Is Your Belly Infested With Toxic Bugs?

Within your gut reside roughly 100 TRILLION living bacteria and maintaining the ideal ratio of “good bacteria” (known as probiotics) to “bad bacteria” is now gaining recognition as perhaps the single most important step you can take to protect your health and further along your fat loss goals.

With specific regard to fat loss, while the ideal healthy ratio of “good” to “bad” bacteria in your gut is 9 to 1, virtually every study performed on the obese population analyzing gut bacteria found higher instances of “bad” bacteria and lower levels of “good” bacteria within these individuals. That's a far cry from the ideal 9 to 1 ratio and you can bet it's DEFINITELY a big reason why these folks are overweight and struggling to lose their stubborn belly flab.

That said, correcting this imbalance can have an IMMEDIATE waist-slimming effect as a recent double-blind study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that test subjects who took active measures to re-balance their gut bacteria ratio were able to reduce their abdominal fat by nearly 5 percent, while the “control” group experienced no positive changes in body fat levels at all.

So what exactly CAN you do to re-balance your gut bacteria ratio and begin experiencing these belly-flattening benefits for yourself?

With research suggesting that probiotic supplementation is even more important to your health than taking a daily multi-vitamin, and the fact that inadequate probiotic levels have been linked through research to more than 170 different diseases and health issues, including obesity and weight gain, we truly believe that EVERYONE should be taking a probiotic daily, ongoing, to continually fight against the bacteria-imbalancing factors that we are constantly exposed to every single day.
We recommend Probiotic Eleven.
 
 
Q:  What specifically makes Probiotic Eleven the best probiotic supplement in the industry?
A: A high potency, multi strain probiotic supplement that provides almost 12 billion bacteria per serving. The eleven strains of bacteria in Probiotic Eleven ensure you replenish your gut with a variety of beneficial flora.  Each capsule contains a built-in prebiotic to nourish and spread the bacteria throughout the gut. Lactobacillus strains release unique enzymes which help to break down larger milk proteins for absorption.  Contain Bifidobacterium strains: longum, infantis and bifidum, which help to create B vitamins
With traditional probiotic products, 93% of the cells are DEAD and useless before ever reaching their final destination.
Simply put, dead probiotics don’t and can’t work, and as mentioned earlier, not only are these products a complete waste of your time and hard-earned money, but much more importantly they are robbing you of the critically important health benefits of probiotics while continuing to leave your body in an endangered state.
In addition to that, Probiotic Eleven:

• Is manufactured via a patented allergen-free process
• Is gluten-free and 100% All Natural
• Contains no artificial additives, colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners

Q:  What are the ingredients and amounts used in the formula?

Q:  How do I use this product?
A:  Simply take one or two Probiotic Eleven capsules daily with meals, one capsule just prior to breakfast and one capsule before dinner.
Q:  Is it ok to take this supplement long term?
A:  Yes, absolutely, and that is what is recommended. As mentioned, research suggests that probiotic supplementation is even more important to your health than taking a daily multi-vitamin, and because inadequate probiotic levels have been linked through research to more than 170 different diseases and health issues, including obesity and weight gain, we truly believe that EVERYONE should be taking a probiotic daily, ongoing, to continually fight against the bacteria-imbalancing factors that we are constantly exposed to every single day.
Q:  If I have a medical condition, can I take this product?
A:  Probiotic Eleven is an all-natural formula that is considered safe and extremely effective for nearly everyone. However, if you take prescription medications or have a medical condition, we recommend that you show a bottle of Probiotic Eleven to your physician and/or pharmacist for proper approval.
Q:  How will this product be shipped to me and how quickly?
A:  We will ship your order directly to your home or office and you will have it within 1 to 3 business days.
Q:  Will anything else be sent to me, or billed to me, after I order?
A:  No. But if you want to make use of our auto-ship program, please indicate that when making your order.

