The Importance Of Nutrition: Quick Tips On Pre And Post Workout Nutrition

Every trainer should view nutrition as coal to a coal train; without it your results will stall, your frustration will grow and it will becomes more likely that you will give up your muscle building journey. There are no definite rules that apply to everybody when it comes to nutrition, only guidelines because peoples bodies react differently to any kind of stimulus you subject it to. There are only two rules cast in stone for everybody: Consuming more calories than you expend results in weight gain while consuming a smaller number than you expend results in weight loss.However, that will be discussed in greater detail in another article. The focus of this article is around nutrition before and after your workout which can have a great impact on your results.Pre workout nutrition should be taken with the goal in mind that it should fuel your workouts. When eating a small banana or fruit as your sole source of nutrition before heading off to the gym, you should ask yourself: “Is this really enough to sustain me? Will I have the energy I need to outperform my last workout?”. Proper nutrition before your workout allows all you cylinders to be completely full before you begin firing! Intense workouts where you beat your last personal record, go for longer, out-rep your training partner or your last attempt at that same exercise should be your goal. Eating properly beforehand allows you to feel stronger and more energetic in the gym which leads to greater gains.Here are some quick tips on pre workout nutrition:
Keep it liquid if you’re pressed for time – Throw your foods into a blender and make a shake if you’re under time constraints. Liquids digest much more easily than solid foods thus making them a great alternative if you don’t have time to cook a meal. Your shake should include a combination of protein and carbohydrate (I would recommend oats and a scoop of whey protein). It is also very low in fat which is ideal before a workout.
Leave time for meals – Eating a full sized meal right before a workout is detrimental to your results because blood rushes to your digestive system in order to process the foods you’ve just eaten instead of pooling into your muscles. If you have ever trained on a full or partially full stomach, you will have noticed that you feel lethargic and that your pump is sub par. This is not to say that you cannot eat meals before a workout, by all means eat a carbohydrate and protein combination meal (keep fats very low as amounts over 10g can blunt the release of muscle building hormones) but leave an hour and a half to two and a half hours for that meal to digest before hitting the weight room.
Magazines have popularized post workout nutrition but the belief held by people is slightly skewed on this matter. The notion of this wonderful, esoteric ’30 minute anabolic window’ has snuck up on the beginner and even intermediate trainer. While eating protein after a workout has been researched and proven to increase muscle protein synthesis, there is no magical time threshold that the protein has to be consumed in to encourage muscle gain. There are also those who advocate taking dextrose or some other kind of simple sugar to spike insulin after a workout; this is also wrong because it has been shown that it has absolutely no effect on protein synthesis.Here are some quick tips to optimize your post workout nutrition for greater results:
Consume a combination of protein and carbohydrate – Eating protein after a workout has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis. However, for optimal results, eating a combination of carbohydrates and protein has the largest impact on protein synthesis. I recommend having whey protein as it digests much faster than solid food but this doesn’t make a massive difference to your results.
Keep it liquid – Again, this allows your body to digest these nutrients much more quickly allowing your body to shuttle these nutrients to your damaged muscles.
These tips are simple and can be implemented right from your next workout. It is crucial to realize the importance of nutrition when on a journey to build an impressive physique, it is literally the driving force behind your results.

Adopting a Healthy and Active Lifestyle – Here’s How!

