Natural Health Remedies

The butt and the thighs are often problematic areas especially for non-committed individuals who don’t normally workout. Women, especially, are judged by the shape curves of their thighs as well as the shape and the general form of their butts. It might not be a fair world, but we don’t have to be depressed about out thighs and our butts.

If some of us have unshapely butts and sagging thighs, rest easy knowing that there are some sure-fire ways to sculpt those areas through the implementation of a relatively easy and simple exercise routine.

The exercises

1. Squats are relatively easy to do, and they target the thighs specifically. What you have to do is to simply stand in one place and place your feet in such a way that they are aligned with your shoulders. Get a barbell (any weight will do) and place the barbell on your shoulder. Slowly lower your body, allowing your thighs to take the weight of the body plus the barbell, and slowly move up again. Remember not to allow your knees to click or lock when you do the movements. Repeat 12 times.

2. If you have access to a leg press machine, then you can try the leg press routine. Get on the leg press machine and secure the weights (the leg press load) and slowly move upward until your legs are completely parallel to the resting plane. Then slowly lower your legs in such a way that a 90 degree angle or a right angle is achieved. Remember to do it slowly so that you would feel a strain or a pull on your thigh muscles. Repeat 8-15 times.

3. Deadlifting may also be employed to exercise the back part of the body, including your back, your butt, and parts of your leg muscles. With two dumb bells or a barbell, slowly lean forward until your back takes on the full weight of what you are carrying in your hands. When you feel that the hamstrings have been fully activated, slowly go back to the starting position and breathe deeply. Repeat 20 times.

4. Lunges are difficult at first but is actually a form of aerobic exercise that allows for wonderful stimulation of the cardiovascular system as well. Lunges are more effective when you have weights, so get two dumb bells and begin the exercise. Lunge forward with one foot, making sure that the weight is balanced between the two arms. Then slowly go back to the starting position. Do the same with the other leg as well. Repeat around 10 to 12 times.

5. Leg curls on the other hand, target both the thighs and the butt. With a leg curl machine, lie down flat and hook the weights with your two legs. Slowly move your legs upward, until your legs reach a 90 degree angle, complementary to the vertical plane that is the flat rest. Slowly bring it down again. Repeat the movements for about 12 to 15 times.

6. Leg extension is done with the leg curl machine as well. This time, sit up straight and hook the weights with both legs, knees facing the front. Move your legs upward, and slowly bring them down again. Repeat the movements for about 12 to 15 times as well.

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For a long time now, body builders around the world are examining the merits of acute endurance workouts. These exercises, which aim at altering the glucose usage of the human body, are employed if the person wishes for short-term effects to kick in.

Skeletal muscles are targeted, and with luck, the extra endurance training will allow for basic but beneficial alterations to take place in the muscle structures themselves. Though this may be the case, the exercise routine is not for everyone, because not everyone has the same body types, nor the same kinds of endurance.

Effects

What do bodybuilders dream of, ultimately? That their muscles grow, proportionally with their strength and their bodies adapt well to the lifestyle, which is often long term. This desire can often lead to success- but the basic organism, the body, is not changed, not really.

Endurance training allows for the individual to alter the basic structure of the body. By introducing repeated stresses to the muscles and skeletal, muscular frame, the body actually adapts to be able to keep up with the changing forces of the environment. The result is that the muscles actually increase for instance, the number of mitochondria in the tissues themselves.

Mitochondria are the power houses of the human body- these small organelles inside muscle cells allow for glucose to be stored and used. More mitochondria means more energy-retention and that translates to more power and more endurance. More endurance means an increased capacity to build the desired muscle mass in a shorter period of time.

AMPK or Adensine Monophosphate-activated Protein Kinase is an enzyme related to ATP that are found in human mitochondria, seems to be responsible in this vital adaptation in the human body. Whether accidentally or as a catalyst, both enzymes play crucial roles in determining the progression of a human body from a state of normal activity to a state of hyper muscular growth.

AMPK is actually a form of protein, and like all complex proteins, this one has to be activated to be able to be made use of. How does one activate AMPK in the human body?

Chemistry points that the creation of AMPK will only result from increased periods of sustained physical activity. AMPK rests heavily on the action of ATP or adenosine triphosphate and other organic compounds in the body. Without ATP, there can be no AMP or AMPK.

Sustained endurance exercises are precisely what we need to produce AMPK. But to do this, we must supersede our usual endurance levels, which is never easy to accomplish. Strength is one thing- but endurance is never easy to achieve, especially if you do not have the patience to endure the muscle soreness and the extra effort you have to put in.

Essentially, endurance exercises are a form of stress. Stress is what makes AMPK surface in the human body. More stress means more AMPK. Remember that AMP is the activating factor here: more AMP also means more AMPK. And more AMPK translates to more mitochondria. In the end, the linear progression is quite easy to spot: more activity means more muscle.

