Hi, this is Registered Dietitian Jayson Hunter, head of research and development for Prograde Nutrition

If you’re an athlete or a very experienced fitness enthusiast you’ll find everything you need for serious results right here.

Prograde Workout, which got a glowing review in Men’s Fitness by the way, will provide all the pre and post workout nutrition you need.

VGF25+ is our whole foods multi that provides all your essential vitamins and minerals coming from 25 fruits, vegetables and greens. This isn’t a synthetic pill that your body has to try and digest. You are getting these nutrients from 25 real foods. By consuming your vitamins and minerals from 25 whole fruits, vegetables, and greens you are suppling your body with highly utilized nutrients to provide repair, recovery and promote future peformance improvements.

EFA Icon is our krill oil based essential fatty acid product which is perfect for athletes because of the anti-inflammatory effects it provides. Anytime you exercise your body produces inflammation from the damage to your muscles. EFA Icon helps to minimize that inflammation so you can recover faster.

And Prograde Cravers are the best tasting organic energy bar on the planet. Athletes and coaches love them because of their great taste, balance of nutrients, and they aren’t filled with junk to derail your performance.

Oh, and last but not least, all of Prograde’s products meet NCAA guidelines.

What does this tool measure?

Click here to find out how much smoking affects your life span.

This interactive tool can be used to estimate the impact smoking will have on your life span. Based on the number of cigarettes you smoked in the past or how many you will smoke in the future, this tool estimates how many years the damaging effects of smoking may take away from your life.

Health Tools

Health tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. Interactive tools are designed to help people determine health risks, ideal weight, target heart rate, and more.

Smoking’s impact on life span

January 15, 2008 - Medical News Today.com: Reporting in the online journal BMC Genetics, researchers from the Monell Center have for the first time attempted to count the number of genes that contribute to obesity an …CLICK HERE

Essential fatty acids are enormously important to your health. They are the building blocks for phospholipids, and phospholipids are the building blocks for your cell membranes - the protective layer and gatekeeper of your cells. A good essential fatty acid balance provides building blocks for healthy cells, but an imbalance can lead to critical health concerns.

Krill Oil is a remarkable new product featuring phospholipids specially integrated with omega-3 essential fatty acids - EPA and DHA - for building healthy cell membranes. Krill Oil also naturally includes antioxidant protection. Krill Oil is like supercharged fish oil - with very low rancidity, no dangerous heavy metals or pesticides, and a highly absorbable form of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Cardiovascular Benefits

In human studies, Krill Oil has been shown to help maintain blood lipid levels - LDL, HDL, total cholesterol, and tryglycerides - already in the normal range.

Inflammation

The results of a recent study have shown with a high level of certainty that Krill Oil, at a daily dose of 300 mg, may significantly inhibit inflammation by reducing C-reactive protein (CRP).

After taking Krill Oil 300 mg/day for a period of 7, 14, and 30 days, CRP was reduced 19.3%, 29.7% and 30.9%. In this study, 90 patients with cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis and with increased levels of C-reactive protein >1.0 mg/dl were evaluated. Patients were split into a Krill Oil group and those taking placebo. The Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMAC) University Osteoarthritis index was administered to validate the results.

Quality of Life

Woman’s World said: “Krill oil is so potent, women who took it for three months reported a 51% boost in energy, alertness, memory, concentration and stamina in a recent Canadian study. And almost 100% described having a greater sense of well-being and happiness — plus a 31% reduction in aches and pains!”

The highest quality Neptune Krill Oil I’ve found is only available
online (the EFA Icon) at…
http://brayfitness.getprograde.com/icon

To positively change the composition of your body (decrease fat, increase lean muscle) you have to know how to play the game of numbers. If you burn more calories than the calories you take in each day you will lose weight, this is called creating a caloric deficit. It is the only way to lose fat. If you do the opposite, take in more calories than what you burn, then you will gain weight.

Too much of anything gets stored as fat - even if you’re eating nothing but healthy, supportive foods. If you eat too many of them, your body will still store the extra calories as fat. Even though this appears to be a simple concept, don’t be fooled. The caloric deficit must be kept small for you want to maintain lean muscle and only lose fat weight. This strategy allows you to keep a high metabolism while at the same time transforming the shape of your body.

If calories are severely reduced, your body thinks you are starving and sets into motion a series of metabolic and hormonal events, which ultimately leads to muscle loss and a slower metabolism. Even more tragic, skipping meals and starving yourself causes your body to increase the level of fat storing enzymes so you are actually teaching your body to become efficient at storing fat!

Prograde Vitamins & Supplements…CLICK HERE

by keishon martin

You should first know that no amount of physical activity can give you your desired body if it is not coupled with bodybuilding nutrition and a total body workout. Actually, it is the bodybuilding nutrition that is the most vital factor in building the best body.