Peer-Reviewed Research References

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture,  Office of Inspector General;  FSIS National Residue Program for Cattle, Audit Report 24601-08-KC, March 2010
2. W Kruis, G Forstmaier, C Scheurlen, F Stellaard. Effect of diets low and high in refined sugars on gut transit, bile acid metabolism, and bacterial fermentation; Gut, 1991, 32, 367-371
3. Steinhoff U (June 2005). "Who controls the crowd? New findings and old questions about the intestinal microflora". Immunol. Lett. 99 (1): 12–6.
4. Jean-Pierre Hugot. Inflammatory bowel disease: a complex group of genetic disorders; Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology, Volume 18, Issue 3 , Pages 451-462, June 2004
5. A Venket Rao, Alison C Bested, Tracey M Beaulne, Martin A Katzman, Christina Iorio5, John M Berardi6 and Alan C Logan. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of a probiotic in emotional symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome; Gut Pathogens 2009, 1:6
6. Huey-Shi Lye, Chiu-Yin Kuan, Joo-Ann Ewe, Wai-Yee Fung and Min-Tze Liong. The Improvement of Hypertension by Probiotics: Effects on Cholesterol, Diabetes, Renin, and Phytoestrogens; Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2009, 10, 3755-3775.
7. Gregory J. Leyer, PhDa, Shuguang Li, MSb, Mohamed E. Mubasher, PhDc, Cheryl Reifer, PhDd, Arthur C. Ouwehand, PhDe. Probiotic Effects on Cold and Influenza-Like Symptom Incidence and Duration in Children; Pediatrics 2009;124;e172.
8. Silvia Wilson Gratz, Hannu Mykkanen, and Hani S El-Nezami. Probiotics and gut health: A special focus on liver diseases; World J Gastroenterol. 2010 January 28; 16(4): 403–410.
9. Whitney P Bowe, Alan C Logan.  Acne vulgaris, probiotics and the gut-brain-skin axis - back to the future? Gut Pathogens 2011, 3:1.
10. Åsa Sullivan, Carl E Nord and Birgitta Evengård. Effect of supplement with lactic-acid producing bacteria on fatigue and physical activity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome; Nutrition Journal 2009, 8:4.
11. Majamaa H, Isolauri E. Probiotics: a novel approach in the management of food allergy; J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1997 Feb;99(2):179-85.
12. Cani PD, Delzenne NM. Involvement of the gut microbiota in the development of low grade inflammation associated with obesity: focus on this neglected partner; Acta Gastroenterol Belg. 2010 Apr-Jun;73(2):267-9.
13. DiBaise JK, Zhang H, Crowell MD, Krajmalnik-Brown R, Decker GA, Rittmann BE. Gut microbiota and its possible relationship with obesity. Mayo Clin Proc. 2008 Apr;83(4):460-9.
14. Abou-Donia MB, El-Masry EM, Abdel-Rahman AA, McLendon RE, Schiffman SS. Splenda alters gut microflora and increases intestinal p-glycoprotein and cytochrome p-450 in male rats. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2008;71(21):1415-29.
15. Kadooka Y, Sato M, Imaizumi K, Ogawa A, Ikuyama K, Akai Y, Okano M, Kagoshima M, Tsuchida T. Regulation of abdominal adiposity by probiotics (Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055) in adults with obese tendencies in a randomized controlled trial; Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jun;64(6):636-43.
16. Unpublished clinical study graphical data available upon request.
17. Del Piano M, Morelli L, Strozzi GP, Allesina S, Barba M, Deidda F, Lorenzini P, Ballaré M, Montino F, Orsello M, Sartori M, Garello E, Carmagnola S, Pagliarulo M, Capurso L. Probiotics: from research to consumer; Dig Liver Dis. 2006 Dec;38 Suppl 2:S248-55.
18. Islam, Mohammad Ariful, Cheol-Heui Yun, Yun-Jaie Choi, and Chong-Su Cho. Microencapsulation of Live Probiotic Bacteria; J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. (2010), 20(10), 1367–1377
19. Selvam R, Maheswari P, Kavitha P, Ravichandran M, Sas B, Ramchand CN. Effect of Bacillus subtilis PB6, a natural probiotic on colon mucosal inflammation and plasma cytokines levels in inflammatory bowel disease; Indian J Biochem Biophys. 2009 Feb;46(1):79-85.
20. Mayanagi G, Kimura M, Nakaya S, Hirata H, Sakamoto M, Benno Y, Shimauchi H. Probiotic effects of orally administered Lactobacillus salivarius WB21-containing tablets on periodontopathic bacteria: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial; J Clin Periodontol. 2009 Jun;36(6):506-13. Epub 2009 Apr 22.
21. Iwamoto T, Suzuki N, Tanabe K, Takeshita T, Hirofuji T. Effects of probiotic Lactobacillus salivarius WB21 on halitosis and oral health: an open-label pilot trial; Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2010 Aug;110(2):201-8.
22. McFarland L, Bernasconi P (1993). Saccharomyces boulardii: a review of an innovative biotherapeutic agent;  Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease 6: 157–71.
23. Kotowska M, Albrecht P, Szajewska H (2005). Saccharomyces boulardii in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in children: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 21 (5): 583-90.
24. Deters AM, Schröder KR, Hensel A. Kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis L.) polysaccharides exert stimulating effects on cell proliferation via enhanced growth factor receptors, energy production, and collagen synthesis of human keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and skin equivalents; J Cell Physiol. 2005 Mar;202(3):717-22.
25. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand, 2008, Volume 32, pages 20-25. Forty Second Annual Conference held in combination with the Australian Nutrition Society at Massey University, Albany Campus, Auckland, New Zealand (December 2007).
26. Bolino CM, Bercik P. Pathogenic factors involved in the development of irritable bowel syndrome: focus on a microbial role; Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2010 Dec;24(4):961-75.
27. Forno E, Onderdonk AB, McCracken J, Litonjua AA, Laskey D, Delaney ML, Dubois AM, Gold DR, Ryan LM, Weiss ST, Celedón JC. Diversity of the gut microbiota and eczema in early life; Clin Mol Allergy. 2008 Sep 22;6:11.
28. Frazier TH, DiBaise JK, McClain CJ. Gut microbiota, intestinal permeability, obesity-induced inflammation, and liver injury; JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2011 Sep;35(5 Suppl):14S-20S.
29. Cani PD, Delzenne NM. The role of the gut microbiota in energy metabolism and metabolic disease; Curr Pharm Des. 2009;15(13):1546-58.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. You should not stop taking any medication without first consulting your physician.

