Modern Nutrition Plan for Building Muscle Mass

Many people think that all it takes is more exercise and workouts to build muscle mass but there is a scientific way to build muscles that provide more effective results and faster. What many people miss is to implement a proven nutrition plan for building muscle to help make every bodybuilding repetition they do become more effective.

Fitness experts agree that your diet is more important to muscle building than your dedication to lifting weights but you need both working on your side to get the most out of either one. You need to workout on a regular schedule and you need a plan for getting muscle building nutrients into your body at the right time.

Putting Together a Nutrition Plan for Building Muscle

You can make this hard or you can make it easy. You don’t want to start eating an abundance of food or rely on any one food group. You’ll hear many people tell you that you need more protein while building muscle mass but you also need a balance of nutrients for your body to function at its best.

You never want to overload your system with one specific food group.

There are many nutrients that your body needs and if you’re striving for good health, then you best be consuming all of those nutrients. I hope that makes sense because all too many people get tied up in the protein consumption part of the muscle building equation and forget about nutrients that are so very important for their best overall health.

When start adding in more protein to your meal eating and depending on your gender and body size, you want to give yourself a 6oz to 8oz portion of meat per meal at most. Add to this meal whole wheat grain pasta, potatoes, brown and long grain rice. Then fill yourself up on all of the fresh vegetables that you want to eat.

Yes indeed, fresh and preferably raw vegetables like broccoli and carrots are a great choice due to their high nutritional value so fill up on all you want. And if you are vegetarian who avoids meat, use tofu in place of meat and add more nuts into your nutrition planning. Vegetarians as a rule need to be concerned about getting enough protein and even more so with vegans.

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Snacks and Meals

Your nutrition plan for building muscles should include eating 3 good meals per day along with 2-3 snacks. It’s a good idea to try to plan your meals so that you eat about every three hours or so throughout your day. When it comes to snacking, eating a handful of raw Almonds is a really good choice because they are loaded with protein and other valuable nutrients good for your all around health.

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Other snack ideas for muscle building are to have a banana with a ten ounce glass of milk. Milk along with its many nutrients also supplies your body with needed protein and any fruits are a great pick for muscle builders to get a mid-day or morning or evening snack. Fruit always makes for a good option to add into your nutrition plan for building muscles.

A good way to keep your nutrition plan for building muscle working in your favor is to stock up on the foods you need to be eating a week, even two weeks in advance. Simply create a menu plan for a week or two in advance, stock the cupboards and you’ll have what you need on hand to through a few ingredients together when it’s time eat your meals and snacks.

Including Protein Supplements in Your Nutrition Plan for Building Muscle Mass

Protein supplements are a great way to add that much needed protein to your diet but you have to use some caution and common sense here. Many protein supplements do not contain the many other nutrients that your body requires for both muscle building and your health in general.

These are fine for “supplementing protein” as long as you are not using them as a complete meal replacement. If meal replacement is your intention then you would be smart to buy a product that is balanced and contains the wide variety of nutrients that your body needs.

Tip: Serious and competition bodybuilders require many more calories than the average person. Consuming 3,000 to 5,000 calories a day is common among this group and using high protein meal replacement shakes between meals are a good way to help pack in those extra calories along with getting nutrients that your body requires.

Building muscle correctly means that you need to take care of your entire body in all areas and get enough rest to regenerate and build up muscle. Be sure to get a good night sleep and be sure to take days off from muscle building like setting your schedule to one day on and one day off or limit your workouts to only three days a week.

Once set up, stick closely to your schedule because if you start missing your workouts on a regular basis, your previous muscle building activities will start reversing. This will make you work all that much harder for the same results you would have received by sticking to your plan. You want to be able to workout then recover, workout then recover and repeat it as close to clockwork as you can.

There’s a definite, purposeful and scientific method for gaining muscle mass effectively and by you having a good nutrition plan for building muscle is where you want to be. By fueling your body with the right nutrients you are providing your body with the energy you need to do your workout sessions and realize the muscle building goals that you are looking for.

 

The Top Benefits of a Sugar-Free Diet

Are you considering going sugar-free with your diet? If you are, then you are considering a possibly life-changing step – in a good way that is.

There are many advantages for your health if you go with sugar-free diet and we’ll highlight those for you in a moment.

But is a Sugar-Free Diet a Smart Thing to Do?

The answer is “yes” and “no” depending on how you go about it. The last thing you want to do is deprive yourself of something you love so much because that is not sustainable. But to cut sugar out of your diet by using a sugar substitute to satisfy your addiction would probably do your body and health more harm than good.

Do Not Eat Chemical Sweeteners in Order to Go Sugar-Free!

Diet this, diet that, sugar-free here, sugar-free there. Read the labels because this typically means that it’s got some sort of artificial sweetener in it or it’s going to taste like crap. There is a better way, and best of all you can still enjoy the foods you love without the worry of sugar destroying your life.

First, here are a few top benefits of a sugar-free diet:

You’ll Lose Weight by Reducing Your Sugar Calories

Many of the calories we consume in the modern world come from sugar and simple carbohydrates, and by the mere act of cutting out sugar and going sugar-free, you will be cutting out hundreds of calories from your daily consumption. This will result in weight loss as when you take in fewer calories than you expend, your body will burn fat for fuel. Sooner rather than later you’ll be seeing a slimmer and healthier looking you in the mirror!