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For the longest time, chronic pain has been the waterloo of many individuals, whether engaged in long term body building or not. This truth has separated the herd so to speak, into two. The first group is completely dependent on chemical means to control chronic pain (back region, thigh, etc) and regularly pop “pain pills” to last the day. The second group on the other hand, is more experimental and is unfettered by convention. This group is the one who searches for alternative means to control the pain, without sacrificing one’s liver to different painkillers.

Because the problem is chronic, meaning, recurring or cyclical, people should never be completely dependent on synthetic or artificial painkillers because these take a toll on the human liver. These chemicals, efficient as they may be, may be causing more harm than good by forcing the human liver to work harder than normal.

What kind of alternative worlds lay out there, far from the alluring sights of painkillers and surgery? The answer is quite simple: food. Surprisingly, food not only sustains, but is also able to heal and ease the symptoms of chronic pain.

Nature’s painkillers

Did you know that alfalfa can be consumed to help alleviate the more debilitating effects of chronic pain? Because alfalfa naturally has increased portions of chlorophyll (the green pigment found in varying degrees in plants), alfalfa fights arthritis inside the human body, easing the symptoms and reducing the swelling.

If you think you won’t be able to cook with alfalfa that much (or as much as you would want to), you have the choice of purchasing either the dried capsule form (it works just as well) or the juice form (taste varies per brand). An important thing to remember here is that whatever alfalfa-based supplement you are planning on consuming should have high amounts of chlorophyll.

Chamomile is another of nature’s natural painkillers. Chamomile not only eases sore muscles but also provides a soothing presence to the human psyche, easing tensed auras and providing better sleep to the person who consumes it. Chamomile is often available as tea, and it is recommended that you consume it as often as you can for best results. There is no overdose- take as much or as little as you wish.

Ginger on the other hand, is a pain specialist. Taken in its tasty raw form, ginger eases inflammation and draws away excessive amounts of fluids away from sites of pain or strain. If you wish to test the effectiveness of this particular natural painkiller, you can simply chew a few slices, or if you want, you can make a tea by boiling a few slices for half an hour.

Sage is another effective pain-killing herb that has not received its proper amount of attention from people. Simply because it is known for being a dish ornament rather than a pain killer, it should be remembered that sage actually has anti-inflammatory properties. In other regions of the world, sage is actually consumed not only as a spice or an ornament but as a healthy tea.

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Often the biggest problem with people wishing to lose weight is their inability to find a suitable diet plan that would help burn their existing fat, trim their unnecessary cravings for empty high-calorie foods and help them burn more for the ideal figure they have in mind. All the existing diet plans today are mostly effective in reducing cravings and trimming the fat.

But how about people who want to do bodybuilding regularly as well? Surely you can’t starve yourself while doing bodybuilding- the effect would be negative instead of positive. What then should be the content of an ideal, progressive diet plan for those wishing to be physically fit and at the same time wish to remain healthy eaters?

The diet

A fat burning diet should be implemented for around six weeks to make sure that the body has enough time to adapt itself to the drastically changing conditions. Remember that if this is your first time, your body is probably still experiencing some form or shock because you’re actually engaged in regular physical activity and you are depriving your body of the things it has learned to crave, like soft drinks and sweets.

Though this diet does not require calorie counting or equivalents, it should be noted that the list of required foods should be implemented strictly, to begin the regulation of cravings and to start burning fat more efficiently by cutting down on unnecessary empty calorie intake.

The foods

Among the foods that are required by this fat burning diet plan are the following:

1. Almonds and similar foods- nuts and legumes contain high amounts of crude protein and essential amino acids, thereby naturally boosting your muscle building capacity. Also, almonds have oils that are good for the heart, and are actually good allies in maintaining a healthy muscular system.

2. Spinach and dark, green vegetables- tasty and inexpensive, this particular group of foods should be consumed in large amounts to help clean the digestive tract, so you can naturally unload all those unnecessary kilograms still stuck to your large intestines. More fiber means a more efficient digestive system, and more efficient absorption of the vital nutrients necessary to build a fine physique.

3. Dairy products- unlike other diet plans, this fat burning diet plan will not deprive your of milk and other dairy products. Instead, you will simply have to let go of high-fat dairy products in favor of the more healthy ones. For example, if you are a fan of dairy butter, then perhaps you can simply satisfy your craving by drinking more fresh milk. Though milk is more than forty percent fat, the rest is pure nutrition for the body, and you need that for over-all energy levels and muscle maintenance.

4. Whole grain bread products- you would also need to consume carbohydrate-packed and fiber-rich foods so that you would feel fuller in a shorter period of time. If you were used to steak and potatoes dinners in the past, it’s time that you substituted those oily French fries for something more healthy- like lightly salted boiled potatoes and a few slices of low-calorie turkey.

Benedict recommends Supplement Centre for all bodybuilding supplements and sports nutrition from manufacturers such as Prolab and Maximuscle