SIX DEADLY DIET SINS


# 1 DON’T CUT CALORIES TOO MUCH
Eating fewer calories than you need each day creates an energy deficit causing fat loss. However, severe cuts can lead to a slowing of the metabolic rate, ultimately making it difficult to rip up.
Solution: Make moderate cuts in calories. A 10% reduction in total caloric intake will suffice.

#2 DON’T SWALLOW THE EXTREME PROTEIN MYTH
It’s no myth that when you drop your caloric intake, you need more protein. The extra protein is burned as fuel, preventing a loss in muscle mass while you diet. But many bodybuilders go to ridiculous extremes, taking in much more protein than they need.
Solution: As a rule of thumb, eat no more than 11⁄2 grams (g) per pound of bodyweight when dieting. Take in more than that amount, and it will likely be stored as fat, preventing you from getting as ripped as possible.

#3 DON’T FEAR CARBS
Carbs are both friend and foe. They help build muscle by creating a proinsulin environment; yet, elevated insulin levels can obstruct the loss of bodyfat. The latter fact leads many trainers to opt for a low-carb diet. When carb intake falls, the body begins to burn fat as fuel.
Unfortunately, eating too few carbs will cause the body to melt away muscle mass along with bodyfat.

Solution: Consider 1 g of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight to be a low-carb intake -- enough to cause fat loss, but not so low that muscle will be burned.

#4 DON’T OVERLOOK CARB TIMING
Simply dividing your total carb intake into five or six servings a day is a step in the right direction, but reports from top bodybuilders indicate that eating carbs in the day’s final meal prevents maximum fat loss.
Solution: Skip the carbs at your final meal; instead, eat more of them after you train and at breakfast.
These are the two meals in which you need more carbs. In the morning, a greater portion of your carb intake is stored as muscle glycogen rather than as bodyfat due to lower glycogen stores and greater insulin sensitivity. The posttraining meal requires a carb burst to offset potential muscle breakdown as a result of training. Carbs taken in after training help build muscle, not bodyfat.

#5 DON’T OVERDIET
We know that performing too many sets and training too frequently can lead to a loss of muscle. The same principle is true with dieting. When you diet 24/7 without taking a break, your metabolic rate tends to head south. If that happens, getting ripped becomes a challenge.
Solution: During bodyfat reducing phases, try a four-on/one-off approach. Diet strictly for four days, eating 1 g of carbs per pound of bodyweight daily and taking in no carbs at each day’s final meal. On the fifth day, take a break from dieting. Dramatically increase carb intake, up to as much as 3 g per pound of bodyweight on that day. The higher carb intake not only will provide much-needed energy, but it will also prevent a drop in metabolic rate.

#6 Don’t OVERDO CARDIO
The two primary ways to rip up are by eating fewer calories and expending more calories through aerobic exercise. Although cardio can be effective, performing too much of it can cause a drop in testosterone levels, which affects your ability to retain muscle.
Solution: Hit a bike or treadmill no more than four times a week for 30-40 minutes per session.
That should be sufficient to burn away fat without causing a drop in testosterone levels or leading to an accommodation in metabolism.

BodyBuilding, Fitness and Health.

Better Sex - Exercising and Becoming Fit Leads To Better Sex
By Linda Page, N.D., Ph.D.,
Naturopathic Medicine Expert

A man's libido absolutely depends on the state of his health. A healthy lifestyle has the greatest impact on his sexual ability and enjoyment. Every man can develop his sexual potential to its utmost no matter what his age is.

Problems that contribute to a man's sexual dysfunction

Stress
All central nervous system responses are impaired by stress, including those of the brain and endocrine glands - the very same glands involved in Stages I and II of a man's sexual process. Long-term stress can hopelessly interfere with a man's ability to achieve full sexual satisfaction or to even become aroused at all! Prolonged recreational drug use lowers libido and stresses adrenal glands, creating lower energy levels. Stress also affects sperm production and motility.
Body stressors, like heavy metal or radiation exposure, damage sperm as well.
Lower your stress levels with herbs like ginseng and regular exercise. Exercise is critically important for a man's sexuality. Find something physical you enjoy. Then, DO IT THREE
TIMES A WEEK!

Poor nutrition
High fat meals suppress testosterone, depress libido, and make erection and ejaculation
more difficult.

