We all get stressed from time to time and knowing how to deal with it is a lesson that everyone needs to learn. So what causes stress and why is it so bad for me? There are many reasons to avoid being stressed, but there is one substantial element that can cause your body to become a fat gaining machine. That element is called cortisol.

Cortisol is produced in the body when it`s faced with stressful conditions. Kids, family, work, school can all become stressful if preventative measures are not taken. When there is simply to much work to be done in a days time than what seems that can be done, your almost guaranteed to become stress. Stress is not the only cause of cortisol: overtraining, lack of sleep, and undereating can also make your body produce this harmful chemical. When your body is in a catabolic state, which simply means that your body doesn`t have enough nutrients to repair broken muscle fibers, cortisol will enter your body and try impairing you.

Fat gain and muscle loss will be the main problems your body has. You should also expect to suffer other side effects such as your body not getting the adequate nutrients it needs to function. Stress will not only have a negative impact on your bodybuilding, but will have an impact on your everyday life. According to the Medical Encyclopedia, stess is often accompanied by physical symptoms, including: twitching or trembling, muscle tension, headaches, sweating, dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain (may be the only symptom of stress, especially in a child.) Sometimes other symptoms accompany anxiety: dizziness, rapid or irregular heart rate, rapid breathing, diarrhea or frequent need to urinate, fatigue, irritability, including loss of your temper.

Controlling cortisol is easier once you plan to stop it. The most important thing you can do is try keeping stress to a minimum. Sure, this is easier said than done but finding ways to eliminate stress is a step toward keeping cortisol to a minimum. In the gym, make sure you don`t overtrain. Your body easily becomes stressed by doing this. Finally, you should be eating enough protein in your diet to repair damaged muscle fiber that are broken down from the result of your training.

There are many products available that keep cortisol levels at bay, but following these techniques can save you money in the long run. The more time you spend educating yourself on proper ways of doing things, the better your body will be. You can either pop pills expecting a miracle with your body or you can use a method that has worked for hundreds of years, hard work!

*http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003211.htm

More articles at free articles database

Many of us don`t have the luxury of being able to focus all of our attention on bodybuilding. Unless your getting paid by a sponsor or making some serious cash doing bodybuilding shows, you almost have to have a stable job to afford the necessities that are needed to having a good body. Assuming most of us work the typical eight hour job, how do we achieve balance between work, bodybuilding, and all the other things we deal with on a daily basis. This article was written for the bodybuilders who want to bodybuild as well as work a full time job.

When we come home from work, most of us feel to tired to even cook dinner, let alone exercise. Not only do we have to motivate ourselves to put down the remote and hop on the treadmill, but we also have to sacrafice some things for the sake of bodybuilding. We have to develop a balance between our jobs, bodybuilding, family, and our social life. Who wouldn`t rather go to a club with a group of friends instead of going to the gym putting yourself through an hour of torture? This is when dedication becomes very important.

When we bodybuild we already create a bit of discipline for ourselves so making sacrafices is just a part of the game. It`s going to become tougher to maintain that discipline when working a job full time because of all the added stress a job can do to you. You have to be able to persevere through all the obstacles. Once you do that, you will feel on top of the world once you achieve your fitness goals. Just don`t get cocky and have to restart the process all over again. Set yourself up with a goal to improve on the goal you just met and never become satisfied.

So how can you accomplish any of your fitness goals when your locked up a job eight to ten hours a day? It`s very simple! Get organized. Write down everything you can do to achieve your goals. You also need to write down everything that gets in your way of achieving those goals and always look for a way forward. If your job is manual labor where it is physically demanding then you should consider work as part of your training routine. That way you kill two birds with one stone so to speak. Find out how many calories you`ve burnt throughout the day working and replenish your glycogen stores during and after work. Then you can exercise some of the muscle groups you didn`t hit at work and you will feel good about yourself for making an attempt to better yourself.

You are going to have days where you feel overworked, stressed, and feel that everything in the world is coming down on you. These are the days when you should treat yourself to something out of the ordinary like a cheat meal or consider going out to the club with a group of friends. Just keep everything in moderation. You can can accomplish anything you want in life if you stick to your plan of attack and stay focused. Good Luck.

