Cacao : Foods of the Gods

Hi everyone, as I've blogged about cacao back in January this year, just thought it would be good to share with you the cacao raw products I bought few days ago. Fantastic food product, organic, raw and extremely beneficial. It is indeed 'Foods of the Gods', like how the Mayans and Aztecs named it. 

One of my favourite foods, cacao, raw chocolate. An awesome superfood with tons of powerful nutrients and medicinal properties such as anti-depressant, mood enhancer, antioxidants, aphrodisiac, etc. Cacao, has the highest antioxidants of all foods on this planet! Avoid commercial chocolates, as usually they contain high sugar and other bad sweeteners and preservatives, and  go for organic raw chocolate products. You will love it for sure.

Cardio vs weight training: Which is healthier? Which burns fat more efficient? (Part 12)

Are you wasting your time in the gym? Endless exercise or workout, repeating that vicious cycles of cardio over and over again, for months and probably years, you are not getting the results you wanted. What happen? Ever realized tons of gym goers who usually spent loads of time on cardio treadmill tend to be overweight and not lean and well toned? Or even enthusiast bodybuilders tend to have bulky body shape and not achieving definition and lean muscle mass? Most gym goers who is into bodybuilding, has poor fitness level and health status. Happen to catch a nasty fart while in the gym? Yeah, thats usually either your gym instructors or protein powder freaks. Don't believe? Then spent more time with them, and see what happens.

In this post, I'm going to share some exercise methods, and this concerns especially guys, but ladies can integrate this routine in their exercise program as well, with lighter weights. In this post, I want to share the benefits of supersets and forced sets. Yes, I've mentioned before about the effectiveness and benefits of HIBT and high intensity interval trainings, but let me share some of these types of workout, what they can do for athletes, bodybuilders and some of us as well.

Supersets and forced sets, if done properly, can help induce a maximum anabolic state. Long resistance supersets that take between one and three minutes followed by a 'forced' set, will most likely grant the amount of  time needed for cortisol levels to rise and fall. This method allows the cortisol level to drop within the time range of the superset and the forced repetition.

To fully manipulate steroid actions, you should try to take advantage of the cortisol waves during exercise. You can do this as follows:

- Keep your workout short yet intense, preferably not more then 45 mins, perform a giant superset, then move on to next set.
- Take short rest intervals, approximately 30-60 seconds. Take longer rest then that, it may give the body enough time to snap out of the 'action mode' and reset itself to re-establish a high cortisol level during the next set. Again, a high cortisol level marks an upcoming cortisol decline. A low cortisol levels marks an upcoming cortisol increase. Therefore, when incorporating short rests between the sets, the body will gradually adapt to the highly intense drills by shortening cortisol waves and lowering its levels.

In fact, intense training has a profoundly relaxing effects on the body because of the nature of the cortisol wave. For that matter, any exercise can help reduce stress if its done properly, except steady state cardio or endurance type of exercise or trainings.

A physically trained body can cope with stress better than a sedentary one. As noted, through adaptation, the body gets tougher by shortening cortisol spikes and avoiding chronically elevated cortisol levels that are associated with panic reactions and impaired performance. In summary, adrenal steroids help the body survive under stressful condition. Manipulating the cortisol wave to work for you means taking advantage of your survival mechanism to get tougher and stronger.

Now, let's talk abit about aldosterone. Any of you heard of this hormone? Yes? Well, it is an adrenal mineralocorticoid hormone that regulates ion mineral balance and blood pressure via sodium and potassium pumps. This hormone is usually regarded as 'bad guy', because of its presumed adverse affects on blood pressure and water retention. It is activated by the hormone called angiotensin, derived from the actions of the kidney on the liver.

Aldosterone actions probably helped humans survive during primordial times when salt was not abundant in every community. Salt, once considered a precious commodity, was traded over long distances and even used as currency. The ancient Greeks regarded salt as a substance that boosts physical power. And no, I'm not talking about table salt.

Through many years of evolution, the human body has adapted primarily to food that is minimally processed and has a significantly higher ratio of potassium to sodium. Potassium, a natural diuretic mineral, activates aldosterone and also helps remove water from tissues, thus, elleviating edema and water retention.

