How to Build Leg Muscle Mass

Author
by LYDIA STEPHENS 

The main muscle groups of your legs, which include the calves, hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes, power your stride as you walk or run throughout the day. By performing a variety of exercises targeting each muscle group, you can add muscle mass to your legs while improving strength of the muscle, bones and ligaments, increase knee and hip flexibility, reduce your risk of leg injury and give your metabolism a boost for easier weight management.

Step 1

Choose one to three exercises each for your calves, hamstrings, quads and glutes. Compound exercises like squats, lunges or leg press work multiple muscle groups at once to cut down on your time at the gym. Keep your total training time to under an hour each session.

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Step 2

Start your workout with the larger compound exercises like squats and lunges, followed by isolation exercises of the larger muscles of the upper legs, such as leg extensions or hamstring curls. Finish with isolation calve exercises. If you perform smaller isolation exercises first, you may not have the strength you need to perform the compound movements.

Step 3

Complete three to six sets of six to 12 repetitions to stimulate muscle growth or hypertrophy, suggests the American Council on Exercise. Select a resistance level to completely fatigue your muscles by the last repetition, and rest for 30 to 90 seconds between each set.

Step 4

Balance your workout to include equal numbers of quadriceps and hamstring sets. If you exercise one muscle group more intensely than the other, you create a muscle imbalance that increases your risk of injury.

Step 5

Work your legs two to three times per week with at least one full day of rest between each session to allow your body to build and repair muscle cells. You can still train your upper body or get in some cardiovascular training on your leg recovery days.

Warnings

• Talk to your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.
• Have an experienced workout partner or trainer spot you when performing squats and lunges with heavy weights to ensure a safe training session.

Tips

• In order to put on weight in the form of muscle, you must consume more calories than your body burns each day. Consume 15 to 20 percent of your daily calories in protein to fuel muscle growth.

For further information log on website :
http://www.livestrong.com/article/453596-how-to-build-leg-muscle-mass/

A Dry, Pasty Mouth

Author
by JAMES PATTERSON 

Chronic dry mouth – which can also be accompanied by a thick, pasty feeling in the mouth – is a medical condition known as xerostomia, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Chronic dry mouth can be a serious condition, as it may affect your dental health and your ability to eat food. Understanding the seriousness of dry mouth and how to treat it can help you keep your teeth healthy and restore your quality of life.

Causes

Xerostomia is caused when glands in your mouth stop producing saliva. There are a number of different reasons why this would happen, including certain medications you may be on, including over-the-counter medications. Antihistamines, medicine for high blood pressure, anti-diarrheals and decongestants are among the most likely medicinal culprits of xerostomia, according to MayoClinic.com. If you’re receiving cancer therapy, chemotherapy could play a part in chronic dry mouth. Nerve damage could also be the cause.

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Symptoms

A chronic dryness in the mouth is the classic symptom of xerostomia, because the saliva glands don’t produce any moisture, and the mouth gets dried out from being open and your breathing. Other symptoms include dry, cracked lips, bad breath and frequent sore throats. Some people also experience fungal infections in the mouth and difficulty speaking or swallowing because of the lack of saliva.

Effects

Xerostomia is more than just a nuisance and can have serious health effects over the long term. Saliva plays a large role in your dental health, sweeping away harmful bacteria that leads to tooth decay. When that saliva is absent, bacteria can gather on the teeth, breaking them down and leading to plaque and gum disease as well. Lack of saliva can also lead to an infection in the mouth from fungal growth.

Diagnosis

Your doctor will likely ask you a series of questions about your dental history and what medications you are on to help determine the exact cause of the xerostomia to properly treat it. He may order blood tests or an imaging scan to look at your salivary glands for signs of nerve damage.

Prevention/Solution

Because certain medications are the usual cause of xerostomia, your doctor may have you switch medications and see if that helps your condition. Certain prescription drugs such as pilocarpine and cevimeline also help stimulate saliva production in the mouth. There are also steps you can take on your own to help stimulate saliva production and flush bacteria out of your mouth if you experience xerostomia. Chew sugar-free gum, especially after meals, to rid your mouth of excess food and bacteria. Use fluoride toothpaste and a fluoride rinse several times a day to help get rid of bacteria and strengthen your teeth. Breathe through your nose as much as possible and consider installing a humidifier in your bedroom to aid in keeping your mouth from drying out while you sleep.

For further information log on website :
http://www.livestrong.com/article/292343-a-dry-pasty-mouth/

Is Intermittent Fasting the Latest Diet Secret?

A growing number of experts claim that short fasts can accelerate fat loss and make you healthier. So I spent 6 months testing the most popular Intermittent Fasting (IF) protocols myself. Find out what IF is, whether you should do it, and if so -- how.

For years, I’ve advocated frequent meals consisting of nutrient-dense, healthy food, spaced three to four hours apart. That strategy -- when combined with a smart exercise program and world-class coaching -- has helped thousands of my clients drop over 250,000 pounds of fat in the last few years.