It’s not difficult adopting a healthy and active lifestyle. You just need to make a few changes, here and there, in your regular lifestyle. That simple!For most Americans who maintain a healthy weight, eating the right foods and not smoking is a great healthy lifestyle. It may seem so, but is it enough? Oh, yes! We do eat all those ‘good’ foods. Haven’t we all heard of those fantastic low-carb and low-fat diets? Haven’t we heard of those great diets popularized by those Hollywood stars we so idolize?We need to ask ourselves: Are these diets going to help?Change Your LifestyleYou have been eating a balanced diet all this time: proteins – the vegetable and animal kind, carbohydrates and fat. That’s good! But have you been eating in the right way? This is the change you need to bring to your lifestyle, to improve yourself. It’s not very difficult.Eat chicken and fish as part of your animal proteins diet. Avoid eating beef, pork and their byproducts. For vegetable proteins, go for soy and soy products, such as soybean hot dogs, hamburgers, and sausages. Eat fruits and vegetables as part of your carbohydrates intake. Avoid breads and pasta. Be choosy about which fruits and vegetables you eat. Go for the low-starch variety, such as black beans, broccoli (raw) and mushrooms (boiled). Avoid bananas, prunes and grapes. They have high sugar content. For fats, include almond, macadamia nuts, and olive oil in your diet. Avoid using vegetable shortenings and butter.That takes care of your healthy lifestyle. Now how about making a self improving change towards a more active lifestyle?A More Active LifestyleOf course, you are not aiming to participate in the Olympics, nor are you aiming to be the next Schwarzenegger. But, you need to be a bit more active. Our very lifestyles lead us to a life that is not active. We lead very sedentary lives. This is what adopting a slightly more active lifestyle will do for you:o    Reduce heart attack and stroke risks
o    Maintain flexibility vis-à-vis your age
o    Improve your joint movements and normal movement range
o    Prevent osteoporosis
o    Improve memory in older persons
o    Reduce stress, and depression and anxiety symptomsIn addition, the best thing an improved lifestyle will do is boost your self esteem.These are some of the things you need to do to be slightly more active:o    Stop using that remote control. Get up to change channels on your TV.
o    Do not use the remote to open your garage door. Get out of your car and manually raise that door.
o    Don’t use that leaf blower; use the rake itself.
o    Take the dog out for a walk every day instead of just letting him out.
o    Going up three flights? Use the stairs, not the elevator.
o    Walk around when talking on the call. Don’t keep sitting or reclining.Adopting a healthy and active lifestyle . . . it’s that simple!

Small Business Startup Loans – How Does One Acquire Finance For His Or Her Business?

It is inevitable that every business owner will need finance to properly run his business. The question that is always at the mind of every business owner is how will finances be pumped into the business to make it profitable? This is true for every business owner, be it on a large or small scale or on an international or local scale. There will be so many responses to the above question. The responses will depend on the person providing answers to the question as well as it may also depend on the particular period in business at which such as question is being tendered. Despite the varying responses that may be put, all these ideas about getting a business being financed will turn to a single direction. The following lines are meant for those coming into businesses, who want to identify the various options of financing their business and who will want to determine which of these options is the most appropriate for their businesses.Individual FinancesThere are so many business owners who will individually and single-handedly provide the money that is needed by their businesses. The sources of such type of capital may spring from their personal savings and other forms of capital which solely belong to them. However, these sources of finances are really workable if the business owner has substantially built up a good amount of money. If the capital is in the form of assets, it will be easy to dispose these to get some cash for the running of the business. If you intend to make use of capital through the credit card as a means of financing your business, you must take some reasonable precautions. You must be aware that this source of capital is usually best for interim financial provisions.Angel FinancingThis is yet another good way to oil the machinery of your business. When we make reference to this type of financing, we are referring to that type of financing that is often provided to new businesses. This is commonly found in the United States and most upcoming markets. In this type of financing, a group of affiliates belonging to the informal risk sector combine their resources to finance a business. What is usually done is that a business suggestion is proposed to a business owner and if the business owner finds the suggestion interesting, he will be given the option to get the business financed by the group of financiers. This group will also have the option to ether finance the business and take part in running its daily affairs or to stay aloof from the day to day running of the business.Venture CapitalThis is another way of making finances available to a business. In such a case, the business owner will approach a proficient financier and this must be a financier will is willing and capable to venture his or her money into businesses that are not only at the inception, but equally to businesses that have future prospects of expansion. Another form of financing related to this is the corporate venture capital. This is an idea often used by corporations to endow capital in some relatively young but vibrant businesses that may have some relation with these big corporations.Credit from BanksThis is a source of finance that is commonly sought for. In most cases, either secured or unsecured loans may be provided to business owners. However, lending institutions will warrant that you provide some form of credit worthiness which will have to be carefully scrutinized ahead of making a decision if the loan will be given or not. It is sometimes easier for an unsecured loan to be given to experienced or well established businesses than new ones. But a secured loan will be provided for all types of businesses.If You Want To Get The Financing You Are Seeking For:Make sure you find out what the financing is all about, opt for a proficient group, set an objective, make sure your business is properly registered, investigate what type of financing will be suitable for your business and make sure that you have established the necessary connections.