Recommended by Oprah and Men's Fitness Magazine‏

In this post I'm going to recommend to you a book by Tom Venuto, author of the fat loss bible "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle".  It, allegedly, has been a true breakthrough for tens of thousands of men and
women who struggled for years with specific problems related to unwanted fat and obesity.

This is not about bodybuilding or getting "ripped" - this is for people who have yo-yo'd and struggled to keep weight off.

It's for people who struggle with inconsistent motivation, emotional eating, binge eating and other forms of self sabotage.

In very simple terms - this is for people who have a program but have a really hard time sticking to it.

This breakthrough is called "The Body Fat Solution."



It's a book available in paperback, hardcover and kindle/nook/ebook that has people talking and saying how different it really is....

"This is the book for women ready to tackle long term weight loss."
- Oprah Magazine

"One of the top 6 Diets of 2013"
- Mens Fitness Magazine

"Nothing fluffy about this book; just well-founded scientific research and clearly illustrated direction."
- Library Journal

"It's not a gimmick, it's not a quick fix, but it surely is a solution!"
- Dr. Chris Mohr, RD.

Trainers, bodybuilders, psychologists, producers, fitness bloggers, magazines, newspapers, researchers, skeptics, scientists, medical doctors and fitness seekers alike are ALL  saying the same thing: "This book is different."

