The Five Dreaded Words
Avoid "I’m Not in the Mood" with Some Libido-Lifting Tips
 
Tell me if you can relate to the following experience:

A long week of work has finally reached its end.  Sure, the week was difficult, but the main reason for its lengthiness was due to anticipation — anticipation of what the weekend held in store.

All weekends are great.  But this weekend was billed to be WAY above average.  Why? Because you were spending it with your significant other, away from it all, in one of the finest of hotels your city has to offer.  And if a little bit of luck was on your side, it would turn out to be one of the more memorable "experiences" of a lifetime — ahem, if you know what I mean (and I think you do).

Turns out, things didn’t go as planned.  The hotel was great, and the decor was to die for, but The Five Dreaded Words were spoken, the ones that always put the kibosh on a romantic night of lovemaking:  "I’m not in the mood."

Each one of us have either felt or heard these words spoken before, and whether you’re the giver or the receiver, it’s never pleasant.  Sex is a HUGE part of a relationship, and when opportunities for lovemaking go by the wayside, it frequently diminishes forthcoming opportunities — whether it’s due to fear of the same thing happening again, or the lowering of expectations.

The key, of course, is to have that "motivation" within you at all times so those Five Dreaded Words are never spoken.  Here’s a small helping of ways in which to keep your libido lifted so you can avoid the 5DW :

Diet

Skeptics argue that keeping one’s libido lifted through diet is a self-fulfilling prophecy; in other words, if you think almonds or chocolate will lift your libido, odds are good they will.

But scientific evidence — not psychosomatic hogwash — suggests that certain foods do, indeed, lift one’s libido.  For example, a study from Southwestern University found that coffee beans lift the libido of females.  For men, the love-lifting libation is tea, specifically Damiana tea. Alternative health expert Dr. Sarah Brewer says the ingredient responsible for increasing male libido in this tea is called gonzalitosin.  This ingredient sends a tingling sensation to the penis.

As a man, all I can say is, "Say no more!"

Supplements  

Supplementing with vitamins and minerals are, hopefully, a normal part of your daily regimen, but specific supplements provide a great boost to your sex drive.  Take St. John’s Wort as an example. 

St. John’s Wort has a multitude of benefits — from improving one’s mood to improving one’s mind — and those benefits can be found in the bedroom.  Because of its mood-improving properties, studies have shown that 60 percent of people formerly uninterested in sex regained their interest after taking St. John’s Wort. 

Care for two more?  Try ginseng and gingko biloba on for size (and no, I don’t mean that kind of size).  Ginseng is one of the earliest herbs to be widely marketed in the United States, and it’s taken by millions of people regularly for the natural boost of energy it provides.  So for people whose energy levels leave them pooped time comes for whoopee, ginseng is just the thing.

As for gingko biloba, this oddly-named herb stimulates blood flow throughout the body and brain (which explains why it’s taken by those who have a hard time remembering things).  As blood flow improves its flow throughout the body, it serves as the perfect elixir for those who have a hard time getting a, shall we say, "hard on." 

Research published in the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy found that men who took gingko biloba regularly were able to maintain erections after six months (granted, gingko biloba is not an overnight healer, but the improvement took place, and it took place without the negative side effects that always accompany male impotency drugs).

A low libido may feel like something that’s out of your hands; something that will come back on its own in its own due course.  That may be the case, but more often than not, it can be through our every-day actions and lifestyle. 

For more information on the "Why?" and "How?" of libido, you may want to check out a great new website I’ve discovered.  At http://tinyurl.com/q2jt6c you’ll discover some of the hidden reasons why your libido has been slumping for so long, but more importantly, how to get it on the upswing quickly, painlessly, and naturally. 

I hope you’ll take this opportunity and visit http://tinyurl.com/q2jt6c today. By the time your next weekend getaway comes around, you’ll thank me (and your partner will thank you). 

I recommend you visit their website immediately, where you’ll get a crash course on how this issue has affected me personally; more information on the links between what’s ‘down there’ and hypertension; and most important of all, how you can improve the health of your body and your relationship…all-naturally.

http://tinyurl.com/q2jt6c

Source:
thirdage.com/sex/23-ways-to-lift-your-libido

Popularity: 71% [?]

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If I had to pick out the number one reason most people fail to achieve good results in the gym, guess what it would be?

Over-training. Exercising too much.

Sounds counter-intuitive, but trust me: It’s quite real.

Folks write to me all the time and say…

"Jon, I don’t get it. I cannot lose bodyfat and I’m running six days a week for an hour and training in the gym five days a week for 45 minutes!"