No More Sugar Crashes

Most people suffer from sugar crashes several times in a day which makes them feel fatigued and irritable. Some people even have headaches and migraines when they face a sugar crash. By adopting a sugar-free diet you will reduce the amount of sugar crashes you face because you will be consuming foods that provide you with more stable blood sugar levels. This will leave you much more energized and cheerful throughout the day.

To most of us that all sounds reasonable and certainly we can all agree that crashing from a sugar rush multiple times a day is not a good thing. The problem most people have is the part about “consuming foods that provide a more stable blood sugar level”. After all – We eat the stuff we eat because we love it right?

Reduce the Bad Effects of Sugar and you’ll be Healthier

Heavy consumption of sugar is the leading cause of obesity, diabetes, and various other health problems that people face around the world. By undertaking a sugar-free diet, you will ease the strain on your metabolism and your body will thank you for it with better health and more vibrant natural energy.

Good health will make you feel and look better naturally. You will be, and appear happier when you feel confident and beautiful from the inside out. Eliminating the toxic effects of sugar is one of the best places to start.

As you can see, there are just too many benefits to be reaped by going sugar-free to not do so. At the very least don’t you think that you should give it a try and see how it helps you?

If you are a heavy sugar consumer, do not try to cut out all sugars and carbohydrates right away. In other words, don’t try the “cold turkey” approach. Ease into your new lifestyle by gradually cutting down on sugary foods and look to cut out the white carbohydrates such as white rice, white bread, pasta, and so on…

And you’re probably thinking that this is most of the food that we eat and enjoy everyday of our lives; but don’t freak out about that just yet.

At this point many people would tell you “good luck and best wishes on your journey to a healthier you!” and leave you to your own devices. The information above clearly explains the benefits of going sugar-free and you know that you need to make this gigantic lifestyle change. But how, when it all seems so hard?

Going Totally Sugar-Free is Hard to Do!

The truth is that you probably won’t make the changes you need to because you are totally in love with the foods you eat. To stop would be such a great sacrifice and statistics prove that people who do end up feeling deprived, fall right back into the routine of eating the foods they love in due time.

So, what’s the answer to a Sugar-Free Lifestyle then?

Every person has to look at where they are at right now and make a mental note of what items they eat most often that contains the most amount of sugars. Keep your mental notes in your mind and read this article titled “Eliminate Sugar Before Sugar Eliminates You”. You will likely find a way to start a successful sugar-free diet within minutes of reading it.

 

Here is How to Naturally Eliminate Sugar from Your Life

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 If you want to eliminate sugar from your diet this probably means that you already have a bit of a sugar addiction and these tips might be able to help you avoid sugar withdrawals and naturally ease your way into a sugar-free lifestyle.

When you follow through with your sugar elimination plans, your body will reward you in many ways. This is why all sugary foods are off limits when a person follows a diet plan such as the Paleo Diet but that’s not what you’re going to do here.

What a pity that something that tastes and feels so darn good is so darn bad for you. But it is and if you want to avoid the many health problems associated with sugar over consumption you must eliminate it before it eliminates you.

If you want to speed up the process of removing sugar from your life for your health or weight loss goals, get started with a good whole food supplement that feeds your body nutrients it needs. Feeding your body quality nutrition from 100% whole food can help subdue or eliminate cravings for practically everything.

Why It’s Important to Eliminate Sugar from Your Diet

Eliminating sugar from you and your family’s diet is a good thing and the sooner you get started the safer you all will be. Sure, sugar does taste good indeed but it contains huge amounts of calories and many of these sweet sugary treats contain a boatload of fats as well.

This sugar and fat combination is not good at all for anyone trying to keep their weight down. Not only that, sugar is wildly addictive and you’ll quickly find out that the more of it you consume, the more you’ll crave. It’s a damaging spiral downwards and the best thing you can do is to decide early on, before serious addiction sets in, to eliminate sugar from you body as much as possible.

What Happens if I Don’t Eliminate Sugar from My Diet?

Research, science and statistics don’t lie and this short sugar bear video pretty much sums up why you will end up eliminating sugar from your diet sooner or later anyway. Sadly, for one bear it was too late, but not so for the other three yet.

Now you might be thinking that a small amount of sugar each day won’t hurt you and you’re probably right. But, when you start adding up the small amounts found in almost everything you consume you’ll quickly realize the need to eliminate some if not most sugar from your life.

What’s important to know is that all this sugar adds up and your body just can’t handle it. It wasn’t meant to handle it. For most people excess sugar shows up as excess stored body fat showing up in their mid section around the organs where it does the most harm. Then that sneaky fat shows up all over the body and for most people, their health begins to decline.

Eliminate Sugar from Your Life before Sugar Eliminates You

Sugar cravings are very real and can be viscous at times. A few times of indulging in that sweet stuff and experiencing a “feel good” sugar high is all it takes for a sugar addiction to get its grip on you. And what a powerful grip it can be.

