A Breakthrough Diet That Actually Focus On Building Muscle

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Are you avoiding a plant-based diet because you think it is impossible to build muscle and strength? 

Unfortunately, this myth is alive and well. 

"Vegan bodybuilder, 40, aims for Mr Universe title as he says meat-free diet has made him stronger than ever..."

Source: Metro News 

Serious bodybuilders preach eating lots of steaks, chicken and other types

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flickr.com/photos/vegetarian-vegan-bodybuilding-info
(CC BY 2.0)

of animal protein to build muscles. There is no mistake about it, protein is definitely required if you want to strength train and build muscle.

However, your body does not care where that protein comes from. Your body uses 1 ounce of plant-based protein the same way it does 1 ounce of animal-based protein. 

So if you decide to take up a healthy vegan diet, don't worry about losing muscle mass.

The Key Is in Your Protein Ratio

If you eat nothing but plant-based protein, you can experience rapid weight loss. This means you need to eat more than just protein. That is because many fruits, plants and vegetables deliver a minimal amount of carbohydrates and calories. 

Your body needs carbohydrates, calories and protein for a healthy life. Get the right ratio of these healthy fitness requirements into your diet and you can turn your vegan lifestyle into a muscle building machine.

After you strength train, you need carbohydrates for energy and protein to build muscle. Within 60 minutes of working out you want to focus on a meal that is 2 or 3 parts carbohydrates per 1 part protein. You should also remember your body cannot process more than 1.0 to 1.25 grams of protein per 1 pound of body weight every day.

Use the above information hand-in-hand with your recommended daily caloric intake and you will give your body the perfect plant-based recipe for building muscle. Strength training (like lifting weights or body weight training) builds muscle much more quickly and efficiently than aerobic training.

So make sure you are strength training while enjoying a vegan diet. Make sure you get plenty of rest at night and stay hydrated. With the above-recommended protein/carbohydrate ratio and a sensible calorie count each day, strength training helps to build muscle and promote overall health on a plant-based diet.

Plant-Based Foods High in Protein

Make sure you are eating plenty of protein-rich plant-based foods or you will have a tough time building muscle. Red meat, chicken and fish in many cases deliver more protein per ounce than plants and vegetables. That is why the traditional muscle-building recipe includes lots of animal-based protein.

For vegans to build muscle, that protein needs to be replaced. Focus on the following plant-based foods and you are sure to get plenty of protein for muscle-building efficiency.

·      Cauliflower

·      Brussels sprouts

·      Broccoli

·      Mustard greens

·      Partially

·      Collard greens

·      Spinach

·      Artichokes

·      Sweetcorn

·      Lima beans

·      Peas

·       Soybean sprouts

Proof to Reduce Stress is by being Positive

Does "What If" Switch the worry for Positive Thinking?

We spend so much of our lives fretting, hassling, and stressing about things that may never happen. Why don’t we look forward to the good things in life, and make them happen instead?

Source: biznews.com

Does this sound like you? 

You have heard that positive thinking can have such an amazingly powerful effect on your life. But maybe you are not buying into all that "good thoughts" power.

You need proof.

So, exactly how does positive thinking reduce stress?

What happens inside your body when you adopt a positive as opposed to a negative way of thinking?

Let's take a look.

The Mayo Clinic reports that using positive thinking as a stress management tool can lead to the following benefits:

• You live longer
• Instances of depression and anxiety are reduced
• Boost your natural defense system.
• You do not catch as many colds (seriously)
• You develop excellent coping skills
• A lower risk of heart disease and heart-related death

For some, it's hard to believe those benefits can come about simply by having a positive attitude. And honestly, it is not the positive attitude in and of itself which delivers those benefits.

It's the true and honest perception of reality that positive thinkers enjoy which reduces stress and then leads to those many advantages.

For instance, people with a positive mindset most of the time tend to see the world as it is. They apply no negative filters or preconceived beliefs about existence. They understand the mantra of mindfulness meditation - to focus on and live in the moment.

When you look at the world as a "now" experience, no pointless future-guessing and negative past experiences can influence your mindset and actions.

Science has even shown that positive thinkers see more possibilities in their lives.

When you believe there are limitless options and opportunities, and you look at the world through no negative filters, you are calm and peaceful, even in the face of stressful situations.

Stressing over what may happen is one of the biggest worries of the negative thinker. Worries never happen with someone who fosters positive beliefs.

They do not waste time creating possible "what if " scenarios.

Instead, they see only the present moment with very clear vision, and then they choose a course of action which delivers a positive result.

Physiologically, the process is very straightforward. 

When your ancient ancestors encountered stress, it was often a life or death situation. What we call today the "fight or flight" reflex tells your brain that you are in a super stressful situation.

Unfortunately this still happens today, even when what you perceive as stress has a limited or nonexistent impact on your life.