My answer back is usually:

"You are training 4x more than me, and I’m a fitness pro!"

Look, do you take 21 aspirin for a headache, thinking the more you take the faster your pain will go away?

No?

So why apply the same logic to fitness? Only a certain amount is required. Beyond that, you are spinning your wheels.

When I wrote 7 Minute Muscle (available here:  http://tinyurl.com/oeolgr) I exposed all the lies about training too long and why this is not the best way to achieve the results you want. Check it out if you want the facts.

One more thing:  75% of your progress will come in the kitchen, not in the gym or on the treadmill.

As for me, I would much rather eat smart and train less than train all the time and be forced to eat 6-8 times a day just to recover from it all.

That makes no sense to me at all.

You?
http://tinyurl.com/oeolgr  <— Less Is More!

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If you ever needed another good reason to exercise, I’ve got one for you:

Exercise makes your brain bigger.

Actually this isn’t entirely accurate. To be more specific, exercise was found to increase brain size slightly, but far more important to increase "spatial reasoning."

This is the ability to recognize patterns, remember phrases, numbers, and so-on. This was discovered by researchers at the Universities of Chicago and Pittsburgh.

It is also one of the most important factors to the prevention of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

My mom suffered with dementia the last ten years of her life. But unlike most dementia patients she was fully functional thanks to exercise. She drove and had a mind that was unbelievably sharp right up until an accident injured her beyond the ability to exercise.

After that, she mentally went downhill rapidly. Thankfully, she passed in peace… and she had ten wonderfully active years thanks to her willingness to take up weight training at the age of 71.

She eventually walked up to 3 miles per day and trained in the gym 3 days per week.

That kept her mind sharp, along with fish oil and N-Acetyl L-Carnitine, a wonderful brain nutrient.

Once again, we see the power of exercise. It increases the QUALITY of your life.

Quantity is no where near as important to me as quality.

The links at the bottom of this newsletter are to my books on exercise. Pick the one that appeals to you most and take action.

Your brain will thank you, as will the rest of your body.

One of the best ways to start exercising when you are over 40 is by using the routines covered in "Fit Over 40".

This book profiles 53 different men and women, age 40 to 80, all sharing their workouts, nutrition plans, and mental empowerment techniques.

It is a MUST-HAVE for anyone wanting to begin exercising or improve their level of fitness after the age of 40.

For a freee fat-burning course from Fit Over 40, go here –

http://tinyurl.com/qfpfcy  <— Freee Fatburning Course

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A lot of my readers ask me how long to rest between sets while exercising.

The answer is: It depends on your goals.

If you are training to increase strength, I recommend resting a bit longer – up to two minutes for exercises like squats and heavy dumbbell work. But if you want to burn the most amount of bodyfat and gain lean muscle, I recommend resting for very short periods of time.

"The Iron Guru" Vince Gironda used to recommend leaving your hands on the bar between sets — now THAT is short rest intervals!  He would frequently rest only 15-20 seconds between sets.

This is similar to the strategy I use in 7 Minute Muscle — very short rest intervals and very intense training. Smart, short, efficient. That’s the way to go.

A good place to start is simply reducing your rest intervals by 10 seconds. No matter what workout you’re using, decrease your rest by 10 seconds between sets. You may not be as strong on the last few sets (if you are training traditionally… if you use 7 Minute Muscle your rest is "built-in" and not an issue.) Over time you will work your way back up to the same amount of sets and reps but done in far less time.

This means more work output, which means more muscle if your nutrition is good.

This is the best way to train most of the time:  Limited rest, intense sets, and short workouts.

They are the ones that produce results.

Go here for more information –

http://tinyurl.com/oeolgr<— Short, effective workouts

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Want to know what your real odds are of having a heart attack?

How about a stroke? Diabetes?

Okay, this isn’t sounding like a positive letter… but hang in there. It gets a lot better and more positive.

I was having lunch today with my CPA and my good friend Sherry Strong. Sherry’s upcoming book is a must-read. I will let you know when she’s ready to release it.

Since Sherry has been here visiting me in Dallas I have learned SO much about natural food preparation and what really causes disease.

Our conversation took a turn to "doctor’s tests." I think most of them are worthless. Some are vital.

It’s important to know the difference.

I’m going to give you the three tests you absolutely must take if you want to help ensure your future health in a moment.

But first, let me give you Sherry’s argument to my third test.