What happens when you take in sugar is that the “sugar high” makes you feel good at first, then your body crashes leaving you feeling tired and hungry. To get rid of this crashing feeling people reach for more sugar and the cycle continues while doing lots of harm to your body in the meantime. In the end, sugar just makes you feel tired and worn out.

To break this cycle you must eliminate sugar from your diet, or as much of it as you can. This for too many people is easier said than done and unless your doctor tells you different, it doesn’t have to happen all over night. If you start depriving yourself entirely, you’re going to have a more difficult time.

Tips to Decrease – Then Finally Eliminate Sugar Entirely

If you really get a lot of sugar everyday you really need to go slow at first. For instance, my wife and I decided to cut soda out of our diets several years ago. We were big soda drinkers and we knew that artificial sweeteners are worse than the sugar itself so we ‘got it’ that we had to do something.

First off we we’re both filling up large glasses of soda from cheap 2-liter bottles and guzzling like there’s no tomorrow. Needless to say, we were addicted to sugar and sadly, unable to give it up completely at first.

But here’s how we did it…

Instead of buying 2-liter bottles of soda we started buying 12-packs of 12oz. cans. With a goal to just drink 1 can of soda at a meal, we’d sometimes grab an extra can and split it. This led us to the bright idea to split a can to start with and if we need to split another we’d do it.

It worked out well. This went on for many months as we gradually decreased our addiction to sugary drinks of all kinds including most juices, down to nothing worth even measuring.

Cutting back on sugary soft drinks was easy because we went slow enough to not feel deprived. A few years ago we were eating out and decided to order a soft drink and it actually tasted unbelievably disgusting. We honestly couldn’t believe that we used to drink and enjoy that stuff everyday.

The best way for you to eliminate sugar from your life is to do it in small steps. A few days without sugar is great and all but if your addiction is as bad as most people’s you might find yourself worse off than before you went cold turkey.

Small lifestyle changing steps that can last will be so much more valuable to you than a two or three day triumph then going right back to that poisonous sugar with vengeance.

When you’re craving a sweet drink try a quarter slice of fresh lemon in a quart of water sweetened with stevia leaf to taste. Stevia works great to satisfy the “sweet tooth” as a natural and safe alternative to refined sugar and can be used in a wide variety of foods and drinks.

Cookies, cakes, muffins and pretty much all of the processed foods you eat contains sugar and that leads to big problems when you start adding it all up. And the same process of eliminating sugar from your diet applies to these foods as well as the drinks mentioned above…

Don’t deprive yourself entirely and take small steps to making your addiction for sugar to diminish. Gradual sugar reduction gives your body the time it needs to adapt. Get good quality whole food nutrients into your body to reduce cravings and naturally increase your energy level. With these small steps you are creating a lifestyle change with the least amount of effort and the greatest degree of success.

 

Introduction to Effective Weight Loss

This article will give you some tips on how to burn fat and effective weight loss techniques to not only help you shed the pounds but keep them off. We hope that you enjoy reading the various sections and that you’ll find these weight loss tips helpful and informative.

In the first chapter you’ll find out why it is important to lose excess weight and to maintain your ideal weight. Being overweight can lead to various health problems; you’ll soon discover what some of these health risks are.

The different ways you can lose weight will also be revealed to you as well as how to keep from regaining the weight you have successfully shed. The importance of sticking to a realistic diet and exercise program that you can do will also be covered below.

Many diets fail and you’ll read some of the reasons behind that as well as the side effects of quitting or failing a diet attempt. You’ll learn how to choose a diet that will not fail you and some tips to help you stay committed to your diet program once you begin it.

So move forward and read on about how to burn fat for effective weight loss and start your journey towards a slimmer, fitter and healthier you…

Supplements for Building Muscle

The best supplements for building muscle will vary depending on what you want to accomplish and at what point you are starting from. One thing is for certain though and a starting point for anyone that works out and wants to build muscle needs to include a source of protein in their muscle building plans.

For the hard core fitness nuts, you’ll want lots of quality and digestible protein. You probably knew that already but the key phrase for you here is “quality and digestible protein”.

Protein Tops the List of Best Supplements for Building Muscle

So, the best supplement for building muscle has to start with a well made protein shake. The right protein shakes are a great way to load up on easy to digest protein without having to consume large amounts of unwanted and unhealthy fats. Many weight lifters and fitness trainers recommend the use of protein shakes with other supplements to assist in building muscle.

When you are searching for the very best supplements for building your muscles you’ll want to pay close attention to the ingredients and reputation of the manufacturer. Many supplements for building muscles feature different ingredient combinations and all manufacturers will give you all of the right reasons as to why theirs is the best.

Names Associated With the “Best Supplements for Building Muscle”:

• Protein
• Glutamine
• Nitric Oxide

If you’ve been involved with muscle building for any length of time you’ve probably heard of most if not all of those names above. A few are even questionable when considering safety and ethics. Whatever type of supplement you are considering, you’ll need to look at the different types of ingredients, delivery systems and effectiveness for what you want to accomplish.