20 years old looking to become a writer

More articles at database for articles

Now that you know the importance of good carbohydrates, you are going to learn about one of your body`s worst enemies, simple carbs. Simple carbs are everywhere and can easily be consumed if you are not careful with your food choices. Distinguishing the difference between complex and simple carbs is also confusing. A good way to remember is by the s`s. Simple and sugar both begin with an s and sugar is what you want to avoid right? So avoid simple carbs.

Simple carbs are basically just sugars added to processed foods. You can find them in soda`s, honey, cakes, many breakfast cereals, and even beer. Don`t be fooled into buying something that is fat free. Educate yourself by reading food labels on what is healthy and what is junk. Let`s say that we are going to have a bowl of Corn Flakes. Sure, there is not much fat in them but when the first words on the list of ingredients say enriched wheat flour, or high fructose corn syrup, you have a problem. You should be looking for the words whole grain wheat, instead.

If your diet consists mostly of simple carbs, do not expect to lose any fat. Your energy levels will be so low that you feel the need to be eating just to keep awake. So why are you writing an entire article on simple carbs if they are bad for me, you may ask. Well simple carbs have positives to them.

After a hard day of training or working at a strenuous labored job, your body needs glycogen and wants it fast. This is when an insulin spike becomes useful. An insulin spike is repleneshing however many calories you`ve burnt throughout the workout. The nutrients you use to replenish your body should be a three to one ratio of simple carbs to protein. The most commonly used post workout simple carb is dextrose, which is the main ingredient in Gatorade powder. If you don`t have access to dextrose, then a simple liquid carb, such as orange juice, will work just fine.

Simple carbs are useful but they can become your worst enemy if you consume them at the wrong times. Almost everything you do in bodybuilding needs to be timed perfectly. There`s a time to eat, a time to sleep, a time to take your supplements,and even a time to have your post-workout meal. Welcome to the wonderful world of bodybuilding.

Simple Carbs For Rookies Zach Bashore November 15, 2005

20 year old bodybuilder. Check out my site for the entire list of articles. http://www.geocities.com/bashore69/bodybuildingarticles.html

More articles at articles on database

You`ve decided to start bodybuilding but all of these new terms seem to be in a different language. Most of us experienced bodybuilders have felt the same way at one time, so don`t give up just yet. You train hard, but you don`t know anything about proper nutrition. Getting enough protein is the most important when trying to get a good body. I am going to explain the different types of protein, what protein does for your body, and problems associated with not getting enough.

When consumed, protein turns into amino acids which become the cornerstone of muscle gain. Protein also helps you achieve muscle gain while keeping fat to a minimum. You need to space out your meals five to seven times a day to keep your metabolism at its best. Eating more meals also keeps your body in an anabolic state (meaning your body is building muscle). To keep from getting board with your diet, your meals should never be from the same protein source at back-to-back meals.

Lean proteins that are low in fat should be eaten throught the day. Good protein sources to eat throughout day include egg whites, chicken breasts, tuna, and lean steak. There are many other good sources of lean protein but those examples will give you an idea of what to eat. Post workout is the best time to consume whey protein because your body absorbs it at a much faster rate than any other type of protein. Post workout is the only time of the day you should consume whey because your body absorbs it to fast to keep you adequately energized throughout the day

The obesity epidemic would be lower if people simply started eating more protein. It doesn`t matter if you weight train or not, not getting enough will cause many health problems. A loss of muscle tissue is the main problem but don`t expect to lose any fat either. Instead, fat gain will occur because of increased cortisol levels that are associated with lack of protein. Your immune system will start deteriorating, all of your body`s cells will become weak and you will be more susceptible to illness.

Protein is important and should be at the top of everyones grocery list. If you are serious about achieving your bodybuilding or fitness goals then you will do whatever it takes to achieve them. Eating five to seven meals daily is tough at first but once you get into the habit of it, everything will becone second nature. Until next time, stay hungry.

21 years old. Check out my site for all of my articles. http://www.geocities.com/bashore69/bodybuildingarticles.html

More articles at articles on database