Yes, we nutritionists argue sometimes. ; )

I’ll let you decide. But statically it’s far more accurate than any blood test… and get this:

You can do it at home for freee.

So far, are you with me?  Good.

I’m going to go in reverse order, third test to last…

The third test is simply this:

Measure your waistline. Use a tape measure and do not pull it tight. Measure right below the navel.

Write down that number in inches.

Then measure your height out of shoes in inches. Write that down too.

If your waist in inches is more than twice your height you are FOUR TIMES more likely to have heart disease.

Four times. That’s more predictive than cholesterol tests by far.

And a lot less expensive to boot.

Don’t just read about this test — DO IT. I’ll give you something you can do ABOUT it if you fail this test in a second.

The great news is that this is one factor that is totally within your control.

Test number two:  Know your SED rate. This is an inflammatory marker in the blood.

Test number one:  Know your hsCRP and LP(a) levels. Both of these can be done as one test usually. Both are inflammatory markers as well as key indicators of heart health.

Go to your doctor and ask for these three blood tests. Usually they can be done all at once. Sometimes they are separate, but they are all crucial.

If you are thin and look healthy, listen to this:

You too can be Lance Armstrong or Jim Fixx….and not know it.

Lance and Jim looked like two of the healthiest men on the planet. Lance beat testicular cancer but came within an inch of his life. Jim died after a short jog of a heart attack very young in life.

Looks can be deceiving.

This is Sherry’s argument — and she’s totally correct.

That’s why I give you THREE (well, actually four) TESTS.

You see, it’s virtually impossible to have a normal SED rate, a normal hsCRP level and a normal LP(a) level and be at imminent risk for any of these killer diseases.

Possible, perhaps — but almost not.

So, if you look healthy and feel like a bazillion bucks, you still need to know your levels of these inflammatory markers.

If you are overweight or obese, you totally absolutely MUST do the waist/height test as well as the others.

You see, it goes both ways.

Some obese folks test out okay at the doc’s office. Their cholesterol, blood pressure, and all typical readings are okay. Rarely does a doc run an hsCRP or LP(a). And rarely do they run a SED rate.

See the importance here?

Both the fit and the unfit can be at dire risk and not even know it.

Now, here’s the solution:

A low-inflammatory nutrition and training plan, along with plenty of stress-free time.

I can help you with the first two things.

The third thing — de-stressing — is up to you. You may want to spend 30 minutes a day doing yoga, walking, meditating, praying, or whatever calms your MIND and BODY down.

Check it out:

Lance and Jim were both doing insane amounts of exercise… so much that they demanded insane amounts of high-inflammatory foods. Foods like processed carbohydrates for example.

And they both got sick. One of them died.

My good friend Dr. Steven Chase believes that 85% of cancer is preventable.

Re-read that:  85%.  And he’s an oncologist — a cancer doctor.

And you know heart disease is 95% preventable… or did you?

But all of these killers, especially diabetes, demand a low-insulin, low-inflammatory nutrition and exercise plan.

Lance and Jim had sky-high inflammatory levels from all that exercise. It was literally TOO much exercise.

That’s why so many marathoners die of heart attacks. They eat inflammatory foods and engage in high-stress exercise for too long of a time.

So, what’s the answer?

1. Short workouts that are intense, effective, and enjoyable. Weights and cardio both, or in-home resistance workouts will work fine.

2. Longer "soft" workouts like brisk walking that helps de-stress the body and burn more bodyfat.

3. A nutrition plan that allows for your favorite foods at the RIGHT TIME of the day but also helps you burn bodyfat without activating your body’s stress-producing hormones like cortisol…cool.

Most nutrition plans are stressful. Big mistake. Stress can cause you to hold on to bodyfat. Plus stress causes inflammation.

Most workout plans are either too easy or too intense for too long a period of time. My System is super-short (7-14 minutes a day, plus walks when you can.) This is enough to build all the muscle you need plus burn bodyfat when combined with the nutrition plan.

My System’s nutrition plan is ideal if you are willing to "diet" for a day or two, then enjoy a day of eating "normal" foods.

Hey, no one is perfect. Anyone who has half a brain should know that not very many people (myself included) are willing to do without their favorite foods forever.

That’s silly — and it’s not necessary to burn bodyfat.

In fact, my System ‘demands’ that you eat these foods at certain times TO BURN MORE BODYFAT!

Wild, isn’t it?

It’s the System I’ve used for years.