For example and at the top of our list for good reason is protein. Protein comes in so many forms and it’s important to understand that each will digest differently and you’ll need to time its consumption as a part of your muscle building routine. Egg, Whey, Casein, Soy, Pea, Chia, Hemp, Rice and the list goes on and they all digest differently.

For most people when choosing the best supplement for building muscle will gravitate towards using whey with vegans being the exception. Whey can be digested by your body in about thirty minutes and that’s important for the muscle builder after a workout.

However, the best protein supplement for building muscle is a combination of different types of protein that all digest at different rates creating a time-released protein feed delivered to your muscles. When you look at egg protein, digestion runs into 1 – 3 hours and with Casein it’s 2 – 7 hours. See what I mean? 

Putting it all together in the right amounts of what’s best, how much to take and when to take it can be a challenge for many people. For most of us, our best option is to pick up a quality protein supplement that is already scientifically formulated to provide what we need to achieve our goals.

The Next Best Supplements for Building Muscle

After settling in with the best protein supplement for what you want to do (e.g. spending half an hour working out vs. climbing Mount Kilimanjaro) Glutamine and Nitric Oxide are next at the top of our list.

There are many of these types of products on the market and both Glutamine and Nitric Oxide are used in special formulations to assist us with increased energy, stamina and recovery. When choosing these type products, stick with a company that has a good reputation and adheres to quality manufacturing processes. Then pay attention to the directions for best results.

You can find more articles like this on a variety of fitness topics at http://MyFitnessNut.com and if you would like to know what we think are the best supplements for building muscle simply send us and email at http://myfitnessnut.com/contact-us/ and ask Frank or Anna.

Tips to Build Muscle Mass Faster and Larger

You’ve probably already learned that eating more protein helps your body to build muscle mass more effectively and efficiently. So if you’re looking to build muscle mass, eating more protein becomes a great asset in your workouts. Note that the protein you consume does not have to be animal protein because there are many other types of foods that work even better in some people than protein from animals.

Vegetarians Can Sometimes Build Muscle Mass Faster

Many vegetarians for instance manage to build muscle mass without ever putting animal protein in their body. The protein best suited for vegetarians needs to come from plant or dairy sources like beans, peas, nuts, rice and protein supplements that contain whey, rice protein, pea protein and if you choose soy protein.

The advantage to using plant and dairy sources to build muscle mass is that the fat content is less than in animals. Additionally, the fats found in plants are generally the “good fats” that your body needs and are less likely to pack on body fat, contribute to high blood pressure and cholesterol like animal fat can.

 Combine Meat and Protein Supplements to Build Muscle Mass

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys eating meat and eggs but do not like to consume large amounts every day then using protein supplements to build muscle mass is a great addition to your diet. If you’re trying to lose fat while building up muscle mass you can mix your protein supplements with water. If you want to gain weight then use milk for some added fat and calories or even opt for a complete protein meal replacement shake.

Keep in mind that it takes more energy (calories) for your digestive system to break down meat protein. Because of this, eating meat will sustain your body for a longer period of time than drinking a protein shake that digests much easier and faster. Using a good quality protein supplement can speed up your metabolism and you can be building muscle mass at a faster rate than the muscle builder who eats primarily animal protein.

Build Muscle Mass with Proper Nutrients and Doing Weight Training Correctly

What’s important to remember is that to build muscle mass and maintain a healthy body, getting proper nutrition is extremely important but so is doing weight training correctly. For example, many people believe that the harder and more often they work out the faster they’ll build muscle mass. This thinking can lead to failure because over-training can tear down your muscles and your muscles require rest in order to build back up.

Did you catch that important tip? Your muscles heal, build and grow during rest after your workouts. If you don’t let your muscles rest the muscle tissues can’t repair and build back up resulting in the failure of your muscle building plans. For this reason, when you do your weight training you’ll want to alternate days like one day on and one day off.

If you want to workout everyday your best bet is to alternate working different muscle groups such as work on your arms one day, your legs the next day and your chest, back and shoulder muscles all on different days. This does the same thing because as you are building up your muscle mass each muscle group gets the rest they need to be able to repair and grow.

The Best Way to Build Muscle Mass Effectively

1. Be consistent but don’t overdo your workouts.
2. Alternate workout days or alternate working different muscle groups.
3. Your muscles need rest time to repair and build.
4. Eat high protein foods, use protein supplements or do both.

Probably the most important thing is to avoid disappointment from trying to do too much too quickly. You now know that rest is important to build muscle mass but if you overdo it, it could lead to injury. If you injure yourself you’ll not be able to weight train for weeks, possibly months and while resting for that long the muscle mass you’ve built up so far will become lost.

If you’re just starting on your journey to building muscle mass you may not have equipment yet then the article Build Muscle Mass without Weights might be helpful and new or not Building Muscles for Men and Women may be an interesting read.

 

The most important advice for beginners upfront when doing yoga poses is to practice yoga safely. Like any form of exercise if you push yourself too much and overdo things you can get yourself into trouble, but with yoga you can stretch and pull muscles that you didn’t even know you had.

