Fat Loss Friday - Breaking the Weight Loss Plateau

One of the most frustrating aspects of weight loss is reaching a weight loss plateau. Thankfully, breaking the weight loss plateau is a relatively simple task once you know what causes it. When we first undertake a weight loss goal we tend to lose a lot of weight initially then the amount slowly declines over a period of weeks or months until we reach the point where we stop losing weight altogether, and it's not that we don't need to lose more weight either. This is referred to as a weight loss plateau. 

Why is the weight not coming off?

You know you're doing all the right things but you're just not losing the weight. In the first week of your program you tend to lose the largest amount of weight. Much of the weight loss this first week is actually excess fluid and can constitute as much as 9 lb (4 kg) or more depending on your starting weight. Fluid loss can represent as much as 50% of total weight lost in the first week. There are several factors that contribute to a weight loss plateau including (but not limited to);

· Insufficient Calories Consumed

· Muscle Loss

· Weight Loss

· Lack Of Discipline

· Physical Adaptation

· Exercise Ability

· Over Exercise

· Enhanced Fitness Levels

Lets deal with these one at a time.

Insufficient Calories Consumed 

The human body requires a MINIMUM of 1200 calories per day to function. If you consume less than that (on a crash diet for example), your body will interpret that as being in a famine and will reduce your metabolism (the bodies ability to burn calories) in order to protect itself and be able to survive for longer. This will stop it from burning fat stores. Solution: Maintain a reasonable calorie consumption. Use a BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calculator to determine how many calories your body requires per day to maintain itself. Once you have determined approximately how many calories your body requires to operate, reduce you calorie consumption to 500-700 calories less than that without going under 1200 calories. More than a 700 calorie deficit may lead to muscle loss which is the next cause of a weight loss plateau.

Muscle Loss 

All bodily tissue requires energy to maintain itself, including fat. Muscle requires FIVE TIMES the amount of energy to maintain itself than fat does.

You need to build muscle to lose weight

The higher the muscle percentage in your body the greater your caloric needs. Unfortunately, diets sometimes lead to muscle loss. The bodies primary source of energy is carbohydrates, followed by protein then fat. Your muscles are made of protein so if your body runs out of carbs it may turn to muscle as an energy source if those muscles are no being maintained by exercise. Unfortunately, muscle loss leads to a lower metabolism. Solution: Eat a diet rich in protein and exercise in conjunction with your reduced calorie diet to maintain muscle mass and prevent muscle loss. If necessary, vitamin supplements may be utilized to ensure correct nutrition.

Weight Loss 

Huh? Isn't losing weight the whole point? Yes it is! But as you lose weight the number of calories your body requires to maintain itself also reduces. As mentioned earlier, even fat needs calories to maintain itself. Solution: As you lose weight, check your BMR regularly to see how many calories your body requires per day and maintain a calorie consumption around 500 calories less than that. But remember, don't consume less than 1200 calories.

Lack Of Discipline 

After several weeks of a new weight loss program many people tend to lose focus. They start indulging their cravings for unhealthy foods more than they should and they cut corners on exercise, skipping one day under the pretense of exercising twice as much the next day etc. This decreases the BMR and increases calorie intake which effectively stops weight loss.

Stay motivated and disciplined 

Solution: Staying motivated during a weight loss program can be a challenge. One of the best ways to overcome this issue is to find a weight loss buddy. Having someone to exercise with and be answerable to can be an effective motivator. Another great motivational tool is a printable weight loss goal setting worksheet. Print it out, fill it out and place it on the fridge, where you will see it regularly and it will remind you of what you are trying to achieve

Physical Adaptation 

Our bodies adapt themselves to our calorie consumption and physical activity levels. When we begin an exercise regime, our body is required to make several changes to adjust to changing workloads. Our muscles have to rebuild themselves and this requires many calories. But, over time the body finishes adapting and burns less calories for the same activities. Solution: Don't allow you body to adapt. Vary your exercise program by changing the intensity, duration, frequency and type of exercise. If you always do weights then go do some cardio, grab a jump rope and skip for 15 minutes. You can also utilize interval training where you swap and change between different types of exercise for set amounts of time.