That's because The Body Fat Solution is more about the psychology, emotions and social challenges of sticking with your program than the minutia of nutrition  and training science.

Or, as The Wall Street Journal said, "The Body Fat Solution is more attitude adjustment' than diet book."

The Body Fat Solution is not just about what program you follow, it's about  what makes you follow your program.

 (if that didn't make a light bulb go off in your head, then go back, read it again and really think about it!) .

By recognizing that there are emotional, psychological and social factors that can sabotage your success, The Body Fat Solution hones in on the root causes of body fat and provides a total lifestyle plan to take back control of your body, end emotional eating and stop self-sabotage for good - so you can get that fat off and KEEP IT OFF for life!

The diet and weight loss industries thrive on novelty and quick fixes, and each  program has a vested interest in convincing you that there's ONE evil culprit that's making you fat or ONE magic bullet that's the only way to get slim.  But unlike the new crop of fads you see on the bookshelves every year (which are gone the next), what what you'll learn in The Body Fat Solution are lifestyle principles, not diet tricks. Principles are timeless.

The Body Fat Solution is a #1 Amazon bestseller, a USA bestseller and it was an Oprah magazine and Men's Fitness magazine pick.

It's available at major bookstores and online at Amazon.

Trade paperback:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1583333738/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1583333738&linkCode=as2&tag=scottwalkethe-20

Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QBPM8M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001QBPM8M&linkCode=as2&tag=scottwalkethe-20

You are wondering what is the difference between this and Tom's first fat loss book - Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.  Maybe you are wondering if you needed the new book if they already had Burn The Fat and wanted to know if there was anything new that would help further.

ANSWER: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) was designed to be a complete and definitive guide to nutrition for fat loss, based on the bodybuilding / fitness/ figure method of eating.
The majority of BFFM is devoted to nutrition, with ancillary chapters on setting goals effectively and on weight training and cardio, also following "the bodybuilding method".
The target audience for BFFM is anyone who is serious about fat loss, and who wants to maximize their results by putting in the time, paying attention to details, using advanced techniques (such as those used by bodybuilders before competition), and doing nutrition by the numbers (counting calories and macros). Generally, BFFM is for people who are highly motivated and enjoy or need structure.
The new hardcover book, The Body Fat Solution, was written for anyone who is overweight, or who was formerly overweight and who wants to maintain their ideal weight without struggle.
The Body Fat Solution is NOT for athletes, bodybuilders or people who need to get "ripped" or reach extremes of low body fat. Body Fat Solution is especially written for people who struggle with inconsistent motivation, emotional eating, binge eating and other forms of self sabotage.
The Body Fat Solution gives help for people struggling with everyday challenges - like frequent travel, restaurant temptations, busy schedules, high stress and social pressure - things that can can get in the way of the best nutrition or training strategy.
In The Body Fat Solution, one concise chapter on nutrition is included along with chapters on cardio training and a time-efficient weight training program for the busy person, which makes The Body Fat Solution a complete lifestyle program.
However, the major message is that "What nutrition or training program should you follow?" is not the most important question you should ask. The real critical question is... What makes you follow your program? And, conversely, "What makes you fall off your program so easily?"
The Body Fat Solution gets to the emotional and psychological root causes of body fat and shows you how to fix these hidden factors that sabotage most people.

Kettlebell Swings are an excellent glutes, hamstrings and lower back developer

Look into the mirror. What can you see? I see a gathering force that is ready to be unleashed, a weakling that wants to become a beast, an animal that is caged and just waiting to be released, and a wolf in the night who is preparing to eat. I’m ready to attack and proceed.
Recently, I grew tired of lifting light and finally decided to go heavier. Here, I just started strength training with 275 for squats. I managed to rep it 4 times with slow form. I’m a lot stronger than I thought I was. My new goal is to squat at least 320 x 8 with perfect form by the end of summer, which is twice my weight.
#bodybuilding #gym #lift #train #fitness #passion

Trust the process

Natural Tips To Increase Testosterone To Get Leaner and Stronger

By Charles Poliquin

Tuesday, March 05, 2013 5:58 AM

The hormone testosterone is associated with body fat and muscle mass in men: Low testosterone means you’ll have more body fat, less muscle, and put yourself at risk of disease. It is also an important hormone for women, however, the key is to keep everything in balance for both sexes.

