Top 5 Tips for Building Muscle

Many magazines give tips on how to build muscle, and make it seem like an easy task. The truth is that gaining muscle takes time and can be very challenging. You need to be disciplined and have an understanding of how muscle development works if you want to gain a toned body.

The following tips will help you gain the body you want:

1. Weight lifting – Weight lifting is a form of anaerobic exercise that focuses on muscles instead of calorie burning. By lifting weights you cause micro-tears in your muscles, when the muscle repairs its self it is slightly bigger and stronger than before.

2. Eat Lots of Calories – this tip can be tricky and requires careful monitoring especially on the food you eat. You can eat lots of calories but you don’t have to eat excessively. Calories are still required since it will help in developing your muscles. Think of it as your fuel for a more ripped body.

3. Infrequent Training – consistent exercise is required but you don’t just focus on one part of your body. Switching between building muscle and improving your cardio is suggested by many trainers. Your Muscles need time to heal after a tough work out and therefore building different areas of muscle on different days is a good tip to gain an all-round  toned body.

4. Increase the Amount You Lift Each Time – this tip is directly related to infrequent training but it focuses on weight lifting. You have to make sure that you constantly adjust the weight you lift to build bigger muscles and improve your strength.

5. Stay Hydrated/Drink Lots of Water – when training it can easy to forget to drink. You will definitely sweat a lot during your weight lifting exercises and staying hydrated is important for a healthy body.

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Opus Energy is a supplier of energy to businesses around the United Kingdom. The Northampton based company raised £55,000 for a motor neurone disease charity through a clay-pigeon shoot.

The Opus Energy Shooting Challenge was held at the Royal Berkshire Shooting School based in Pangbourne. The event saw more than 100 patrons from across Europe attend the event and compete with Opus Energy staff in a range of team-based games. All of the money raised on the day went to Heaton-Ellis Trust, a Motor Neuron disease charity based in Berkshire.

During the day the company also hosted an auction which raised £25,000, nearly 50% of the total. The auction offered attendees skiing holidays, Saracens rugby tickets and helicopter lessons for attendees.

Motor neuron disease is a progressive disease which affects a person’s upper and lower neurons. This can affect a series of muscles that control movement including; walking, swallowing, breathing and speaking. Motor neuron disease leads to wasting and weakness of the muscles and can affect people of any age.

The money raised at the Opus Energy event will help towards finding a cure and improving technologies to find the defective genes which cause it.

Heaton-Ellis Trust employee Romilla Arber stated the day was a huge success for the trust. This year’s event gained the trust a considerable extra amount of income compared to last year. Everyone had a great time despite the chilly temperature and raised money for a worthwhile choice.

Charlie Crossley, Opus Energy’s Managing Director stated the event was a great success and we are very pleased to have raised £55,000 for the Heaton-Ellis Trust. We would like to thank everyone who showed up to the event and also a big thank you to the Royal Berkshire Shooting School for helping us organise the day.

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Walking is one of the simplest types of exercises. It doesn’t require extensive equipment, it doesn’t require any training and it can be done by practically anyone. Although it’s a well known exercise with various benefits for health, additional discoveries have been made which prove walking can benefit us even more greatly when done in a regular fashion.

A recently published study by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute reveals that walking can also help reduce BMI as well as increase sensitivity to insulin. The reduction of BMI or Body Mass Index has been publicised for a long time.  However, the findings that walking can also help improve insulin sensitivity is something new and should be considered especially by those who suffer from diabetes.

The author of the study believes that 10,000 steps on a daily basis should be enough to help a person improve their insulin sensitivity. Walking 10,000 steps is like walking five miles which should be very simple especially for those who are already working out.

Insulin sensitivity is a very important feature in our body. If your body has insulin resistance, your body will easily suffer diabetes. Insulin helps trigger the tissues in the body to absorb glucose. Without the ability to absorb glucose, the sugar level in the body increases and diabetes cannot be avoided.

Walking 10,000 steps on a daily basis may seem like a very challenging task but it’s a very healthy exercise with a wide variety of benefits.

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The old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is true because of the obvious health benefits of the said fruit. Change “apple” with “beer” and people will think that you have a drinking problem. You can’t just drink beer every day since there is a common conception that beer simply harms your body.