Looking at how human body is biologically equipped to better survive under conditions of physical hardship and food deprivation, one might conclude that an inner wisdom is deeply embedded into basic human nature. Physical stress such as exercise, as well as the endurance of periods of lack of food, would likely activate a most powerful inner mechanism that compensate the body for the physical and nutritional stress by inducing metabolic actions that improve the body's capacity to generate energy and resist those stressors.

Periodically restricting sodium and eating high potassium foods would give the body the signal that sodium is scarce, and thus trigger this primal survival mechanism that activates the mineralocorticoid aldosterone and its related actions.

Also, there may be another bonus involved. Aldosterone, which is responsible for the preservation of sodium, may indirectly help induce a preliminary anabolic potential in which muscle cell membranes are alkalized via sodium pump. When activated, the sodium pump or channel, increases sodium ions in the cell, a process necessary for muscle contractions as well as other metabolic functions, including cellular growth.

Aldosterone is a weak steroid, and diets with overly salty and deficient in potassium chronically deactivate this hormone. Long periods of sodium restriction can reactivate aldosterone but may eventually lead to water retention and elevated blood pressure when sodium is reintroduced. Conversely, loading the body with potassium riched foods such as avocados, tomatoes and vegetables, naturally helps to activate aldosterone, staving off undesirable water retention and its related blood pressure fluctuations.

Note that chronic elevation of aldosterone such as with hypertension individuals is generally a symptom of metabolic disorders that occur due to impaired liver or kidney functions. Poor diets, high levels of toxicity and lack of exercise are all  factors that contribute to impaired capacity of the body to regulate normal metabolic functions, including the homeostasis of minerals.

Last but not least, aldosterone induces electrical charge in muscle cells by allowing an increase in cellular sodium. This process may help induce muscular action potential with higher overall muscle tone. I will discuss about how different types of fats play their roles in repair and growth in next couple chapters, hopefully.

Cheese Delight!

I promised a colleague to upload about cheese product few days ago.  There you go, one of the better cheese product available in Malaysia. I have to admit that it is not easy to find a good cheese product in Malaysia. I've surveyed many places but the only good cheese product is the one below, which I managed to find recently. To any cheese lovers out there, if you are looking for a good source of healthy beneficial cheese product, you may consider this one. 

The cheese is derived from grass fed cows, unpasteurized, contains non GMO, lactose free and aged between 5-9 months old. It's slightly pricey, but it is of course much better then consuming commercial cheese products which are usually very unhealthy and contains loads of waste products, pesticides, antibiotics and synthetic hormones. If you stroll along the supermarkets or even most organic outlets, you will have hard time finding unpasteurized grass fed cheese, free from harmful ingredients. as mostly sold cheese products are pasteurized. To whoever is allergic to dairy products, please be extra careful and you might want to avoid any cheese product? Anyhow, enjoy your cheese mate. 

Have a Cup of Tea?

Let's take a break from the exercise post. To any tea lovers out there, you might be interested as I'm recommending a couple of teas which is beneficial to health. The first tea which I recommend is Tulsi tea. In my opinion, I think it is one of the most beneficial teas of all teas. It is caffeine and gluten free, certified 100% organic, contains powerful adaptogens and antioxidants, as well as certain tulsi teas have stress relieving, soothing, aids digestion, anti aging, supports immune system, energizing, cooling and rejuvenating benefits. 

The second tea which I found not long ago while away during holidays, was called "GABA tea". I can't read Chinese on the box label, but this tea seem to have GABA effects and helps to balance stress levels. I've briefly read the product information but I wouldn't say it is the best tea product in the market, but it has its own benefits. It may benefit one with high stress levels, with depleted GABA stores in the brain, but I don't think it is available in Malaysia. 

Well, of course there are other good teas out there, but from my point of view, the reason why one would to drink tea, is to take advantage of its benefits such as antioxidants, aiding digestion, stress relive, etc. Preferably, it doesn't contains caffeine, as it has diuretic affects and also a mild stimulant, unless you want to stimulate your nervous system for better concentration and wakefulness during day time. Too much of caffeinated tea, will also makes your body dehydrated as you will pee free water regularly. Also, it is highly recommended only to drink organically grown teas, to avoid pesticides, herbicides and any other chemicals as well. Enjoy your cup of tea. 

