Congratulations to you if you have taken the first step to beginning a new diet and exercise program. For many, the hardest part is admitting there is a need for this and then the second hardest part is taking that first step to begin such a program. However, you will encounter challenges to wellness that come from beyond your own resistance.  It is the commonly accepted ideas about diet and training that can and will mislead you and before long only add frustration with a lack of progress to all your hard work and effort. It is these very myths that we want to challenge so that your health and wellness plan can be on the right path. Deborah Siscoe identifies the six most common myths about diet and training programs and they are listed below. 

1. Machines are safer then free weights.

With machines the path of the movement is guided by the machine. Safer, right? Wrong! Machines target one specific muscle(s) at the expense of stabilizing muscles. What’s wrong with that you ask? Well, when one muscle becomes stronger it requires a host of other muscles to work in concert in order to stabilize the movement. Your body is designed to work as a whole unit, not in isolation. With this in mind it’s logical to conclude that machines actually create weakness in some muscles. Machines have multiple fixed positions. I have a saying: “In life there is one fixed position, the ground.” If you make an instinctive sudden move or are shoved unexpectedly it’s these stabilizers that are recruited to equalize in that situation. If the stabilizers are not recruited then injury is much more likely, as the dominant muscle is not supported. Always remember, the majority of injuries from faulty training occur out of the gym, often years later due to dominate muscles creating faulty movement patterns.

2. You can get rid of fat on a part of the body by working that part of the body.

Sorry, it’s not that simple. In the industry we call this “spot reduction” and its a billion dollar industry, folks, that is built on lies. Each person is genetically wired to put fat on in certain areas. Fat acts a little bit like employment practices at most companies; ‘last hired, first fired’. Basically you’re likely to lose fat the last place it was put on. To burn fat, you need to create a workout that includes both cardiovascular and strength-training elements. This will decrease your overall body fat content. In fact, if you focus more on the strength training elements you will lose more fat. A little less focusing on magazine covers of obsessive-compulsive fitness models and little more acceptance that you are human, will go a LONG way.

3. Crunches are the best exercise to get a six pack.

This one is completely covered in myth no. 2, so I’ll address another misconception here. Namely, the myth that a big, solid “six pack,” or rectus abdominis, means a strong core. Sorry, that muscle may be the one that gets the most recognition and coverage in photos and magazine covers but it’s a bit down the list of important muscles in the ‘core’. The rectus abdominis primary function is bending forward, or put another way it brings the rib cage closer to the pelvis. Now think, how often do you need to do that? Sure, sometimes, but no where near the amount of time most spend training this muscle. The more important muscles of the core provide the strength and stability for twisting, pushing and pulling. Do your research and get a qualified fitness instructor to show you the right way and look forward to a strong, stable, injury free future.

4. Low calories diets are best to lose weight.

If you limit caloric intake you will lose weight; we call it creating a caloric deficit. Let’s look at what “weight” is. In this case it is muscle mass and body fat with the muscle more likely to be sacrificed as the body is a very smart machine. When you radically restrict calories your body goes into a high stress mode. It thinks you are in a state of FAMINE. Genetically, our bodies want to survive and the best way to do this is by SAVING BODY FAT. Yes, the weight you do lose is likely to be at least as much muscle as fat. Beyond that, every time you crash diet and gain that weight back the weight that does come back is fat. I’m sorry folks but it gets worse, much worse. Crash dieting can damage your hypothalamus adrenal, and thyroid axis. Okay, I may have lost you there, that’s a big long fancy term for hormone regulation. It’s this regulation that controls how you store and lose body fat. I tell my clients we get healthy to lose weight, we don’t lose weight to get healthy.

