TIPS TO CREATE A HEALTHY, MUSCULAR BODY

Never Starve Yourself - When you reduce your caloric intake below your basal (essential calories) metabolic rate, you may sacrifice lean muscle tissue, not to mention lessen your mental precision. Muscle and Fat both contain energy stores, but muscle is used first because it contains glycogen, the body’s preferred fuel, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and water. Fat, on the other hand, has minimal water, no amino acids, vitamins, minerals or glycogen. So, if you neglect to nourish yourself, your body will get the nutrients it needs without your approval, even though you hope it chooses fat for fuel.

Eat Protein, Complex and Fibrous Carbohydrates together – Proteins are eggs, dairy products, meats, fish and chicken. Complex carbohydrates are potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal and high grain pasta. Fibrous carbohydrates are fruits and veggies. Eating this way will maintain steady energy levels and supply your body with a regular store of amino acids and glucose, which support lean muscle tissue. The fiber provides vitamins, minerals and helps with elimination.

Practice cardiovascular exercise in the morning – Just 20 minutes immediately upon rising and before eating breakfast is very effective. More than exercising for an hour later in the day. The fact of the matter is after fasting all night, your blood sugar level is very low. When you exercise with an empty stomach your body uses fat for energy during the session.

Plan your meals in advance – People today are busier than ever to cooked healthy food on a daily basis. Select one night during the week to cook your meals for the week and freeze them. Also, leave some in the refrigerator for quick snack.

Snack repeatedly & intelligently – Eating often has been shown to increase ones metabolism. But choosing certain foods has even greater benefits. Fat requires your body to burn approximately 1% of the calories to process it. Complex carbs require about 10% and Protein a whopping 20 – 25%. Complex carbs are also a good choice because they enter the blood stream slower than refined sugars. If the energy is in excess of what your body needs, then the surplus will be stored as fat

Cheat Day – You deserve to treat yourself to the foods you’ve avoided to reach your goals, but only once a week. You may learn however, that by following these tips, you may not craze the "cheat foods." As long as you have maintained good discipline six days per week, you may indulge on the seventh.

Eat Six Meals Daily – This practice prevents low blood sugar, which contributes to ravaging food once its available. Also, energy levels remain stable, which promotes a healthy metabolism. Best, this supply’s your body with the nourishment it needs after a strenuous weight training session and helps prevent cravings, especially those strong impulses to eat in the evening.

Eat whole food meals consisting of Protein, Complex Carbohydrates and Fibrous Carbohydrates. One option, which has become very popular and convenient are meal replacements. These are good sources of "Emergency Food" which can be carried with you anywhere. All you need is water.

Avoid Saturated Fats – Eating saturated fat can raise Cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is found in animal products and has nothing to do with the fat content of food. Some foods are high in Cholesterol and low in fat like Shell-fish.

When you eat Dietary Fat, the body can convert it into Bodyfat very easily. However, if you were to ingest a Carbohydrate, it causes your body to work harder to process, thus burning more calories. To process Fat, your body will burn 1% – 2% of the calories ingested. To process, Carbohydrates is 10% and Protein, 20% - 25%. So you see, not all calories are treated equally.

Portions – Counting calories can be difficult for some and time consuming as well. One method that may help is to use your fist to measure the amount of food item per meal. Therefore, each meal should contain one portion (fist) of Protein, one portion (fist) of Carbohydrates, and one portion (fist) of Fibrous Carbohydrates.

Increase Muscle Growth – The benefits of gaining muscle are more than just strength performance and appearance, but muscle increases your metabolism. Muscle demands more of your calories to survive. On the other, Fat does not need any calories to function. It just exists, taking up space in your body, waiting to be used for fuel. Therefore, the more muscle you have the calories you burn. You can eat more and worry less about gaining fat. Also, maintain high levels Protein ingestion to avoid muscle loss. If you weigh 150 pounds, then ingest 150 grams of Protein per day. Measure one gram of Protein per pound of your bodyweight, then divide by six (meals per day).

Avoid Carbohydrates before training – Before you can burn fat, it must be released first. Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred fuel. If you’re always eating Carbohydrates, your body will primarily use them. Train two - three hours after your last meal or train in the morning upon rising. Eat Carbohydrates after your workout for recovery, it assists in the transport of protein to repair the tissue you work during you session.

Maintain Training as a Lifestyle – Starting a new program sometimes can be a pain – literally. Therefore, avoid long periods of inactivity and enjoy the benefits of a high quality of life in health and fitness.