Women’s Weight Training Myth #1 - Weight training makes you bulky.

Due to the fact that women do not and cannot naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do, it is impossible for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass. Unfortunately, the image that may come to your mind is that of professional female bodybuilders. Most of these women, unfortunately, use anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) along with other drugs in order to achieve that high degree of muscularity.

In addition, most also have good genetics coupled with an unbelievable work ethic that enable them to gain muscle quickly when they spend hours in the gym lifting very heavy weights. Believe me when I say that they do not look like that by accident. Women who conduct weight training without the use of steroids get the firm and fit cellulite-free looking body that you see in most fitness/figure shows these days.

Women’s Weight Training Myth #2 - Exercise increases your chest size.

Sorry girls. Womens breasts are composed mostly of fatty tissue. Therefore, it is impossible to increase breast size through weight training. As a matter of fact, if you go below 12 percent body fat (which I do not recommend doing), your breast size will decrease. Weight training does increase the size of the back, so this misconception probably comes from confusing an increase in back size with an increase in cup size. The only way to increase your breast size is by gaining fat or getting breast implants

Womens Weight Training Myth #3 - Weight training makes you stiff and musclebound.

If you perform all exercises through their full range of motion, flexibility will increase. Exercises like flyes, stiff-legged deadlifts, dumbbell presses, and chin-ups stretch the muscle in the bottom range of the movement. Therefore, by performing these exercises correctly, your stretching capabilities will increase.

Women’s Weight Training Myth #4 - If you stop weight training your muscles turn into fat.

This is like saying that gold can turn into brass. Muscle and fat are two totally different types of tissue. What happens many times is that when people decide to go off their weight training programs they start losing muscle due to inactivity (use it or lose it) and they also usually drop the diet as well. Therefore bad eating habits combined with the fact that their metabolism is lower due to inactivity, and lower degrees of muscle mass, give the impression that the subjects muscle is being turned into fat while in reality what is happening is that muscle is being lost and fat is being accumulated.

Women’s Weight Training Myth #5 - Weight training turns fat into muscle.

More alchemy. This is the equivalent of saying that you can turn any metal into gold; don’t we wish! The way a body transformation occurs is by gaining muscle through weight training and losing fat through aerobics and diet simultaneously. Again, muscle and fat are very different types of tissue. We cannot turn one into the other.

Women’s Weight Training Myth #6 - As long as you exercise you can eat anything that you want.

How I wish this were true also! However, this could not be further from the truth. Our individual metabolism determines how many calories we burn at rest and while we exercise. If we eat more calories than we burn on a consistent basis, our bodies will accumulate these extra calories as fat regardless of the amount of exercise that we do. This myth may have been created by people with such high metabolic rates (hardgainers) that no matter how much they eat or what they eat, they rarely meet or exceed the amount of calories that they burn in one day unless they put their mind to doing so. Therefore, their weight either remains stable or goes down.

Women’s Weight Training Myth #7 - Women only need to do cardio and if they decide to lift weights, they should be very light.

First of all, if you only did cardio then muscle and fat would be burned for fuel. One needs to do weights in order to get the muscle building machine going and thus prevent any loss of muscle tissue. Women that only concentrate on cardio will have a very hard time achieving the look that they want. As far as the lifting of very light weights, this is just more nonsense. Muscle responds to resistance and if the resistance is too light, then there will be no reason for the body to change.

Women Should Train Hard Myth #8
I have trained with girls that train as hard as I do and they look nothing but feminine. If you want to look great, don’t be afraid to pick up the weights and lift hard!

Keishon Martin is the founder of KeyWorldWide Inc. which owns www.BodyGuidePro.com which has more info on getting in shape

Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net

PHIL B’s ONLINE FITNESS & PERSONAL TRAINING

by Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS

Each year, more than 2 million Americans are given powerful prescription painkillers that contain opiods (sometimes called narcotics) for the relief of pain and discomfort brought on by injury, surgery, menstrual cramps, and even headaches. But a growing number of people taking these medications are becoming addicted to them. And it’s not hard to understand why.

Drugs such as Vicodin, Percocet, and Methadone block pain all the way from the nerve endings in the skin to the spinal cord to the brain. Once these drugs reach the brain, they open the floodgates for the chemical dopamine, which triggers feelings of well-being. Dopamine, in effect, rewires the brain to become accustomed to those pleasant feelings. So when you stop taking the pain-killer, your body will still have a strong craving for the dopamine. This is what makes it so hard to quit. Symptoms of withdrawal can include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps (which is the origin of the term “cold turkey”), and involuntary leg movements. Better to avoid getting hooked in the first place.

