Brunos Fitness

Archive for September, 2009

Muscular endurance can be defined as the ability of muscles to endure over a period of time when they are in active use. Put another way, muscular endurance is the ability of muscles to be put through repeated contractions without weakening.

Examples of muscular endurance can be found on all fitness levels, from jogging and weight lifting to crossfit and even some strength-based Pilates programs. Muscular endurance can also be found in everyday life, such as walking numerous flights of stairs to your office or carrying your toddler through the store while grocery shopping.

Muscular endurance is different than muscular strength. Muscular strength is the amount of force put into a particular move (or contraction). The two together, muscular strength and endurance, go hand in hand in order for anyone to achieve any type of mid to high activity level every day. Muscular endurance does more than just get you through an intense workout, though it certainly does help with that.

4 ways Muscular endurance helps

1. Stamina

Those with muscular endurance find an ability to press though and keep going, no matter what they are doing. It may be an intense workout program, but it also may be a hike with friends, shoveling the snow or hoeing the garden. Muscles that are used repeatedly and have a high level of endurance do not tire easily when day-to-day demands require that they be used.

2. Increased Metabolism

Muscles do not have endurance unless they are toned and firm. Bodies that contain toned muscle, though not completely without excess fat, usually have less fat on them. Because muscles burn calories more efficiently and quickly than fat does, those with muscular endurance find themselves with quicker metabolisms, which in turn, can lead to healthy weight levels.

3. Fewer Injuries

Muscles that have endurance are not as prone to muscle strains and tears as muscles that do not have endurance to them. That is because these muscles are used to the actions they are being put through, and instead of being unduly strained, are able to respond properly to the demands being put on them.

4. Extended Workout Times

Muscles that have built up their endurance are able to keep being put through the same actions repeatedly, thereby allowing a person to extend and intensify workout sessions. This results in a full-circle type of situation, in that a person who is able to extend his workout time is able to build up more muscular endurance, which in turn allows for a longer workout time, continuing the cycle.

If you find yourself suddenly single, take the time that you would normally spend with a lover and use it to make yourself even more attractive. Take a college course, read that long novel you’ve been staring at in the bookstore window, do some yoga, go on a diet — anything to make yourself a better person. Not only will you be better of for it, but you may find that this increase in your charisma will attract potential future partners. Working out, increasing your brain power, etc. will only make you more attractive to potential mates. Of course, this means that eventually you’ll give up these new pursuits — but the improvement you gain while single can’t be taken away.

Being single is the perfect time to work on the most important person in your life: you.
So start a training program and stick to it, by being single you have no excuses. You have the freedom to train when you want, how you want, where you want, when you want and how long you want. With all this said you will achieve greater results at your training sessions, whether it would be at the gym, or going for a run.

Are You Bipolar?

What is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression) causes serious shifts in mood, energy, thinking, and behavior–from the highs of mania on one extreme, to the lows of depression on the other. More than just a fleeting good or bad mood, the cycles of bipolar disorder last for days, weeks, or months. And unlike ordinary mood swings, the mood changes of bipolar disorder are so intense that they interfere with your ability to function.

During a manic episode, a person might impulsively quit a job, charge up huge amounts on credit cards, or feel rested after sleeping two hours. During a depressive episode, the same person might be too tired to get out of bed and full of self-loathing and hopelessness over being unemployed and in debt.

In the manic phase of bipolar disorder, feelings of heightened energy, creativity, and euphoria are common. People experiencing a manic episode often talk a mile a minute, sleep very little, and are hyperactive. They may also feel like they’re all-powerful, invincible, or destined for greatness.

But while mania feels good at first, it has a tendency to spiral out of control. People often behave recklessly during a manic episode: gambling away savings, engaging in inappropriate sexual activity, or making foolish business investments, for example. They may also become angry, irritable, and aggressive–picking fights, lashing out when others don’t go along with their plans, and blaming anyone who criticizes their behavior.