Tips on Yoga Poses for Beginners

Be sure to take your time and learn the yoga poses accurately from a knowledgeable person or video training that can demonstrate the proper form to you. Yoga videos with verbal instructions and follow along demonstrations can work well by helping you to learn the many yoga poses at your own pace.

In other words don’t try to figure yoga out on your own without some good solid instructions.

If you’ve been leading a sedentary lifestyle you need to work into doing yoga poses gradually. A goal many yoga beginners start off with is to do just 15 minutes (less if you are severely out of shape) each day and gradually increase your time as you feel your poses getting easier to do.

Getting Good at Doing Yoga Poses

Trust that you will get better and better at yoga with a little bit of practice and consistency. Be very careful not to push too hard and injure yourself while working your way up slowly from around 15 minutes a day to around 30 minutes a day.

It’s a good idea to wear something comfortable and use an exercise mat, or at least a nice cushy blanket on the floor. Other than that, all you need is some good instructions to follow along with as you learn the various poses.

One of the great things about yoga is that it can fit into your life no matter what shape you are in starting out. You’ll want to be sure to pay close attention to your form and be sure to take time to learn how to do basic postures correctly.

We’ll show you how to do this with a follow along yoga video in a moment.

Yoga Poses can Help Back Pain

Some people will start practicing yoga to help with their back pain and some doctors even recommend it. There are lots of yoga postures that can help eliminate back, hip, shoulder and neck pain. A few common yoga postures that can help out your back area are the forward bend, pelvic tilt and the side angle poses.

Yoga Poses to Help Get Pregnant?

People who are more familiar with yoga will tell you that there are many health benefits associated with its practice. There are even yoga postures that women use for infertility or just to help along the process of getting pregnant for the impatient couple.

Women have reported great results using relaxation yoga poses after sex to help get them pregnant. So yes, yoga poses can help you get pregnant and have a healthy and happy baby.

Yoga Poses Used to Relax You

Taking up yoga can teach you how to De-stress yourself and let your body relax. You’ll learn poses that help you relax all of your body’s muscles and relax your mind at the same exact time. Take your time learning your yoga poses the right way in the beginning so that you’ll forever receive the most value from every yoga pose you do from here on out.

What are the Best Yoga Poses for Beginners?

As a beginner in yoga you run the risk of becoming overwhelmed when first starting out. It seems like there is much to learn when just starting out but a good yoga instructor will tell you that you don’t need to learn it all to start getting results. Take it one step at a time and learn a little something new with each one of your yoga practice sessions.

The best thing that you can do is to learn a few yoga poses first and add more time and new ones as you grow and develop.

Below you’ll find various categories of poses along with a short description on the benefits of each type of pose. From there we’ll finish up by showing you a couple of examples of yoga poses and provide you with some help on putting it all together.

The many benefits that yoga provides are well within your reach so let’s cover what some of common yoga pose categories are and what they’re good for.

What are Standing Yoga Poses?

Standing yoga poses are done in the upright position and help you relieve tension and aches and pains in your body. They are also great for kidney function, circulation and breathing. With consistent practice standing poses can help improve the strength of your neck, shoulder, hips and knees.

What are Seated Yoga Poses?

Seated yoga poses are, as the name implies, done while in a seated position. These are the calming poses that people use to help relieve their stress. These seated poses can help you feel soothed, relaxed and revived. Even though they help you feel less tired many people find that they sleep much better after doing seated yoga poses.

What are Inverted and Balancing Yoga Poses?

The inverted poses are basically “legs up and head down” where this reverse in gravity brings a supply of fresh oxygen rich blood to your heart muscle and head. This pose is beneficial for improving circulation and refreshing tired, achy or swollen legs after a long day of being on your feet.

The balancing yoga poses are very beneficial in developing core muscle strength and greatly improves muscle control, coordination, flexibility and agility. In other words, these are some good poses to work into your sessions as soon as you can.

What are Yoga Side Bend and Twist Poses?

The side bends yoga poses are just that – side bends. These are especially useful for stimulating some of your organs like the kidneys, liver and stomach.

The twist pose is a pose that you can do in a sitting or standing position. Twists are great for strengthening and helping with stiff necks, achy backs, shoulders and even great to help relieve headaches. These can be a bit intense for some people but when done the right way can increase the overall flexibility of your spine.

What are Reclining Yoga Poses?

Reclining yoga poses that are in this group fall primarily into two categories namely, the prone pose and the supine pose.

1.) Prone is done lying on your stomach on the floor facing down, doing poses where you mostly hold yourself on your knees and hands.

2.) The supine poses are just the opposite where you are lying on your back in more relaxed positions. These poses are restful poses that are great to do toward the end your yoga workout session.

What are Forward and Backward Bend Poses?

Forward bend poses uses movements that can help you to strengthen your lower back and your hamstrings and are good for helping you improve digestion and circulation.

Backward bend yoga poses use movements that help improve deeper breathing and have been know to help people with depression. Because of the deeper breathing accomplished in these poses your body and mind will feel more energized and revitalized at the end of the session.

Learn to Breathe Right and Relax Yourself

Learning to breathe correctly needs to be your top priority if it’s not already. So, get a grip on to the fact that besides feeling a little overwhelmed at the many types of yoga poses there are to learn, you’re now being told that you need to occupy your time learning proper breathing techniques.