Environmental estrogens
Environmental estrogens enter the body through pesticides and hormonally enhanced meat and dairy foods. Eat organic meats, produce and dairy products as much as possible to reduce the load of environmental estrogens on your system

Smoking
Smoking interferes with your body's use of zinc. Smoking just two cigarettes a day also constricts blood vessels, impairing circulation and the ability to achieve erection. Chewing tobacco is just as bad. If you are still smoking, isn't that enough to make you want to quit?

Too much alcohol
Alcohol consumption (in excess of two beers a day, two glasses of wine,or one mixed drink) can significantly increase prolactin, whichleads to prostate and breast enlargement in men. Drink wine in moderation. For most men, that means 2 to 3 glasses at mealtime, 2 to 3 times a week

Obesity
Did you know that fat in a man's pubic region actually decreases the available length of his penis? That's right! Most of the penis lies rooted within the abdominal fat, with only a small stub protruding. Losing 35 pounds of excess weight can translate to an extra inch of penis!
Excess fat also blocks your arteries and ruins your ability to become erect. If you are overweight, work to lose that excess body fat!
Lose pounds to gain inches! Many men can correcttheir weight simply by improving their diet.

Low zinc
Zinc is perhaps the most important single nutrient for a man's sexuality. It is
crucial for the production of sperm and seminal fluid. Clinical studies show that men who supplement zinc experience a dramatic increase in testosterone levels. Zinc also reduces the pituitary's formation of prolactin, a hormone that stops testosterone production. You can consider ZMA supplements - ZMA not only supplies Zinc, it also helps increase your natural testosterone levels, and increases strength and muscle gains.
Have a zinc-rich meal every day. Promise yourself some food from the sea every day. Fish and seafood also provide essential fatty acids to protect your heart and improve circulation.
Or have two handfuls of pumpkin or sunflower seeds or nuts; or a cup of peas or beans. If you like liver, it's rich in zinc. If you like toasted wheat germ, sprinkle a tablespoonful on your
cereal, salad or soup for more zinc

Drug reactions
Doctors rarelymention the many ways that drugs interfere with sex. They worry (and rightly so) that men will be reluctant to take a drug that they know could interfere with this basic human drive. So, sexual side effects are hardly ever discussed when drugs are prescribed.
Besides lowering libido, drugs can cause drowsiness, lethargy, confusion, depression and weight gain. Some drugs have a direct impact on brain chemistry. Neurotransmitters, the brain's chemical messengers, are critical to sexual interest, performance and enjoyment. A wide range of medications like antidepressants and high blood pressure medications disrupt neurotransmitters, interfering with a man's ability to achieve erection or reach orgasm. The result is extreme frustration - imagine the outcome if neither you or your partner know a drug is to blame?! If you are currently using medications that rob you of your sex life, find a good holistic physician and work out the lifestyle problems you have. In many cases, you may not
need to resign yourself to a life without sex. If you think sex-robbing drugs don't apply to you, take a look at the long list of current drugs that do just that .

Lack of exercise
Exercise reduces tension, depression and anxiety. It increases self esteem, positive attitude, the capacity for joy, mental acuity, aerobic capacity, energy, and libido. Even a brief aerobic workout can point your mood towards lovemaking and encourage more intense orgasms. Most men have no idea how closely regular exercise is linked to their sexual performance. During exercise, the body produces endorphins the feel-good chemicals that increase arousal and orgasm intensity. This sexy effect reportedly lasts 1 hour or more after just 10 minutes of activity. In one new study, 78 healthy but sedentary men were studied during nine months of regular exercise.
The men exercised for 60 minutes a day, three days a week. Every man in the study reported significantly enhanced sexuality, including increased frequency, performance and satisfaction
Rising sexuality has even been correlated with the degree of fitness improvement! The results were clear: The higher the level of physical fitness a man is able to attain, the better his sex life.

Cardiovascular disease
Great sex for men depends on clear arteries. Most men know that being overweight increases their risk for heart disease but cardiovascular disease will destroy a man's sex life long before it kills him. Reason: when blood vessels are blocked, a man can't get the proper engorgement needed to achieve an erection. Reversing atherosclerosis means better blood flow- and that translates to better erections and more sensitivity to touch. Those nerve endings that bring
you so much pleasure during sex depend on good blood flow to be fully sensitized. Circulating blood disperses hormones, which regulate sexual function and response. And, of course, your heart has to be strong for the deep body, physical activity of lovemaking
Change your diet. Avoid fatty fried foods and red meat. Eat more vegetables and salads.
Again, exercise, exercise, exercise!