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!

Supplement Review: NO Shotgun

Bodybuilders throughout the nation know of this product. A matrix of N.O, creatine, protein, caffeine, and other ingredients really boost your effectiveness in the gym. I'm actually going to order another tub of it soon as payday arrives!

First time I tried this product, I was like, "Eh, not bad. Thought it was gonna taste like Garbage, but this is pretty good! Not as horrible as they say!". Soon as I hit the gym, I noticed I was more focused and warmer than I was 15min ago (if you buy a good NO product, you might feel a little warm when it kicks in, completely natural, as your veins are more vasodialated than before and blood is already rushing throughout your body). But it wasn't until I did bicep curls to failure when I noticed I did more than my usualy number and I wasn't even fatigued in the least bit! And the pumps... I still felt it about 2hrs after I left the gym that day! Very awesome supplement to try out - I highly recommend it!

What is N.O? It's a free form gas that is produced by the body to communicate with other cells in the body. To do this, the body breaks down the amino acid arginine. You can find out more on N.O here.

What does it do? Like stated earlier, it has an ingredient matrix comprised of N.O, creatine, caffeine, and proteins. So this product has various uses. If you want to lose weight, drink one serving 30min before you hit the treadmil, and you will notice your endurance is significantly improved. If you want to gain mass, drink a serving before workout and you will notice you can lift heavier (always make sure you have a spotter when doing so, just in case), or perform more reps per set. Need a quick wake-me-up? Drink one serving before you go to work, and you will be more focused and energetic!

You may want to take certain measures when drinking this product. It contains caffeine, so if you're sensitive, you may want to cut the serving size by half. Also, take too much N.O supplements at one time and you may experience diarrhea and nausea. If in doubt, it's always good to take a small serving and find your tolerance level for N.O products.

I've takin this product for over a couple months, and I haven't grown tolerant to it's effects so far. That happened with the NaNO x9. I had to up my dosage from the minimal dosage to the recommended dosage get the same effect. But NO Shotgun is pretty effective. I would recommend it to men who are seeing small gains in the gym, or have reached a plateau in their training. I don't know it's effects on women, so I can't recommend it to them as of right now. Haven't found an N.O product for the ladies neither, so if you find one, let me know!

What separates this product from the others? It's effectiveness. It is not a placebo effect taking over your body when you use this stuff. You really feel the pumps, you really see the veins, and in time, you will undoubtly notice results sooner than if you didn't take anything at all! A rival supplement in the NO category so far is NO Xplode. That one also gets good reviews, but I hear people have gotten jittery after taking it. Or the pump doesn't last as long. There is maybe a 25:75 ratio of bad reviews to good reviews on NO Xplode. For NO Shotgun, the ratio might be 10:90. Barely anyone makes a bad review about this product, except for its bad taste. I don't think it's that bad.

Fortunately, VPX has come out with a reformulated product that should give the same results that's a little easier on the palate. In fact, I've heard it tastes better than Kool-Aid! xD

A Great Supplement Stack For: Beginners

If you're just starting a workout program, and you haven't exercised in awhile, you know what the next day has in store for you: sore muscles. And if you don't eat healthy, you'll barely notice any results. But I know it's hard to stay on a strict diet... and that's where supplements come in. 

Diet and exercise are the two most important things you have to work on to get results. And that takes time; you may not even notice the small gains you get for months of hard work (depending on the individual, of course)! Supplementation is being proved time and time again to get results faster, and in a healthier fashion, because most of the supplements out there are natural. Like, if a bodybuilder says they're natural, it doesn't mean they don't take anything at all (they may supplement with creatine, whey protein and/or other supplements), it just means they don't use testosterone boosters or steroids, which is a drug. 

In the sidebar to the right, you'll find a stack that I recommend for beginners. This should benefit anyone, of all types and genders. And here's why:

1. Soy Protein - A great alternative for those who are lactose intolerant. Provides protein, as well as antioxidants and amino acids. It's also fat free, and usually has less calories than whey protein.
2. Multi Vitamin - Because of... you guessed it: vitamins! Everybody that is looking to stay healthy needs to take a multi everyday, to ensure that the body performs at it's best, plus, you don't want to be found deficient in any of the essential vitamins and minerals. Especially vitamin C, which can cause scurvy!
3. Fish Oil - Very important to the novice bodybuilder, but really benefits everyone! Fish oil has a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids, which promotes a healthy cardiovascular system, and supports long-term cardiovascular health! Also supports brain health, optimum cognition and thinking, in addition to supporting normal moods. I've just found a new product from Optimum Nutrition, called Salmon Oil Softgels (very original name, huh?)

A great way to optimize your perfomance in the gym (or the house, wherever you choose to exercise!), these supplements cover all your bases for your short-term and long-term goals. These products are also cost effective, only about $33.47 (excludes s&h) total!

So why not give it a shot? Your body will thank you for it!