I'm Back! Sorry Guys!

I have to apologize for being absent too long, due to personal issues. I still have things I have to take care of before I can get back to bloggin again.

Updates to come:

- Video blog by me showing you some workouts that anyone can do from home (save gas!)

- More info on the newest products from the best supplements in the industry

- Reviews on supplements, as well as diet tips

- Whatever comes up as I update the blog!

I'm about to order BSN's N.O Xplode with their new AVPT technology, and I'll give a review about it in my next post. I'll keep you posted!

Bodybuilding.com Announces Supplement Award Nominees for 2008!

This just in from Bodybuilding.com:

Boise, ID – June 22, 2008 – Bodybuilding.com announced their 2008 Supplement Award nominees today, recognizing industry leaders delivering high-quality, effective products. Leading the way with 20 nominations was BSN, followed by Universal with 16 nominations. Over 70 brands were nominated in all. Winners will be announced live on the 2008 Mr. Olympia Expo stage. This year’s Olympia Weekend will feature Mr. Olympia, Ms. Olympia, Fitness Olympia, Figure Olympia, and others. The event is scheduled for September 25–28 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“This award allows the customer to vote on which supplements they think are the highest-quality and most-effective in helping them achieve their shape and fitness goals,” said Ryan DeLuca, CEO of Bodybuilding.com. The nominees include leading products in each award category, selected from the 8,000+ products Bodybuilding.com carries. New this year, winners will be selected solely by votes of online visitors to Bodybuilding.com (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/supplementawardpage.htm). In past years, winners were determined 80% from the general public, 10% from industry experts, and 10% from Bodybuilding.com employees.

This year’s Bodybuilding.com Supplement Award categories are:
•Supplement Of The Year
•Brand Of The Year
•Muscle Builder Of The Year
•Fat Loss Product Of The Year
•Protein Powder Of The Year
•Creatine Product Of The Year
•Protein Bar Of The Year
•New Product Of The Year
•New Brand Of The Year
•Nitric Oxide Product Of The Year
•Glutamine Product Of The Year
•Multi-Vitamin Of The Year
•Joint Supplement Of The Year
•Energy Supplement Of The Year
•Best Labels Of The Year
•Best Ads Of The Year
•Tanning Product Of The Year
•Break-Out Brand Of The Year
•Best RTD Of The Year *NEW CATEGORY

Anyone can cast their vote for their favorite supplements at Bodybuilding.com. This is the company’s fourth year presenting the distinguished Bodybuilding.com Supplement Awards. Last year, a record 278,000 votes were cast, and plans are to surpass that number this year.

For more information visit: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/supplementawardpage.htm

Why It's Not A Good Idea To Eat Before Bed

I was just reading this post on this one blog and the author is telling me how I should always eat before bedtime. If you have the same train of thought as him and you think eating before you go to sleep is beneficial, I'm here to tell you why it's not! Without the research!

First off, you sleep to rest your body, recover your muscles, and let your brain cool off. And to do this, your body releases a chemical called melatonin, which calms the body. When you wake up the next day, you should feel energized and prepared for the day.

You eat because your body needs nourishment and more energy for optimal performance. To do this, your body increases metabolism to help digest the foods, giving you a little energy after each meal. Eat too much, and it will have the adverse effect, and you will get very lazy or sleepy. That's why it's better to eat up to six small meals a day - that helps keep your metabolism up throughout the day. You will still live if you skip one day without eating, but you will find that your brain cannot function as well, you will become tired, and you already know about the hunger pangs!

Should you have that leftover meatball sub before you hit the hay? Please don't! The problem with eating is that when you eat before bed time, your body will increase it's metabolism, while your brain is excreting melatonin, which is not a good combination to digest foods you ate. This can affect your sleeping habits over time, and promote obesity!

If you eat late at night, you're less likely to eat breakfast in the morning. And that is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast is the first meal you eat, so your body is in need of nourishment, and will absorb food the fastest in the morning. Eating before bed does not benefit you there.

Eating just before bed can cause psychological distress! Ok, so I checked out a magazine here. But there are some good points I want to share with you. Besides the fact that a midnight snack can disrupt your sleeping habits, you also may be suseptible to binge eating. Australian researchers found that many night eaters reported waking from sleep specifically to snack. Sleep is extremely important, and you need to get a good night's rest. But waking up at 3:00 am to go to the bathroom due to indigestion is not going to help you get some rest!

Last but not least... sleeping promotes obesity, like stated earlier. When you eat late at night, you're less likely to grab an orange or an apple to snack on, and more likely to grab a sandwich! When sleeping, the fats and carbs you consume are more likely to be stored as fat, not be burned as energy as that blog post claims.

But I know for some of you, it's not easy to pull out of this habit. Either you have a busy schedule or the hunger pangs are just killing you, and you need to eat something to satify your stomach. Remember miscellar casein protein? It's not a food you need to digest, it's a protein drink, a slow digesting protein drink, so you won't have to worry about indigestion. You're also feeding your muscles with protein, for up to 7hrs, so it helps build mass!