 

      

Cardio vs weight training: Which is healthier? Which burns fat more efficient? (Part 11)

I'm not too sure, how many more posts I can continue writing about different types of exercises, muscle gain and fat loss, steroid hormones, etc. There so many other stuff I would like to share with all of you readers our there, but, I wish I have some time to sit down and write as much as I could, with work stress and other commitments, it just feels demotivating at times, and tiring. Some of my friends urged me to get sponsors and advertisers for this blog so I could earn some money, but I guess it isn't so much of my style and I have been helping and giving free trainings and consultations to people I met for the last few years or so. I wrote 13 posts on sugar, 11 posts about cholesterol and heart disease, and I hope, honestly, I could write a few more posts about exercise. I don't know, let see how it goes. Time, work and commitments are just restricting this blog from staying alive.

Now, let's dive into the continuation of steroid hormones, but today, I want to write about stress hormone called cortisol, but I will not blog too much about it, just briefly on how it could impact our body, hormonal perspective, and health. I could write 100 pages about stress hormones, but let's stick to laymen shorter explanation.

As I've mentioned in earlier post, steroids are derived from gonadals and the adrenal glands, and they indirectly enhance or inhibit each other's actions. They somehow, act together, somewhat like a well mixed cocktail or hormones. The adrenal cortex produces three classes of steroid hormones that play important roles in the anabolic process leading to muscle gain.

Some of the adrenal hormones, such as cortisol and aldosterone, are generally considered to be the 'bad guys' by bodybuilders and athletes. Cortisol is vital for survival, stress management, as well as other important functions in our lives. But, if poor management of cortisol secretion for prolong period of time, it could turn out to be harmful or destructive to our body.

As noted previously, adrenal steroids play a critical role in regulating stress related reactions, including reactions o physical stress. As you will see, all adrenal hormones including cortisol, aldosterone, DHEA and others, help the body survive in tough stressful conditions such as physical danger, lack of food, injuries, and the need to endure extreme physical strain.

Basically, there are three classes of adrenal steroids. They are glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids and androgens. Biologically, both anabolic androgens and cortisol play important roles in reaction to stress, recuperation, preventing muscle waste and enhancing tissue repair. In theory, stress hormones inhibit muscle gain. For instance, let's take a really good example of how a simple exercise, which has a powerful influence of stress hormone cortisol,  inhibit or 'eats away' muscle mass.

Imagine you walks into a gym at 9pm after a long hours of stressful work. After an exhausting stressful day at the office, with the body already loaded and pumping massive amount of stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, you think you could do some good to your body or health, with 45 or 60 mins of cardio routine on the treadmill or elliptical machine. Thinking that you could burn some fat and calories and release stress? You have no idea that with at least 2 bazillion watts of fluorescent and artificial lights are on, and being intensified by reflecting mirrors that are shining right into your eyes and all over the skin of the overexposed body. You lift weights, run or jog on the treadmill, whatever types of other cardio exercises.

Do you know what is happening to your body right at this point while you are exercising? Let me enlighten all of you readers out there. Our body and mind, which were evolved over the millennia to recognize cues in nature. Long light at night (gym glare or could be staying up doing something else), means summer time. Summer, before the invention of electricity and light bulbs, means, cortisol is always up, to supply glucose to muscles to prepare for fight or flight situation, as well as calm decision making processes such as mating.

In this chronic state, not only you are keeping your blood sugar up, taxing your insulin response system with cortisol's blood sugar mobilizing effects, you are actually becoming insulin-resistance as you exercise too! I know it may sound shocking to some of you, but this is the real truth about exercising at night at the gym with beaming lights and running yourself to exhaustion on that treadmill, WILL only make you FAT! So, to some of you who have been doing cardio on treadmill (at night) for quite some time and not getting any results or perhaps gain couple more pounds, this is the reason why. Like what I sometimes tell my friends, exercise, could be the last nail in the coffin, especially if you DO not know what you are doing in the gym.

If you understand and have extreme knowledge about stress hormones especially cortisol, you could actually take advantage of it, during exercise, but with caution and proper execution. The level of stress hormone cortisol rises and falls in a wavelike manner during exercise. Taking advantage of  the cortisol wave, via special exercise intervals may help to induce a peak anabolic potential.

