MANGO, MILK, MUSCLE MYTHS, METABOLISM, MIND POWER, MEDITATION

MANGO

NUTRIENTS: VITAMINS B3, C, E, BETA CAROTENE, FIBER

Many regard the mango as the most delicious tropical fruit, and the good news is that a mango indulgence has plus points! The mango contains high levels of Vitamin C, which helps boost the immunity system. It is also one of the few fruit sources of Vitamin E, an important antioxidant which helps fight free radicals in the body and protects it from anti-bodies.

MILK

Why milk?

Milk is one of the most complete foods, containing a balanced range of nutrients including protein, calcium, riboflavin, Vitamins A, D and B12. When you remove the cream from milk you get the nutrients of milk minus the fat. According to the United States National Dairy Council, “intake of milk has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, hypertension and colon cancer…”

How much milk or milk products should be consumed per day?

In general it is recommended to consume two to three servings from the milk group each day. One serving equals any of the following:

Examples:

If you are lactose intolerant, choose lactose-free dairy products. Tolerance to amount and type of dairy products differs according to individual symptoms.

MUSCLE MYTHS

1. TO LOSE WEIGHT IT IS BETTER TO DO CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISES THAN STRENGTH TRAINING EXERCISES

Both cardiovascular exercises and strength training exercises are necessary to promote weight loss. Cardiovascular exercises help burn calories, and strength training exercises increase the body’s metabolism and tone the muscles. Moreover, calories burned while weight training are more likely to come from fat rather than glycogen stores. So, include both forms of training to get effective, long-term results.

2. EXERCISING THE SAME BODY PART EVERYDAY IS THE FASTEST WAY TO BUILD STRENGTH

Exercising the same body part every day is counterproductive. Muscles are built after the workout. Always give yourself 24 to 48 hours of rest between weight training sessions to give the muscles a chance to rebuild and get stronger. Over-training prevents recuperation of muscle fatigue and can cause serious injuries and discomfort.

3. THE FASTEST WAY TO FLAT ABS IS TO TRAIN THEM EVERY DAY

It is widely believed that the abs should be trained everyday to achieve maximum effect. The fact is that abs can be over-trained just like any other muscle group. When abs are trained too frequently, the recovery process is shortchanged, resulting in diminished muscle development. The abs are like any other muscle – they need a days’ rest between training sessions. Also, if you want to get rid of the fat around your stomach, you need to create a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you consume.

4. WARMING UP BEFORE WORKING OUT IS NOT REALLY ESSENTIAL IF YOU WEIGHT TRAINING

Gently stretching and warming up your muscles before you exercise is the number one defense against a variety of painful sports injuries. Not only do you prevent injuries, but you also improve the range of movement required for the activity to follow.

5. “MUSCLE” TURNS INTO “FAT” WHEN YOU STOP WEIGHT TRAINING

Muscle and fat have two separate and distinct properties. Muscle cannot turn into fat and fat cannot be converted into muscle. When you stop exercising the trained muscle eventually gets back to its pre-exercise level. When you stop weight training, the muscles shrink because they are not being challenged. Also, muscle increases the body’s metabolism so the body is able to burn more calories. Which is why, when you stop weight training your metabolism slows down giving the illusion that “muscle turns into fat”.

6. LARGE AMOUNTS OF PROTEIN INCREASE MUSCLE STRENGTH AND SIZE

Protein consumed in excess of what the body needs is converted to fat. It is true that athletes involved in heavy training may need to allocate a slightly greater percentage of their calories from protein, while non-athletes require less. The norms for protein consumption are between 0.8 grams to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight depending on the intensity and frequency of the weight training session.

7. WOMEN WHO WEIGHT TRAIN WILL BULK-UP

Women who weight train will not bulk up, instead they will tone and shape-up their bodies, unlike men who can develop larger, heftier muscles because they genetically possess large quantities of the hormone testosterone.

METABOLISM

Metabolism is the amount of energy (calories) that the body burns to maintain itself.

SLUGGISH METABOLISM VERSUS HIGH METABOLISM

Have you noticed that some people can devour sinful treats with no noticeable change on the weighing scale, yet others try so hard to knock-off weight, but the scale refuses to budge? Why is that? The reason is that their bodies function at different metabolic rates.

WHY DOES THE METABOLISM GET SLUGGISH?

After the age of 30, the body’s metabolism starts slowing down. Also, weight gain, sedentary living, constipation, genetic factors, medication, illness are some other reasons for a slow metabolic rate.

WAYS TO INCREASE THE METABOLISM

BUILD MUSCLE

Muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat. Fat is metabolic “dead weight”. So if you are muscular and have a low percentage of body fat, you will have a higher metabolic rate.

INCLUDE CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE

Cardiovascular exercises help reduce body fat. Also, metabolic rates can increase up to 25 percent for six to eight hours after a cardiovascular workout.

RESIST YO-YO DIETING

If you drastically cut down food intake, the body perceives this as a starvation threat slowing down your metabolism. Instead, commit to eating regular, small nutritious meals every 3 to 5 hours.

LEAD AN ACTIVE LIFE

Keep your body and mind active to avoid lethargy from setting into your routine. Keep yourself energetic to kick your metabolism in to a higher gear.

MIND POWER

The mind is like muscle developed by use. Keep you mind alive by being enthusiastic about life and learning.

Nothing is, unless our thinking makes it so. Never underestimate the power of the mind!
– William Shakespeare

MEDITATION

Meditation is peace, ever-new joy… When you meditate you connect the little joy of the soul to the vast joy of the spirit.

The more you achieve peacefulness through meditation, the more your peaceful state impacts those around you.

When you meditate you know God rather than having to settle for knowing about God.

God is the friend of silence. See the stars, the moon and the sun; how they move in silence… the depth of stillness touches the soul.