To do this, you have to make sure you aren’t lacking key nutrients, or engaging in habits that compromise your testosterone levels such as being sleep deprived, drinking alcohol, or exposing yourself to hormone disruptors like BPA and phthalates. This tip will cover the basics for increasing testosterone (T) for optimal body composition and health.

First, you must solve the following nutrient deficiencies: Vitamin D, magnesium, and zinc. Vitamin D is all the rage in the medical world for preventing disease and improving health, and rightly so. Low vitamin D puts you at risk of having more body fat, less strength, more risk of bone fracture, and a host of other problems including low T. It appears that vitamin D inhibits aromatization in which T is turned into estrogen. Take vitamin D daily to raise your levels above 50 ng/ml to prevent low T—one study had men take 3,332 IUs for a year and found blood levels and T were significantly improved at the end of the trial.


Magnesium is another extremely common deficiency that is linked to low T due to this mineral’s role in enhancing vitamin D activity, improving sleep, and aiding insulin health. Taking 500 mg of magnesium a day is a no-brainer for health and body composition, especially if you are working out since magnesium must be present to enable forceful muscle contractions.



Zinc deficiency predicts low testosterone in men, by avoiding aromatization of T to estrogen. Zinc is involved in hormone conversion and it’s a potent antioxidant, protecting the organs for optimal function. Solve low zinc by doing a zinc taste test, or better yet, get a red blood cell zinc test the next time you get a physical because the regular serum blood readings don’t reflect trace mineral levels in the body. If you have low zinc take a high quality zinc supplement that is not cut with calcium because this will impair absorption.



After solving nutrient deficiencies, you need to focus on decreasing stress because it will lead to high levels of cortisol, testosterone’s primary nemesis. Assuming you have a basic handle on stress in your life, make sure you aren’t sleep deprived (this is repeatedly linked to low T, high cortisol, and poor insulin health), and focus on clearing cortisol after intense exercise. Vitamin C will do this and if you take regularly, it has been shown to raise T. Try 2 to 10 grams after your workout.

[Nutri-Calm is an amazing combination providing generous levels of Vitamin C and B-Complex vitamins with added chamomile, and helps us settle when life becomes too much of a challenge. Designed for the nervous system during times of pressure, and for physically stressful conditions that can deplete the body of B-vitamins.]
Your final tool to improve T levels is a high-protein, “clean” diet with regularly spaced meals. Anytime your blood sugar is elevated, T will be temporarily reduced, which means that if you experience repeated elevations in blood sugar throughout the day, your T levels will become depressed. For example, one study found that men who had normal insulin health had a 25 percent decrease in T after ingesting a drink containing sugar. T remained low for 2 hours, and nearly 80 percent of the men had their T drop to levels that would be considered clinical testosterone deficiency.

Obviously you MUST manage blood sugar and the best way to do that is by eliminating all carbs other than vegetables and fruit and eating high-protein, healthy fat diet. The other benefit of this that you need fat from both saturated and unsaturated sources to provide the building blocks for T in the body.

Lastly, eat regularly spaced meals every 2 to 3 hours to support T. Avoid missing meals or long periods of fasting because emerging evidence suggests this will compromise T: A new study on male rats showed that 12 weeks of intermittent fasting with calorie restriction led to a significant reduction in T and luteinizing hormone (involved in T production) compared to rats that were allowed to eat at will.