Learning to breathe right takes some time but only at first and in a short period of time of focusing on your breathing, you’ll be automatically breathing right without even thinking about it. Breathing correctly is so important so do not ignore learning it.

Doing Your First Yoga Pose

Be graceful in your movements and promote flow while doing your yoga poses. The easiest way to say this is to not move from pose to pose but to “flow” from pose to pose in graceful movements such as a dancer or ice skater might do.

There’s no need to follow along with this pose as its only purpose is to give you an idea of how a yoga pose goes. If you’re new, it’s best to use an instructor or instructional yoga video to learn from.

So for the sake of making a choice of one of many yoga poses we could do, let’s demonstrate the Cobra Upward Pose which is a great beginner’s pose because it can be done in a few simple and easily learned steps.

Firstly, lie down on mat or blanket with your forehead to the floor. With your legs stretched backwards pull them closely together. Next, put your hands flat on the floor underneath your shoulders, take a deep breath and begin raising your head pushing your neck and shoulders back while using your hands to push your body up and back until you are holding an arched pose.

Remember to breathe correctly and flow in and out of your pose as you repeat it.

You can see a visual demonstration doing the “Cobra Upward Facing Dog” in this video and even follow along if you like as you learn how to do this simple yet effective pose.

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When looking at a pose like that it doesn’t seem so difficult, but if you are new or out of shape, do yourself a favor and only go as far as you can each time and listen closely to what your body is saying to you. Only you can be the judge of what you can or can’t do and even if you want to push yourself, don’t run the risk of injury and setting yourself backwards.

Be Smart and Yoga Poses can Take You a Long Way

The great thing about yoga is that it can be very gentle from all fitness levels as you slowly work your way into it and it can be done virtually anywhere you go. All in all, yoga is a full body workout that can stretch and tone each one of your muscle groups giving you more flexibility and mobility in your everyday life.

Take yoga seriously as it can truly benefit your body, mind and life as a whole. No matter what your physical condition is, there are likely several yoga poses for beginners that you can start doing today and see positive results in a matter of a few short weeks.

 

Create a Muscle Building Schedule that Works for You

Your goal is building muscle but your time is limited. You need to create a do-able workout schedule but not sure how to pull it all together. With the truth be told…

Building muscle is not a “One Size Fits All” Plan of Action

When creating your muscle building workout schedule the one thing that you need to remember is that no two people are going to build muscle mass at the same rate when working out the same amount of time. Just as men and women, the young and old all lose and gain weight differently, building muscles is no different.

When couples decide to lose weight together, who is it that ends up losing weight the fastest?

Do an online search for workout schedules and you’ll come up with pages and pages of free and paid membership schedules and complete programs to help you create and follow a set workout schedule but let me try to help simplify this for you here.

Building Muscle with One Scheduled Workout at a Time

When you are working your muscles out you need to let them recover from the workouts that you put them through. One good way to do this and allow you to get exercise daily is to target different muscle groups and rotate your workout routines giving one group recovery time while you’re working another group.

Putting Together Your Muscle Building Schedule:

You need to put together the times that you will dedicate to your muscle building routine. Keep in mind 15 minutes every other day is better than no minutes spent exercising at all, so do what you need to do to get started right away. It would be great if you could eventually get it up to 30 minutes 5 days a week.

When deciding what muscle groups to work with and when to work them, a routine working the following groups on each one of your scheduled muscle building days is:

Workout Day 1 – Back and Arm Muscles

Workout Day 2 – Chest and Triceps

Workout Day 3 – Shoulders and Abs

Workout Day 4 – Legs and Buttocks

Rotate back to “Workout Day 1 – Back and Arm Muscles” and start all over again.

Using an approach like this for your workout schedule for building muscle is effective for beginners because each separate routine does not take that long to do, it allows your muscles enough time to rebuild and recover and the best thing is that you can see and feel the results pretty quickly.

When Building Muscle it’s Important to Rest and Recover

It is very important to rest your muscles so they can rebuild because during your workout you will have stretched your muscles hard and when you relax to recover, they start to build and develop strength. Both men and women build strength but men have a tendency to build muscle mass larger and faster than women.

Planning Your Workout Schedule for Building Muscle Quickly

The discussion continues over the best time of day to plan your workout schedule for building muscle fast. Many fitness experts recommend doing your training first thing in the morning if possible. This is especially good if you have job that requires little movement because your morning workout will give your metabolism a boost throughout the whole day and allow your muscles to grow as your body rests and recovers.

Building Muscle Consistently Works Best

Going back to what we discussed earlier, if building muscle is your goal then you must create a schedule that is do-able for you so you can stick with it. Consistency is of the utmost importance because if you do not use and workout your muscles on a regular basis you’ll regress and the work that you put in already will have been mostly lost.

If you don’t use your muscles, you’re going to lose your muscles.

With that said, if you don’t have enough time to work out in the morning hours then pick a time that best suits your schedule. The main thing is that you train on a regular and consistent basis, rest to recover then keep after it.