Well, how can we take advantage of the cortisol wave? This is how it works. Cortisol production is stimulated by a hormone called ACTH. ACTH is a stimulating hormone that is secreted during stress, exercise and fasting. It plays a major role in regulating the negative feedback loop that controls the circulating levels of cortisol. Elevated levels of cortisol signals the brain to decrease circulating levels of ACTH, thus, decreasing ACTH and consequently cortisol as well. That negative control loop, is probably what keeps the cortisol level from skyrocketing during physical stress and gives it a wavelike characteristic.

Both cortisol and androgen levels are elevated during exercise. Nonetheless, the adrenal gland is not a main source of androgen production. In fact, overall androgen levels increase because of an increase in both gonadals and adrenal androgens. For maximum anabolic impact, it is important to keep the androgen levels high, and cortisol low.

However, because of the cortisol wave, there is a threshold time by which cortisol levels decrease. This temporarily decrease in cortisol level creates a hormonal balance that favors androgen to cortisol and thereby helps increase anabolic potential. Therefore, duration of exercise intervals is most important in defining whether the exercise related stress will induce an anabolic or catabolic state. One big difference is HIBT and steady state cardio on the treadmill.

Prolonged and intense exercise routines over forty five minutes have been shown to lower testosterone levels and thus may be counter effective. Does it mean prolonged drills aren't beneficial? Not necessarily folks. With proper application of recovery meals, one can keep hormones at peak even during prolonged drills. And guys, I'm not talking about McD or KFC or pizza or Nasi Kandar after workout. Always go for whole foods with variety of organic free range meats and fishes, eggs, preferably organic, plenty of vegetables and some selected low glycemic fruits.

In the next post, I will discuss a bit on aldosterone, not too sure how many of you heard of this hormone, and I will discuss on how specific weight training could maximize muscle growth and induce anabolic state.

Cardio vs weight training: Which is healthier? Which burns fat more efficient? (Part 10)

In my last post, I wrote about steroidal hormones such as androgens and estrogens, how these hormones affects high mitochondrial capacity and high energy turnover, touched a bit on cholesterol and today, I intend to continue discuss about androgens, specifically DHT, as well as how our body converts testosterone to estrogens hormones. 

As noted, the most important anabolic steroid hormones are androgens, including testosterone. The biosynthesis of these hormones is constantly regulated through a tight negative-feedback control. Now, has anyone heard of a specific type of hormone called luteinizing hormones(LH)? These hormones are secreted by your pituitary gland and the hypothalamus, and are directly affected by levels of circulating sex hormones. 

A high level of androgens inhibits LH secretion, while low levels of androgens signal the hypothalamus to elevate another type of hormone called gonadotropin releasing hormone. This, in turn, increases the pituitary's secretion of LH and elevation of androgens through drugs or precursor pills such as 'prohormones' which are marketed by sports nutrition industry, may adversely affect the body's natural hormonal regulation mechanism, eventually shattering its ability to produce these hormones on its own. 

Now, people who take androgen boosters or drugs without medical supervision should be careful to cycle and monitor the amount and intervals so as to prevent a steroidal decline. To whom reading this right now, DO take note and take safety precautious. 

Have I mention in previous post that the most anabolic steroid hormones are male androgens? Many people suffer from low levels of androgens because of wrong diet, drug abuse, chemical toxicity, overtraining or aging. Testosterone is regarded as the most anabolic male steroid hormone. But, let me introduce to you a hormone called DHT (dehydrotestosterone), another type of androgen. 

Testosterone is responsible for many critical functions, the most predominant of which are the defining and developing of male characteristic features, including sexual maturation and fertility. However, testosterone anabolic actions and its related sexual desire and aggression are significantly affected by other androgens. Androgens, can typically convert from one form to another, from precursors into hormones. 

DHT, is the most potent male steroid hjormone. In fact, its actions are ten times more stronger than those induced by testosterone. DHT, has been labeled the 'bad testosterone', due to its allegedly adverse affect on the prostate. Nevertheless, there is emerging evidence that DHT may not be the real contributign factor to prostate enlargement, but rather the female hormone estrogen. When estrogen is present in excess in a male, it has been shown to cause ferminization of the body and metabolic disorders including enlargement of the prostate. 

