Search Results for: nutrition

March 2, 2015 By Anushree Ashtekar 27 Comments

Anabolic Steroids v/s Dietary Supplements – All you want to know

We often hear people talking about “supplements” and “steroids”. We hear about how “protein powders are harmful to health as they contain steroids” and how people are hesitant to take vitamin supplements as they are “pills” and treat them like medications.

But, do people really understand what are anabolic steroids and dietary supplements? The answer is no. Large sections of the society are still unaware of the use and need of taking dietary supplements and anabolic steroids.

What are Anabolic Steroids and Dietary Supplements?

Anabolic Steroids: Anabolic steroids are synthetic (man-made) substances similar to male sex hormone, testosterone. The term “anabolic” means “growth”. Here, it refers to growth in muscle mass. Steroids are performance enhancing substances which cause an increase in muscle mass and physical strength. Some common examples of anabolic steroids include Androstenedione, Dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (Turinabol), Methandienone (Dianabol), Methyltestosterone (Android), Nandrolone (Durabolin), Oxandrolone (Oxandrin), Oxymetholone (Anadrol), Stanozolol (Winstrol).

Dietary Supplements: Dietary supplement is any product which is consumed orally and which contains dietary nutrients intended to supplement the diet. Dietary supplements may include amino acids, vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanical ingredients (except tobacco), substances like enzymes and metabolites (glucosamine, creatine, alpha-lipoic acid, Coenzyme Q10).

Dietary supplements can be extracts or concentrates and may be available as tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids and powders. They are also available in the form of nutrition bars.

Dietary supplements cannot be categorized as foods or drugs and hence, they are not regulated by the FDA. Dietary supplements are regulated under DSHEA (Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act) passed in the US in 1994. DSHEA defines dietary or nutritional supplements as “a nutrient, a formulation, or some compound that is drug-free or natural”.

Use and abuse of anabolic steroids: Anabolic steroids stimulate growth in tissues, especially bone and muscles. They also increase the production of RBCs (Red blood Cells). Anabolic steroids can be taken orally, are injectable or are used externally. Anabolic steroids are used in the treatment of many medical issues such as delayed puberty in boys, sexual dysfunction in men, breast cancer in women, weight loss in HIV, osteoporosis, anemia, endometriosis and other conditions involving hormonal imbalance.

Now, Anabolic steroids are also abused at large. Some athletes’ may abuse anabolic steroids to build muscle mass, prolong endurance and enhance performance. Anabolic steroids are converted into testosterone in the body, beyond normal levels. This leads to some serious side effects like dramatic increase in muscle mass (Greater Anabolism), Organ damage (Liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease), impotence, gynecomastia (fat deposition on the chest due to increased estrogen levels causing abnormal breast enlargement in men), severe acne, hair fall, oily skin, stunted growth and height in teens, shrinking of testicles, azoospermia (absence of sperms in semen), menstrual irregularities in women, excess facial or body hair and deeper voice in women, irritability, increased aggression, mood swings, depression or suicidal tendencies, high blood pressure, alterations in cholesterol and other blood lipids, risk of viral and bacterial infections due to use of unsterile injections.

Anabolic steroids are also addictive. They make the user and abuser physically and psychologically dependant on them.

Use and benefits of dietary supplements: Nutritional or dietary supplements are, in simple words, foods in a concentrated form. Nutritional deficiency is the root cause of many diseases. These days, chronic diseases are on a high and are striking people at a much earlier age. Air and water pollution, overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural practices, genetically engineered seeds, and depleted nutrient content in the soil are all responsible for the poor nutrient quality of the fruits and vegetables available in the market today.

The advantage of taking dietary supplements is that they provide adequate quantity of superior quality of nutrients, they give a specific combination and quantity of nutrients required at a particular time in a day and they make it convenient for the body to be supplied with all the essential nutrients.

Who all need to take dietary supplements? Dietary supplements are safe enough to be consumed by all of us. They are concentrated foods that help in building our immune system keeping us away from various diseases.

The modern day fast-paced lives, fast-food culture, increasing stress levels, deteriorating quality of fruits and vegetables are all the reasons for anyone and every one of us to turn to dietary supplements for attaining optimum health. People who are into intense exercise regimes, sports enthusiasts, athletes, competitive bodybuilders are the ones who need dietary supplements to repair the wear and tear in their body, grow and maintain healthy muscle mass, enhance their functionality and improve the immunity of the body. Also, Vegetarianism and veganism sometimes makes it difficult to get nutrients like complete proteins (with all the essential amino acids) and B12 vitamin .