Take away the understanding that supporting T is not hard, but simple errors have a devastating effect. Focus on the key nutrient deficiencies, a clean diet, sleep, avoiding endocrine disruptors, and blood sugar regulation and you will experience rapid progress in terms of health and body composition.

Reference
Kumar, S., Kaur, G. Intermittent Fasting Dietary Restriction Regimen Negative Influences Reproduction in Young Rats: A Study of Hypothalamo-Hypophysial-Gonadal Axis. PLOS One. 2013. 8(1), e52416.

Caronia, L., Dwyer, A., et al. Abrupt Decrease in Serum Testosterone After an Oral Glucose Load in Men. Clinical Endocrinology. July 2012. Published Ahead of Print.

Maggio, M., Ceda, G., Lauretani, F., Cattabiani, C., Avantaggiato, E., Morganti, S., et al. Magnesium and Anabolic Hormones in Older Men. International Journal of Andrology. 15 June 2011. Published Ahead of Print.

Prasad, A., Mantzoros, C., et al. Zinc Status and Serum Testosterone Levels of Healthy Adults. Nutrition. 1996. 12(5), 344-348.

Menéndez, E., Valdés, S., Botas, P., Delgado, E., Abello, N. Glucose Tolerance and Plasma Testosterone Concentrations in Men. Endocrinology and Nutrition. 2011. 58(1), 3-8.

Lee, D, Tajar, A., et al. Association of Hypogonadism with Vitamin D Status: The European Male Ageing Study. European Journal of Endocrinology. January 2012. 166, 75-85.

Avoid Most Energy Drinks For Best Performance & Body Composition

Charles Poliquin posted this article today....

Monday, March 04, 2013 6:01 AM
Avoid energy drinks in favor of strategic workout supplementation for best performance and body composition results. The problem with the typical energy drink is you don’t have enough control over the ingredients.

For example, caffeine can significantly enhance performance, but most energy drinks have other stuff added that you simply don’t want pre-workout or when your goal is to boost energy. This tip will tell you why you should avoid energy drinks in favor of smart peri-workout nutrition.

The most obvious problem with energy drink is that they often contain competing ingredients. For example, taurine is a calming amino acid that is found in Red Bull and it should be taken post-workout, because it enhances activity of the inhibitory brain transmitters. You don’t want to take it when your goal is to elevate energy for training.

Two studies show that when subjects drank Red Bull, which contains sugar and vitamins along with caffeine and taurine, they had significant increases in blood pressure and heart rate variability, both of which indicate poor homeostasis. In the long-term changes in blood pressure and heart rate indicate altered circadian rhythms, put you at greater risk of inflammation, and may cause adrenal fatigue. All around, combining taurine and caffeine is a bad choice!

Of course, studies also show that the caffeine in energy drinks can be used to improve endurance and anaerobic performance. For example, a review of studies showed that energy drinks significantly increased run time to exhaustion and increased pain tolerance. However, researchers suggest that instead of using energy drinks, a straight caffeine supplement will provide more control over the ergogenic effect, without increasing cardiovascular health risk.

A second problem with energy drinks is that many contain sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, both of which have been shown to significantly increase blood glucose levels. Energy drinks containing carbs (sugar) should be avoided because it can decrease insulin sensitivity over the long run and raise your diabetes risk. Plus, you want to completely avoid carbs pre-workout, saving them for after training if you are very lean. If your goal is fat loss, avoid carbs completely in favor of protein post-workout. Increasing insulin during workouts is also known to boost serotonin, which you do not want because it will make you feel tired and will sap your strength.

The third problem with energy drinks is they often have artificial ingredients that will only increase your toxic load and should be eliminated. Finally, you simply don’t have enough control over the quality of the nutrients in energy drinks for them to be reliable.
Instead of using energy drinks, keep your workout nutrition simple with the following strategies:

Boost pre-workout energy levels by taking anhydrous caffeine in supplement form because it is the most effective fat burner, freeing up fat to be used for energy. Pair it with the amino acid tyrosine, which will help you feel alert and ready to train because it raises levels of dopamine.