Chemical dependency can happen to anyone, and it can easily sneak up on you. Here are 10 things you should look out for if you or someone you know is currently taking prescription painkillers:

1. An increase in usage
As time goes by, the effects of the initial dose will lessen, prompting a desire for stronger or more frequent doses of the prescribed medication. This is a clear indication that whatever amount they have been taking is no longer providing the same level of relief.

2. Personality changes
Changes in a person’s normal behavior can be a sign of dependency. Shifts in energy, mood, and concentration may occur as every day responsibilities become secondary to the need for the relief the prescription provides.

3. Withdrawing socially
This is one of the clearest signs of a dependency problem. Spending more time alone and away from friends and family and social gatherings is a cause for concern.

4. Continuing meds too long
Extending the prescription beyond the initial period, especially after the condition has improved, can be the beginning of an endless cycle. The patient may even believe he or she is still in pain and simply needs to stay on the meds for a few more weeks or months. He or she might even express anger toward a doctor who questions the need to renew the prescription.

5. Too much time spent getting meds
There are no lengths to which a chemically dependent person will not go to obtain the drugs they think they need. This can become an all-consuming obsession, including traveling long distances and visiting many doctors. When getting the drugs seems to be the number one priority, the situation is getting out of hand.

6. Habits and appearance changes
A deterioration in physical appearance and grooming—including not bathing or shaving regularly—is a common result of drug addiction. There may be a general look of unhealthiness, such as persistent coughing and red eyes. Sleeping and eating patterns often become irregular.

7. Failure to meet responsibilities
Sudden changes in work or school attendance and a decline in quality of work or grades are common, as well as forgetting to pay bills and missing appointments.

8. Becoming oversensitive
One consequence of using potent drugs is that the body’s response to any sort of stimulation is heightened. For example, a person may have an overly emotional reaction to traffic noise or bright lights—possibly including hallucinations.

9. Forgetfulness and blacking out
A person who is suffering from chemical dependency will forget things that have happened and may even experience memory gaps of several hours.

10. Denial and becoming defensive
Presented with even a hint that they may be addicted, those hooked on drugs will vehemently deny it. The harder you push, the more defensive they are like to get. They might even react to simple questions with an angry outburst.

Additional signs of chemical dependency include an inability to relax or have fun, talking incoherently or making inappropriate remarks, and expressing feelings of exhaustion, depression, and hopelessness.

Remember that painkillers are a blessing that can turn into a curse. And that it is a lot easier to avoid becoming addicted than it is to recover from drug addiction. As long as you follow your doctor’s instructions (and you have others around you to make sure you do), these prescription medications will what they were designed to do—and nothing more.

If you enjoyed this article, and would like more information in alternative back pain treatments sign up for our Back Pain Advisory and you will join the nearly 1 million people that have received this life changing information. Please visit our new web site at http://www.losethebackpain.com for more free informative articles, videos and open forums.

Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net

If you enjoyed this article, and would like more information in alternative back pain treatments sign up for our Back Pain Advisory and you will join the nearly 1 million people that have received this life changing information. Please visit our new web site at www.losethebackpain.com for more free informative articles, videos and open forums.

PHIL B’s ONLINE FITNESS & PERSONAL TRAINING

Fitness Tip: Scare Yourself in Shape - Did you know that NOT exercising AT ALL is equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes A DAY? (Fear is a good motivator for some.)

PHIL B’s ONLINE FITNESS & PERSONAL TRAINING

Even when sick. Exercise puts a temporary stress on the body and immune system, which may prolong your illness. It may be OK to work out when sick (depending on the severity) but a day or two of rest is usually just what the doctor ordered. A short break won’t have a negative affect on your overall goals.

PHIL B’s ONLINE FITNESS & PERSONAL TRAINING

First, remember that as a society, our dietary habits have changed over the past couple of generations. A healthy diet consists of plenty of fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

Recent studies indicate that the majority of meals in the US are eaten in restaurants rather than in the home. Restaurant food tends to be too high in fat and sugar. Additionally, convenience foods now make up a much higher percentage of the average diet than in the past.

In some people well over 60% of their food is from so-called “empty” calorie foods (candy, sweets, chips, or other highly processed foods that contain very little real nutritional value other than calories).Another factor is the high stresses found in today’s fast-paced and busy life. The greater the external stresses, the higher the nutritional demands on the body.

Eating a poor-quality diet robs you of the nutritional factors necessary to help you stay healthy.Lastly, many people are simply unaware of how to shop for healthy foods. Convenience and taste become the major criteria for food selection, while nutritional value is given little attention, if any at all.

Many nutritional researchers point to the rising problems of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other diseases of modern society as evidence of the deteriorating quality of the diet most people consume

Get Prograde…CLICK HERE