Any medication, drugs or substance that inhibits the conversion of testosterone into DHT, such as hair loss and prostate related drugs, may suppress DHT's anabolic actions, thereby affecting libido and sexual performance. In a nutshell, testosterone and DHT play critical roles in growth, potency and fertility, but when it comes down to muscular development, DHT rules.

Let's talk a bit about every man's nightmare. No, I'm not talking about losing your favorite luxury car or Iphone mobile, but I'm referring to conversion of testosterone to estrogen. Growing man boobs! Sounds familiar? Well, this is only one of the aromatizing affect of the hormone conversion. Aromatizing, is about to become widely considered as one of the most horrific nightmares of modern men. The conversion of testosterone to estrogen via a chemical called 'aromatizing' is a natural occurrence that increases with aging.

What about young people in modern era? Kids, teenagers and young adults are suffering from excess of estrogen levels. The effects on young adults today are staggering. We have males in their 20's and 30's developing man boobs, compared with few decades ago. What went wrong? Why does this happen?

The enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens, is stimulated by certain industrial chemicals that have similiar structure to the female hormone estrogen. These chemicals are commonly found in the food we eat, the water we drink, and the products we use. Remember in earlier post I did mention about my male colleague microwaving his food in plastic tupperware? Yes, this is one of the examples how we could get these estrogen mimickers into our body.

To avoid over expression of this aromatizing enzyme, it is important to understand how it works. This enzyme is responsible for many undesirable estrogen related actions that cause adverse feminization of men. This enzyme is actually a complex of enzymes, and not just one, that is largely produced by adipose tissue. Normally, it plays a critical role in the female's body, supporting optimum estrogen levels.

In females, luteinizing hormone binds to cells in the ovary. where it stimulates the synthesis of the androstendione and testosterone. Only then, does an additional enzyme complex called aromatase, finally covert androgens into estrogens.

Bear in mind, certain conditions such as overly high levels of androgens due to steroid drug abuse, a congested liver, or obesity, can lead to over expression of this enzyme complex, resulting in stubborn fat gain, usually around the belly and chest, and a decline in anabolic androgen level, a condition that eventually inhibits muscle growth.

Please do take note that aromatase over activity can also devastate the female's body, causing hormonal disorders, disease and cancer. Liver detoxification and reduction in body fat are probably the most beneficial methods for encouraging anti aromatase activity. Both methods can also help maximize steroid hormone utilization and enhance their anabolic actions. Nonetheless, as I've mentioned tons of times in my earlier posts, it is extremely important, to eliminate aromatase promoting substances from the diet including pesticides, herbicides, plastic derivatives such as plastic containers or tupperwares, and estrogenic dietary compounds such as those found in soybean, clover, licorice and hops in beer.

Question is, are there any compounds or foods that can inhibit or have anti aromatase nutrients? The answer is YES. To name a few, there are garlic, onion, passion flower, chomomile, grass fed dairy, turmeric, raw nuts and seeds, omega 3 oils, flaxseed, hempseed and etc. In the next couple of chapters, I will write about major stress hormones cortisol, aldosterone and of course, workout routines. I will discuss the types of workouts, which can produce effective muscle growth and induce maximum anabolic state.

Cardio vs weight training: Which is healthier? Which burns fat more efficient? (Part 9)

Let's talk about hormones today. Yes, steroidal hormones. Remember when I blogged about cholesterol last month and how important it is for our body? Steroid hormones are derived from cholesterol. Cholesterol is the precursor for all steroidal hormones. 

Steroids are some of the most intriguing of all hormones. Unlike other classes of anabolic or fat burning hormones, the steroid group exhibits diverse and sometimes contradictory actions. In general, the main function of steroid hormones is to develop and maintain a mature and vigorous body. Some steroids are responsible for stress reactions and regulation of blood sugar, where others are responsible for the regulation of minerals. But, the most 'notorious' steroids are the sex hormones androgens and estrogens. 

Androgens, are regarded as the most potent libido enhancers and muscle builders. Nonetheless, it is the balance of all steroid hormones, including female hormones, stress hormones and mineralocorticoids, that determines how the body reacts to stress, builds tissue, and sustains life.

Androgens have a long lasting impact on the body. Their actions can be prolonged for hours or days, making them the most effective anabolic agents. However, as steady and potent as they are, the impact of these anabolic steroids is not as immediate as other hormones such as growth hormone, adrenaline or insulin. In fact, their impact on the body occurs in a delayed fashion. Often, people can't gain muscle or lose fat because of certain hormonal imbalance or deficiencies. Let's discuss a bit more on steroid hormones' actions and their practical application to muscle gain and overall health. 