Take 2 to 10 grams of vitamin C post-workout to help clear the caffeine and lower cortisol.

Avoid carbohydrates (and sugar) pre-workout. If you are very lean and your goal is building muscle, use a high-quality blend of carbs after training to enhance protein synthesis.

Take whey protein, or amino acids if you are allergic to whey, after training to enhance protein synthesis. Use BCAAs during training to prevent muscle breakdown.

Take magnesium threonate post-workout. This provides magnesium and threonine, and the pair will calm the nervous system and raise the neurotransmitter GABA. This will enhance recovery and sleep.

References
Franks, A., Schmidt, J., et al. Comparison of the Effects of Energy Drink Versus Caffeine Supplementation on Indices of 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 2012. 46, 192-199.

Steinke, L., Lanfear, D., et al. Effect of “Energy Drink” Consumption on Hemodynamic and Electrocardiographic Parameters in Healthy Young Adults. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 2009. 43, 596-602.

Wolk, B., Ganetsky, M., et al. Toxicity of Energy Drinks. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 2012. 24(2), 243-251.

A great solution is Solstic Energy by Nature's Sunshine.  It’s a fantastic alternative to Coffee, Tea, Fizzy drinks and other ‘energy’ drinks that provide a quick, sugar-fueled rush followed by an abrupt, vitality-sapping crash.  Helps energy release from carbohydrates, the main source of fuel for the body. Your body needs to constantly replenish water-soluble B vitamins to support energy levels and fight the draining effects of the day.


BENEFITS OF SOLSTIC ENERGY

• Yerba Maté, a powerful herb that has been used for thousands of years in the jungles of South America to increase endurance 
• Green tea extracts, rich in properties that help increase energy and vitality  
• Guarana seed contains a naturally occurring caffeine that promotes a gradual, sustained increase in alertness
• B Vitamins, the most important vitamins for helping release the energy you need to work all day
• Solstic Energy also includes sucralose, a sweetener created from natural sugar that has been proven safe through over twenty years of in depth scientific analysis
• Contains only 12 calories, no fat and only 3g of Carbohydrates.
• Low Glycaemic Index, and contains no pharmaceutical grade caffeine.

Muscle Isn’t Everything: Other Protein Benefits

I lifted the below from an article by John Berardi, PhD CSCS, on how much protein you should eat at every meal....

"Beyond this very narrow view of protein intake (muscle protein synthesis vs. breakdown), there’s a much more important question at stake: why else do we eat protein?

You see, there are other benefits to eating protein beyond muscle building. There’s satiety, the thermogenic effects, the impact on the immune system, and more (see below). Plus, there are probably a few benefits science can’t measure yet. I say the last part because there’s so much experiential evidence suggesting that when you’re training hard and you up your protein intake, you do better. So maybe we just haven’t looked in the right places to notice the real benefits.

Other Protein Benefits

We shouldn’t look at the world through a straw (i.e. see one protein study on one isolated topic and make broad generalizations). So, to help us remember that, let’s review a list of benefits we get from eating extra protein.

Increased thermic effect of feeding – While all macronutrients require metabolic processing for digestion, absorption, and storage or oxidation, the thermic effect of protein is roughly double that of carbohydrates and fat. Therefore, eating protein is actually thermogenic and can lead to a higher metabolic rate. This means greater fat loss when dieting and less fat gain during overfeeding/muscle building.

Increased glucagon – Protein consumption increases plasma concentrations of the hormone glucagon. Glucagon is responsible for antagonizing the effects of insulin in adipose tissue, leading to greater fat mobilization. In addition, glucagon also decreases the amounts and activities of the enzymes responsible for making and storing fat in adipose and liver cells. Again, this leads to greater fat loss during dieting and less fat gain during overfeeding.