Exercise Ability 

Whenever you do an exercise regularly you become better at it and your body requires less calories to perform it. A trained athlete burns less calories playing their sport than someone who isn't trained in that sport. Solution: Once again, don't allow your body to adapt to a single exercise. Mix it up, if you're always doing weights then go for a run, switch from the treadmill to a rowing machine etc.

Over Exercise 

If you exercise too much your body adapts and reaches a point where the extra energy consumed in exercise is offset by a DECREASE in the amount of energy used when not exercising.

Sometimes you need a break

In other words, when you increase exercise intensity, your body decreases the number of calories consumed during the rest of your day. Solution: Allow yourself recovery time. Take a break for a few days with some low impact exercise like swimming or tai chi. When you return to your normal exercise routine, pull back a little and only increase intensity when needed to maintain weight loss.

Enhanced Fitness Levels 

As your fitness level increases, your body efficiency increases and requires less calories to operate. Enhanced fitness causes a reduced resting metabolic rate and fewer calories required for normal daily activities. This is partially because your cardio-pulmonary efficiency is increased and your resting heart rate is lower. Solution: Congratulations! You're officially fit and healthy. You can justifiably feel proud of yourself. Concentrate on mixing up your routine to maintain progress and life will just get better and better! Another thing to keep in mind is that weight loss is not the only aspect to increasing your fitness. It is possible to lose inches without losing weight. This is because if you build muscle through resistance training that muscle weighs MORE than fat but requires LESS space. A person who weighs 200 lbs with 25% lean muscle will be smaller than another person of the same height and weight who only has 20% lean muscle. So in summary there are four main things to remember:

1. Keep track of your BMR (how many calories per day your body needs to maintain itself).

2. Maintain a calorie consumption of 500-700 less than your BMR without going below the 1200 minimum.

3. Engage in exercise to prevent muscle loss.

4. Mix up your exercise program to prevent your body from adapting.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Julia_Bell/416005

Wednesday Video - Can You Drink Too Much Water?

We know the importance of water - our bodies are literally made of it (approximately 70%). It is needed to keep us alive and healthy.

But can you actually drink too much of it? Is water intoxication a real thing?

This short video looks at this question

Monday Muscle - Skinny Guys - Here's the #1 Ingredient for Muscle Growth (part 1)

If you consider yourself a skinny guy who has a fast metabolism, this article is for you.

What do you think is the most important ingredient for "gaining weight"?

Protein alone is not enough

Should you pile down truckloads of calories and perform squats, dead-lifts, and bench presses three times a week? Should you slow down; you know, make sure to walk everywhere and never run? How about protein? Should you be taking in a gram, a gram and a half, two grams per pound of body weight? Will "eating cottage cheese" make you bigger?

The tactics listed within the questions above are all things you're being advised to do in one article after another. You've been told that you're different, burn energy faster than normal, and therefore need to simply eat a bunch of food and work out hard on "big" exercises. They're telling you that it's harder for you to put on muscle because you burn energy so fast.

I'll get straight to the point: If you are a thin person, you have no disadvantage in putting on muscle compared to everyone else. You'd be at a disadvantage in a fat-gaining contest, but I'll assume you don't want to enter one of those anyway. Every "expert" seems eager to point out that muscle can't turn into fat and fat can't turn into muscle. So what makes anyone think that a proclivity to not put on fat equates to difficulty in gaining muscle? It's not the same tissue - it's not the same biological process.

You don't need to "gain weight" - you need to gain muscle. If your muscle building routine is less than optimal and you start stuffing down more calories than you're burning, you'll have the joy of becoming a bona fide fat-ass like I did. When I see a testimonial from a guy who says he gained twenty-five pounds in eight or twelve weeks, I know he's either lying or he's gone from slender to fat. Muscle doesn't grow THAT fast. I've seen guys at my gym who've taken steroids and not gained that much muscle. Think about it; those are powerful drugs. What makes you think there are natural bodybuilders gaining solid flesh that quickly?

If you're really slender, there are probably three reasons for it working in conjunction. You probably burn calories fast which prevents you from gaining fat (good thing). You might also have small bones (genetic thing). You might also be starting out with naturally small muscles (also genetic, but reversible).

But you only want to gain muscle and that's the same formula for everyone. That's a matter of being diligent in your breaking down of muscle tissue and having it recuperate adequately. In fact, this is the number one ingredient for muscle growth.

