school. No wonder! We were there so loooooong. It’s a well practiced habit. But I promise you that getting A’s will not lead to a fulfilling life.
I got straight A’s, and it definitely did not help me. It wasn’t until I went to university and realized that the reason I was getting my degree was for all the people I could assist when I got out of there, that learning became fun. I didn’t get A’s, but I definitely enjoyed the journey—and I still do.
The goal is not to make good marks. Maybe it’s just to make a mark! You matter—a whole bunch. You living your reason for being here makes a difference to at least one person. If you shine your light, it gives permission to so many others to shine theirs. All of a sudden it’s not just one person you make a difference for, is it?
Jennifer Hough
North America: An Impediment to Growth
Filed Under The Winner Within | Leave a Comment
I’m sure this headline has risen more than a few eyebrows and your deep-rooted patriotism has fought back with an emotional charge. The statement is not about what this country does not have but rather what it does and the complacency it can create.
I’m sure you have often heard the statement, “North America is the greatest continent in the world.” That’s a statement I would never argue with, but one I would like to illuminate as a physiological belief that may stem from that statement. We get faked out. We get faked out because we live here. We get faked out and buy into the complacency created by all that this country provides. For most, living in this country allows us to have food to eat and a home to live in. It provides for protection from violence and a job to go to and all forms of entertainment and education. Rarely are we pressed with the reality that if we don’t keep walking towards the watering hole, we will die of thirst.
It is this very sense of the provision of a good life that stops us from creating a great life. Rather than allowing ourselves to be lulled into the comfort zone of complacency, challenge yourself to see all that is offered here and use it to become all that you can be.
When viewing these opportunities, consider the quote of Sir Isaac Newton who said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This country is the giant. Set the goal to not to simply stand here but to reach higher.
Randy Taylor
The Oak Tree Within
Filed Under Law of Attraction | Leave a Comment
It’s a funny illusion we created for ourselves, don’t you think? You know, the illusion that it’s safer inside the acorn. Whatever your acorn is. The fact is that the shell was only meant to be there as a safe haven to incubate the potential until it is ready to burst forth.
That’s a lovely acorn you’re wearing. It’s see-through, though, so you might as well come out! Are you ready to burst forth yet?
Acorns are so darn symbollic of our potential. The acorn is a housing for potential that is unimagined and glorious. The energy potential within an acorn is, well, as big as an oak tree and as expansive as thousands of new oak trees. You don’t need to know what your oak tree looks like, to know that it’s worth the journey of becoming who you were meant to be.
The energy these days is moving so fast that you are going to become who you are despite your best efforts. Your yearning for inner peace is part of the energy of global yearning for peace. Time to transcend the shell, don’t you think?
Jennifer Hough
Time
Filed Under Meditation | Leave a Comment
If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day ’till eternity passes away,
Just to spend them with you.
But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do once you find them…
— Jim Croce“Space and time are now dynamic quantities: when a body moves, or a force acts, it affects the curvature of space and time–and in turn the structure of space-time affects the way in which bodies move and forces act. Space and time not only affect but also are affected by everything that happens in the universe.”
— Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time“In the spiritual world there are no time divisions such as the past, present and future; for they have contracted themselves into a single moment of the present where life quivers in its true sense … The past and the future are both rolled up in this present moment of illumination, and this present moment is not something standing still with all its contents, for it ceaselessly moves on.
— D.T. Suzuki
What is time and how do we use it? How does our conception of time affect the way we live?
On the surface, time seems to be a simple matter. It is the perception of progression. It is the movement of hands on a clock. It is something there never seems to be enough of. It is something to schedule. Looking a little deeper, we may find that we do not cherish what we have because we think it will always be there. We carry an impression that our time will not end any time soon. On the other hand, people who have had a brush with death often see the finiteness of their time in life, and gain new appreciation for life and the people they love.
Most of us habitually think of time, somewhat concretely, as future, present, and past. The future is full of hopes, dreams, and fears. It is filled with unknowns. The past is known, we think, but fading gradually in its remoteness. We’ve been in the past and carry memories of it. It is most real to us. Having lived in a particular house as a child, it seems real to us now, even if that house has been long since torn down. We make the past permanent in our memories.
Many of us live in the future in our worries or the past in our regrets. We neglect the present as somehow less important. But in a way, the present is all that is real. The present is here now. Our perceptual filters, our sense of anticipation, and the continuity of memory give us a sense of continuing flow from the future to the past, but the present is where life is happening.
Visualization
Take a moment, and relax. Breathe from your abdomen and let go of any tension from your day. As you release your tension, bring down upon yourself a state of peace and tranquillity. Let go of your worries. Let go of regrets. Be in the present for this exercise. Remember to breathe. If tension remains, or if it returns, remember to release it.
Now, imagine that as you move through time, a cone of influence extends back from your present to your past. This cone is like the wake behind a boat, and it represents all the effects of your past actions. Everything you have done or not done has had ripple effects moving out from you into the world. Like a stone thrown into a pond, the waves of your actions spread outward. As time passes the spread is wider, if more subtle. Some events created bigger ripples, and the effects of these may spread out over a long distance. Some events may have created very subtle ripples, and their effects may be imperceptible. Some of your actions affected only your own consciousness. Some affected other people and events as well. Many of your past actions will affect your future, perhaps in ways you cannot imagine now.
Breathe in peace. Release any sense of regret for your past actions. Relax.
Now, imagine a cone that extends in front of you to the future. Within it are all the possibilities and probabilities that will come together to create the next moment, and the next, and the next. Within this cone are thoughts and actions of other people who will affect your life. It also contains the reverberations of your past behavior, which will come back to you with new effects. Out in the future lie nearly infinite possibilities. In the far distance, connections among multifarious potential events are loose and ill defined, but as the future converges onto your present, the connections become firmer, more clearly defined.