But, simply consuming dietary supplements just for the sake of taking them is not right. Even natural substances can cause undesirable side effects, especially when taken in high doses. There are other things too, that go into building healthier bodies. They are, having an active lifestyle (adequate exercise), healthy eating habits and maintaining a positive state of mind. Finally, it all boils down to body, mind and soul connection.

The confusion between Anabolic Steroids and Dietary Supplements: There is a general fear that supplements may contain anabolic steroids. Due to the ignorance amongst the public and media hype, people easily confuse dietary supplements with anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids are drugs that abnormally increase testosterone levels in the body whereas, dietary or nutritional supplements are concentrated forms of naturally occurring food nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, omega 3 fatty acids, etc. Anabolic steroid use is prohibited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The bottom line is that Anabolic Steroids and Dietary Supplements are worlds apart. Use them wisely, use them safely and you will benefit from them. Or else, “too much of anything is bad”!

Ps Note: Before starting on any dietary supplement or Anabolic Steroid its better that you consult your doctor

February 9, 2015 By Parwage Alam Leave a Comment

Exercising Too Much – Think Twice

Is too much exercise bad for you?

Many once have got on to the fitness path think that if they do too much of exercise they will achieve their goals faster. Is this true let’s find out?

It is always said that too much of good is also not very nice, including exercise. Too much of exercising is actually damaging.

Everyone believes that “Exercising is good for him/her, and that more exercising is considered better…”, this is a myth. The fact is that too much exercise could actually harm you rather than benefit you. In the excitement of doing too much exercise one does not realize they can harm themselves. You will end up facing problems related to physical and emotional conditions such as injuries, bone loss, muscle loss and sometimes even heart failure.

Adequate amount of exercise helps you to build good muscles. Then you become an “exercise freak”, same like the eating disorder. And, eventually you get devastating results.

You lose weight, yes, but not the way you should– your body goes into starvation mode and releases cortisol (Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands in your body when you are under stress. Cortisol will increase production of a neurotransmitter called neuropeptide Y, which can increase cravings for sweet or starchy foods – bad for health and fitness).

Increased cortisol inhibits any fat metabolism and breaks your muscle mass — your body basically starts eating itself. So instead of becoming a lean, mean fitness machine, you find you’ve less strength and also a weakened immune system.

Make no mistake about it, regular exercise is probably is the biggest factor in living a long and healthy life (not discounting healthy eating).

Here are several ways to tell that you’re working out too hard or Effect of too much Exercise can lead to:

Dizziness
Trouble breathing or maintaining a conversation
Disorientation, foggy mental processing
Rapid heart beat
Dehydration
Injuries
Loss of lean muscle mass
Heart failure in the absence of proper nutrition. Your heart is a muscle and over exercising could weaken it, leading to potential failure
Weakened immune system
Cessation of menstrual cycles, a condition known as amenorrhea
Research shows that many female athletes who over train begin to experience bone loss that apparently can’t be reversed if the amenorrhea persists long enough.
Sleep disorder
Eating disorder such as anorexia
Irritability, depression and low self esteem

Here is a checklist which will help you judge on your own if you are doing too much exercise:

Make up for one missed workout by doubling it the next session
You will force yourself even when you don’t want to
When you over eat, you prefer to exercise to burn all extra calories
You set the intensity of your exercise based on your food intake
You might feel guilty when you miss your exercise session
You become very upset if you miss a workout
You always have a fear that you’ll gain weight if you miss the exercise session for a day
You will miss the pleasure during exercise
You can’t bring yourself to take a day off from exercise

So the next time you go to exercise stop worrying. Just have fun and enjoy your workout.

December 19, 2014 By Ashwinkumar Rahate 1 Comment

Track your Physical Activities and improve your performance

Each and every person young or old should be involved in some form of physical activity or exercise programme on a daily basis. It’s not about just being physically active it is also important to track your activity.

Most who exercise do not track their activity on a daily basis which according to me is so wrong. No matter which activity you are doing? Weight Training, Cardio Vascular or sports specific training tracking it is important.