Now, the switch that turns on steroid hormone synthesis is cellular factor cAMP. cAMP and its related enzyme induce the release of steroid-stimulating hormones from the pituitary gland. These peptides stimulating hormones signal the gonads and adrenal glands to synthesize the steroid hormones. 

Steroid production depends upon cholesterol synthesis in the mitochondria cells that manufacture steroid hormones, typically located in the gonad and adrenals glands. The conversion of cholesterol to steroid hormones involves producing steroid hormone called pregnenolone, 'the mother of all steroid hormones'.

Steroidal activity can be stimulated by fasting, undereating and exercise, all of which are cAMP inducers. Here is how this process works. Lack of food and hunger, increase the level of cellular cAMP, which then induces steroid hormone synthesis. cAMP catalyzes as enzyme that increases available cholesterol concentration, the substrate to steroid hormone synthesis. cAMP also increases the activity of steroid producing enzymes by binding to specific genes that increase levels of these enzymes and therefore enchance steroid hormone synthesis.

I would like to take chance to share with you guys, about the relation of high mitochondrial capacity, which is required for proper steroidal impact. The mitochondria are energy producing organelles inside the cell, responsible for energy production, particularly from fat. High mitochondrial capacity increases fat utilization and thereby helps promote steroid hormone synthesis. The first critical stage of steroid hormone synthesis involves the conversion of cholesterol into pregnenolone in the mitochondria of steroid producing cells.

Mitochondrial damage caused by toxicity, aging, or lack of essential nutrients and antioxidants can lead to lower mitochondrial capacity, which may result in steroid hormone decline, loss of muscle mass, general weakness and overall metabolic decline as well. Bear in mind, there is positive correlation between essential antioxidant and detoxifying nutrients and the capacity to develop a healthy and muscular body.

 Next, lets talk a bit about how dietary fat and cholesterol could affect steroid hormones. Consumption of fats and carbs should then be intelligently manipulated to ensure proper utilization and to prevent insulin resistance  as well as over accumulation of lipids that may impair steroid hormone synthesis and potential muscle gain. Prolonged low fat low calorie diets may suppress steroid actions because of a lack of dietary fat, cholesterol and energy needed for steroid production. In fact, in healthy individuals, a high fat meals can help promote steroid production as long as calorie supply is sufficient.

In times when eating in moderation is considered to be healthiest, it may seem wrong to advise people to overeat. Nervertheless, overeating if done properly, can be the most effective way to boost steroidal actions, enhance libido and maximize growth potential.

Moving on, I would like to share with you of how we could take advantage of steroid hormone actions. Anyone heard of androgen? For men reading this right now, SHOULD know about androgen. Well, androgen production depends on the rate of energy production. High energy turnover is a metabolic state that involves high energy intake and high energy expenditure. High energy turnover forces the body to mobilize fat with its cholesterol carrier through the blood to the muscles and liver, where it converts to energy, thus depleting cellular cholesterol levels while enchancing steroid hormone production.

Any exercise method that forces development of muscle with high mitochondrial density, will naturally  increase the body's capacity to absorb and spend energy. Again, improvement in fat and cholesterol utilization by virtue of improved energy utilization will most likely help sustain peak steroidal activity.

Sex hormones! Yes, almost everyone loves to read or listen to topics or discussions which relate to sex. But guys, I'm not revealing any secrets on how to cure ED or how to maximize arousal or pleasure levels, but the following discussion will be about our sex hormones and how we can take advantage or its steroidal actions.Sorry to disappoint the male readers out there, but if I have the time one day, I may write about the cause of reproductive dysfunction, which involve erectile dsyfunction, infertility in both men and women, low libido levels, etc.

Now, sex hormones have a profound impact on the body, defining gender, body composition, virility and tissues regeneration. For instance, androgens are considered to be the most anabolic tissue building hormones. The names 'testosterone' and 'estrogen' are perhaps the most familiar of hormones among the general population, with the exception of well known adrenaline hormone. But how much do you know about testosterone and estrogen?