Proponents of IF, on the other hand, eschew the idea of eating so frequently. Many claim to have achieved quicker fat loss and better health by deliberately skipping meals and sometimes going entire days without eating.

The IF research is still in its infancy -- indeed, it may be five to ten years before it reaches critical mass and becomes a mainstream nutritional idea -- but in certain circles, the benefits of intermittent fasting have reached almost mythical proportions.

WHY EXPERIMENT WITH INTERMITTENT FASTING?
The truth is, I'm a professional dieter. In other words, I've done nearly every diet or nutritional protocol that exists to test its efficacy.

Intermittent fasting has a very small, yet strong following and enough research to pique my curiosity. I wanted to test it myself to see what kinds of physiological and psychological changes would come from it.

Also, as a competitive, masters-level track athlete and life-long fitness enthusiast, I wanted to test a new way to drop fat and get extremely lean, while staying strong and powerful.

WHAT DID I TEST?
Since there isn't one definitive intermittent fasting protocol, I decided to test six different methods over the course of six months – from once weekly 24-hour fasts (Eat-Stop-Eat style) to daily 16-hour fasts (Lean Gains style).

In the "Eat - Stop - Eat" style, you fast for a full 24 hours once or twice per week, eating sensibly (higher protein, minimizing processed foods, etc.) the rest of the week. It's flexible: You can choose whichever 24 hours you want.

In the Lean Gains style, there is an eight-hour feeding period followed by a 16-hour fast. However, this protocol also layers a few other food rules on top. The diet should be high in protein, should cycle carbohydrates, should include fasted training, and should use nutrient timing (eating the bulk of your calories during the post-exercise period).

During my fasting experiments I kept meticulous notes on everything from scale weight, body-fat percentage, and blood/hormonal markers, to lifestyle markers such as energy levels, cognitive thought and more.

SO WHAT HAPPENED?

Over the course of six months, I dropped twenty pounds of weight, from 190 pounds to 170 pounds. I also reduced my body fat from 10 percent to 4 percent (measured by a very reliable ultrasound body fat testing device) while maintaining most of my lean muscle mass. Finally, I found two intermittent fasting strategies that I could follow indefinitely with no problem.

I accomplished the goals I set for myself in a way that was easier and less time-consuming than "traditional" dieting.

WHAT ARE THE BIG TAKEAWAYS?There are four main takeaways:

1. Trial fasting is a great way to practice managing your hunger. Learning to manage hunger is an essential skill for anyone who wants to get in shape and stay healthy and fit.

2. More regular fasting isn’t objectively better for losing body fat. While my IF experiments worked quite well, the intermittent fasting approach (bigger meals, less frequently) didn’t produce better fat loss than a more conventional diet approach (smaller meals, more frequently) might have.

3. More regular fasting did make it easier to maintain a lower body fat percentage. Intermittent fasting isn’t easy. However, I did find that using this approach made it easier for me to maintain a low body weight and a very low body fat percentage as compared against more conventional diets.

4. Intermittent fasting can work but it’s not for everyone, nor does it need to be. In the end, IF is just one approach, among many effective ones, for improving health, performance and body composition. If used appropriately, it makes sense. If used inappropriately, it’s a health disaster waiting to happen.

SO INTERMITTENT FASTING WORKS, BUT IS NOT NECESSARY TO LOSE WEIGHT?Exactly. Intermittent fasting can be helpful for in-shape people who want to really get lean without following conventional bodybuilding diets,or for anyone who needs to learn the difference between body hunger and mental hunger.

(And for those people whose only goal is the latter, I only recommend the Trial Fast.)

IF is a helpful tool and one I'll continue to use periodically. But it's not the end-all, be-all of nutrition or fitness. People have been getting in awesome shape -- and staying in awesome shape -- for decades without the use of intermittent fasting.

HOW ARE INTERMITTENT FASTING AND OTHER DIETS SIMILAR?

Successful nutrition plans, whether they use smaller, more frequent meals or larger, less frequent meals all share a few commonalities. These include:

1. Controlling calories. When calories are controlled, progress is made. Whether you control them by eating frequent small meals or infrequent larger meals is up to you.

2. Focusing on food quality. Fresh, unprocessed, nutrient-dense food is a must, regardless of which eating style you adopt.

3. Regular exercise. Exercise is a critical part of the equation.

Once those three have been taken care of, it's a matter of personal preference and lifestyle considerations.

Until next time,
- John Berardi

Dr John Berardi is the director of the world’s largest body transformation project.  In the last 5 years, his team has helped over 15,000 clients lose more than 250,000 pounds of body fat.  (That’s more total weight loss than all seasons of the Biggest Loser combined).  For more on his one-of-a-kind program – Lean Eating Coaching – click here.

Want more from me? Find me on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/is-intermittent-fasting-the-latest-diet-secret/#ixzz4hZ40AZVh
For further information log on website :
http://www.livestrong.com/blog/is-intermittent-fasting-the-latest-diet-secret/

What Are the Health Benefits of Ramadan?

