Health and Fitness Tips

Running or Walking, Which is Better?

2007-09-14T11:56:00.000-05:00

Seeing a jogger on your early morning commute to work is quite common. Early birds often get up with the sun and start their day with a nice run to get their muscles going for the long day ahead. However, is this the best approach to getting your morning exercise?

When you run, each step you take puts a huge amount of pressure on your joints--specifically the hips, knees, and ankles. Over time, this can really take a toll. The weight from bouncing up and down when walking causes faster wear on the structures and cartilage between the joints.

Perhaps a better way to obtain your morning workout is walking. Brisk walking is much, much easier on the joints and actually tightens and tones your muscles more than running or jogging. Fast walking can be also be safer, in addition, than running because you will be able to slow down faster than if you were racing down the sidewalk and something (or someone) ran in front of you!

But then, running does have its benefits. Running will generally cause your heart to work harder, providing a better cardio workout. However, is this worth it at the expense of your joints?

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Aerobic Exercise is Necessary for Building Muscle

2007-09-14T09:14:00.000-05:00

Just as the title says, aerobic exercise is necessary for building muscle. If you want to build muscle properly and completely, you must practice a number of different aerobic exercises alongside your anaerobic (weightlifting) ones. Aerobic exercises strengthen the heart and tone the muscles.

Some examples of aerobic exercises include swimming, jogging, and bike riding. These are all heart-intense activities and are great for your body, and at the same time fun to do. Swimming is favorite of mine, and is appreciated on a hot summer day when other exercises aren't a good idea.

A balance of aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise will help keep your body in tip top shape for building muscle and toning your body. It is important to alternate your exercise activities, for example doing weightlifting one day, then the next day going for a jog.

You do not want to overtire your muscles by exercising the same ones two days in a row. When you exhaust your muscles from weightlifting, they need to go through a recovery so that they can be returned to their original state, plus built up as a result of being used. If you do not allow them this recovery time, it will be hard on your muscles, even injure them.

And, as always, you want to provide your body with nutrients whenever you exercise. Taking a protein bar or granola bar while you go out for a run will be a big help. Drinking sufficient amounts of water is also necessary to keep the body hydrated, as you absolutely will sweat and lose water fast. You can't build muscle if you're dehydrated!

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Raw Eggs, Are They Good or Bad?

2007-09-13T22:27:00.000-05:00

If you know any bodybuilders, you may have noticed them drinking raw egg white. A cousin of mine is heavily into bodybuilding and competing, and he consumes over a dozen eggs per day. He almost always has a gallon jug of egg whites with him to drink out of. Is this a good or a bad idea?

I personally think it is a very unwise thing to do. To me, the chance of getting severely sick from salmonella or some other foodborne illness is just too great. And, it is not the greatest thing for your body. Even though there is no egg yolk, it still isn't a wise thing to do, and there are other alternatives to drinking raw eggs.

In an earlier post I mentioned drinking whey protein. This is a much safer alternative to egg white when trying to build muscle. You don't have to worry about foodborne illness, and it is easier on your body. Not to mention that it tastes better than a glob of slimy egg white sliding down your throat!

Also, you can get a healthy amount of protein from nuts. This is a favorite way of mine to get my share of protein from nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and pecans, which especially have high amounts of protein that will help build and strengthen muscle. One thing I like to do is get the low-salted or no-salted mixed nuts in the can, or a healthy trail mix. I thoroughly enjoy trail mix with raisins and other dried fruit mixed with nuts. That way, you can get your servings of protein plus a healthy dose of vitamins, antioxidants, and other great things found naturally in fruit!

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Whey Protein -- A Great Protein Source

2007-09-13T21:39:00.000-05:00

You may or may not have heard of whey protein. Whey protein is a product that is made from dairy. It is the same protein that is in milk and yogurt. What companies have done is extract this protein from dairy products, concentrate it, an made it into a form that can be put into foods in your daily diet.

Whey protein can be drunk right before or right after a workout to provide your muscles with the nutrients they need to build and develop. Whey protein is absorbed by the body very quick, it only takes a short amount of time, minutes even, for the body to absorb it while in the stomach.

This means that it is not beneficial, it is even worthless, to drink it a long amount of time before or after your workout, because it will just pass through the body. If you body doesn't need it, then it will simply pass through without any benefit to you.

When drinking whey protein, it is popular to mix it with milk. It tastes like a milkshake (especially if you buy chocolate flavor) and is quite tolerable. Some people also mix it with water, although I personally think that has a bad taste. Others recommend mixing it with yogurt.

Of course, you can always experiment until you find something to mix it in that you like!