There is still much of confusion about the biological functions of both these hormones. It is clear that both hormone levels decline with age, leading to loss of muscle and bone mass, gain and retention of fat, overall metabolic decline, and increased vulnerability to disease.

Male and female produce both hormones. Testosterone, the male hormone, plays a critical role in women's bodies, as does estrogen in men. The female hormone estrogen is necessary for regulation of critical metabolic actions in men's bodies. Do you know that sex steroid hormones can convert to one another? For instance, testosterone can be converted into estrogen, and this process can cause feminization of the male body, including stubborn fat gain, declining testosterone levels, loss of muscle mass and impaired physical and sexual performance as well.

This very process, can be devastating to female's body too. When occurring in excess, it can lead to hormonal disorders, undesirable weight gain, and formation of tumors. Taking advantage of steroid hormone actions, requires more than just an increase in their levels. In fact, too high of testosterone levels may adversely affect its anabolic actions. To manipulate anabolic steroid hormones, you should first try to understand how they are regulated in your body.

To be continued...

Cardio vs weight training: Which is healthier? Which burns fat more efficient? (Part 8)

Had a great training session earlier today, gave HIBT to some of my fellow colleagues, was enjoying training them, helping them with their diet plans, monitoring and tweaking their diets, sleeping cycles, etc. I enjoyed helping people with their diet, lifestyle and exercise programmes, and I didn't charge a penny, but I get lots of pleasure and fun knowing what I can do to improve people's (that I know) health and fitness. Not all pleasure and happiness can be bought by money alone, and this is one of them, which gives me pure pleasure without involving sex, weed and doping drugs. Just kidding.

One can decide, either charge someone a fee for giving personal training or consultation of diet/nutrition plan, and make it as a career even though it doesn't matter if it really work or turn out to be a failure (long term). Similarly, one can be a doctor, opens a clinic or work in medical sector, firmly believes in drugs treatment on symptoms and diseases and refuse to have an open mind about other means of treatment, and receives fairly handsome amount of salary every month, even though pharmaceutical drugs usually causes more health problems then fixing underlying causes. Choices is ours to make, it depends on how do we decide, to be able to help people regardless of health, fitness, diet or any other issues, and usually money plays a huge role when it comes to pharmaceutical drugs and personal training. 

Does anyone know an average Fitness First personal trainer earns up to RM10-15k per month? Oh yeah, I'm not kidding at all. I have several friends who work as a personal trainer in this gym outlet, revealing their salary to me in a boosting manner, but oh boy, do they know anything about health, fitness and the science of body transformation, which includes overdose of protein powder drinks and supplements. 

Now, let's dive back into some discussion about building muscles. I know I know, you must be thinking that in order to build big massive muscles, all we gotta do, is to consume high protein, and protein powder drinks is one effective way to achieve that goal. Low fat and high protein diet? Not to mention how many IFBB bodybuilders have died of heart attack for consumption/abuse of steroids. 

The adoration of the muscular body may well relate to the primal appreciation of human attraction to physical power as a means of survival. For ancient warriors muscularity, strength and endurance, often meant the difference life and death. In contrast, the modern concept of muscularity has nothing to do with functionality or survival.

The main goal of modern fitness and bodybuilding is to increase muscularity for sheer vanity, in this case, for men, we talk about having bigger biceps, bulky chest, six packs abs, etc. We lost count of knowing what fitness and 'workout' is all about, as performance and health become secondary goals. As a result, the vast majority of people today have been busting their butts to develop a new kind of body, one that hasn't been tested through the evolution of humans.

This body image that manifests on the glossy cover of fitness and muscle magazines has nothing to do with biological functions. Not surprisingly, a typical bodybuilder and weekend warrior will fail to perform in a real life situation that demands high endurance, speed and agility. In ancient times, the purpose of exercise was to build a powerful body.

Nowadays, the only way to develop a functional powerful body, is to drop the modern gimmicks, tricks and pseudo routines to build muscle mass, and instead step back and start adapting old fashioned concepts of training. If you realize, this is not the type of advise you typically read in muscle magazines.