Common signs and symptoms of mania include:

* Reckless, intrusive and aggressive behavior
* Denial that anything is wrong
* Abuse of drugs and alcohol
* Increased sex drive
* Excessive spending
* Increased energy and restlessness
* Abnormally euphoric mood
* Little sleep needed
* Feeling unusually “high” and optimistic OR extremely irritable
* Unrealistic, grandiose beliefs about one’s abilities or powers
* Sleeping very little, but feeling extremely energetic
* Talking so rapidly that others can’t keep up
* Racing thoughts; jumping quickly from one idea to the next
* Highly distractible, unable to concentrate
* Impaired judgment and impulsiveness
* Acting recklessly without thinking about the consequences
* Delusions and hallucinations (in severe cases)

Why YOU Think you are JESUS: The Spiritual ‘Delusions’ of Bipolar Disorder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGNCMcJVKYs

ascorbic acid, blood-group antigens, calcium, chlorine, cholesterol, choline, citric acid, creatine, deoxyribonucleic acid, fructose, glutathione, hyaluronidase, inositol, lactic acid, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, purine, pyrimidine, pyruvic acid, sodium, sorbitol, spermidine, spermine, urea, uric acid, vitamin B12, and zinc.”

Seminal fluid… is composed of dozens of chemical components. The base of seminal fluid is primarily fructose (sugar) and proteins, with many other trace minerals and substances. Here’s a listing of some of semen’s

ingredients:
Sugars: Fructose, sorbitol, inositol Proteins and amino acids: glutathione, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), creatine Minerals: Phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, calcium, potassium Vitamins: Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin B12, choline Hormones: Testosterone, prostaglandins Body byproducts: Lactic acid, urea, uric acid, nitrogen…

Semen is a source of highly concentrated, high-quality protein. In dietary terms, it’s comparable to egg whites or gelatin. Besides protein, semen contains high concentrations of some minerals, such as zinc, and trace amounts of other important nutrients, like calcium and magnesium.”

The amount of nutritive substance in semen varies as much as 100 percent from sample to sample; the amount of fructose (one of the main sugars found in honey) in semen varies over a range of 400 percent. Finally, the volume of ejaculate itself varies from 3 to 5 cubic centimeters.”

The chemical composition of ejaculate varies from individual to individual and within the same individual from time to time. Semen is essentially seminal plasma and spermatozoa. Approximately 8 percent of the substance is dry weight. According to the fine print on the label, it contains minute quantities of more than 30 elements such as fructose, ascorbic acid, cholesterol, creatine, citric acid, urea, uric acid, sorbitol, pyruvic acid, glutathione, inositol, lactic acid, nitrogen, B12, various salts and enzymes.”

When it comes to boosting antioxidant intake, research indicates there is little benefit from ingesting supplements. A better way, according to nutritionists at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., is eating a diet rich in antioxidant-containing foods.

Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, carotene, lycopene, lutein, and many other substances may play a role in helping to prevent diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration, and Alzheimer’s disease. Antioxidants are thought to help because they have the ability to neutralize free radicals, which are toxic by-products of natural cell metabolism. The human body does produce antioxidants, but the process is not 100% effective and that effectiveness declines with age.

Foods, rather than supplements, may boost antioxidant levels because they contain an unmatchable array of antioxidant substances. A supplement may contain a single type of antioxidant or even several. However, foods have thousands of different kinds, and it is not known which of these substances confer the benefits.

Some of the better food sources are berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and cranberries); beans (small red beans and kidney, pinto, and black beans); fruits (many apple varieties with peels, avocados, cherries, green and red pears, fresh or dried plums, pineapple, oranges, and kiwi); vegetables (artichokes, spinach, red cabbage, red or white potatoes with peels, sweet potatoes, and broccoli); beverages (green tea, coffee, red wine, and many fruit juices); nuts (walnuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds); herbs (ground cloves, cinnamon or ginger, dried oregano leaf, and turmeric powder); grains (oat-based products); and dessert (dark chocolate).

Though supplements containing antioxidants generally are considered safe, two recent studies have suggested that taking higher than recommended doses of supplements such as Vitamin E over time actually may be harmful and possibly toxic. In contrast, many foods higher in antioxidants offer an array of health benefits, such as being high in fiber, protein, and other vitamins and minerals and low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

The bottom line in sports conditioning and fitness training is stress, not mental stress, but adaptive body stress. Athletes must put their bodies under a certain amount of stress to increase physical capabilities. Where the stress loads are appropriate then the athlete’s performance will improve but if the stress loads are inappropriate then a state of over-training/burnout could come about for the athlete.