Rest and recuperation are vital ingredients

You simply need a long series of workouts in which you adequately tear down muscle tissue, coupled with a long series of recuperation periods between those workouts in which you adequately recuperate that tissue. It can work wonderfully even if you're skinny and it can work terribly even if you're fat.

So how much does the above have to do with metabolism? If you work your biceps today, they'll need a certain number of days for protein synthesis to occur which will provide repair and growth. They won't repair and grow any faster if you stuff down mega calories. That's like thinking a Ford Pinto will go as fast as a Maserati just because you topped off the gas tank on the Pinto. In fact, mega calories can be extremely energy-taxing on the body. We're talking about energy required for recuperation that ends up being wasted on simply processing excess food. That's how your quest to get big can turn you into a fat-ass without much muscle, as it did to me.

So there's the biggest ingredient for steady muscle growth. If you don't get that right, it won't matter if you use big exercises like squats and bench presses. It won't matter how much food you stuff down. It won't matter if you eat thirty grams of protein or fifty grams at each meal. The latest supplement breakthrough won't help. Psyching up for a workout will mean nothing. Eating cottage cheese won't make a difference.

If you don't have your muscle breakdown and recuperation schedule ideally worked out, everything else is meaningless conversation.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Scott_Abbett/91209

Fat Loss Friday - Delectable and Easy-To-Make Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss

Are you in search of healthy snacks for weight loss?

Keep in mind that just because you want to lose weight, this does not mean you have to skip on snacks.

There are still plenty of foods to eat that support your weight loss goals, and it is only a matter of knowing what these are.

Just be careful with your choice of food and consider these recommendations on healthy snacks for weight loss to help you get started.

1. Banana - Coconut Ice Cream

The right ice cream can help with weight loss

Who says you can't eat ice cream when you are looking to lose weight?

Healthy snacks for weight loss such as this one is not only tasty, but it is loaded with nutrients, as well.

In fact, you can make one right in your kitchen, so you know what's getting in your food instead of buying it at the store.

Simply freeze some ripe bananas and coconut meat, then pop these in your juicer until you create a nice, smooth and creamy bowl full of these ingredients.

Just top it with raw cacao nibs, and voila!

Amazing healthy snacks for weight loss waiting for you to be devoured.

Better to go for young coconut meat to give the ice cream a softer texture.

2. Veggie Sticks covered with Homemade Almond Butter

Another excellent idea for healthy snacks for weight loss is a bowl of veggie sticks dipped on luscious - and homemade - almond butter.

This is the perfect snack for people with a sweet tooth, yet aiming to slim down at the same time.

Almonds are loaded with essential nutrients and fiber that will keep you satiated for a longer period.

To prepare almond butter, just soak some almonds overnight and these should be ready the next day.

Then, press these almonds in the juicer to create creamy and sweet tasting homemade almond butter.

Slice a few veggies (carrots, celery and cucumber) and just dip these in almond butter for that fine taste.

3. Bowl of Fresh Fruits

Fruit - nature's candy

Nothing can be more satisfying and tasty than a nice bowl of chopped fresh fruits.

These may include apples, bananas, papayas, mangoes and some sunflower seeds with dried cranberries on top.

Indeed, you can never have enough of these healthy snacks for weight loss that will keep you full and satisfied for several hours.

The goal is to stick to nutritious food that are rich in fiber to prevent you from getting nasty cravings or bingeing issues.

4. Fruit Smoothie

Healthy snacks should also taste great and easy to go down your tummy.

A yummy glass of fruit smoothie is an excellent morning snack - plus it is good for weight watchers, too.

Fruit smoothies make a great snack

You can choose the combination of fruits to toss in the blender, although great ones would be bananas, mangoes, strawberries and some young coconut meat.

You can also add in young coconut water, goji berries and raw cacao nibs to make it taste even more spectacular.

These are just a few of scrumptious and highly nutritious healthy snacks for weight loss.

Make yourself these snacks today and discover that losing weight can be fun, too!



Read more: Delectable and Easy-To-Make Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss http://www.sooperarticles.com/health-fitness-articles/weight-loss-articles/delectable-easy-make-healthy-snacks-weight-loss-1460546.html#ixzz44YhOtfd8

Wednesday Video - What if you drank only soda?