Tips On How To Start A Wedding Photography Business And Become A Successful Wedding Photographer

A wedding photography business is one way to earn extra cash from your photography and you may even develop it as a full time career.Here are tips to help you start a successful wedding photography business.Business NameA good business name is a requirement to make your business become a reality. Come up with a good name that will best describe the kind of photography that you do. Remember that this name will become your brand name and the same name you will use to advertise your wedding photography business. Make it sound and look professional. Research the name thoroughly to make sure it is not being used by another business already.PortfolioYou may think you are a very good photographer but it does not mean people know about it. In order for your wedding photography business to grow you need a portfolio of your work. The best advertisement for your business is the quality of your work. You need to print photos that will describe the kind of photography you do. Make sure that your portfolio is a complete description of your wedding photography and make sure you to add your recent work.Couples who are looking to hire a wedding photographer always want to see good quality. You can also make a mock up album of a full wedding that way a couple would know what to expect in their wedding album and give them ideas on what photos will be taken. To start your wedding photography business you will need to do your first wedding. That’s where your friends or family come in handy, ask around if someone you know is going to get married and offer your services as the wedding photographer. That will build up your reputation as a wedding photographer and build yourself a portfolio at the same time doing good favor for a family or a friend. If this is your first wedding assignment treat it as such you would plan to charge a regular client. You may still charge for supplies such as printing and framing. But do not charge for your professional fee as their wedding photographer. It is a way of thanking them for letting you take their wedding photos.Price ListOftentimes photographers undervalue their work. The best way to find out is research on what is available in the market. Know the prices and wedding packages by photographers who are into wedding photography business. The Internet is the best place to do a market research. Check the websites of wedding photographers. It will give you an idea what to charge your clients at the same time be able to size up the competition. Like any other business, reputation is very important. A would-be wedding couple if to choose between someone who had done more weddings at the same price you are asking would think twice about getting your wedding photography services. As you become more established, you can start charging more for your professional service. Keep competitive by giving the would-be wedding couple their money’s worth.WebsiteIt is important for any business to have an online presence much more for a wedding photography business. The cost of getting a domain name is minimal and there are sorts of deals you can get from website hosting services that will make it very easy to make your website even without the help of a professional web developer. It is a good place to display your work and couples will have the chance to view your portfolio without the need to set up an appointment.Business cardsCreate a good business card which clearly defines your wedding photography business. Make yourself an uber business card, something that looks professional and shows some of your best photos as a wedding photographer. Include all important information such as your contact information, website and social network credentials such as your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. Make it easy for clients to find you.AdvertiseAlways remember to advertise your wedding photography services. If no one knows about you regardless how good you are, your business will suffer. To get known, you’ll have to do some advertising. For a wedding photographer the best way is to attend local bridal fairs or bridal shows. It usually cost some money to pay for a booth but you will have the exposure to a potential market looking for wedding photographers. Be prepared with your portfolio; bring a calendar to know your yearlong schedule and availability. Depends how serious you are about your wedding photography business, you may advertise in bridal magazines too. The more people see and hear about your work as a wedding photographer the better for your wedding photography business.If your wedding photography business becomes successful it can earn your extra money to help bring your photography skills to a higher level. You can use the extra cash to buy more sophisticated photography equipment.