But your body still releases hormones and chemicals that quicken your pulse, speed up your heart rate and make you see just about everything as a possible threat.

When you view the world as it is, you see that most things today are non-threatening.

Positive thinkers view the world with a very clear focus, so their bodies naturally create less stressful situations.

Positivist leads to fewer heart problems, less stress, anxiety and nervous problems, and a healthier, longer life.

Should Women Lift Weights to Get That "Perfect Body"

United States Olympic Gold Medalist Natasha Hastings explained that "No Woman Has the Perfect Body"

"It's unfortunate that some people don't appreciate women's athletic bodies. I think we live in a world where beauty comes in so many different shades, sizes, and colors."

Source: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/a44837/olympic-gold-medalist-natasha-hastings-no-woman-has-the-perfect-body/

There used to be a belief that women should not lift weights. The thought was women would lose the feminine look when they got "muscled up" and bulky. And yes, if you are a female bodybuilder on supplements and steroids, you won't look much different from the men who practice the same weightlifting ideals. 

But you should be lifting weights as a woman, and here are 5 really good reasons why.

1 – You Burn More Fat

A Penn State study showed what several other research papers and number crunching fitness experts

Image Source: depositphotos.com

have revealed. Weight training burns 30% to 40% more fat than diet or aerobic exercise. The Penn State researchers formed 3 groups of dieters: 

• Those who did not exercise at all
• Dieters who exercised aerobically
• Those dieters that lifted weights as well as doing aerobic exercise

Across-the-board, an average of 21 pounds lost by all of the dieters. However, the weightlifting women lost almost pure fat! The dieters who did not exercise, and those that only enjoyed aerobic exercise, saw 25% of their weight loss coming from muscle. Not good.

2 – You Will Have Stronger Bones

Image Source: depositphotos.com

Weight resistance training for 12 to 18 weeks delivers bone growth of 15% to 20%. 

Strength training with weights over time on a consistent basis makes your bones stronger and healthier. 

This is especially important for women, who suffer a naturally greater tendency for weaker bones and poorer bone density as they age.

3 – You Can Wear More Complementary Clothing

Image Source: depositphotos.com

We have already seen that weight training is an awesome fat burner. Between the ages of 30 and 50 women lose 10% to 20% of their muscle naturally. 

Your body weight usually goes up during this time, in the form of fat gain. 

A consistent weightlifting regimen helps you regulate a healthy waist size, keeping embarrassing fat from limiting your clothing choices.

4 – You Will Adopt a Nutritious Diet

For any number of reasons, it appears that women who work out with weights frequently often improve their diet as well. It just makes sense. 

When you see and feel yourself becoming stronger, looking sexier and burning fat, you want to keep the process going. 

Not only does your body burn more calories as a result of a weight training program, but you mentally find it much easier to stick to a nutritious diet when you like the way you look in the mirror.

5 – You Will Be More Successful, Productive and Happy

When women lift weights as a part of a healthy lifestyle, they burn a lot of fats. This makes them feel good about themselves, and exercise even triggers the release of "feel good" chemicals in your brain. 

As a result of looking and feeling great, you begin to fuel your body with healthy food as opposed to fast food, sugary sweets and processed garbage. All of these steps combine, making you a productive person because you have so much natural energy. 

This leads to success in all areas of your life, and what woman wouldn't be happy with that outcome?

The 4 Telltale Signs That You Are Working Out Too Hard

Healthy eating and exercising regularly are the two best things you can do to help you live a long and healthy life. Most of us concerned with our health closely watch what we eat, but we don't always recognize the less obvious signs that we are over-training.

We usually know these signs through:

1. Dehydration
2. Dizziness
3. Trouble breathing or maintaining a conversation
4. Disorientation, foggy mental processing
5. Rapid heart beat

But what about the less obvious ones?

Many dismiss these below four signs as nothing when in fact they are your body telling you something quite serious:

1) Withdrawal Symptoms

Exercising can be as addictive as drugs. About every 8 weeks or so, exercisers should take a week off for their body to recuperate and heal.

Image Credits: Depositphotos

If you find you cannot go that long without exercising and you start to experience withdrawal symptoms, you may be suffering from exercise addiction. Get some professional help.

2) Hormonal Imbalances

Overtraining in women can lead to hormone imbalances that manifest themselves in skipped periods. If you don't have a period for six months in a row, see a doctor as you might be suffering from amenorrhea that can be caused by excessive exercising.

Image Source: pinterest.com/fittabulous/fabulous-hiit-workouts/

High intensity exercising over a long period of time can also cause excess levels of cortisol in both sexes. Elevated levels of the "stress hormone" can manifest itself in decreased testosterone and a weakened immune system.

3) Weakened Immune System

Our immune systems are slightly depressed right after exercising, but soon recover. However, if you are over-training, your immune system stays depressed which increases your risk of getting sick more often than you should.

If you often experience flu-like systems, but don't develop the flu, it could be a sign you are over-training.