Almost everyone knows the benefits of water consumption. It helps hydrate us, allows our bodies to function, helps when trying to lose weight, helps with giving clear skin, flushes out toxins from our bodies - the list goes on and on. It's the very stuff of life itself because we cannot survive without it. But what if you decided to drink only soda? What would it do to you?

This short video looks at that very possibility

Monday Muscle - Best Muscle Building Workout

Best Muscle Building Workout? Follow These 3 Rules

Building muscle mass is a major goal of a lot of exercisers. Some want bigger muscles to look better with their shirt off. Some want to be bigger and stronger to perform better at their chosen sport. And thus, the search for the best muscle building workout begins.

Now that you have established your goal of building bigger muscles, you need to figure out how to accomplish your goal. And this is the time to be very careful on the muscle building workout you choose. Here are 3 things you need to consider that can mean the difference between building the muscles you want... and being highly disappointed.

Avoid Training Like A Bodybuilder

Use the correct training for your goals

There is a big difference between wanting to put on muscle and wanting to be a bodybuilder. If it is your goal to be a bodybuilder, then certainly you should train like one. But in my experience, most guys wanting to put on muscle want to look like a muscular athlete... not an inflated body builder.

If you want to put on athletic muscle that not only looks great but makes you stronger and more athletic... then you want to train like an athlete and use exercises and workouts that make bigger, stronger, more useful muscles. There is a BIG difference between athletic muscle and the muscle bodybuilders build.

Avoid The Maximum Muscle Building Hype

I have nothing against wanting to put on muscle... but why would you want to "maximize" your muscle growth? At some point, muscle size actually becomes a liability. Can you imagine building so much muscle that you can move properly, or that your athletic ability diminishes. This might be fine for bodybuilder who only need enough athletic ability to stand on a stage in a thong... but it just won't do for exercisers who want to build muscle they can actually use both inside and outside the gym.

Don't confuse not wanting to maximize muscle growth with not getting the best muscle building workout that produces real results in the fastest time possible. Your goal should be to put on muscle that improves strength and athletic ability as well as looks great in the shortest time possible. There are definitely workouts that build strong, lean, athletic muscle as fast as possible.

Follow A Proven Muscle Building Workout

Use proven methods

The Internet is great for sharing information. But one of the major problems is information overload. There is just too much muscle building information on the web. Sadly, most of the muscle building workouts are going to be of the bodybuilding variety. And if you are looking for the body of a strong, lean athlete... then you should not be following a muscle building workout designed for inflated, bodybuilder muscles.

Another problem with too much information is you tend to jump from one muscle building workout to another. There ends up being no consistency to your workouts... and thus you don't build the muscle you wanted. So, if you want to build strong, lean, athletic muscle you need to follow a proven plan that results in this type of muscle.

If you are looking for the best muscle building workout, I encourage you to consider these three things before starting a muscle building workout. If you are not going to be a bodybuilder, you should not even think like training like one. Think about the kind of muscle you want to build and what you want that muscle to do to improve your sport, work and life activities. And finally, make sure you follow a proven muscle building workout that fits your goals.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Eddie_Lomax/23541

Fat Loss Friday - Is Your Goal Really Weight Loss?

Are you ashamed of your weight? Do you have a goal weight that you want to reach through weight loss? I’d say so, it’s been pushed into our brains many times over and over again that “weight loss” is what we want to accomplish. There are weight loss guides, weight loss supplements, and many other things that push “weight loss”. Many people even set their goals to be at a certain weight. Additionally, the medical community has developed an “ideal weight” chart, which can further add to the confusion about weight loss.


Now, let me ask you a question. Is your goal really weight loss? Unless you are trying to make a weight class for wrestling or some other sport with weight classes, you may think that your goal is weight loss, but it really isn’t. You are trying to lose that flubbery stuff attached to your body called FAT. Correct?

 Scales don't tell the full story

So then, why do we measure our progress by how much we weigh? Why do we step on the bathroom scale and hope that those numbers will be lower than before? You see, our weight is affected by more than just how much fat is on our body. Some other factors include water, muscle, glycogen, and obviously if we have eaten anything earlier or used the bathroom lately.