So whether you choose 15 or 30 minutes a day, 15 to 30 minutes every other day or making the decision to workout only three days a week set your schedule and stick to it as close as you possibly can. Being consistent is the key.

If weight training is brand new to you then start with a beginner’s workout schedule for building muscle by lifting smaller light weights at first until they become so easy to do that you need to increase the weight in order to progress.

You’ll feel when the time is right to add additional weight to your routine. Gradual increases in your weight lifting are a great way to benefit from each workout session while reducing the possibility of injury – this is very, very important for beginners.

Setting up your muscle building schedule is half of the battle. The other half is learning the different exercises, how to do them correctly and sticking with your plan. Day by day you’ll notice small results that will develop into bigger results. As your routine gets easier, it’s time to step it up to adding in heavier weights and longer workout times as you can fit them in.

When you’re ready to get started building muscles, visit us at http://MyFitnessNut.com where we can help you learn exercises that cover all of your major muscle groups. If you will dedicate the time to begin building muscles by setting a schedule and agreeing to stick to it then we’ll provide you with three great muscle building training programs to help get you started.

 

Are you thinking about getting into doing yoga? If so, you are making a step in the right direction. There are many benefits that yoga can bring you and it is a perfect way to exercise for beginners because it can be adjusted to get more challenging as you progress and become more fit.

Yoga for the Beginner

As a beginner it is always best to take your time and learn the proper posture for the many different yoga poses available to you. You might even think about taking a “yoga for beginners” class to get personal instructions to learn the various yoga poses.

There are many qualified yoga instructors you can learn from, possibly right in your back yard, but here we are going to focus our attention on giving you a well rounded introduction and some Hatha Yoga training videos, compliments of MyFitnessNut.com that you can use to get started in your own home and at your own pace.

First, Let’s Cover Some Benefits of Yoga for Beginners

Among the many top benefits of yoga you’ll find happening is that you’ll start to become much more flexible. Not mentally flexible, physically flexible, but in time and with practice you’ll find mental flexibility occurs and a more confident point of view materialize as you discipline and develop yourself.

Simply put, yoga is good for your body and your mind.

Yoga can help you be calmer, more in control and reduce stress in your life. It can help you improve your self confidence, let you concentrate and think clearer and promote your overall well being.

Some people decide to practice yoga as a means to simplify and de-stress their busy life because it can help train you to calm your mind and find peace. Yoga can renew and invigorate your mind and body to thrive in a healthy state.

Let’s face it, in today’s hustle and bustle life that many of us lead, finding a good stress reliever is important and yoga is also about deep breathing and relaxation which even on their own promote stress relief, calmness and harmony in your body.

Best of all, yoga is an excellent fitness workout for most anyone regardless of their current physical condition, size, weight, sex or age. It is purposely designed to give all of your muscle groups a good healthy workout.

Yoga is great for beginners and people who are out of shape, overweight and maybe have a difficult time moving because most of the beginner’s poses are very gentle on your body.

In a short period of time you will find that yoga will help you gain fuller control over your joints and muscles and you’ll find that you’ll be gaining much more control over your body. Some of the areas you’ll see more flexibility in are your legs, arms, shoulders, hips, abdomen and back.

Yoga Involves Balance which Develops Core Body Strength

Yoga involves doing a lot of balancing in the poses and this develops solid core body strength without bulking huge muscle mass. Some of the yoga poses you’ll be doing will involve balancing on your arms and hands, on one leg and some have you moving slowly thus helping you develop better control and core strength.

It takes time to develop and get used to doing yoga poses but the results you get from have a toner and stronger body is well worth the effort. With regular practice your legs, stomach, back, arms, shoulders and chest will become more toned and defined.

And what do you think the outcome of that is going to be?

Other people will see you more toned and defined, healthier, happier and you’ll feel more confident and attractive to a potential mate. There’s nothing like it for a great self confidence booster too.

Yoga for Beginners Provides for Better Breathing

One important part of yoga that’s often overlooked by beginners is that yoga helps teach you how to breathe more properly than you’ve been used to in the past. Both adults and children alike can benefit from this and it is specially well-suited for people with asthma and other breathing disorders.

Learning advanced breathing techniques can help condition your lungs for increased lung capacity to deliver more life giving oxygen throughout your entire body. If needed for allergy sufferers there are advanced breathing techniques that can be used to help clear the nasal passages and free up life giving oxygen flow for your entire body.

Yoga for Beginners – What’s not to Like?

There are lots of good reasons why people would want to learn and practice yoga. Whole body fitness is probably the top of most people’s list but many people see yoga as a way to develop themselves as a better person.

Feeling stronger, more confident, flexible and resilient is just the beginning. Breathing better, increasing stamina and warding off allergies are all great side benefits but as you stick with it and progress, your mental state will begin to evolve with your newly fit body. You’ll feel calmer and more secure in your life and that benefits you and everyone around you.

How Can a Beginner Get Into Yoga?

When you’re getting into yoga for the first time, where you’ll want to start depends a lot upon you. Do you want the social aspect and support of learning in a group? Or do you feel more comfortable starting out alone in the privacy of your own home?

And then there’s always the in between, where you hire a personal one-on-one yoga instructor that will work with you on a personal and private level.