Common warning signs of overtraining include:

* Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy
* Mild leg soreness, general aches and pains
* Pain in muscles and joints
* Sudden drop in performance
* Insomnia
* Headaches
* Decreased immunity (increased number of colds, and sore throats)
* Decrease in training capacity / intensity
* Moodiness and irritability
* Depression
* Loss of enthusiasm for the sport
* Decreased appetite
* Increased incidence of injuries.
* A compulsive need to exercise

It’s hard to predict overtraining since everyone’s body is different. It is important, however, to vary training through the year and schedule in significant rest time.

One cannot consider himself totally healthy if he is mentally declining, emotionally unstable or energetically unbalanced.

A de-conditioned mind can exhibit symptoms from poor memory, slow thinking and difficulty learning to more serious problems such as Alzheimer or Parkinson’s disease. Mental fitness is therefore just as critical, if not more so (your mind controls your body), as a fit body.

The mind like the body, if not used, will begin to deteriorate, diminishing one’s longevity, independence and quality of life. Think of the mind as a muscle that requires consistent stimulation in varying ways each day to stay mentally fit. If we neglect to exercise our muscles, they become soft and weak. If we fail to use our mental muscle we become susceptible disease. It is not however predestined that one will lose his mental capacity. In fact research strongly suggests that regular physical and mental exercises can keep the mind clear, sharp and functioning optimally throughout your entire life. Begin a regimen to maintain mental vitality.

Key ways to keeping your mind healthy

# Exercise your mind
1. Read stimulating books and magazines.
2. Do crossword puzzles.
3. Do calculations in your head.

#Reduces or eliminate drug and alcohol consumption
1. Cut back on drinking and going out drinking on the weekends.
2. Do something new, Instead of parting on the weekend, go for a scenic drive or a walk or a run at the beach, or even a hike up the mountains, this will get your mind and body away from drugs and alcohol.
3. If someone or something is a bad influence on you, you might consider changing your circumstances.

#Follow a regular exercise program, learn to reduce stress in your life
1. Hire a trainer.
2. Do fitness classes.
3. Join a martial arts gym.

# Maintain a health, holistic diet
1. Eat more veges and fruits.
2. Cut back on sugar.
3. Cut back on fast food.

Without water you could exist no more than a few days. That is why water is considered the most important nutrient to our body. Our bodies are made up of approximately 60-65 percent water. Muscle is made up of 70 percent water, while fat is only 22 percent. Water is responsible for transporting needed nutrients to the body’s cells and transporting the waste out. This is why water is so important to us.

When a person does not drink enough water daily his or her body will tend to save it. We call this water weight. It occurs when the body stores more water than is necessary. There are other reasons some people are prone to water weight. For some it may be a diet high in sodium or starchy carbohydrates. For women it may fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle.

Even though soft drinks contain water keep in mind that most also contain caffeine which actually dehydrates the body. In fact, any drink that contains caffeine will act as a diuretic.

Water and Fat Loss

The levels of oxygen in the bloodstream are greater when the body is well hydrated. The more oxygen the body has readily available the more fat it will burn for energy. Without the presence of oxygen the body cannot utilize stored fat for energy efficiently. Not only will the body burn more fat when well hydrated but because the increased oxygen levels you will also have more energy.

Drink water, it will do your body good!

The health dangers ingested sugar creates when habitually imposed upon human physiology are certain. Simple sugars have been observed to aggravate asthma, muster mental illness, move mood swings, provoke personality changes, nourish nervous disorders, hurry heart disease, deliver diabetes, grow gallstones, hasten hypertension, add arthritis, and on top of all of that…It will kill you!

Certain harmful refined dietary sugars (which are specifically discussed below) almost always turn directly into fat! Glucose, Fructose, Sucrose, Galactose, Maltose, and actose are digested and absorbed with such speed that the body must convert them into saturated fats. Saturated Fatty Acids are “sticky” by nature, and, when introduced into the vascular system, clog arteries, increase the chance of stroke, diabetes, and definitively decrease athletic performance.

Muscle mitochondrial cells (internal energy cell units that produce muscle movement) break down 6-carbon glucose molecules for all muscle energy. One of the byproducts of the energy cycle is a 2-carbon acetate, vinegar. Acetates form the building blocks for cholesterol. If Acetates are produced faster than they can be burned, enzymatic reactions within our cells “join” Acetates end-to-end to make excess cholesterol and saturated fat, which makes red blood cells sluggish, sticky, and inefficient, deposits excess saturated fatty acids around organs and in subcutaneous skinfolds, or, deposits clogs of cholesterol within the vascular system, impeding blood transport of vital nutrients and oxygen to peripheral muscle cells.