Author
by TAMMY DRAY 

Ramadan is the "fasting month" in the Islamic calendar. It is technically the ninth month in the calendar, although the exact date moves from one year to the next. Ramadan is a blessed month, when people concentrate on their commitments to God and their faiths. During Ramadan, people fast only during daytime hours. As soon as the sun goes down, they're allowed to eat and drink again. Besides the spiritual rewards, Ramadan also has some health benefits.

Weight Loss

Although Ramadan won't necessarily cause weight loss, a September,2008 article "The Washington Post" indicates that Tehran diet doctors are now are using Ramadan to help overweight people achieve their goals. Rather than eating a feast and gorging on sweets and fatty foods as soon as the sun goes down and the fast ends, people following Ramandan can just eat a healthy evening meal consisting of soup, fresh bread, dates and goat cheese. These are traditional foods eaten in Ramadan anyway, but without the added sugars and sauces, they can be slimming.

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Low Blood Sugar

When you spend long hours without eating, your blood sugar goes down. According to Dr. Razeen Mahroof in an August, 2010 article for "Arab News," your body uses up stored glucose for energy when you're fasting. People with diabetes should talk to their doctors before fasting for long periods of time, but those with high blood sugar -- but no diabetes -- will benefit from the process.

Learning Healthy Habits

If you're used to eating lots of sugary foods in your day-to-day life, Ramadan could also be a good time to break the habit. As the sun goes down, you can choose to feed your body foods that are converted into glucose slowly -- such as whole grains and other high-fiber foods -- rather than going for sweets again. This change has a double benefit. The most obvious one is that you will be eating healthier foods that are richer in nutrients and lower in calories. The other benefit is that you will be less hungry during the day, when you're fasting. Foods that take time to convert into glucose will keep you energized for more hours and will help control cravings and hunger during the day.

Additional Benefits

Depending on what your "normal" diet is like, Ramadan could be a time to cut down on fats, which can help lower your cholesterol. For that to work, you will have to skip eating high-fat meals in the evening and instead go for healthier lean proteins and non-fried dishes. Because you're fasting for so many hours, you will also be eating less sodium, which could help you reduce your blood pressure.

A review in the 2010 issue of "Nutrition Journal" states that although the general concensus is that fasting during Ramadan does not have negative health consequences, there does seem to be a greater intake of trans fats during night meals. If you celebrate Ramadan, choose leaner cuts of meat.

For further information log on website :
http://www.livestrong.com/article/547712-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-ramadan/

How Much Weight Can You Lose Semi-Fasting for One Month?

Author
by CARLY SCHUNA 

Following a temporary fast may boost focus and help with healthy weight loss, but no research demonstrates long-term benefits for fasting periods that last up to one month or longer. It’s likely that such fasts will lead to weight loss, but they may have negative effects. It’s necessary to save or burn about 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb. of fat, so depending on how many calories you restrict during your month-long fast, you may be able to lose 10 lbs. or more.

Function

Although “fasting” means different things to different people, it’s a term that generally refers to restricting part or all of your normal daily caloric intake to lose weight or rid the body of toxins. Eating significantly less food than you normally do is likely to accelerate weight loss and may even result in up to 1 lb. of weight lost per day of full fasting.

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Types

Several types of fasting and semi-fasting diets exist. In the most extreme version, you might choose to eat no food for several days at a time or alternate days of eating light meals and eating nothing at all. In another variation, you may restrict caloric intake each day down to about one-half of what you normally eat. Yet another semi-fasting diet could involve eating only whole, natural foods and cutting out all desserts, refined food items and processed foods. All are likely to result in weight loss; the most extreme variations may bring more weight loss, but they may also come with the biggest health risks.

Calories

By eating fewer calorie-rich foods and more fruits and vegetables, you may be able to eat even more food than you normally do but still consistently lose weight by decreasing net calorie intake. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the body needs a minimum number of calories to survive and thrive each day, and safely following diets of fewer than 1,000 or 1,200 calories may require medical supervision. The International Natural Hygiene Society notes that an average member of the public notices few differences between fasting and starving and should always fast under professional supervision.

Effects

Keeping up a prolonged fast can have significant physical effects on the body. Fasts can slow metabolism, which may interfere with long-term weight loss efforts and trick the body into storing fat. Fasting can also result in nutrient deficiencies or dehydration, especially if you don’t take care to eat a balance of items from all the main food groups and drink plenty of water throughout the process. Weight loss effects can vary. In one 2004 study from the Pennington Biomedical Research center in Baton Rouge, La., 16 subjects followed an alternate-day fasting diet for 22 days and lost an average of about 3 percent of body weight.

Warning

Before beginning a month-long fast or any type of detox diet, the Mayo Clinic recommends you get physician approval. Losing weight slowly, at a rate of 1 to 2 lbs. per week, is healthier in the long term than quickly dropping pounds through a fast or other risky method. The most reliable strategy for weight loss is balanced, low-calorie eating and exercise.

For further information log on website :
http://www.livestrong.com/article/542157-how-much-weight-can-you-lose-semi-fasting-for-one-month/