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Archive for October 2011

Calipers can help you on your way to a beautiful body.

23/10/2011 by admin.

Do you want to change your body shape? Maybe you want to lose weight or develop more muscle mass? Maybe you’d like both. Whatever your goal, all bodybuilding or weight loss programs are going to take time, so a great way to start is by drawing up a fitness plan.

1. Set a healthy and achievable target weight with a shape up routine that can be easily maintained.

Don’t aim for an unrealistic or unhealthy body shape. Severely underweight people are certainly not healthy. At the other end of the scale, even the most shredded muscular physique cannot be maintained indefinitely.

2. Use body fat calipers to work out your fat and lean body mass ratio or perhaps ask your gym to measure you.

A great way to get your exercise program off on the right foot is to get a set of body fat calipers. This instrument measures your body fat and lean muscle mass ratio. It is important to have an accurate measurement of your fat / lean muscle ratio from the very beginning of your program, rather than relying on the bathroom scales.

Scales are inaccurate because they do not let you know if you have replaced body fat with lean muscle. They give you the same reading regardless of dramatic changes in your body. You may have reduced body fat but replaced that weight with lean muscle. Unfortunately, your bathroom scales are unable to detect that difference. If you attend a gym you could ask them to do this measurement for you, as they will have the correct instruments. When you are training you need motivators to keep you on course. body fat calipers allow you to see any results immediately helping you stay on track.

Check your progress on a monthly basis. This will allow you to see any changes and plot progress. Don’t check yourself any more than this as there are natural changes in the body throughout a period of a month, depending on whether you are retaining water, perhaps from food you have eaten. It is best for females to check themselves after their period has finished due to water retention. Try to stick to the same part of the month when you record your fat/lean muscle mass ratio.

3. Measure four folds of skin with your body fat calipers and work out your body fat/lean muscle percentage by using the table provided with them.

Body fat calipers measure the thickness of a fold of skin. There are 4 places on the body where a measurement should be taken, because of where these places are someone else can help you do this. They are,

· Centre of the back of arm (the triceps)

· Centre of the front of arm (the bicep)

· The back, just below the shoulder blade at a 45% angle.

· The waistline between the hipbone and the naval horizontally.

By recording your fat/lean muscle ratio regularly you can see positive changes in your body that you wouldn’t normally be seen with a set of weighing scales. 4. Work out a diet plan. Remember, you don’t have to starve, just eat the right foods.

5. Work out an exercise routine incorporating stretches, a cardiovascular routine and weight training for all the muscles.

6. Check your improvements on a monthly basis, no more than this. It will encourage you on when you start to lose heart or waver.

7. Stick to it, even if you have a bad few days just start again and you’ll soon be looking and feeling fantastic.

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The Health Benefits of Cacao Powder

11/10/2011 by admin.

The seed of the cacao tree, the cacao bean, has had a lot of attention recently due to its apparent health benefits. This sweet tooth alternative is the new super-super food of choice, as it is a fantastic alternative for chocolate lovers and health advocates alike.

Cacao beans are grown and cold pressed. The cacao butter oil is removed after pressing and the cacao cake-like residue is ground into a fine powder.

The powdering process is ‘undertaken in a controlled environment ensuring the temperature remains low, therefore maintaining the nutritional potency. In fact processing Cacao in this way actually increases the health benefits up to 33%.’ - Creative Nature.

Cacao powder is packed with nutrients. The powder has a higher amount of antioxidants than green tea, raw blueberries or any other nutritionally dense food. This has been measured using the ORAC test. ORAC stands for oxygen radical absorbance capacity. This test measures how a food can combat the harmful effects of free radicals. (Free radicals are responsible for disease and the aging process). Therefore, cacao beans really are a true super food as they outperform even the top foods on this scale. As well as having an abundance of antioxidants, the Cacao beans have a high amount of Magnesium. Magnesium plays many roles within the body but one important role is to help with the formation of bones and teeth. In addition to this, it assists in the control of blood pressure.