How can you track? For tracking you can use workout diary. Even you can track activities manually offline in computer by using excel programme. You can also use apps for tracking purpose.

To make it easy for you I have divided the tracking activity in two parts. This should make it easy for you to track your activities

Monthy, half-monthly and weekly tracking
Daily Tracking
Monthly Tracking: Here you can track various aspects such as your Body weight, BCA (Body Composition Analysis), Fitness Test Records, workout schedules etc. For better result you can track the above every fortnight or every week.
Daily Tracking

You can track your daily activities by maintaining a workout diary and food habits by maintaining a nutritional diary.

Workout or Exercise Diary:

In a Workout or Exercise Diary you can update various things which includes

Write down you Fitness Goals.
Date and Time
Exercises
Number of sets and receptions
Rest Intervals between the sets
In cardiovascular activities you can monitor your heart rate
Record as much as you can.

Updating your fitness activity records enables you to know where you stand currently and what you need to do to improve your performance. As I mentioned above it is a benchmark for you.

For example: “If you are training for a marathon or a long distance trail walk you will know how much distance you will cover in particular time. Based on your previous record you can estimate and set a target accordingly which will help you improve your performance. Continuous progress is possible when you track your fitness regularly. When you do that you know where you stand currently.

So if you have not started tracking your activities please do so and improve your performance.

December 17, 2014 By Luke Coutinho Leave a Comment

Diets or Lifestyle – Your Choice?

I have always believed that dieting does not work. In this blog today, I would like to share some amazing facts on how diets don’t work and what really does make all the difference in this weight loss game.

The basic difference between a diet mentality and a lifestyle mentality is simply a matter of perspective. Having the right perspective may not make tofu taste better than chocolate, but it can make all the difference in the world when it comes to achieving your goals and avoiding unnecessary suffering along the way and hanging onto your achievements over the long haul.

A diet is all about numbers—the number on the scale and the number of calories you eat and burn. Success is defined in terms of how well you stick to your numbers.

A lifestyle change is all about you. It’s about lining up your eating and physical activity with your real goals and desires. Success is defined in terms of how these changes make you feel about yourself.

The diet mentality assumes that reaching a certain weight is the key to finding happiness and solving other problems. That’s why messing up the numbers on any given day can be so upsetting—it means you’ve messed up on just about everything that really matters.

The lifestyle approach assumes that being overweight is usually the result of other problems, not the cause. Addressing these problems directly is the best way to solve both the problems themselves and your weight issues.

You can do this by focusing on many things, not just the numbers on the scale or the Nutrition Tracker. Numbers only tell a small part of the story, and “bad” numbers often provide good clues into areas that need attention.

Going on a diet involves an external and temporary change in eating technique. You start counting and measuring, and you stop eating some foods and substitute others, based on the rules of whatever diet plan you are using. Maybe you can throw in some exercise to burn a few extra calories. You assume that it’s the technique that produces the results, not you.

The results of a diet are external; if you’re lucky, you may change on the outside—but not on the inside. Once you reach your goal weight, you don’t need the technique anymore, and things gradually go back to “normal.” So does your weight….. And, of course, all the problems you hoped the weight loss would solve are still there.Making a lifestyle change involves an internal and permanent change in your relationship with food, eating, and physical activity. You recognize that the primary problem isn’t what you eat, or even how much you eat, but how and why you eat.

Eating mindlessly and impulsively (without intention or awareness) and/or using food to manage your emotions and distract yourself from unpleasant thoughts—this is what really needs to change.

Learning to take good care of yourself emotionally, physically, and spiritually—so that you don’t want to use eating to solve problems it is really the lifestyle change that matters and is a lifelong learning process that is constantly changing as your needs and circumstances change. This doesn’t mean the surface level things don’t matter.

Clearly, controlling how much and what you eat is vital, and caring how you look is a great motivator. The key to both permanent weight loss and feeling satisfied and happy with yourself and your life is to take personal responsibility for what you can control, and let go of everything else.

And when you rely too much on external (diet) tools, techniques, and rules to determine your behavior, you are turning over your personal responsibility to the tools and techniques.

If you find yourself frequently losing motivation or feeling powerless to control your own behavior, it’s probably because you’re counting on the tools to do your part of the work for you.

You’re the only one who can decide what’s right for you; only you can change your attitude and perspective to match your personal reality.