Natural Health Remedies

There are two main problems when it comes to amateur or professional bodybuilding or similar sub disciplines- burning fat (therefore, effectively reducing the body weight for a leaner body) and building muscles (can also be done after losing weight, but is a problem for people who are already naturally lean). In both instance, the resistance training program and the daily diet play crucial roles in determining the success of a person engaged in body building.

How do these things work anyway? What happens when most plans are for heavy-set individuals who are in dire need to trim fat instead of gaining eight? According to Tom Venuto, the author of the book “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle”, gaining weight is just about tweaking existing plans to suit your needs. According to this author, you simply need to increase the amount of calories that you are taking in at the moment, and you have to make your workouts more efficient so as to convert those extra calories into hard muscle mass.

Failing to eat sufficient amounts of food means you are depriving the human body of the necessary “raw material” to do just about anything. Think of it this way- how will you be able to build a house with no concrete and no wooden frameworks to begin with? The body will not build muscle from thin air. The body needs ample amounts of fat, carbohydrates and protein to shape itself to the desired physique.

Tricks of the trade

Just how does one eat without gaining hard to burn fat? The trick, according to Tom Venuto, is to choose foods that give only a small calorie surplus. The small calories surplus would allow the body to capitalize and build muscle in its place. The way to do this is to study carefully the diet plan that has worked for you, and choose foods that provide this small surplus.

We should emphasize the word “small” here because this approach would be turned on its head if the surplus is too large. If the surplus is more than a thousand calories a day, then there is definitely something wrong with the extra eating that you are doing. Imagine yourself an efficient engine that is also efficient in fuel management. The extra gas that you have left over allows you to go the extra mile- but too much gas makes the whole structure heavier, reducing your performance. This is what Venuto was hinting at.

“Bulking up” so to speak is in itself an art- there are no clear cut guidelines as to how to do it, but it is possible and you can work it out on your own. Your main advantage is you have already observed the amount of effort it takes to build muscle with your own body. This means you simply have to work from there and make sure that you don’t over do the eating part.

Increasing your protein intake is also a good step in making sure that your body has enough organic substrates to maintain the bulking up. With no protein, you will have no muscles.

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

The past few years has led to many studies devoted to finding foods that can actually aid in weight loss. One of the foods that might potentially help in burning human body fat is fish oil. Fish oil is consumed either by:

• Eating the fish directly

• Taking fish oil supplements

• Taking fish oil in its raw form (sold in bottles)

Other benefits related to the consumption of fish oil include a healthier circulatory system and a healthier heart. It seems that fish oil is also capable of removing some of the bad cholesterol in the human body, but only if taken in the prescribed amounts, and only when the person leads a healthier lifestyle from thereon.

As many people already know, Omega-3 is the component in fish oil that is responsible for helping the cardiovascular system. Taken alone, this compound is responsible in dissolving bad cholesterol and strengthening the heart tissue.

Fish oil & fat loss

We began by saying that there is potential in fish oil when it comes to burning fat. Recent studies point to a particular truth regarding this potential: while it is true that there is potential there, the potential is too small to be of immense benefit to professional body builders. One study, carried out in Iceland, resulted in a dismaying result: only 1 kilogram lost after 4 weeks of protein and fish oil rich diets. It seems that indeed, there is too little to bank on to make fish oil an integral part of a weight loss plan.

In the long term, you can expect little results if you rely solely on fish oil. But if you are already engaged in a healthy exercise regimen, then there should be little to stop you from losing that extra few pounds every now and then by sticking to lots of seafood. If you’re already a seafood lover, then the study stated above is indeed good news.

In the second part of the study, this time concluded in Australia, it was found that participants who were on a steady stream of fish oil and seafood were more active during exercise and more amenable to losing weight than those who weren’t. It seems that even though the fat burning capability of fish oil is limited, it helps the person gain that extra edge to be able to do more exercises, so the person would be able to lose weight.

Fish oil & your existing diet

As such, these studies should be taken in a positive light. But we will not pretend here that the studies themselves were perfectly carried out. In essence, the studies were basically flawed because not everyone has the same body type, and in the second study, little control was present in limiting what participants actually ate at home. There might be a chance that the extra energy was due to something else- there are simply too many variables to make sure that everything would lead back simply to fish oil.

A safe way to go about it is to simply integrate more protein from fish to your existing diet. This way, you would really be after the protein, but you’re getting extra benefits from the new diet as well.

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

Perhaps one of the most notable and noticeable muscles in body builders is the pectoral muscle- that thick band of muscles that cover most of the ribs of a person. Pectoral muscles are one of the hardest to sculpt in professional bodybuilding. Known more commonly as the pecs, the pectoral muscle is a barometer of how far you’ve already achieved in your personal bodybuilding regimen.

To understand just how the pectoral muscle functions, we have to go about it in a scientific manner. Like studying a well-tuned car, we study the human body with an objective point of view.