Metabolic pathway adjustment –When a higher protein (20-50% of intake) is followed, a host of metabolic adjustments occur. These include: a down-regulation of glycolysis, a reduction in fatty acid synthesis enzymes, and an increase in gluconeogenesis - a carbohydrate “draining” effect where carbons necessary for ridding the body of amino nitrogen is drawn from glucose.

Increased IGF-1 – Protein and amino-acid supplementation has been shown to increase the IGF-1 response to both exercise and feeding. Since IGF-1 is an anabolic hormone that’s related to muscle growth, another advantage associated with consuming more protein is more muscle growth when overfeeding and/or muscle sparing when dieting.

Reduction in cardiovascular risk – Several studies have shown that increasing the percentage of protein in the diet (from 11% to 23%) while decreasing the percentage of carbohydrate (from 63% to 48%) lowers LDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations with concomitant increases in HDL cholesterol concentrations.

Improved weight loss profile – Research by Layman and colleagues has demonstrated that reducing the carbohydrate ratio from 3.5 – 1 to 1.4 – 1 increases body fat loss, spares muscle mass, reduces triglyceride concentrations, improves satiety, and improves blood glucose management

Increased protein turnover — All tissues of the body, including muscle, go through a regular program of turnover. Since the balance between protein breakdown and protein synthesis governs muscle protein turnover, you need to increase your protein turnover rates in order to best improve your muscle quality. A high protein diet does just this. By increasing both protein synthesis and protein breakdown, a high protein diet helps you get rid of the old muscle more quickly and build up new, more functional muscle to take its place.

Increased nitrogen status — A positive nitrogen status means that more protein is entering the body than is leaving the body. High protein diets cause a strong positive protein status and when this increased protein availability is coupled with an exercise program that increases the body’s anabolic efficiency, the growth process may be accelerated.

Increased provision of auxiliary nutrients — Although the benefits mentioned above have related specifically to protein and amino acids, it’s important to recognize that we don’t just eat protein and amino acids — we eat food. Therefore, high protein diets often provide auxiliary nutrients that could enhance performance and/or muscle growth. These nutrients include creatine, branched chain amino acids, conjugated linoleic acids, and/or additional nutrients that are important but remain to be discovered. And don’t forget the vitamins and minerals we get from protein rich foods.

(And lest anyone think I’m a shill for the protein powder industry, this last point clearly illustrates the need to get most of your protein from food, rather than supplements.)

Looking over this list of benefits, it’s hard to ignore the fact that we don’t just eat protein for its muscle synthetic effect. We eat protein for a bunch of other reasons too. Since a higher protein diet can lead to a better health profile, an increased metabolism, improved body composition, and an improved training response, why would anyone ever try to limit their protein intake to the bare minimum?

Take-home Message

It seems to me that whether someone’s on a hypoenergetic diet (low calorie) or a hyperenergetic diet (high calorie), the one macronutrient they would want to be sure to “overeat” (relatively speaking) would be protein.

But that’s not what people do, is it?

Instead, they look for the bare minimum of protein (whether it’s 20-30g/meal or 0.8g/kg/day), and then overeat carbohydrates and fats instead. That could prove to be a performance – and body composition – mistake.

So here’s my recommendation for men and women interested in losing fat, gaining lean muscle, and improving their health and performance:

Women – Eat 1 palm-sized portion of lean, complete protein (about 20-30g) with each meal, every few hours. If you eat less frequently, eat a bit more protein with each meal. If you eat more frequently, eat a bit less protein with each meal.

Men – Eat 2 palm-sized portions of lean, complete protein (about 40-60g) with each meal, every few hours. If you eat less frequently, eat a bit more protein with each meal. If you eat more frequently, eat a bit less protein with each meal.

This pattern of intake will make sure you’re getting enough protein to reap all the benefits that this amazing macronutrient has to offer.

Dr. John Berardi is the co-founder of Precision Nutrition and the co-creator of the Precision Nutrition Certification program."