You might know what's coming up next - time to advertise! I myself drink casein protein, and it's helped me to pack on some mass (along with a brutal workout regimen and a good diet, but not great xD). I suggest reaching for a tub of 100% Casein instead of some leftover spaghetti and meatballs. Your mind and body will thank you for it!

Workout Motivation

I'm sure you've been swamped with bills that need to be paid. Whether it's a credit card payment, car insurance, rent/ mortgage bill, etc, you know that you need to pay them, preferably before it becomes late, or overdue. Not paying your bills can take a toll on your credit, but pay off all your fees before your past due date and your credit may rise. Simple and easy. But you have to work hard to make the payments on time. You have to focus on your financial goals.

This is pretty much the same with your physique. Dedication and concentration plus motivation will ensure you reach your goals, but this all means nothing without hard work. You can take these supplements displayed here... but they don't help much if you drink a whey protein shake and just sit on your ass all day. Neglect your body's needs, and it may take a toll on your mind (experiences of depression, diabetes, laziness, and other problems are associated with obesity, or eating unhealthy, over time). Train the body and the mind is at ease. You will gain confidence, and your health will improve, not to mention you will become increasingly stronger over time.

Your mind motivates your body. It's that point when you look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I need to start working out", that your mind makes the decision to tell you to get some exercise. It helps to be a little spontaneous at times and just get it done, but dwelling on the matter may deter you from accomplishing your goals. So think about it like this: You have to "work" to work out -- the harder you work, the better the pay.

Did you see that video to the right? Does that bodybuilder sound like the stereotypical meat head? He's pretty informative, huh? He might not know the secret to real estate investing, but he knows alot about bodybuilding. His muscle gains are attributed to his knowledge of improving the human physique.

All it takes is dedication, patience, and hard work, and you see and feel (and hear from your peers!) the benefits of exercise!

The Lemonade Diet?

I was doing some searching around on the latest fad diets, and I came across one called the Lemonade Diet. People are saying this is another way of losing weight via the Lemonade Diet. I'm not a positive testimony to that claim.

Years ago, I myself have done this "diet". I drank a bottle of Minute Maid Lemonade atleast once a day for it's antioxidant properties. I didn't have any knowledge about antioxidants at the time, but I felt that drinking alot of lemonade reduced your risk of sickness. And I barely got sick for that whole year. I didn't even get the flu during the winter, and that was a big deal, as I usualy did every year. I felt invincible to sickness. It was a good feeling.

Far as drinking lemonade to lose weight, I never lost an ounce of fat during my lemonade drinking days. The only benefit I got was not getting sick. I think one of the reasons why some feel it helps lose weight is because they reduce the total calories they eat in the day, substituting some meals with lemonade. I know lemonade can be beneficial, but not beneficial enough to be a good meal replacement. Actually, eating a small portion of meals up to six times a day can really help you lose weight and stay energized... but that's another story in the future.

Drinking lemonade can help your immune system, and provide antioxidants. But it's possible that your weightloss via the "Lemonade Diet" is probably due to a placebo effect. Like you think you have more energy, so you become more active.

Lesson of the day is: Diet's don't work, weight watcher's does! xD

Understanding Supplements

As you've noticed, there are some supplement pics here on this blog. I don't take everything I can get my hands on, but I do have a supplement stack that I take pre/post workout to optimize my experience in the gym. If you're sitting in the office and thinking about exercising, it would help alot have an understanding about supplement nutrition.

When most people think of supplements, the first thought that may come to mind is huge bodybuilders pumping steroids in their butt. Of course steroids are not a nutritional supplement. It's a drug.

This is my perspective on supplements. Many people today are not as active as they were in the past. It's for this reason that supplements come in handy for people who don't have the time to exercise regularly, or are not able to dedicate an hour to exercise. Because of today's technology, things are done the easy way-- and that may take a toll on your physique.

But you have to distinguish the definition of "supplement" and "drug". According to the Webster dictionary, the definition of the term "supplement" is: a product taken orally that contains one or more ingredients (as vitamins or amino acids) that are intended to supplement one's diet and are not considered food. The definition of the term "drug" is: a substance other than food intended to affect the structure or function of the body.

Most of you already take a number of drugs, but it's possible to replace some of those drugs with supplements as a healthier option, like cutting back on caffeine and taking more vitamin B12, for instance. The only problem is that the FDA does not evaluate most supplements. This may be because some supplement companies do not establish the daily value for their ingredients, or they may not have submitted an application for the FDA to approve of their formulas. So when in doubt, take a small dosage to ensure there are no side effects (diarrhea, cramps, nausea, etc).

Think of supplements as food extracts, because that's basically what it is. Ingredients like creatine and BCAA (branched chain amino acids) can be found in protein foods. Omega-3, which maintains your heart function, join flexibility and brain function, can be found in fatty fish. Antioxidants can be found in most fruits and vegetables. You get the point.

You don't really need supplements in order to achieve a strong physique. But without it you have to be on a strict diet and exercise 3-5 times a week, for longer than 30 min. Supplements can help you achieve your fitness goals alot faster, and in a healthier manner.