It’s the combination of two books:

7 Minute Muscle + Every Other Day Diet

Get them both for one low price…

Go here:

http://tinyurl.com/qu6tcn  <— Helps you pass the tests

Any of my three Upgrade Kits come with both books, a full year of support from me on the Every Other Day Diet group Forum, and so many bonuses I can’t list them all.

This combo is something I am so very proud to share with you.

It’s the ultimate System for lowering bodyfat, increasing lean muscle, lowering insulin, lowering inflammation, and ensuring your health.

Whether you are in shape or obese, this System is one that will work for you.

http://tinyurl.com/qu6tcn <— Helps you pass the tests

Popularity: 75% [?]

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Muscle building training tips that will help you build muscle faster and reach your goals quickly.

If you’re looking for some muscle building training advice that will push your results further, here is some important advice that you must consider. Many people overlook some critical aspects of their workouts and then wonder why they are not seeing the results they wanted.

Here are the top muscle building training tips to follow.

Give Your Muscles More Rest

The first big mistake that many people make with their training program is doing far too many workouts without supplying enough rest. In order for you to get the results you’re looking for from your training, you must be pushing hard.

But, after that you must also back off and give the muscles a chance to grow. When you don’t do this, you’re going to verge on over training and that will dramatically slow down the results you get.

Aim to have at least one full day off from your workout program; preferably two.

Eat To Grow

Moving on, you also must eat in order to grow properly. Many people make this mistake and it costs them years of wasted training time. They’ll spend hours making sure everything with their workout program is absolutely perfect, yet when it comes time to eat, they have no clue what to do.

This is one of the fastest ways to short your progress. You must supply your body with the raw energy to synthesize new muscle tissue. There is just no way around this one. If there’s one muscle building training tip to follow, this is it.

Don’t Over-Do Isolation Exercises

Finally, the last muscle building training tip is to make sure you’re not overdoing isolation exercise. Think about how many muscle fibers you’re actually going to work with that bicep curl? Not many.

Now, think about how many muscles you’ll work when you do a chest press – a great deal more. For this reason, you’ll be far better off focusing on compound lifts that stimulate more muscle fibers.

That is what will get you building muscle quickly, rather than wasting your time in the gym.

So, keep these points in mind so you can get results faster.

For more information, please see my website on muscle building training advice.

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Have you ever started out to do one thing but ended up doing something different?

Night and day different?

Remember how Post-It Notes were invented?

Some guy was trying to come up with a "permanent" glue.

Obviously he failed… and he considered it a failure… but 3M had another idea.

The guy was all of a sudden Joe Brilliant.

Well, I’m feeling a bit like Joe today.

But this is much more interesting to you than Post-It Notes…

It’s about s – e – x… sorta.

Not dirty, I’m talking about couple’s stuff here.

My new book just came out today about it.

But it didn’t start off that way at all.

In fact … get this… I was co-writing a book with medical researcher Frank Mangano on lowering blood pressure without meds… really.

So how did this big U-turn occur?

Okay, okay…. funny, true story:

I read this article from a medical journal about how "lowering blood pressure would help sexual-performance-problems."

Ding. The lightbulb went off in my head.

You see, lowering blood pressure is probably the most healthy thing you can do for yourself.

But face it — it’s really, really BORING.

I mean, who really cares about their blood pressure unless their doctor says, "Look, lower your blood pressure or you’ll die in six months."

Then you care.

Are you with me?

I’m right and we all know it.

Heck, I was the same way.

I ignored my blood pressure for years until it hit stroke-level back in my 30s.

Then I could no longer ignore it.

I found every natural alternative possible… which led me to Frank’s books… and they are the BEST.

So Frank comes to me and asks me to contribute to his very popular on-the-shelf book "The Blood Pressure Miracle" –

… and I said,

"Hey, guess what I just read?"

Since he’s the researcher, I said, "Go see if there’s any truth to this."

The results BLEW MY MIND.

Not only is there truth to it — that, yes… lowering blood pressure not only extends your life but also extends your sexlife as well — but WOW… it’s a major player in everything from male-ED to females feeling "out of the mood."

It’s crazy, but it’s true.

It makes sense once you read this:

http://tinyurl.com/q2jt6c <— Low Pressure Sex-System

Hang with me: It gets better…

So Frank digs up article after article on the subject of high blood pressure and LOW sexual-energy and performance… and we have a much more compelling reason to want to lower our blood pressure, now don’t we?

But we wanted more.

I said, "Look Frank, I get a lot of emails about sex-after-30… people who want to feel more kick, more alive in that area of their lives… and above all, closer to their mates."