Our water weight fluctuates constantly. For instance, when we exhale water vapor comes out. When we sweat, we are sweating out water. There are also many more factors that can affect the amount of water in our body. Water is what usually causes those random gains or losses of a pound or two in weight that can make you happy or sad. It is almost physiologically impossible to lose a pound of fat in one day.

One reason the low-carb or no-carb (also called ketogenic) diets are so attractive is because of the large initial loss of weight. However, this weight is not necessarily fat. When carbohydrates are restricted the body has a backup store of them located in the liver and muscles in the form of something called glycogen. The human body can store approximately 400 grams of glycogen. In larger individuals this number can increase. In addition to this, for each gram of glycogen stored in the human body, 3 grams of water are also stored. If you figure it out, this would equate to about 1600 grams (3.5 pounds) of glycogen and water.

When you stop or limit your consumption of carbohydrates, your body starts using its glycogen stores. After a couple of days that 1600 grams (3.5 pounds) of glycogen and water are gone. Also, as an adaptation to the restriction of carbohydrates, your body produces these things called ketones. Ketones also appear to have a diuretic effect, which would mean an even greater loss of water.

In addition to water, if you have been working out lately to speed along your “weight loss” (you mean fat loss, right?) progress you probably have gained some muscle doing so. This gain in muscle can also affect the numbers you see on the scale. Muscle is also more dense than fat.

You may be wondering how you are going to measure your progress now that the scale doesn’t mean as much as it used to. Well, there are several methods to measure your body fat percentage. None of these methods are 100% accurate, but they will be much more useful than the use of a scale.

One of the simplest ways is to use a caliper. You can usually find these at your local sporting goods/fitness shop. If you can’t find them locally, you can order them off the internet. Calipers measure the thickness of a skin fold on your triceps. Then there are directions that come with the caliper that show you how to use the number you get to derive your body fat %.

Try on-line body fat calculators

If you don’t want to go out and buy some calipers, there are body fat % calculators online. The calculator uses the circumference of several parts of your body and then plugs them into a formula developed by the U.S. Navy to derive an approximation of your body fat %.

You can find this calculator here: http://www.weight-loss-resources.com/calculators/bodyfat.html

There are also much more accurate ways to measure your body fat % like buoyancy testing or the use of special lasers.

If you insist on knowing your progress by weight loss and want to use a scale, try to weigh yourself at the same time everyday. Probably the best time would be right when you wake up in the morning and before you do anything.

So, your new goal should be to shoot for fat loss and not weight loss. Don’t necessarily trust the scale all the time as it can be deceiving - your weight is affected by more than just how much fat you have gained or lost. In addition, it is almost physiologically impossible to gain or lose a pound of fat in one day.

Author: Nathan Latvaitis

Wednesday Video - Top 10 Unhealthy Health Foods

Do you scan the list of ingredients when out food shopping? Do you automatically go for the healthy options? After all if it's "healthy" it has to be good for you, right? 

Well, that may not always be the case. Here are a few food options you might want to avoid when you’re trying to lose a few pounds

Monday Muscle - Muscle Building Work Outs For A Button-Popping Chest

If you're skinny then you might want to build some muscles fast, and so muscle building work outs might be of interest to you.

Firstly you must consider your diet, and then you can start to look at muscle building work outs. If your body is not getting the necessary fuel to build muscles, then no amount of muscle building work outs will build any extra muscle mass.

To find an ideal muscle building diet for your muscle building work outs, you need to work out your current daily calorie intake, note down what you eat each day and also write down the calories. Then you know how much you are eating in order to maintain your current weight -- if you want to build muscles then you need to intake more. By eating more you will be able to build muscles through muscle building work outs.

Take your existing weight in pounds and multiply it by 20,

Keep track of your calories

then you will find out how many calories you will need to consume every day in order to gain weight. This is because you are therefore eating more than your body needs to maintain the current weight. You'll have to use trial and error to decide on the correct number of calories that you should eat, if you are gaining too much fat then you should reduce the number of calories. The amount you need to eat depends on the muscle building work outs that you are using.

The best foods to eat to gain muscle are foods that are high in protein, make sure that you eat a lot of chicken, fish, and red meat. You should also keep your carbohydrate intake high, so eat plenty of veg, pastas, and bread. Then start to look at muscle building work outs.