Now imagine that there are many of these cones of your probable future. For each area of your life: your relationships, your work, your home, your play, your finances, your spiritual development, there are many cones representing the various potentialities in your life. Each decision you will make or will not make, each action you will take or do not take, lies within one or more of these cones of probability and potentiality.
Now at the convergence of these many influences, imagine you are riding a wave of present events. As the many potentials of the future converge on you in this moment, the present arises in a controlled explosion of perception. Inside this explosion you may find a deep sense of tranquillity as you acknowledge the connectedness of all past and future events. Each sensation, each mental image is happening just now, and again now, and now.
These thoughts, images and sensations, though formed out of multiple influences and probabilities, seem to arise as if out of nothing, because what is real is right now. The future is coming together, but it is not here yet. The past moment is gone—you do not cling to it. You are here now in this present moment and that is all. At each moment just take the moment. In the next moment just take it. Continue to breathe, and get a sense of being here now in the present. Always the present. There is nothing else right now than right now.
At this moment your world is unfolding. You are creating your experience of it in your mind out of your thoughts and perceptions. You hold your destiny in your intentions. You can do a thing or not do a thing. There are many paths you can tread. Wherever you have been, you are not there now. Whatever you want your life to be, you can begin to create it now. The possibilities are infinite.
Tom Barrett
Honey Is Not Child’s Play
Filed Under Naturopathy | Leave a Comment
I just love honey; it is a natural sweetener and tastes great. It is loaded with vitamins and minerals and because the body quickly absorbs it, it can be used when a burst of energy is needed.
Honey also has many medicinal benefits from relief of sore throats to upset stomachs, burns, and ulcers. Because honey has been found to contain antibacterial properties, it just might help prevent certain stomach ulcers.
Honey is a healthy and safe food for everyone except those with honey allergies—and it can be fatal if ingested by infants under one year of age. Infants under the age of one cannot destroy Clostridium botulinum spores (bacteria that causes botulism), which are often found in honey. Therefore, if you give an infant a pacifier dipped in honey, for example, and the honey contains Clostridium botulinum, the spores will not be destroyed. They will survive within the confines of the infant’s intestines and cultivate; as they grow, they produce the toxin. Left untreated, botulism can be fatal.
The initial symptoms of botulism are constipation, but since constipation in infants is very common, the condition is often misdiagnosed. If your child is suffering from constipation (or diarrhea, for that matter) you must consult your pediatrician to rule out any potential health concern. Left untreated, botulism affects the nervous system.
In addition to the constipation, the baby may exhibit other symptoms such as muscle weakness, which can also be misdiagnosed because the infant’s muscles are still developing and will strengthen as the baby uses the muscles. Other often-missed symptoms of botulism in babies are lethargy (because babies sleep a lot), decreased appetite, and a weak cry.
Although it may be tempting to coat your baby’s pacifier in honey (because the sweetness is calming), it is not worth the risk. Please, for the safety and well-being of your baby, stay away from all forms of honey until the baby is over the age of 12 months.
For more information on botulism and infants go to:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/diseases-maladies/botu-eng.php
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infant-botulism/HQ00854
In health and wellness,
Dr. Mundorff
Stressed Out?
Filed Under Health and Wellness | Leave a Comment
There’s never enough time. I have so much to do. Where did all the time go? Try as I might to make the most of each day, I still feel like there’s never enough time.
Do you feel like this sometimes? Or all the time?
In this day and age, we make so many excuses for ourselves. We trick ourselves into thinking it’s okay to feel stressed, to be so tightly wound that we snap at our loved ones, to run ourselves ragged all over town.
What we need to do is take a step back and slow down.
Stress can be a positive thing; however, most of the time the stress we feel is detrimental to our health and contributes to the aging process. Here are some tell-tale signs that you are stressed:
Physical:
• Stick out your tongue. If you have a prominent line down the middle of your tongue, chances are you are harboring stress.
• Look at your forehead. Horizontal wrinkles can represent repressed worries and anxiety.
• Locking your jaw and grinding your teeth are both tell-tale signs of stress.
Emotional:
Here’s where stress can vary by individual: Everyone deals with stress in different ways. The unhealthiest way to deal with stress is to suppress it. We store anger in the liver and our emotions manifest physically in our bodies.
The best thing to do if you suspect stress as a common theme in your life is to figure out how to manage it in a healthy manner. Here are some options:
• Express your emotions by talking out how you feel with others close to you. Explain how stressed you have been feeling and that you would appreciate their support.
• Breathing exercises or meditation are great ways to calm down. One breathing exercise I practice regularly involves inhaling through the nose for 4 counts, holding that breath for 5 counts and exhaling through your mouth for 6 counts, forcing all the air out.
• Employ thought-stopping. Whenever a negative or unrealistic though pops into your head, stop, change that thought around to the positive. Repeat and move on.
Diet:
• Foods rich in essential fatty acids support the brain, nervous system, and the heart, and can help to cut our stress levels. These types of fats—like avocados, olive oil, nuts/seeds, and flaxseed—are good for your physical and mental health.
• Although it is easy to stop at a fast-food restaurant when out and about, consider packing whole foods like apples, baby carrots, and a mix of nuts when you’re on the go.
• When we are stressed and busy, it’s easy and convenient to fuel the body with coffee. The problem with excess amounts of coffee (more than 2 cups) is that it overstresses bodily systems. Reach for green tea instead, since it contains less caffeine and is rich in antioxidants, which boost the immune system.
Whatever your daily stresses, aim to pinpoint which ones they are. Then implement stress management techniques that work for you.
Erin
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