Anatomy and functions

Located centrally, the basic work of the pectoral muscle is to unite both arms to the chest and to provide rotational movement to the arms when needed. The strain or pull that one feels during work outs in the upper part of the body is due to the increased activity of the human pectoral muscle. In any case, it’s the first muscle to gain mass, but the hardest to truly sculpt.

To sculpt the pecs, you have to sustain a certain level of weight training for many months so that the pectoral muscle does not revert to its pre-workout or pre-bodybuilding form. The pectoral muscle, as many bodybuilders already know, has this tendency to disappear overnight under a layer of subcutaneous fat and skin.

Chest muscles

The whole engine, so to speak is composed of a network of finely tuned muscles that do specific tasks. Their tasks may be understood from the context of their location in the over-all scheme of the human body.

The deltoids for example, provide sustained force and movement from the top of the arms, as it extends from the base of the neck horizontally. The biceps on the other hand, provide sustained vertical force for bodybuilders. This allows bodybuilders to lift heavy weights and to do repetitions with minimal strain to other parts of the body.

The sinew that holds together the arms and the chest is called the pectoral muscle. The pectoral muscle is located of course, on the chest, and is interconnected with all the other arm muscles. The pectoralis major is the largest pectoral muscle, and forms the bulk of the muscle band that creates the illusion of a “large chest”.

Building the chest muscles

Actually, there is no sure fire way to build chest muscles. Just as there are many types of bodies, there are as many ways of accelerating the growth of muscle mass on specific areas. However, what you can do to increase the chances of sculpting your chest area is to set aside specific days when you can work on the chest muscles all day.

This would ensure that all the specific muscle groups are given equal attention, and would also allow specific muscle groups to rest as well. Working out, as well as rest are two of the key activities that would lead to bodybuilding success.

Admittedly, bodybuilders give extra work to the chest muscles because they are hard to shape. But the rewards are great- just stick to your routine and find out for yourself.

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

Kelp is a main source of natural iodine. It is used extensively by the Japanese. The Polynesians also use kelp regularly in their diet. An English physician by the name of Dr. Bernard Russell used burned, dried kelp in 1750 to treat his patients who were suffering from goiter. In 1862, it was used by Dr. C. Dupare with success to treat obesity.

Kelp has traditionally been used for its rich abundance of iodine to treat thyroid disorders, whether they are under-active or overactive. This herb is a great promoter of glandular health. It also regulates metabolism. Kelp has a reputation for increasing the rate at which calories are burned. The herb is used to rid the body of toxins and radioactive material by preventing their absorption. Kelp promotes the growth of healthy tissue, skin, hair, and nails. Additionally, it is able to improve the cardiovascular system, nervous system, and mental alertness. It also alleviates kidney, bladder, prostate, and uterine difficulties.

The ocean water possesses one of the richest sources of the vital life-sustaining mineral elements that are known to science. Kelp extracts and assimilates the mineral elements from the ocean water and converts them into a usable form for humans. The kelp plant is thought to provide nourishment, enhance the immune system, aid in hormone balance, and restore strength. The herb has been proven to contain antibiotic properties. It is also thoughT that the brominated phenalic compounds that are found in kelp are responsible for killing both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Kelp possesses natural iodine to nourish the thyroid. The Japanese eat kelp regularly and have an extremely low rate of thyroid disease. Through the regulation of metabolism, kelp helps to increase energy. It may also help reduce fat in the body. Kelp is full of nutrients that nourish the entire body. Kelp can also help to prevent the absorption of some radioactive elements known to cause tumors, cancer, and leukemia in adults and children.

Kelp is a great herb for the body, as it contains nearly thirty minerals. The entire plant of the kelp herb is used to provide alterative, antacid, antibiotic, demulcent, diuretic, hypotensive, mucilant, nutritive, and hypotensive properties. The primary nutrients found in this herb are barium, bismuth, boron, calcium, chlorine, chromium, cobalt, copper, gallium, iodine, iron, lithium, magnesium, manganese, nickel, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, silver, sodium, strontium, sulfur, tin, titanium, vanadium, vitamins A, B-complex, C, E, G, S, and K, zinc, and zirconium. Primarily, kelp is extremely beneficial in treating adrenal gland problems, weak arteries, colitis, unhealthy complexion, eczema, and lack of energy, fatigue, goiter, infection, slow metabolism, weak nails, obesity, pituitary problems, and pregnancy problems, effects of radiation, unhealthy skin, and thyroid problems.

Additionally, this herb is very helpful in dealing with acne, anemia, arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, gallbladder problems, gas, gastric disorders, glandular problems, headaches, heart problems, hypothyroidism, indigestion, kidney problems, morning sickness, nervous disorders, pancreatic problems, prostate problems, tumors, and lack of vitality. For more information on the many beneficial effects provided by the kelp, please feel free to contact a representative from your local health food store.

More information on kelp is available at VitaNet