Now we're onto the muscle building work outs section, bodybuilders are faced with the fact that the fibers in their muscles are completely exhausted during a workout session. However, this process is the only way to achieve the maximum muscle gains through muscle building work outs. You have to work harder and harder with muscle building work outs to get bigger muscles. The muscle building work outs have to become more and more intense. The muscle building work outs always have to be challenging otherwise your muscle mass may decline.

You should increase the amount of resistance by increasing the weight that you lift during your muscle building work outs. Make sure you do several repetitions so that the muscles are pushed beyond what you think they can handle. Try to increase the reps in increments of six or eight. The best way to ensure every muscle gets a good work out is to incorporate a variety of exercises into your muscle building work outs.

Some bodybuilders find that reducing the resting interval between muscle building work outs is advantageous and it helps them to gain more muscle mass.

Use these techniques to supersize your chest

Introduce supersets into your workouts. This process involves doing two exercises that work the same group of muscles.

Partial repetitions are a great way to build more muscle mass, so you could add them to your muscle building work outs. If you complete only part of the lift you will still gain muscle without wearing your body down. This is a technique advanced bodybuilder's use in their muscle building work outs. Isometric contractions involve holding the weight for a count and then contracting the muscle group.

Adding these various techniques to your muscle building work outs session will help you to get the most out of your workout. With any luck you will be very happy with the outcome. Good luck with your muscle building work outs! Remember to stop if you feel any pain during your muscle building work outs..

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Richard_Gwent/87543

Fat Loss Friday - Best Weight Loss Supplements For Women Under 40

Women of all ages struggle everyday to shed weight. However losing weight in your late twenties becomes rather difficult due to the added pressure of your family and career. As a result, most women between the ages of 29-40 have to deal with problems of obesity. This also leads to several health complications which are hard to get rid of at an old age. What causes fat gains in women of this age is either their sedentary lifestyles or bad food habits. Therefore, the best way to lose weight for women in this age-bracket is with the help of proper exercise and the right supplement to go with it.

No matter how or for how long you workout, the right diet can provide you with the figure you desire. This is why using the right weight loss supplement is very important at this time. Though most of these supplements do not directly burn fat, most of them help in increasing your rate of metabolism. Thus here is a guide to building the right fat loss stack with the combination of micro-nutrients, amino acids, proteins and the best weight loss supplement for women. Given below are some of the essential supplements that can help women with losing fat:

1. Whey Protein

Protein powders come in many delicious flavours

This is a must-have ingredient in your diet when aiming to shed weight. Proteins like whey are very important for shedding weight and yield plenty of benefits to the body. It keeps you full and reduces cravings for food. It also builds immunity, empowers muscles and is very convenient to take.

2. Multivitamins

The right & exercise and daily diet, when coupled with multivitamins can yield great results for the body. These multivitamins help in improving various functions of the body and help the body maintain itself properly. They are also helpful in improving your metabolic rate, strengthening the bones & tissues, smooth repair & building of muscles and better protection from diseseases.

3. Casein

Micellar Casein is very useful in supporting the long-term building of muscles. They provide nutrition to muscles all-thought the day and fight catabolism as well. Casein is also useful for the development of lean muscles and can also work aa a great post-workout shake/drink.

4. Essential Fatty Acids

EFAs are vital for health

Essential fatty acids or EFAs improve both cardiovascular & brain functioning. They also support the joints and help in proper hormone production in the body besides improving the rate of metabolism.



Read more: Best Weight Loss Supplement For Women Under 40 http://www.sooperarticles.com/health-fitness-articles/weight-loss-articles/best-weight-loss-supplement-women-under-40-1477007.html#ixzz44YhAB9KB

Wednesday Video - How sugar affects the brain

When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine -- an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more. Nicole Avena explains why sweets and treats should be enjoyed in moderation.

Monday Muscle - Simple Ways To Overcome Muscle Building Plateaus

When there is a thing which is going to be the single most disheartening issue which you will deal with in your fitness career, muscle building plateaus are it. Things are all going great - you are working hard, making huge strength gains, and appearing more muscular each day. You feel just as if you are on top of the planet. And then, almost everything stops. You no longer are generating the gains you used to as well as you have even began to lose weight rather than gain weight.