So… we decided to add another book on TOP of our book…

… a book on improving sexual-pleasure for couples only. "RevolutionarySex" is the name of it. My friend Alex Allman wrote it…and just like that we had two books instead of one.

But that’s not all… ( told you… this story is interesting… ; )

THEN my friend Jeff Anderson comes out with his "homemade V" — and guys, we know what "V" stands for.

Listen: V (little blue things) is really dangerous stuff. It really is. It RAISES blood pressure for one thing. For another it can cause addiction and memory loss.

But Jeff’s version is all-natural, cheap (we’re talking pennies instead of dollars per "pill" to make) and above all… SAFE.

So all of a sudden… THREE books (plus an audio)… so…

It became a System, not a book.

And the topic went from "lowering blood pressure" to …

… How you can completely solve your sexual-performance-problems and increase your pleasure all by lowering blood pressure naturally without meds."

What a concept…

…and it WORKS.

http://tinyurl.com/q2jt6c <— Low Pressure Sex-System

Here are the advantages…

1. If you take blood pressure meds… and a lot of you do… your "kick in the stick" suffers. A lot. Some men suffer all the way, which lead them to taking the V stuff…

… and that stuff ‘raises’ blood pressure.

Bad, bad combo. Our System gets you off of that dangerous and expensive cycle of drugs and on to a natural, easy approach that also adds pleasure to your relationship.

2. Cheaper… by far… than meds.

3. Something you can read and do as a couple or as a single person.

4. You get healthy and you get your vigor back at the same time. Ladies too.

5. It’s guaranteed-to-work… 60 days on us.

I’m very proud of this System. We put a lot of time, research and effort into it.

If you want a life freee from high BP and sexual-performance-issues and better health, then go here:

http://tinyurl.com/q2jt6c <— Low Pressure Sex-System

P.S. There’s even more to this story –

We created an "Advanced Health and Relationship-Saver Kit" that comes with the most awesome self-hypnosis audios to help you relieve stress, lower pressure, increased your "drive", and more.

You can get the starter Kit or the Advanced Kit here:

http://tinyurl.com/q2jt6c<— Low Pressure Sex-book

Here’s to your health… and your increased pleasure and enjoyment.

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The Basics Of Muscle Building For Senior Citizens

Body building workout programs aimed at muscle building aren’t just for the young bucks. Strength training actually is just as beneficial, if not more, for senior citizens. Read this article to find out how and why.

No matter what your age, anyone can benefit from a bodybuilding workout routine. Your muscles are very important to the proper functioning of your body. Muscle building programs can benefit your bones and connective tissues as well as increase your overall health. For senior citizens, a muscle building routine should definitely keep in mind the following components and ideas.

Senior citizens beginning a workout program should always start out very slow. Ideally, weight training with free weights should begin at one pound. For those using weight machines, try to start on the lowest possible weight level. Remember to go at your own pace when you are beginning to weight lift. This will help you avoid injury and soreness.

Senior citizens should also keep their workout routines fairly short. In fact, many people recommend splitting up your weight training program into two shorter sessions per day as opposed to one long weight training session. Weight training should be done three times a week for maximum benefits.

An ideal weight training program is one that focuses on the development of all the major muscle groups. In the most basic weight training curriculum, this would include the legs and buttocks (hamstring, calf, and quadriceps), the arms (triceps and biceps), the shoulders, the back, and the abdominal muscles. For senior citizens, consider focusing on working out alternate muscle groups on different days to avoid lactic acid build up which can lead to muscle soreness.

One common misconception when beginning a weight training program is that the number of repetitions must increase in order for progression to occur. This simply is not true. When your weight training has reached a plateau, you should increase the amount of weight, not the amount of repetitions. In fact, most experts only recommend ten repetitions as a maximum for most exercises.

When you first begin an exercise routine, you should expect a small degree of soreness. This is especially true for senior citizens who may also have trouble with arthritis or degenerative connective tissues. However, try to stick with a workout program. You will find that any current problems you have may benefit from a muscle building routine .

Everyone can reap the many health benefits that come from a proper weight training program. Senior citizens may need to exercise with a bit more caution, but will definitely be able to tell a difference in the way they feel after starting such a program. As always, please check with your doctor before beginning any bodybuilding workout routine.

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Muscle Building Training At a Glance

Many people are aware of the benefits of muscle building. Here’s a quick guide for beginners, on how to do muscle building the easiest and safest way.

