Sport Fitness & Physique» Poliquin Supplements

Becoming Super-Human: Part Deux

admin — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 21:52:22 +0000

As mentioned in a previous post, my wife and I began giving the diet and exercise recommendations in Tim Ferriss’ new book The 4-Hour Body a real go.

Well, I am happy to report that after just one week, I have dropped over 17 pounds, 4% bodyfat and two inches off my belly.

My waist measurement has decreased some, but not quite an inch yet.

Suffice it to say, I am more than pleased with the results for the both of us so far.

Keylea has lost 8 pounds this week. She is feeling fantastic!

But even so, we won’t measure her until her cycle has passed.

A woman’s menstrual cycle can play havoc on her weight, her measurements and of course -her emotions. So there’s no good sense in measuring what you know isn’t accurate and what you can be relatively sure will be more bad news than good.

The emotional toll just isn’t worth whatever metric data you may or may not discover.

At the outset, I wanted to try the training routine that Tim outlines in the book. And in fact I did perform the very first training session exactly as Tim describes. It was short, sweet -and everything I remembered High Intensity Training to be.

However, HIT training is very familiar to me. I have used HIT several times in the past; on myself and with various clients.

And while HIT can be very effective for beginners, the under-trained or those coming off an injury -High Intensity Training just isn’t my cup of tea at this stage in my life.

I enjoy my time in the gym and although HIT can be very effective -the counting, timing and cadences required to perform that type of training properly, just seem to sap my energy and drain my enthusiasm.

I will instead continue to use the training program that has been the most enjoyable for me to date:

Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 Training Program

The 5/3/1 program allows me to make substantial strength gains while working well below the level of muscular failure.

I can also incorporate the Olympic lifts and other more specialized training implements without over-taxing myself or pushing my recovery capabilities.

Fat Loss and Strength Training:

Dieting while building strength and/or muscle tissue can be tricky.

Many would say that you cannot serve two masters; that one must either focus on fat burning or muscle building.

I have always challenged this theory and I believe that this little experiment will help me establish the appropriate diet, training and supplement program to accomplish both goals simultaneously.

Supplementation:

Right now, I am taking the following Poliquin nutritional supplements to aid my recovery, fortify my immune system and give me an advantage in my fat loss efforts:

Upon waking, on an empty stomach:
Two (2) Holy Basil Supreme

Immediately after training:
Three (3) UberZinc Px
Two (2) UberMag Px

With each meal:
Two (2) Ultra HCL 4.0 -Mid-meal
Five (5) grams Fish Oil in either liquid or capsule form

Before Bed:
Two (2) UberMag Plus Px *with L-Tryptophan
Two (2) UberZinc Px
Two (2) Tribulus Supreme

I am still feeling very strong.

In fact, even after losing my 17 pounds, I experienced absolutely no loss of strength during my squat training tonight -which for me -is quite amazing. My squat is usually the first thing to suffer as I cut weight.

Not this time though. And I could not be happier.

Stay tuned!

Happy, Healthy, Smart and Lean?

admin — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:16:20 +0000

You just might need more D3 -ya know what I mean?

If you’re feeling kind of down, or maybe a little SAD as the experts call it, you might just need a bit more Vitamin D3.

You probably don’t think much about it -but
Vitamin D3 is an incredibly important nutrient!

We all need adequate Vitamin D to build and maintain strong bones, regulate our blood pressure, protect us from Diabetes, keep us healthy and fight disease by fortifying our immune system (1, 2, 3).

We know that Vitamin D is essential for cognitive development in infants, children and in young adults.

Adequate Vitamin D is also crucial for avoiding cognitive decline later in life.

We also know that Vitamin D deficiency has a strong connection with Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and cancer of the colon, breast, and prostate (4).

And if that’s not enough, as an extra added bonus, new research is suggesting that Vitamin D can even help you lose abdominal fat too (5)!

‘How cool is that!?’ As Flo would say!

We get most of our D3 through our skin from sunlight exposure (I bet you’re not getting a whole lot of that right now, eh? -Especially in the northern hemisphere).

Fish is another great source of Vitamin D…. you could try eating more fish if you like.

Mackerel, Catfish, Tuna and Eel yield the highest concentrations of Vitamin D.

Cod Liver Oil is a darn good source of Vitamin D too
(See? Grandma knew what she was talking about after all)!

But chances are, even if you are able to spend some quality time in the sun and you do enjoy eating fish fairly often, you could probably benefit greatly with a little extra Vitamin D in your blood, one way or the other.

Got D?

See this informative, in-depth article over at the Poliquin website for all the nifty science, explanations and more references, of course!

References:

Autier P, Gandini S. Vitamin D supplementation and total mortality: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Intern Med 2007 Sep 10;167(16):1730-7.
Deane A, Constancio L, Fogelman I, et al. The impact of vitamin D status on changes in bone mineral density during treatment with bisphosphonates and after discontinuation following long-term use in post-menopausal osteoporosis. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2007 Jan 10;8:3.
Goldstein MR. Myopathy, statins, and vitamin D deficiency. Am J Cardiol. 2007 Oct 15;100(8):1328. Epub 2007 Jun 29. Comment on: Am J Cardiol 2007 Apr 15;99(8):1171-6.
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/170/13/1135
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153669.php

Natural Remedies for Anxiety and Stress Relief

admin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:31:33 +0000

If you sometimes find yourself feeling tense, impatient or short tempered, you may be suffering from stress. Stress is a normal physiological reaction to life-threatening danger. This response is typically called the “fight or flight” response.

When a human being encounters a life-threatening situation, a flood of hormones enter the bloodstream to help us survive. Hormones like adrenalin and cortisol, give us superhuman strength, a great big boost of energy and they temporarily switch off our other bodily functions like digestion, fighting disease and looking for a mate.

