Tuesday, January 12, 2010

What Supplements Do You Need For Muscle Growth?

Taking certain nutritional supplements for muscle building is not absolutely necessary; you can do without them, however, some of them really do have their advantages. They can give you an added physical and mental edge.
They help to enhance performance and can help in the muscle-building process. Although some are a waste of your time money and effort, there are a few that do actually perform.
Supplements help to fulfil the missing link that may occur during an intense muscle-building phase.
You do need some supplements for greater muscle growth.
Here are the supplements I'd recommend for Muscle-building.
Creatine:
A great supplement that always produces positive health and muscle-building benefits. Helps to fill the muscles with fluid making you stronger and able to lift heavier and recover faster.
Good bodyweight gains achieved with this, which allows you to lift more for better muscle growth stimulation.
Protein Powders:
Whey protein isolate is the best fast acting protein to aid in repair and growth of muscle tissue after an intense training session.
Casein Protein is a slow digesting protein best taken just before bed to supply the body with a continuous flow of amino acids for repair and growth through the night while you sleep.
Weight Gainers:
A high calorie supplement is a good idea if you consider yourself as being under weight. High calories are needed for muscle endurance and optimum performance and effective muscle repair.
You'll want to stay healthy while you're on a muscle-building quest so I'd also recommend:
A good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement:
To offset any nutrient deficits that may occur during an intense training program. Vitamins and minerals are essential for good health and well being.
Vitamin C:
A great immunity booster and free radical destroyer.
Vitamin E:
Great for Cell integrity and vitality.
EFAs:
Essential Fatty Acids:
Great for overall health and helps promote the body's production of Testosterone - the muscle builder.
Note: You should always check with your GP or other health professional before taking any nutritional supplements.
Along with the supplements there are other elements that you need for muscle-growth:
A sound workout routine that induces muscle growth and does not over-train the muscles.
A good healthy high calorie diet. Eat six smaller meals instead of 3 large meals.
Sufficient rest and recovery time. Your muscles have to be fully recovered.
Discipline Commitment and Consistency.
A few supplements like the above.
The bodybuilding supplement industry is big business. You really don't need all those "miracle" muscle-building supplements that come onto the market, but once in a while they do actually bring about a supplement that actually does what it's reported to do.

Legal Supplements - Good, Natural Supplements

There are so many people today taking natural supplements. Supplements can do many different things. They can enhance performance of your body and mind, they can help you to become more energized and lose weight. Some can help protect you from disease, or help you fight a disease.
Of course, natural supplements are not a replacement for your prescribed medicines. However, many doctors are recommending more natural supplements in order to aid you in recovery, or to help get you back on track without a need for prescriptions. The benefits of taking something that is natural and that also works in helping your body can mean less time recuperating and getting your life back on track.
You might have noticed the large variety of products available at any given drug store, either one that you visit or those that are available online. If you are going to buy supplements, which way is better? You really should start your investigation online. Most supplement information can be found online with some research, and you can easily compare from home. Some find it more convenient to purchase products online. It helps to save on gas when you get your products delivered by mail.
Explore your options and the many supplements that are available to you to enhance your life, make you feel better, or to help improve your body or mind. All natural supplements can be an affordable way to handle lack of sleep, weight loss, mild pain and many, many more common problems. Check out your options and alternative solutions by reading further on how supplements can help you.
So what kind of natural supplements are there?
Weight Loss Supplements - There are so many weight loss supplements, like hoodia or green tea extract, which can naturally decrease appetite and increase your metabolism. These are all natural, and while not miracle cures, they can certainly help you to your weight loss goals. Weight loss supplements could include products like hoodia, HGH, and chromium.
Body Building Supplements - These supplements improve your body's ability to naturally increase muscle mass. Body builders do use a lot of this type of supplement, but that doesn't mean you can't benefit from it. Building up muscle can look sexy, and can also help you lose weight if you are interested in that. More muscle equals more fat burning.
Sexual Health Supplements - This can range from natural male enhancement supplements, to increasing libido in men and women. If you're too shy to visit a doctor, you can find these supplements online and purchase discreetly.
Vitamins and Minerals - Maybe you're only interested in improving your general health. If you aren't eating right, taking vitamins can help you improve your overall health. It can also aid in helping you to sleep better, lose weight, more energy and making you feel better over all.
Most people who have been eating a lot of fast food, have been dieting, or simply have been making poor food choices could benefit from taking additional vitamins. Your body needs vitamins A, D, B-6 and B-12 and other minerals and vitamins to help keep you active. Not sure if you need one? It is always best to take one than to go without.
Immune Support - Supplements can do amazing things. They can help to relieve something like a headache or a backache. They can aid in giving you more energy when you're feeling weak from an illness. There are antioxidants that can take toxins out of your body. There are some that are also going to help prevent diseases.
Some promise to help you fight or prevent cancer, Alzheimer's, or the flu or colds. Coral calcium has been a big one being provided lately that promises to help you prevent getting the flu or colds and also promises to help heal your body. Similar products include colloidal silver, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM.
Anti Aging - These products can help stimulate cells in your face and inside of you to help you feel younger, or look younger. Sometimes they are a topical cream that you can put on to your skin that makes it look softer or smoother. Some such supplements are taken internally to encourage your body to increase energy and vitality. There are products that can help reduce the look of wrinkles, help smooth your skin and make you feel younger and more energized.
Some supplements seem to do all sorts of things. For example, HGH has been promoted frequently to people as an anti aging product and as a weight loss product. HGH is a Growth Hormone. It has been found to relieve pain, increase libido, increase bone density, and decrease fat tissue. Check to see if some products might serve more than one purpose, and you can get benefits from taking one pill instead of three or four.
With all the natural supplements out there, it is important to remember to read the labels. Check with your doctor before taking any supplements in addition to medication, or if you are planning to use certain supplements for helping with weight loss. Let your doctor know if you experience any severe side effects.
Side effects are usually the number one reason some people might not take supplements. The problem is usually limited to a few people. Different people react in different ways to certain supplements. You can read up online about different side effects, but in general most of the products are safe. Most side effects are mild in a few people, or none at all in most people.
There are a variety of things you can take that will help you with many sorts of ailments or simply help you feel better in general. Maybe you are looking for something to help boost how fast or how far you can run. Perhaps you want to improve your quality of sleep. Whatever the case, there seems to be a natural supplement for everything.