As you start the pursuit of larger, more defined muscles, there is only one thing which is more important than your workouts – and that’s doing your muscle building routine in the right way. Many people get into bodybuilding and burn out quickly. They fail to get results and waste a lot of time and money because they’ve been going about their workouts the wrong way. There’s no real substitute for having a professional guide you, but if you are inclined to do it yourself, then these tips will hep you to get off to a good start in your muscle building training.

Recommended Number of Workouts per Week

A lot of people suffer from an excess of enthusiasm as they start out in bodybuilding and overdo it, working out as many as seven times a week. If you’ve made this mistake yourself, you already know about the soreness that is the reward of this excessive workout schedule. Worse still, you may not really see a lot of results this way. You r body has to have some recovery time; as much as two days after a workout, in fact if you really want to build muscle. Keep your workout schedule to three times a week for the best results.

Appropriate Contributions From Different Techniques

Proper muscle building training includes three basic types of exercises:

Free weight muscle building
Machine based muscle building
Compound muscle building exercises

There are a lot of different opinions on which of these types of exercise is most effective on its own – however, a good muscle building training routine will use all three to get a balanced bodybuilding workout.

Eat Well While Keeping Your Weight Normal

When you’re bodybuilding, your diet is important. You need to eat the right mounts of the right foods along with your workout routine. However, if you’re trying to lose weight or are worried about gaining the wrong kind of weight as you build your muscles, all you have to do is to plan out your diet carefully. Take your caloric needs into account, including the calories you’re burning off through your workouts and work from there to plan a diet.

Muscle Balance Is Important

A mistake commonly made by bodybuilders as they are getting started is to neglect most of their muscle groups because they are concentrating on only one area. You have to work out all of your muscle groups in order to get a balanced, all over toned look.

Keep Your Mind Focused On Your Workout

Keep your mind on one thing and one thing only during your workouts -this should be the workout itself. If you let yourself be distracted by other things, you’ll fail to maximize the benefits of your workout. Leave your troubles at home when you go to the gym and you’ll get better results.

If you follow these tips, you’ll get a good start on your muscle building training. After the first month, evaluate your progress – you’ll probably be amazed by how much you’ve managed to accomplish!

Alex Dale is a muscle building enthusiast and researcher. Visit his site to learn more about the how to build muscle fast and in the right way.

Popularity: 30% [?]

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Proteins Needs for Your Muscle Building Nutrition Plan

If you want to gain muscle then you need to eat protein. But how much do you need for optimal gains?

If you are looking to build muscle, or lose fat, you have undoubtedly heard about the benefits of protein. It seems that nearly everyone seems to think that more protein means faster muscle gains. I am going to give you the straight truth on protein intake as it relates to your muscle building nutrition plan.

As with nearly everything, there are individual differences that come into play when determining the correct protein intake for you. First and foremost is your lean muscle mass. Please notice that I did not say your "weight."

Muscle is largely compromised of protein, while fat is not. As muscle breaks down and rebuilds it requires protein to do so. Fat does not. For this reason you need to look at your lean body mass (LBM), not your body weight, when determining your protein intake.

To determine your LBM you will need to have your body fat percentage tested. Let’s say we have a 200 pound man who has a body fat percentage of 15%. This would mean that he has a LBM of 170 pounds (200 * 85%).

A good guideline for most people who are lifting weights regularly is to consume 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of LBM. Exactly where you fall in that range will be determined by a variety of factors.

The first factor is your goals. If your goal is simply to maintain your lean muscle mass then you can move towards the lower end of the range, whereas someone trying to gain muscle would move towards the higher end.

Another factor is your hormonal profile. There are many hormones that will dictate the correct protein intake for you, but one of the most important is testosterone. Testosterone dictates how much protein can be utilized by your muscles. Someone with very high testosterone levels can utilize much more protein than someone with lower levels. This is why anabolic steroids (testosterone derivatives) are so effective (albeit dangerous).

While these factors are important in determining the correct protein intake for you, the main factor is the make-up of the rest of your diet. For example, someone consuming 3000 kcal from fats and carbs will need less protein than someone consuming 1500 kcal. So if you are on a hardcore muscle building nutrition plan where you are eating everything in sight, you will actually need less protein. Conversely, if you are on a low-calorie diet your protein requirements will be higher.

These are just some of the factors that go into determining your daily protein needs. Remember that proteins are just the building blocks for muscle. Without a well-designed training program you won’t be able to put these building blocks to good use.

Get a muscle building nutrition plan and a FREE muscle building report on "The 13 Reasons You Suck at Gaining Muscle."

