Thursday, July 31, 2008

What are Healthy Bacteria Probiotics?

Probiotics have become increasingly popular especially as people are living longer and the stress that Americans put on their bodies. Probiotics are living healthy bacteria that are essential microorganisms found in your digestive system. Probiotics have been labeled "good bacteria" or "friendly bacteria" as not to confuse with most people's idea that all bacteria are harmful to your health. You many not know that probiotics are found in the food we eat.

There are many reasons why probiotics are paramount for healthy living. First, probiotics support the prevention of illness that attacks many American's immune systems. Second, probiotics restore the healthy bacteria (flora) back into your gut for optimal digestive functioning. Also, probiotics have bring the body back into balance from stress, poor diet choices, and physical activity.

Probiotics by definition are "live microorganisms, which, administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host." When looking at probiotics, it is important to understand that there are many different strains of probiotics needed for optimal health. Some of the top products on the market have over 16 active stains of different probiotics in their supplement formulations. Each strain plays an active role in your digestive and overall health.

Probiotics are not prebiotics which are non-digestible food substances that enhance the functioning of healthy microorganisms already found in your colon. Probiotics and prebiotics work together in your digestive system in a synergistic relationship.

One of the more common ways for people to get all the different strains of probiotics that they need is through high quality supplements. Probiotics can also be found in yogurt, certain milk products, miso, soy milk products, and tempeh. New, products have probiotics fortified during the preparation period when not found originally with the product.

Probiotics are made up of the good bacteria in your gut. Most probiotics come from two different groups of probiotics called Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium. One of the most common probiotics is Lactobacillus acidophilus which is one of many different strains of probiotics. Some other probiotics like Saccharomyces boulardii are yeasts and not bacteria.

Stress, poor diet choices, physical activity, and the medications we take all reduce the number of healthy bacteria or probiotics in our digestive system. Your body is at risk for illness, digestive functioning issues, and reduced effectiveness of your immune system when probiotic levels are low in your gut. This is the main reason why probiotics have become popular in reason years, as almost all Americans found into at least one category for why probiotic levels can be low.


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Friday, July 11, 2008

Periodization Training: A Body Building Perspective

If you divide your yearly training into phases or cycles, you'll maintain a better mental outlook, more motivation and your body will also respond better physiologically.

The first phase of training is the one that builds muscle size and pre-orients your muscles to be geared up (condition-wise) to go for strength and power which will theoretically allow you to even add more muscle size. Plus, you will condition your tendons and joints to handle the stresses of heavier weights to come.

It is recommended that you do 6-15 reps per set for size with the great majority of reps falling somewhere from 8-12 reps. Try 3-4 heavier "work" sets after a systemic warm-up plus 2-3 warm-up weight sets per exercise. As you might note, so far this sounds pretty much like a standard common sense bodybuilding workout.

The strength and power phases are next. This will be another 8-week cycle. To develop strength and power, the greatest athletes in the world generally work with 2-6 reps. Since we are geared to bodybuilders we adjust this slightly and in this phase, we advocate 4 - 5 sets of 5 - 7 reps. Here is how this cycle works. We'll use our previous example for the Bench Press where you ended Phase 1 at 235 for 10 reps. Do an active system warm-up, then with weights 95 x 10 and 155 for 10. On your final warm up set do 205 for 6.

Then go to your "target weight" which is actually only 10-lbs. above the weight you ended up at sets of 10 in your first phase. So, start at 245-lbs. x 3 sets of 5-6 reps. You are leaving yourself some extra so you continue to gain positively all the way through the cycle.

In physics, work is a measure of force and distance. (w = f x d). Power means doing a specified amount of work per unit time. If you can move mass M over distance D in 10 seconds and then (after training) move the same mass M the same distance D, but do it in 5 seconds, you are twice as powerful!

Our experience has been to spend a maximum of four weeks in the power phase and to use 2 -3 reps in benches and deadlifts, 3 - 4 reps in the squats and bent-over rows, and 5 - 6 reps for all other exercises. Again, follow your 2-3 warm-ups, and 3 power work sets and then do a down set of 10 reps with about 70% of your target weight, just as you did in the strength phase.

Phase 4 is the rest cycle, a must for great results and essential for building strength and lean mass. Be sure to add about a week of rest into your online workout program, about 1 week every 12. You'll love the way you feel afterwards!


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