There are many choices and different levels of advancement in yoga too. You can find classes, videos and private instructors for the beginners to advance, from children to seniors, to pregnant women and even people with certain disabilities including the morbidly obese.

Our goal at MyFitnessNut.com is to get you started moving in the right direction when you’re considering yoga, or anything regarding the improvement of your health and fitness levels. To that point, we’ve prepared 70 different follow along Hatha Yoga for Beginners poses that are great for both beginners and hard core fitness nuts alike.

 

It seems like there is real craze with building muscles right now. Everyone including men, women, young and old are starting to shape up and sculpt their bodies like never before.

We’re all aware that obesity has taken over lately but now there seems to be a tide-shift with a reversal going on in a positive direction. For the first time in many years the obesity rate of school children in the USA is dropping instead of growing.

With more and more people looking to build their muscles and strength this trend can certainly accelerate.

So what is makes building muscle suddenly so popular?

In this article we’ll discuss building muscles for:

Bodybuilding Competition
Looks and Confidence
Strength and Stamina
Gain or Lose Weight
Building Muscles for Women
Doing More and Being More

In general people have different reasons for getting into body and muscle building. One person might do it for competitive reasons, others for confidence issues, others to build strength and stamina, gain weight, lose weight and then some people just want to be able to do more and live a healthier life.

Building Muscles for Competition

Bodybuilding competition is one reason why people are interested in building large muscle mass. Building muscles for competition is a huge sport. You can find big rewards in competitive bodybuilding but competing on this level takes much dedication and effort. You’ll need to dedicate time, lots of time working out every day to build and maintain large muscle mass and shape.

Building Muscles to Compete is not Meant to be a Hobby

You will not naturally obtain a perfectly chiseled body with pumped up muscles overnight and if you are looking to make it to the top of the muscle building food chain, you’re going to have to invest tens of thousands of hours in workout time and the younger you get started as an adult body builder the better chance you’ll have at making it to the top.

Building Muscles for Confidence

If you are getting into bodybuilding because you’re overweight, too scrawny and thin or just not happy with the way your body looks, body and muscle building can help and the results can bee seen in a matter of weeks. When done properly, you’ll be muscle building in a matter of days and many people see noticeable improvements in just 4 to 6 weeks time.

Getting stronger, building muscle tone and depending on your situation, gaining or losing weight is a great confidence and self image booster. You just need to be sure that you don’t get carried away doing too much too fast. Set a rational schedule based on where you are starting from and you’ll begin to see improvements in quick order.

Building Muscles for Women

Body and muscle building for women isn’t as popular as it is for men but it is really a great way for women to build strength without being concerned about bulking up like a man would. There are many petite women who body build and can lift an extreme amount of weight. So don’t confuse building big muscles with raw strength and size.

Many women are coming to realize this and finding that even though they build muscle mass at a slower pace than a man would, they still get the luxury of building strength, stamina and their metabolism without the worry of looking like the Hulk’s masculine twin sister.

Speaking of building muscles to look masculine, younger males get into body and muscle building many times to impress the girls. They want to look fantastic and they want ripped muscles and they want them now! Their desire to look ripped, strong and desirable for a potential mate can become problematic.

This is the same problem competitive bodybuilders can get caught up in when they try to build muscles too fast and take shortcuts that they think or have been told will give them an edge.

Avoid Using Steroids and Growth Hormones when Building Muscle Mass

When the pressure is on to bulk up quickly, some body builders turn to using growth hormones and steroids to hasten muscle building. There are a couple of big problems with this. In the case of teenagers trying to bulk up quickly, they have to remember that their bodies are still in a growing mode and the use of hormones or steroids can have some bad side effects that can seriously mess up the rest of their life.

As far as competition body builders go, there’s really nothing to say to you here. You know what’s going on because you see it nearly every day in the world of sports and fitness; elimination from competition, health problems and stripped titles after years and years of hard work and full dedication of a big piece of your life.

It’s not worth it and cheating at building muscles for competition won’t make you feel very proud if you do happen win an event.

In the case of the young “want to impress” bodybuilder or the super Hulk competitive version, doing steroids and growth hormones is rarely a good idea.

Bodybuilding in its beginning was created to be a sport and when given it respect and patience it deserves it can be a rewarding way to stay fit and healthy for a lifetime.

If you’re into the competitive body and muscle building realm it can be a great way to travel and socialize with people all around the world from local events all the way up to the Olympics if you are so inclined.

If you’re looking at the field for a career there are huge opportunities for working in the health and fitness industry and if you’re into it to impress others and gain confidence then building muscle mass may be a great way for you to achieve it.

Whatever your reason for building muscle and getting into bodybuilding is, the benefits to your health, fitness level, confidence and ability to do more and be more is undisputed.

Grab a hold of these two muscle-building video programs and get started. The first one shows you how to build muscles using Dumbbells at http://myfitnessnut.com/dumbbell-exercises, and the second one is training on building muscles using Kettlebells at http://myfitnessnut.com/kettlebell-exercises . Both follow along video programs are free for the time being and both work well for the beginner and the fitness nuts alike.