5. Fruit juice is a health food.

The number of clients I meet who can’t lose weight but think they should be, as they are having their daily fruit juice (but Nick, it’s freshly squeezed). Sorry people but fruit is nature’s candy and as such should be limited to a treat, just like any candy or desert. Having said that I would much rather you have a fresh fruit juice than a soda due to the fact that fresh juice does have beneficial enzymes. Fruit juices that sit on the shelves and in fridges of supermarkets are no better than sugar water with some Vitamin C. All the enzymes are dead.

6. Lifting weights makes women bulky.

Sorry, gaining bulk (muscle mass) is a male thing due to the hormone testosterone. Female testosterone levels are much lower than that of men, so in most cases, females are not capable of building large muscles. Both men and women have testosterone and estrogen (the female equivalent of testosterone), but they exist in different ratios. Often women try weight training and give up immediately because the think they were getting bulky when in reality all it is is muscle soreness that made them feel that way. There are rare cases where women have high levels of testosterone but even in these cases the right weight and rep selection will eliminate bulking up. It is ideal to have more muscle mass for fat loss. The bigger the engine in a car the more fuel it burns; the bigger the muscles the more fuel they use. Ideally, the fuel comes from fat if you are training properly. Strong, stable muscles are essential to long term injury prevention.

by Deborah Siscoe

Original article source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deborah_Siscoe

Recovery and post workout rest is an important part of muscle building! Your body goes through cycles and without understanding these cycles, you are likely not to gain the muscle growth that you could be. Skinny to muscle can be accomplished through a positive cycle of diet, exercise and rest.

So how much post workout recovery is enough? That’s the important question to ask. Knowing how much can be tricky for those skinny guys looking to muscle up! Hitting the gym is easy when we feel good, and this often leads to the non-rest cycle that creates setbacks. Here are a few tips that will help you with setting up your recovery, post workout!

• Understanding that your workout should be very similar to how long you rest. This is especially true when you have had a particularly intense workout. Remember if you are pushing those muscles hard, they need longer to recover from the stress. The body must have time to heal those tiny little tears as well as build a bigger, stronger muscle! Hard workouts should rest 2-3 days while less intense can be conducted every other days!

• Without fail, a solid night of rest. Most people needs about 8 hours of sleep to heal recover and rejuvenate properly. While some people can get by on 6 hours, try 8 for fun! It really makes a different in your recovery post workout and muscle growth process. The amount of sleep you get and when you get it is also important. Also turn the cell phone and computer off, uninterrupted sleep is beneficial not waking up every hour to take phone calls!

Gaining mass for hardgainers involves a lot more than just rest and post workout recovery though. You need to strictly adhere to certain nutritional guidelines and you also need to know the best ways to workout for maximum muscle gain.

So if you have the desire to get built and have that muscular body that turns heads everywhere you go you need to understand these things in detail. If not you may walk into the traps many skinny guys fall for and end up with no muscle mass to speak of!

by James Mclain

Edited by Admin.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Mclain

With our busy lives these days we are more apt to dine out, pick up take out food, or have food delivered to us. The problem is we are not aware of the calories and fat we are consuming when we continually eat food other than what we, ourselves have prepared.

The average dinner meal at a restaurant is 1200 calories, and 60 grams of fat. Men should not have more than 70 grams of fat a day, and women 40 grams of fat a day. One meal alone can make up one whole days worth of fat (especially when you have a beer with your meal). If you do find a meal that is low in fat, make sure you do not consume such a large serving that you eat more calories than you should.

There are restaurants out there that do have meals considered lower in fat and calories. If you do not see it on the menu ask your server for the information. Remember low carb is not low-fat. When you are eating a low–carb meal out at a restaurant you are usually eating high-fat. Make sure you do not take in more than 20 grams of fat in a meal. Below is a list of restaurants and Fast Food places that offer low-fat meals.