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Weightlifting the Correct Way

2007-09-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

Weightlifting is a necessary aspect of building muscle mass. When beginning weightlifting you absolutely MUST begin at a pace suited to your current body condition. For example, if you aren't used to exercise, you should begin with a weight that you can comfortably handle. That means that on your first visit to the gym you shouldn't try the 300 pound squats. You WILL seriously hurt yourself if you do this.

Also, before you even attempt lifting any weights, you should properly stretch your muscles so that they will be at their maximum potential and they will be much less likely to be injured. Cold muscles are like a cold rubber band, they do not stretch when they are cold, and if you pull them too hard they will snap. However, if they are warmed up properly, they will be able to work harder without injury.

To avoid injuring yourself, you should stretch the muscles and warm them up. To do this, simply stretch, and hold this position for about five seconds, and then release. Standing, and reaching for the ceiling as hard as you can, then touching your toes (the floor if you can) without bending your knees will properly stretch your chest, back, arms, and calf muscles so that you will be able to work them. There are other exercises such as squats and stretching your arms in multiple directions that will condition you for your workout.

Once you are properly warmed up, you can begin your workout. Also, with this, you must start out warm then work your way up. You will want to start with a small weight, then move upward until you get to a challenging one. This also will save your muscles from damage and will get the maximum potential out of them.

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A Good Diet for Building Muscle

2007-09-13T20:39:00.000-05:00

When you want to build muscle, you must eat a proper diet. A complete, balanced diet will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to grow and accommodate the expansion of muscles so that you can achieve that Michelangelo-sculpted body you've always dreamed about.

A proper diet will consist of a balance of the recommended servings of each of the food groups, with an emphasis on protein-based foods. Building muscle requires a massive amount of protein, as protein is the main cornerstone for developing muscle.

Protein can be obtained from several different foods, so you don't have to eat something you don't like! It can be found in numerous vegetables, meats, fish, and also can be obtained in drinks such as milk, and other dairy products such as yogurt and cheese. There is also a product called whey protein, which comes in powder form and can be mixed into any of your favorite drinks (healthy ones though!), water, fruit smoothies, or just about anything else.

For meats, lean meats are the best way to go. Poultry such as chicken and turkey are among the best. One of my favorites is turkey pepperoni, it is much lower in fat and is overall healthier than pork pepperoni. It also is higher in protein, so it will benefit your muscle building much more.

Fish is also a great source of nutrients. Tuna is a favorite among many bodybuilders. Salmon and walleye are a couple others. Be sure, however, that you do not eat them deep-fried, as that will be detrimental to your body, and will affect your gaining of muscle mass.

Protein can also be found in many vegetables, so you do not have to eat meat constantly. I personally think that it is not healthy to eat meat constantly, and a good amount of vegetables is necessary to build muscle properly.

Leafy green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and romaine lettuce are great for building a healthy body. Have you ever seen the show Popeye? There is some truth to his having massive muscles from eating spinach. :)

And, as I said earlier, there also are protein-concentrated products that can be mixed into a milkshake-like drink, or into any food. One of my favorites is chocolate-flavored. It is easy to mix and can be drunk just after or right before a work out.

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Building Muscle the Safe Way

2007-09-13T20:23:00.000-05:00

Building muscle is often a frustrating process, however this is often due to lack of patience. Many people believe that they can achieve bodybuilder status within a very short amount of time--like immediately.

As nice as this would be, it is not so. Building muscle takes a LOT of hard work, and a carefully planned diet and schedule. In order to build muscle, you must:

Work hard
Eat right
Be consistent with your workouts
Educate yourself

Eating right can be a tough decision when building muscle. We live in a society plagued with unhealthy fast food, candy, and a number of other things that are detrimental to the body and do not contribute to muscle building. If you want to build a sculptured body, you absolutely MUST avoid eating these things. There is nothing in them at all that will help you reach your goals.

The best diet for building muscle is one high in protein. Protein is the foundation for muscle building and is the primary building block. Protein can be obtained from eating high-protein foods such as lean meats, fish, dark green vegetables such as spinach, raw nuts such as walnuts, unsalted peanuts, and pecans, and beans. A proper balance of these things with also healthy servings of fruits and grains will make your body happy and will help your body have the nutrients it needs for muscle building.

Also, no matter how healthy of a diet you have, you cannot build muscle without exercise. Do not listen to those infomercials that promote a "magic pill" to effortlessly get a perfectly sculpted body. It just isn't possible. To build muscle properly you need to exercise regularly, eat healthfully, and be consistent. If you do this, you will succeed.

And finally, to educate you must learn everything you can about fitness and muscle building. Knowledge is power, the key to success. The more you learn, the more you will be able to apply what you know to yourself so that you can achieve your goals and be fit and healthy. A great site to learn more about fitness and muscle building is this one.

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