Not so fast

Recent studies in Spain suggest that drinking a pint of beer a day can actually have multiple health benefits. Among the health benefits of drinking a pint of beer is lowering the risk of diabetes, helps in preventing high blood pressure and even foster weight loss.

The Protective Effect of Beer

Beer may not look like a healthy drink but it actually has vitamins, folic acid, iron and calcium. It’s an impressive list and comparable to drinking a glass of wine every day. Since the beer’s alcohol content is relatively lower than other alcoholic drinks, it’s still safe to drink. A pint, when it comes to alcoholic content, is almost the same as a glass of wine.

The Catch

But the mere fact that beer comes with impressive healthy benefits doesn’t mean you can just drink beer everyday and expect to have a clean bill of health. According to research, preventing high blood pressure and diabetes as well as fostering weight loss is only possible with the help of a Mediterranean diet. This means your diet will focus on fish, vegetables, fruits and lots of olive oil. According to the research, those who went through this diet with a pint of beer noticed that they are also losing weight aside from feeling healthy.

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Recent study shows that kids who constantly avoid playing outside increase the risk of becoming short-sighted. The researchers from the University of Cambridge made an extensive study on the effects of outside play to kids in terms of their physical aspect especially their eyesight. According to the researchers, every hour of playtime outside can reduce the dangers of myopia or nearsightedness by as much as 2%. It’s a relatively small change on the eyes’ ability to see clearly but the kids who put in more hours will see the difference.

The relationship of outside play to eyesight is very unique considering outside play often revolves around muscle development, skills improvement or simply weight loss. But according to researchers, there are two factors involved in outside play that helps reduce physical problems related to myopia. The first factor is the sun, looking directly to the sun is dangerous for kids and adults alike but the sunlight that radiates during the day for kids can help reduce myopia.

Another factor that helps reduce myopia is the fact that kids playing outside can enjoy a wider view of the area instead of the confined spaces at home. Looking at objects at a distance is a form of exercise to the eye. Kids who play outside prevent myopia because their eyes are already experienced and can easy deal with the sun.

But even though outside play can reduce the risk of short-sightedness, it doesn’t mean that you just stay outside the whole day. The UV rays from the sun can still cause significant damages.

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Preventing any type of cancer is always a top priority for medical professionals and researchers. Dealing with breast cancer has become very important because it’s quickly becoming one of the leading causes of death related to cancer. Any type of prevention can help save the lives of millions.

A recent study suggests that beta blockers can actually prevent breast cancer. Beta blockers are important components included in medicine that helps deal with heart problems, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and other mood disorders. A study was conducted in 800 patients and early results show that those who took medicine with beta blockers higher chances of preventing their body from developing breast cancer and its complications.

Researchers believe that 800 patients cannot create a universal assumption on beta blockers capability in relation to preventing breast cancer. To create a better conclusion on beta blockers, researchers are planning to study more than 30,000 individuals. They are planning to start their research this year with a target presentation in 2012.

Early assumption on the capability of beta blockers suggests that beta blockers have the capability of preventing the spread of breast cancer in other parts of the body. Although only 30% of the breast cancer patients experience spreading of the disease; more than 90% of the said patients die because of the breast cancer. If the spread of the fatal disease is prevented the number of deaths related to breast cancer will be limited. It’s a promising start for those who wanted to deal with the disease once and for all.

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Women drinking more than three cups of coffee every week have lesser chances of experiencing depression. A study published in September 26, 2011 in Archives of Internal Medicine indicates that coffee drinking women will less likely develop depression. The study was made on more than 50,000 women in USA with an average age of 63. It’s also a survey that covers the past 10 years of the participants’ coffee drinking habit.

Prevention not Cure

It should be noted that the study only tries to take a closer look at the relation between coffee drinking habits of women and depression. This means the survey only indicated that coffee has assisted women in preventing depression. No indication was made to tell that coffee was used to assist women deal directly with depression and other minor mental problems.

Caffeine and Depression

One curious fact about the study that relates coffee and depression is the type of coffee women take. It can be assumed that women do not experience depression because of caffeine. However, some of the women who drink more than three cups of coffee every week only drink decaffeinated coffee. Simply put, the reason why women do not feel depression is not due to caffeine.