Building muscle is more than just lifting weights

When this describes your position, then congratulations, you have just came into the muscle building plateau. This is something which happens from time to time in any fitness program unless you are especially performing things to avoid it and luckily, can be beat with a bit of careful planning. Unfortunately though, many people get stuck at this time and eventually just wind up tossing in the towel. If you desire to avoid permitting this happen to you, then read on since the following sneaky hints will help you outsmart that plateau as well as get back on track to noticing the outcomes you deserve.

Take a training break. 

Have a break? How could that be? That's very likely what most of you are pondering. If you're not discovering improvement, why on earth should you cease working out entirely? The scientific explanation for this is mainly because oftentimes, the main reason you are not seeing improvement is mainly because you are near to becoming overtrained.

Yes, maybe you have been maintaining fine post-workout nutrition as well as making certain you get a minimum of one day off weekly to rest, but typically this is just not sufficient. As the months pass by the fatigue accumulates and eventually the body just needs a full solid week off.

Have that week off and observe. You would be surprised at what might just happen. Many people discover that following a scheduled rest week they come back stronger compared to when they left off and then their old personal bests stay in the dust as they progress onwards.

Re-evaluate your workout split. 

Take the time to plan 

Another good way to conquer the muscle building plateaus is to re-evaluate your workout split. You must ideally be changing your exercise routine around once every 4-6 weeks so when it has been a while since you have done so, now's definitely the right time. If you are carrying out a complete training session, take into consideration an upper/lower split instead. Or, when you are performing a body part split, try out that complete workout at this time. Supplying your muscles this new scenario to deal with usually gets them sitting upright and reacting once more



Read more: Simple Ways To Overcome Muscle Building Plateaus http://www.sooperarticles.com/health-fitness-articles/exercise-articles/simple-ways-overcome-muscle-building-plateaus-1055202.html#ixzz43WmvbOk5
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Fat Loss Friday - Vitamins to aid in weight loss

Weight loss is a sensitive issue especially in this ‘beauty-glorified’ world we live in today. However, people often associate weight loss with exercise or with loss weight pills, but do you know that vitamins can help you loss those extra kilos too?

When you think about weight loss, you will tend to consider only about an exercise program to burn your fats away or the tasteless and raw foods that you plan to eat. You might also have considered buying the diet drug that you saw at the pharmacy. However, did it ever come across your mind that vitamins might help in weight loss?

Our body requires vitamins and it can be easily obtained from the foods we eat or dietary supplements. Vitamins are very important and there is absolutely no way a person can sustain his life without the presence of necessary vitamins.

Choose the right vitamins

Believe it or not, there are vitamins that aids in weight loss. They are mainly vitamin B2, B3, B5, B6, vitamin B complex and vitamin C. These B vitamins help to convert carbs into glucose, after which they are burned to produce energy for the body. With this in mind, you are encouraged to consume foods, which consist of these highly beneficial vitamins. Each of these vitamins has different functions.

Just to name a few:

Vitamin B2 or also known as Riboflavin is highly required for increased metabolism. You are encouraged to consume more hard cheese, milk and almonds for a healthy intake of Vitamin B2. Next is the B3 vitamin. This vitamin is necessary for normal thyroid hormone production. Leafy green vegetables and eggs are a good source of this vitamin.

Natural sources of vitamins

You can also choose to include wheat bran, meat and salmon. Vitamin B5 is necessary for the production of energy. Good sources of B5 include liver, poultry, nuts and whole grain bread.

It is best that you consult the doctor or your dietitian if you are unsure as to what to include in you meal to ensure sufficient intake of these weight loss vitamins.

Other than natural vitamins that can be found in the food we eat, you can choose to have an extra dose of vitamin through the needles. Vitamin B12 injections are a usual sight at weight loss clinics. The B12 works by boosting your metabolism. As such, this would cause you to digest food faster and burn more calories just by sitting there! With more calories burnt, you will store lesser calories as fat.

At the same time, B12 is energy giving and hence it gives you an energy boost. Most people do not exercise because they are just plain tired after a long day at work. So, with the extra energy, you will feel more energetic and you can afford to exercise more!

You can also choose to take vitamin pills, but remember, vitamin pills are not energy pills! They do not carry any energetic value so remember not to substitute the necessary intake of carbs, fats or carbohydrates with just vitamin pills!

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