4) Chronic Fatigue

Are you always tired or getting progressively more tired as time goes on, even after your recovery period? It could be caused by over-training.

That is why fitness professionals recommend taking one week off of training approximately every two months.

If you are still chronically fatigued even after taking a week off, see your healthcare professional.

If you are training a lot, then you need to be especially vigilant for any of the above signs of over-training. Many can lead to serious health-related problems if not corrected quickly.

Don't be afraid to go to your healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment. 

Don't be a victim of your own training.

4 Small and Healthy Changes That Can Make a Big Difference

You may think that weight loss and getting healthy requires lots of sweat, pounding the pavement and a strict diet. 

If you need to lose a lot of weights or get into shape really fast, yes, taking extreme measures is best. 

However, if you know you need to make changes and find it difficult to stick to a grueling regimen, you can make small changes, over time, that add up to big results. 

Just by making a few small changes over the course of a few months or a year can help you lose a few pounds here and there without feeling deprived or like you're even trying.

Make Small Changes in Your Eating Habits

Many people have made minor changes in their diet and reaped significant rewards. 

If you change one unhealthy eating habit per month, by the end of a year you will have changed a major part of your diet and will see results in your weight. 

Even if you only lose one pound per month because of these changes, that equals twelve pounds lost per year without much effort.

Some people decide to give completely up sugar. That is a great goal and it should be done, but if you're struggling to stick to something so strict, try giving up one of your favorite snacks. 

Most people have several snacks they like and indulge in, like cookies and chips, or ice cream and candy bars. Try giving up one of those the first month. 

Maybe you'll give up chips the first month. Then you can give up cookies the next month. Don't deprive yourself, you can still enjoy your snacks once in awhile. The key is to give them up in your daily or weekly eating habits.

Are you addicted to carbs? Trying giving up a high carb dish the first month, something like potatoes or a pasta dish. You probably can't give them up entirely at first, but if you're prone to have a carb with every meal, start giving them up for at least one meal per day.

Small changes like this may not seem all that significant.  However, they do add up over time and it helps you stick to them when they are small, as opposed to trying to change your whole diet at once.

If coupled with an exercise routine or adding more exercise to your current program, that could make a big difference in the way you look and feel.

Make Small Changes in Your Exercise Routine

If you don't currently have a daily exercise routine, this is a great time to start. Simply doing five minutes a day is better than what you're doing now. Over time that will add up. Over the next twelve months, you can add five minutes per month to that. 

If you're in poor physical health, this is a very easy way to increase your time and stamina. In fact, you may be able to add those five minutes every two weeks as you improve by setting a goal of five minutes per day for the first month and adding five minutes to that each month. 

Within six months, you could be exercising for thirty minutes per day, which is the standard amount doctors and fitness experts recommend. By the end of a year, you could double that or you can stay at thirty minutes.

The point is to start doing something and increase your time slowly. This will make big changes in your physical health, endurance, and stamina, plus it will also help you lose a few pounds without having to jump into an extreme fitness regimen.

If you're already exercising, then start adding more time to your routine. Do this in small increments so it doesn't feel so much like work. If you currently work out for half an hour per day, by the end of six months you could be working out for an hour per day.

Make Small Changes in Your Mindset

Image source: freedomtoeatforever.com

Mindset is one of the key factors in anything you do, but it's especially important when it comes to healthy eating habits, weight loss, and fitness. You can't expect to change your whole way of thinking overnight, but you can start changing small things about the way you think and approach better health.

For example, instead of telling yourself you have to get through a grueling half hour workout today, simply tell yourself you only need to do five minutes, and then go do it. Chances are, at the end of that five minutes endorphins will start to kick in and you'll want to keep going. If not, then at least you've done five minutes and that's better than not doing any.

Another example is to tell yourself that snacking on fresh fruit is better and healthier than snacking on chips or candy. There will be times when you do choose the unhealthy snacks over a piece of fruit, but the more you tell yourself to keep making the better choice, the more you'll start sticking with it.

You do not need (or want) to tell yourself that you have to make all of these life changes at once. Start with small things and over time you will work on bigger things and your mindset will slowly change without as much struggle.

Keep Yourself on Track

Even making small changes can often seem like a major undertaking. Studies have proven time and

again that the best way to make progress with anything is to keep track of it. This is especially true when it comes to weight loss and fitness. 

People who track their eating habits and exercise habits get better results than those who don't. Why is this? Because those who track are more aware of their food intake and calorie output during exercise. By being aware, they know where they need to make changes. 

If they splurge and have a treat on Monday, they know to make better choices for the next week and often will add a few minutes to their daily exercise routine to counteract the extra calories consumed.

Losing weight and getting fit can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be. Decide you're going to make small changes over the next year instead of trying to change your whole lifestyle and eating habits overnight. 

This may not be the fast track to losing weight, but those small changes positively do.