Warning of Overdrinking

The study does warn women that such early conclusions should not be taken as a definite preventive method for depression. Drinking too much coffee can still cause some health problems due to caffeine. Regular coffee consumption should be more than enough if the study proves to find a definite relation between coffee and depression in women.

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Getting your tan or looking brown during the winter season seems like a challenging task because the sun’s heat is not warm enough to brown your skin. A very popular option is to visit a tanning salon. However it can be expensive and dangerous, especially if you’re not familiar with those methods.

Fortunately, there are three things you can use to look brown during the winter season without any health complications. It may require some patience but it can produce results in a very healthy way.

Rub on Tans

It’s a very straightforward method in looking brown without any dangerous side effects. Simply apply the tan on your skin and wait for it to dry. It may require some time to dry but you have absolute control on the areas that you want to look brown. Just make sure to apply generously to prevent streaks or lines.

Spray on Tans

This is an increasingly popular method for tanning because of its quick dry feature. However, it will require some familiarization because application is a little bit tricky. Make sure you know how to properly spray the tan on your body to prevent streaking or uneven applications.

Airbrush Spray Tans

Airbrush spray tans are more powerful and precise than spray on tans. It comes with a pen-like spray that allows pinpoint accuracy for tanning. A single applicable of airbrush spray tan is equivalent to six tanning sessions but without the side effects. It’s also known for its ability to protect the skin from burns and could last longer than spray or rub on tans.

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Preventing cancer is always a possibility with the help of the different types of fruits and vegetables. Fortunately, there are a good number of fruits and vegetables you can take to help you prevent cancer and even eliminate its early stages of growth.

Along with the right type of diet and exercise, the following are the types of food that can help you prevent cancer:

Grapefruit – it’s one of the best fruits that can deal with cancer because of its ability to remove carcinogens that causes cancer. Grapefruit contains high amounts of monoterpene which is an essential element that can deal with carcinogens.

Garlic – recent research shows that ginger can deal with different types of cancer. Prostate, ovarian and colon are only some of the cancers that can be prevented or even dealt with through garlic. Extract from ginger can easily help in preventing and dealing with cancer. Ginger comes with gingerol that can slow down the rate of colon cancer cells. It’s also proven that ginger can induce apoptosis or cell suicide for ovarian cancer which is also helpful in dealing with prostate cancer.

Soy – soybeans and other foods that contain soybean comes with isoflavones. It’s a very powerful component that can help the body protect itself from breast cancer. The potential harmful side effect of estrogen is breast cancer but soybeans and foods that contain soybeans could prevent this fatal health problem.

Tea – one of the most popular ingredients in weight loss and fat burning but also popular for preventing cancer. Tea comes with catechins and these are antioxidants that inhibit the development of cancer cells.

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One of the common work-related problems that can affect a person’s productivity is stress. Under stress, a person will have a hard time concentrating and common office tasks become increasingly difficult. Stress could even lead to actual physical problems with fatal complications.

However even though stress can be a big problem if no actions are taken, it can be easily remedied with the right attitude. The most popular trick to deal with stress is to change the environment, situation or stimulus.

Calming Techniques While in the Office

It’s very easy to experience stress while in an office environment because of the pressure of the work load. But anyone can easily deflect this type of condition with simple changes in their environment and some stimulus. A very simple trick is to listen to very soothing music every once in a while. It’s also important to take a real break during lunch time which means you should not think of work and enjoy the quiet environment.

Dealing with Stress Outside the Office

Dealing with stress is a lot easier outside the office because of the additional facilities available. A simple walk in the park, jog or bike ride can be a good stress reliever not to mention a good way to exercise and burn fat. Some individuals join yoga classes and different types of meditation to experience serenity and practice the calmness while at work. Hans Selye, a pioneering Hungarian endocrinologist, who discovered the General Adaption Syndrome (also know as stress sydrome) stated “Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one”.

Stress can be devastating to anyone. Before it becomes dangerous; deal with stress by changing your environment and focusing on quieter locations. It’s also ideal to exercise and practice yoga and meditation in order to better deal with stress in the office.

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