RESTAURANTS:

Applebee’s
California Pizza Kitchen
Claim Jumper
Chili’s
Macaroni Grill
T.G.I. Friday’s
Mimi’s Café
Outback Steakhouse
Tony Roma’s

FAST FOOD:

Arby’s
Burger King
Carls Jr./Hardee’s
Chick-Fil-A
Jack In The Box
Mc Donald’s
Subway
Wendy’s
KFC

We use food as an important part of our cultural and social lives to connect with one another. We also use it as a comfort when we have had a bad day, a bad week, a bad month, or a bad year. Reducing the foods we do not need helps us stay healthy in mind and body. (And when you can cut your calories considerably, then you can have the beer with your meal and not worry about the calories.)

Remember, even though we are overwhelmed, stressed out and tired, we must make healthy decisions when it comes to what we eat. Trans fat, found in most cooking oils in restaurants- is the worst kind of fat you can put in your body. It increases the level of blood fat called triglycerides, and has even been found to contribute to insulin resistance, which raises the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Children as young as 10 years old are developing heart disease and diabetes. Set an example for your children and ensure you both will live long, healthy lives.

If you’re currently not eating a healthy diet, it can be difficult to start such a plan. However, healthy eating along with some exercise is very important for maintaining a good bodily function and goes a long way towards living a disease-free life. If you struggle with healthy eating, then you know that breaking unhealthy habits can be the most difficult part of the process. Therefore, if you truly want to live the best lifestyle possible, it is important to follow tips in order to start eating a more healthy diet.

A great first step when you want to start eating your way to a healthy life style is to rid your home of all temptations that will distract you from following better eating habits. Ideally it would be a wise course to keep junk foods and beverages out of your house so as not be tempted to snack during the day. If you’re worried about getting hungry, keep healthy snacks like carrot sticks, yogurt, fresh fruit, or whole-wheat crackers on hand. If you find that you just cannot bear to toss out the sweets, try keeping something tiny on hand, peppermints or barley sugar. Eating a few, (emphasis on few) of these won’t ruin your diet but also will give you that little sugary fix you rave.

Another great step to healthy eating, when you’re first starting the process, is to take a few moments to learn what foods are the healthiest for you and how they work within the body. To start eating healthily we must begin by thinking healthily. Most people understand that fruits, vegetables, and low-fat meats and dairy products are good for you, but few people understand why. The key is learning about nutrients. When you understand how specific nutrients work and why you need them, it becomes more reasonable for you to make healthier choices for your body. Knowledge really is power!

Preparation is a major key in commencing a new healthy diet. You must take into consideration your schedule for meals. If you often eat in a rushed hurry at odd times of day, you probably more inclined to grab a rushed meal which will probably do more harm than good. So plan ahead! Instead of grabbing a fast food lunch on the go, take a bagged lunch to work, complete with a healthy wrap and some fresh fruit and vegetables. Remember not to forget your evening meal, a simple plan to have a meal ready before you get home would be perfect, but in our fast paced life style, sometimes this just can’t be done. One way to solve this problem is to plan out your evening meals for the week, on your days off. Perhaps just before you do your weekly shopping. Another warning: when going to the shops, do not venture their hungry because if you’re anything like me, one or two chocolate bars won’t hurt! That becomes the first break in your healthy eating.

Initially many will find it very difficult to make those necessary changes to healthier eating. Along with the difficulty of change, you may not feel well for a short period of time. Usually this is normal as your body is adjusting to your new and improved life style and is cleansing itself from the unhealthy toxins built up from poor eating habits. However if this feeling continues or you are worried a visit to your doctor would be the correct thing to do.

Start with baby steps. Even if you only replace one soda a day with a glass of water, you are really improving your calorie intake. If you eat fast food every day for lunch, try replacing that half of the time with better quality foods. When you start by taking small steps you aren’t cutting out all of the foods you love all at once. By taking your time to learn about your eating habits and slowly replacing them with better meals, by taking the time to learn and understand why you should be doing that and making the necessary changes in an orderly fashion, you will feel much better within yourself physically, mentally and emotionally and well on the road to becoming as healthy as you can become.