Unfortunately for those of us who enjoy the moment of sweet taste, this process tends to go one way, i.e. sugar transforms to fat; but fat tenaciously tends to remain as fat deposits, and only severe starvation or extreme caloric expenditures will mobilize it as a burnable fuel source. Most of our organs burn off fat for their fuel needs, which is why master’s aged athletes store more fat around organs than do younger athletes, simply from the passing of time and the nature of human physiology.

The brain, as an organ, commands a pre-eminent role in the sugar equation. Human survival and efficient maximal performance depends upon this organ’s need for specific fuels such as glucose, glutamic acid, or ketones to be constantly supplied. If glucose is absent, low from a dietary insufficiency, or perhaps from high caloric expenditure during intense muscular exercise, the body must harvest or convert it from two tissue stores: amino acids found in lean muscle mass, or chemistry from the adrenal glands (activity/secretion) initiates a conversion process which transforms liver and/or muscle glycogen stores into glucose.

A diet high in refined carbohydrates stimulates an abnormal pancreatic insulin response in order to moderate blood sugar levels, while high sugar intake may also increase adrenal cortisone and cholesterol levels fourfold. Constant high intake of simple dietary sugar over-stimulates or “burns out” normal, healthy pancreas and adrenal function. Sub-normal or lackluster performance of these two important endocrine glands leads directly to adult-onset diabetes, cardiovascular complications, hypoglycemia, and chronic fatigue. The direct result of high sugar intake is a significant increase in blood serum saturated fatty acids, which depresses the oxygen transport system dramatically during athletic performance. Red blood cells stick together and move slower, delaying delivery of much needed oxygen to muscle cells. Cellular hypoxia is the constant companion of numerous degenerative diseases previously mentioned.

Because refined dietary sugars lack vitamins and minerals, they must draw upon the body tissue micronutrient stores in order to be metabolized into the system. When these storehouses are depleted, metabolization of fatty acid and cholesterol are impeded, contributing to higher blood serum triglycerides, cholesterol, promoting obesity due to higher fatty acid storage around organs and in subcutaneous tissue folds. Increased obesity contributes to increased cholesterol levels by lowering resting metabolism. A lower resting metabolic rate has been implicated directly to feelings of fatigue or lack of energy, increased rate of aging, arthritis, and coronary heart disease. Athletes need a high metabolic rate for a minimal body fat percentage and explosive energy expenditure upon demand.

Muscle Workout
Rowing machines work on a large group of muscles at a single stretch. Hence, during rowing machine exercise there is a significant emphasis on the thighs, stomach, hips and torso, along with the pelvis that comes into act. This way, while exercising with rowing machine, the whole body gets toned up. Rowing machine benefits are also visible on the back of the upper arms and shoulders.

Strength Training
The most important benefit of the rowing machine is that it helps to strengthen the core muscles, that is the upper body muscles. While exercising on a rowing machine, a significant amount of resistance is placed on the upper body muscles. Hence, regular workout on a rowing machine adds strength to muscles in the chest, forearms and shoulders. Rowing machine also builds up the calf muscles to a certain extent. Rowing machines are also beneficial for strength building of heart and lung muscles as well.

Calorie Burning
Movement of the body helps burn the calories and since rowing machine requires a lot of movements of the body, it certainly helps to burn the excessive calories from the body. Calorie burning certainly helps to lose weight to a significant extent. Rowing machine burns out the calories and reduces lean muscle mass. Hence the body gets leaner and free from those added calories. This way those who are overweight can enjoy the benefits of a rowing machine.

Low Impact Machine
Rowing machine is very soft on the various joints since it is a low impact machine. Hence, no added stress is applied on the knees and elbows, like some of the other exercise equipments. So, even elderly people can benefit a lot from the rowing machine exercises. One can adjust the resistance, as well as the speed of the rowing machine as per the requirements so that the body doesn’t get overstressed.

Stress Reduction
Exercise, especially with rowing machine is a great stress buster when done on a regular basis. This is also an important yet underrated significance of the rowing machines. Exercising regularly on the rowing machine reduces anxiety disorders and stress to a great extent.