When mixed with fruit or anything with a natural sweetness the chocolaty flavour of the cocoa bean is released. Why not mix it into ice cream to make a truly delicious dessert? Smoothies and shakes taste delicious with the addition of cacao powder. The mouth-watering alternatives are endless. Just use your imagination.

Adding the Cacao powder to diary products does however inhibit the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients in the Cacao powder. So for best results the powder is best uncooked and not added to any diary products.

Try our extensive range of cacao nibs, cacao powder and many more healthier alternatives at www.naturalmatter.co.uk

Posted in health food, well being, sports nutrition, weight training & bodybuilding, vitamins and minerals | No Comments »

Your Heart Health Tips

05/10/2011 by admin.

vitamin e Vitamin e is excellent if you want to prevent your arteries from thickening and can also increase the levels of ‘high density lipoprotein’ – which is good cholesterol. But if you have high blood pressure already, vitamin e can increase these levels so always check with your doctor before increasing your intake.		aspirin Extensive research has been conducted into aspirin and significant benefits have been discovered concerning heart disease. It is a good idea to discuss with your doctor the benefits of taking aspirin, as it has been shown to be able to reduce the formation of blood clots.
garlic Another great food for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol is garlic. It is recommended that you eat a whole clove a day. It is also possible to supplement your diet with garlic tablets.		ginger This root vegetable is an excellent addition to any meal. Not only does it taste good but it is able to prevent heart disease and strokes. It does this by reducing internal blood clotting. It is possible to take the ginger in tablet, capsule or liquid form.
blood pressure You can watch your blood pressure closely by getting a home blood pressure monitoring kit, this will let you know if the actions you are taking to lower your levels are being effective or not.		vegetarianism Vegetarianism is particularly advantageous if you suffer with a heart problem or want to reduce your risk of heart disease altogether. There are fewer reported cases of heart disease among Vegetarians and Vegans (exclusion of dairy products, eggs and meat) because their diets contain less fat and cholesterol.
isoflavones Isoflavones can be found in soya beans, these have been shown to lower cholesterol levels and in turn heart disease. It is also possible to your supplement diet with Isoflavones in the form of tablets.		folic acid Research has been conducted into Folic Acid and it has emerged that individuals who have good levels of folic acid are less likely to die of heart disease than those whose diets did not have enough.
sodium Too much salt or sodium in your diet can cause high blood pressure. Try reducing the amount of salt you put into your food. It may also help to keep an eye on sodium levels in the food you are eating. The lower the levels the better.		workout Regular aerobic exercise is really important as it strengthens the heart and lungs. It also keeps blood vessels working properly. People who do not take part in any exercise are twice as likely to develop heart disease than people who work out regularly.
relax Learning how to relax is vitally important. Stress may be a contributing factor in heart disease and learning how to cope in stressful situations is essential. Relaxation techniques like meditation and yoga and have proved beneficial in coping with such situations.		fat It is a fact that our daily fat consumption is over 35% of our daily calorie intake and this is a serious problem. It is recommended that we aim for around the 20% level. If you restrict your fat intake to about 10% of your daily calorie intake then there is significant research which suggests that, with the addition of exercise and relaxation techniques, an individual can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease. It may even be possible to unclog existing arteries.
family Check if any members of your family have a history of heart disease of have died at an early age due to heart problems. Knowing your family history will enable you to be more aware of your own health and allow you to make health changes to combat a hereditary heart problem. Exercise can be hazardous. If you use any of the ideas, techniques or suggestions discussed in these documents, all are undertaken at the reader’s sole discretion and risk.		hawthorn This is a great herb which strengthens the arteries and tones the heart muscle. It is possible to drink the herb as a tea, take it in extract, tincture or tablet form. Warning:- The information contained on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat any medical condition. Should you have any medical condition, always consult your doctor, before undertaking any change in exercise or dietary advice.

Posted in well being, health food, personal care, sports nutrition, beauty, vitamins and minerals, exercise, Blogroll | 1 Comment »