By Tony Schwartz Published: 7/12/2008

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Today we need to chat about your hormones.

Yeah, I chat a lot about hormones. That’s because I have been to Hormone Hell and back. Twice.

I’ve lived to tell the tale.

It’s scary… and it’s one of those hidden illnesses that you might not even know you have.

I had it at 27. I did not affect my lovelife, but that was probably due to my youth. If I did not treat it then, I would have no lovelife or drive at ALL right now.

I treated it with drugs. That is all we had back then.

Today I use a combination of therapies, many of which are natural….

1. I train with weights to increase testosterone-levels naturally.

2. I train and do cardio before eating in the morning do increase gH levels naturally without drugs.

3. I cycle my calories to increase my thyroid levels naturally.

As you can see there are many ways to increase your hormone levels naturally.

But it’s not all exercise and nutrition. Now we have several "botanical" supplements:  Herbs and other natural helpers to help the fight.

I wish I would have known about Dr. Lucille when I was 27.

She’s the expert in that field. Herbs, nutrition for hormone help, and how to protect your body IF you have to take drugs to help the problem like I do.

I listen to her. So should you.

Here’s her site:

 http://tinyurl.com/qaq4j9 <— natural energy help

The best thing about having your hormones optimized is energy.

Yes, you will burn more bodyfat.

Yes, you will increase your lovelife and your desire to have intimacy.

Yes, you will increase your resistance to disease and common illnesses.

But I think MORE ENERGY is the best.

I have the energy to do anything I want at just about any time I want.

Here’s an example:

Today I had to go to the funeral of a dear friend. She passed away after struggling with a lifetime of various illnesses, many of which were made worse by lifestyle choices. Some she had no control over.

We all loved her dearly.

We drove until 1:00AM this morning. I got up early for the funeral but not early enough to eat breakfast.

I had a large lunch afterwards and then we headed back — another 3 hour boring drive in traffic.

Even with all of this emotional stress, my body only needed a 2-hour nap to pop right back into high gear. I could literally go and workout now at almost 11:00pm if I had to.

I’m glad I don’t because I have a night of packing ahead of me for a business trip!

Still, the point is simple:

Hormone Health = Greater Energy

Most people do not exercise because… get this….

They do not FEEL like it.

I don’t mean "feel like it" as in they would rather do something else, although that is the case sometimes.

I mean "feel like it" in the sense that they have NO energy to do it.

They are tired, run-down after a 9 to 5 day, and feel zonked.

You too?

If so, you need this info…

  http://tinyurl.com/qaq4j9<— natural energy help

Remember:  More energy, more lovelife. More workouts that burn fat. More done in the day.

More living… in the best way possible.

———————————————————————-

Training With Weights vs "Weight Training"

———————————————————————-

Just a word of warning:

I will be using the term "bodybuilder" or "bodybuilding" to refer to anyone who wants to build lean muscle and burn bodyfat in this article.

That means you.

Yep… you are a "bodybuilder." That does not mean you want to look like a monster on stage and pose in front of thousands of people wearing nothing but your undies.

That means you want more lean muscle and less bodyfat — that’s it.

With that in mind, here’s something you have to know:

Bodybuilders do not "lift weights" — we "train" with weights.

We use weights as a tool like a sculptor uses a hammer and chisel.

The object of the game is not to lift some heavy weight from Point A to Point B and back. That’s weight lifting. "Bodybuilding" is about making the muscle you want to change do all the work.

Here’s two ways to do it:

1. Lower the weight and focus:  Most people are just concerned with the lift itself. "Get this weight off of me!" seems to be the unconscious mantra. This will not get the job done. In fact you may end up looking bulky rather than sleek… or just not change at all. Instead, lower the weight slightly, slow the pace down (especially on the descent of the movement) and picture the muscle in your mind doing ALL of the work. Literally put your mind in the muscle. You will be amazed at how different the same exercise feels with this degree of concentration,.

2. Contract, hold, release:  At the top of any movement, contract the muscle hard. Hold that contraction for a second or two, then release it and lower the weight slowly. This will not only cause faster muscle growth (that is a good thing) but also demand that you use less weight to get the job done. This means your joints — shoulders, knees, elbows — will last a lifetime. At 45 my joints are in perfect health. Protect yours at all costs.

Just remember:  You are not just lifting weights when you train for muscle shape and "tone" — you are a sculptor. Treat your tools and your body with that degree of care.

I cover many more tips on how to build lean muscle and burn bodyfat faster in my book "7 Minute Muscle".