Growth, including muscle gain, is the outcome of opposing forces and results from an array of biological events that lead to cellular activities, such as gene transcription and protein synthesis. Like many other biological functions, growth can either heal or kill. On the positive side, the anabolic process of creating new cells is critical for tissue repair, the replacement for old and dead cells, and the build up of muscle fibers for improved performance. Growth, is a tightly controlled process that facilitates the development of a human being from an early embryonic stage, to a fully mature adult. On the negative side, an uncontrolled growth can lead to formation of cancerous tumors and death.

Many processes can stimulate growth. However, for every process that induces growth, there is an opposing  force that inhibits it. That's how the body protects itself and sustains its homeostasis. Now, does anyone know that anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen and also blood pressure drugs such as beta blockers are directly and indirectly suppressors of hormones and enzymes that stimulate growth?

In the next post, I will discuss about growth regulating factors, which include steroid hormones, fatty acids and their anabolic actions, as well as peptide stimulating hormones (if I have the time to write that much). Before I sign off, it is important to understand that exercise can profoundly encourage muscle gain or can retard muscular development and performance. Most importantly, specific exercises are needed to effectively transform muscle into super muscle tissue with superior strength, speed and endurance capabilities.

Cardio vs weight training: Which is healthier? Which burns fat more efficient? (Part 7)

In this post, I would like to finish off a bit more about cGMP as well as muscle gain. I will discuss briefly about how cGMP can affect potency and this concerns men. Yes, for those male readers out there, you might be interested about this discussion. Especially for those who RELY on ED drugs, this one is specially for you guys.

cGMP might be regarded as a sex stimulating cellular factor. In fact, the drug Viagra works on the principle of inhibiting cellular cGMP reuptake. cGMP, with its insulin-related actions, promotes the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide, a metabolite of the amino acid arginine, is a natural compound that regulates blood pressure and circulation. As a vasodilator, NO is critical for male erection as well as female sexual arousal. I know what you guys must be thinking now after reading this fact. And yes, you will NOT be able to quality/full erection or increase sexual performance with gulping or loading your body system with loads of nitric oxide or arginine supplements. There are tons of other factors and hormonal pathways involved to enable a healthy reproductive system, which concerns ED symptoms.

NO and GMP are responsible for the unrestricted flow of of blood into the erectile chamber of the penis. It is cGMP that helps induce a high level of local NO production. Sexual arousal is a unique event in which both cGMP and cAMP are activated simultaneuosly. While cGMP dilates the blood vessels to ensure proper blood flow, cAMP constricts blood vessels to trap the blood in the erectile chamber, which helps maintain a full, steady stiff erection.

Overall, cGMP is critical for potency and virility. Men and women who chronically undereat may be able to live longer but may risk living life with a diminished libido. Chronic domination of any cellular factor can be detrimental to your health. Chronic elevation of cellular cGMP, caused by eating too many meals or by frequently ingesting carbohydrates during the day, will chronically inhibit cAMP and counteract its biological benefits.

Chronic elevation of cGMP upsets the body's biological balance, more material is deposited than removed. The inability to detoxify compromises liver functions, further accelerating the accumulation of metabolic waste toxins and fat in body tissue. This adverse process often results in weight gain, sluggish metabolism, insulin resistance, lack or energy, general fatigue and accelerated aging.

Now, can you imagine our body's metabolism is quite similiar to car's engine pistons? The constant shift between antagonistic cellular forces activates and deactivates body chemistry that moves the metabolic pistons up and down, like those of a combustion engine in motion. The cycling between cellular factors cAMP and cGMP is the principal factor that moves and drives the metabolic wheels that generate energy.

cAMP and cGMP polarize the direction in which cellular actions occur. This polarization is crucial for the integrity of all evolving metabolic actions, from burning matter into energy, to depositing material and replenishing energy.

Like a combustion engine based on the principle of high and low pressure, your biological engine is based on opposing forces that move your metabolic pistons. When one piston is up, the other piston is down. Cycling between these cellular forces, such as undereating and overeating, puts the spin on your charging wheels.

Any action you perform chronically may offset your biological engine. Chronic activation of one cellular factor chronically deactivates its opposing factor. As noted, most current diets chronically deactivate cAMP while chronically inducing cGMP. cAMP stimulates growth potential while inducing breakdown of fat for energy.

Cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP are cellular factors that, while being cycled, create a combustion-like thrust impact that generates energy and burns fat while facilitating repair, growth, and rejuvenation. In next post, I will spend some time to write about muscle gain. Stay tuned.