The Power Of Your Mind

When we start talking about the power of the mind I think of the powerful saying "Your Thoughts Create Your Life" and wonder if this is really possible!In my previous post - " Does Your Personality Make You Disease Resistant" we talked about why some get chronic illnesses and why some don't seem to suffer at all, and is it all possible that it is through our own thoughts that this situation was created.
Let me give you an example from within my own life….. My brother-in-law was diagnosed as having cancer and was told at the very best he could expect to live was five years, worse case scenario would be two years. So rather than get depressed and morose over the situation his first reaction was to defy this prediction and set out to prove his physician wrong.
So instead of accepting this death sentence he began looking for alternative therapies to get him through this hurdle in life. As well as reading and finding out as much as he could about his condition, he started taking herbal supplements, eating organic foods, drinking green tea, and used humor to keep him positive as well as indulging in positive mind games. "Knowing What You Want and Getting in Harmony With It", in other words having a focus point and fixating on it and getting to the finish line. But the secret was he never had a finish line he always kept moving the line it as he got near it.
However during his treatment about two years after first being diagnosed he got really sick and we were told he was very close to death. At the time his daughter was on an overseas trip and it was decided we would bring her home (a 24 hour flight plus travel time so at the least it would be 36 hours) before she would be home. Through his pain he said that he would wait for his daughter to return, as he needed to see his little girl and apologize for shortening her trip. Although most of us did not believe he would make it through the night and believed that his daughter would be coming home for a funeral. However he did get to see his daughter and slowly got better and is still here with us to this day 10 years after being diagnosed and being told he would only do five! He later told us that on the morning that his daughter was to return he set his next goal and that was to see her get married.
So it's all about getting clarity in what you want and getting your mind and body in tune with it, and visualization is a major part of this mind process. The gurus tell you visualization is "simple", just find a quiet place, relax close your eyes and imagine what you want in as vivid detail as possible - what you would be seeing, hearing, and feeling when the goal is already accomplished. They say to just use your imagination and picture yourself in the future as if you already have achieved what it is that you want.
Now you may have tried that, but found that it really is not that "simple" but there is a way to visualize that no one is telling you about. It's been proven to work for thousands of successful business people, athletes, performers, and leaders. This method combines the power of hypnosis with visualization for an ultra-powerful combination. It helps you to program your mind to release everything that you don't want, and to pull towards you exactly what it is that do you want.

Learn Self-Hypnosis Quickly and Easily

Many health care and counseling professionals have begun to learn hypnosis. The benefits of learning hypnosis have become increasingly apparent as more studies are done. Recent research has shown not only the physical benefits but emotional and spiritual benefits have been documented as well.
There are several ways to learn hypnosis that range from professional training to self-teaching.
Many licensed schools teach hypnosis and hypnotherapy. Students are educated about the human mind and how the subconscious differs from our conscious mind.
Before a hypnotist can be successful, they must understand how the mind affects a persons perceptions and behavior. The art of relaxation and the ability to tune out the worries and everyday problems are learned. This may sound easy, but it takes education and years of practice to completely learn hypnosis.
Some students begin to learn hypnosis out of curiosity. They quickly discover that it is more involved than they thought. Learning hypnosis involves understanding the human muscle structure and how it can be relaxed. Relaxation is a very important part of hypnosis. If your subject can't relax they will not be susceptible to hypnosis.
Hypnosis students must also learn how to build rapport with their subjects. The feelings of safety and security must be present before a positive session can take place.
Many who try hypnosis are skeptical in the beginning, so a good rapport and a feeling of security are a must for a successful hypnosis session.
For those that are looking to learn hypnotism for use on themselves or those close to them here is a simple step-by-step process you can use.
1. Choose a safe, quite place where you will not be disturbed and get comfortable.
2. Repeat a series of relaxing statements in your mind for a few minutes. Focus on this series of words or mantra. It doesn't really matter what these words are so long as they relax you.
3. Relax your whole body. Begin at the top of your head and move to the tip of your toes relaxing each muscle group in turn. Allow your eyes to close naturally as you become more deeply relaxed.
4. Begin breathing slowly and deeply allowing each breath to deepen your relaxation.
5. Imagine a relaxing, peaceful place. Begin imagining a staircase with ten stairs, as you climb the stairs you come closer and closer to your peaceful place.
6. Climb the stair slowly on the count of your breathing. When you arrive take a moment to vividly visualize the place in every detail. Become familiar with the smells, sounds and how beautiful the place truly is.
7. Once you are completely relaxed and at peace, you will begin your positive self talk. Repeat to yourself the positive thoughts that you are working on. Be optimistic and positive as you implant your suggestions and use a tone that conveys belief in a good outcome.
8. To end the hypnosis count up to five, open your eyes and take a deep breath. Enjoy the relaxation and positive feeling of refreshment that you feel after hypnosis.