Read more here:

  http://tinyurl.com/oeolgr <— more muscle in far less time

Popularity: 20% [?]

Technorati Tags: lovelife

3 quick questions:

1. Are you a guy or do you know one close to you over the age of 35?

2. Have you or he looked at your/his bare chest lately?

3. If so… did you see them?…The dreaded….

"Manboobs"?

Obviously if you are female this is not an issue. But for us men, "gynaecomastia", often jokingly referred to as manboobs (we can thank "Seinfeld" for that) is anything but funny.

From this point on, I’ll refer to it as "MB" if that’s okay by you.

MB is not an age thing. It can occur at almost any time in life. However, for those of us over 35, it is more common.

This is just one of the many symptoms of "andropause", or "male menopause."

When you age your testosterone levels decline…and more than that the testosterone gets "weaker" due to an imbalance between it and estrogen.

When you combine that with our modernized "estrogen-rich" environment that Dr. Holly Lucille frequently lectures on, you have a problem.

A big MB problem.

MB is associated with lack of drive (you know what I’m talking about guys) and excess bellyfat due to the estrogen.

Even more serious:  Excess estrogen has been positively linked to prostate cancer.

Yep. MBs are not so funny after all.

Check out Dr. Lucille’s NaturaPause Audios. There is an entire audio dedicated to male menopause and natural solutions that really work.

Most do not work worth a darn.

Hers does.

http://tinyurl.com/qotrjy

Popularity: 24% [?]

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Subject:  "Should you be concerned?"

Anyone with a history of high blood pressure in their family knows what devastation it can wreak.  It carries with it a mishmash of health risks, many of them serious, like tripling the risk of dying from a heart attack, quadrupling the risk of dying from a stroke, doubling the risk of congestive heart failure and tripling the risk of developing kidney disease.

But if our very lives weren’t enough for high blood pressure to be in the top five of our "Health Issues to Be Concerned About" lists, then how about the lives of our marriages and relationships?

High blood pressure has a significant impact on a couple’s sexlife.  Sex is a crucial part of any relationship, and when a loving couple is not having it at least on a semi-regular basis, more often than not, the relationship sours faster than curdled milk.

The reason high blood pressure affects the average sexlife all boils down to blood flow. Due to the narrowing of the arteries that high blood pressure creates, it diminishes a man’s ability to have an.erection — never mind maintain one — as there’s less blood flowing to the penis.

To rectify this situation, the average guy heads to his doctor, reluctantly tells him or her about his issues "down there," and the doctor prescribes him with some form of hypertension med — usually an alpha or beta-blocker.

Problem solved, right?  Not exactly.

While your blood pressure levels might lower incrementally, your sex drive will lower incrementally as well — the very opposite of what you want to have happen.

This isn’t some theory concocted by so-called natural health "whack jobs," mind you. Well-respected news organizations and medical information outlets — like ABC News and the Mayo Clinic — corroborate this.  In an ABC News webcast on Feb. 7 of last year, Dr. Domenic Sica, chairman for Clinical Pharmacology and Hypertension at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, said this:

"When you look at it, a number of the blood pressure medications we use are associated with the onset of male dysfunction.  Now, that can be a diuretic, a beta-blocker, or so-called peripheral alpha beta-blocker — those are three drugs commonly linked to male dysfunction."

I’m not sure the link can be made any clearer; you name the hypertension drug, and it will adversely affect your sexlife.

Given this, if you’ll pardon the cliche, how does one kill two birds with one stone?  How does one lower their blood pressure and improve their lovelife at the same time?  Or is that even possible?

Absolutely it’s possible, and you can learn how to do it all-naturally.

Bestselling authors Frank Mangano and Jon Benson have developed an easy, all-natural way to lower your blood pressure and improve your sexlife at the same time.  They weren’t sure this was possible, but after months of research and hordes of emails from people on how their system worked for them, they don’t just think it’s possible, they know it’s possible!

Let me prove it to you.

Go here:  

http://tinyurl.com/q2jt6c

I recommend you visit their website immediately, where you’ll get a crash course on how this issue has affected me personally; more information on the links between what’s ‘down there’ and hypertension; and most important of all, how you can improve the health of your body and your relationship…all-naturally.

Sources:
health.yahoo.com/bloodpressure-complication/high-blood-pressure-and-sex-overcome-the-challenges/mayoclinic–13476B30-E7FF-0DBD-18FF920E1D5480C7.html
americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2129
abcnews.go.com/Health/HypertensionTreatment/story?id=5236683

Popularity: 28% [?]

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