In the early days of human evolution, the stress response was vital in keeping us alive. Unfortunately, many of the modern situations that trigger the stress response are not life threatening at all.

Many of us tend to live our lives in this ‘Survival Mode’ and what science is finding is that the ‘Fight or Flight’ response that used to save our lives -is now killing us!

Chronic stress is bad for your health!

Your Career
Your Responsibilities
Family Situations
The Economy
The Threat of Terrorism
Even the nightly news can contribute to modern stress and anxiety.

Getting adequate rest, proper nutrition and practicing relaxation techniques each and every day will greatly reduce your stress and anxiety. However, there are also two very effective herbal remedies for stress that work very, very well.

Holy Basil

Holy Basil is an ancient Ayurvedic adaptogen or anti-stress compound. Countless studies have shown that Holy Basil can significantly reduce feelings of stress and anxiety when taken regularly. Holy Basil has even been found to improve memory, reduce cholesterol, relieve headaches and Holy Basil also has a very positive effect on the adrenal and central nervous system.

Serenity 2.0

Serenity 2.0 is an ancient Chinese herbal formula that calms and relaxes the body -without making you feel groggy or dopey. This centuries old herbal formula effectively reduces the body’s stress and anxiety response, encourages relaxation and gives one a sense of inner calm and peace.

Serenity 2.0 can be taken several times a day…

First thing in the morning
Before heading off into morning traffic
Before a stressful meeting or presentation
Right before bedtime
And even at night when you wake and have trouble falling back to sleep

If you are feeling nervous, anxious, tense, easily distracted, and fidgety -you may be suffering the effects of undue stress and anxiety. Chronic stress and anxiety have been linked to high blood pressure, headaches, migraines, low immunity and a shortened life-span.

Don’t take chances with your health.

Eat well. Learn to relax. Meditate. Get plenty of rest, exercise and consider using natural herbal remedies to reduce your stress, relieve your anxiety and improve your life.

To Long Life and Good Health!

Supplements that Help You Sleep: Part One

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:42:08 +0000

Do you have trouble sleeping? Does your mind race at night? Are you stressed over all you have yet to accomplish?

Your diet may be deficient in several essential nutrients which are keeping you from the rest and relaxation you deserve.

~Let’s take a look at one particular essential nutrient that your body absolutely must have in order to function properly and enable you to sleep like you’re supposed to.

Magnesium:

Magnesium is critical to human health. A vital nutrient found in whole grains, legumes and green leafy vegetables (like spinach!) -magnesium is responsible for regulating heartbeat, blood pressure, blood sugar and over 300 more essential metabolic functions.

Magnesium deficiency is related to hyperexcitability, nervousness, restlessness, mood swings, depression and in severe cases even death.

The USDA estimates that more than two-thirds of the US population is magnesium deficient.

More on magnesium from the USDA here.

Most common multivitamins and magnesium supplements source magnesium oxide or magnesium chloride in the manufacturing process.

Unfortunately, less than 30% of these compounds can be absorbed by the human body. Supplement manufacturers generally use these compounds because they are inexpensive, compact easily and are easy to handle in an industrial environment.

That’s good news for manufacturers -bad news for you.

The best sources of dietary magnesium come from green leafy vegetables, nuts and some whole grains of course.

However, if you do not receive enough magnesium from your diet you may want to consider supplementing with a quality magnesium supplement.

But which magnesium supplement should you choose?

Look for magnesium supplements containing magnesium chelate, magnesium fumerate, magnesium citrate or magnesium glycinate. These forms of magnesium are highly bio-available and are readily absorbed by the human body.

Naturally, I recommend Poliquin Supplements.

Poliquin’s Ubermag Plus is an outstanding magnesium supplement that I recommend to any client suffering from poor sleep, restlessness, lethargy, foggy thinking, moodiness, migraines, or insomnia .

Ubermag Plus contains a proprietary blend of four different magnesium chelates and has 300 mg of L-Tryptophan to help you improve your sleep.

If you need better sleep and you aren’t getting the magnesium you need from your diet, don’t shortchange yourself.

Invest in a quality magnesium supplement like Poliquin’s Ubermag Plus and get the rest you need.

Buy Now

To Your Good Health!

Are Poliquin Supplements Worth the Investment?

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:49:34 +0000

Few of us take good care of our health. Proper nutrition and exercise take a backseat to work, school, family and free time. Wise use of nutritional supplements can help us fill the gap. But which supplements are best and are really worth the money? Let’s take a look at two popular multivitamins and decide which one really delivers.

Let’s begin by comparing Poliquin Supplements popular multivitamin, Uber Nutrients with the popular multivitamin, Centrum Performance.

Centrum Performance (120 capsules) retails for $20.99 from Amazon.com. It contains the full spectrum of essential vitamins, minerals and meets or exceeds the USDA recommended requirements.

Poliquin Supplements Uber Nutrients (120 capsules) retails for $27.00 and also contains the full spectrum of essential vitamins, minerals and meets or exceeds the USDA recommended requirements.

Using a cost to cost comparison, it would seem that Centrum Performance is a better value than Poliquin Supplements, Uber Nutrients. But as responsible consumers who care about what we put in our bodies -we need to look a little deeper.

Examining the ingredients we can see the concentration of each ingredient by the order in which it is listed. Looking at the Centrum Performance label, we see that the second most prevalent ingredient is a substance called microcrystalline cellulose.

Cellulose is the organic structural component found in green plants. Cellulose is also the primary element found in wood, cardboard and paper products. Industrially, it is commonly used as a binder or thickening agent to hold other ingredients together. In this case, the microcrystalline cellulose is being used as a binder -or glue -to hold the multivitamin together.

Poliquin Supplements Uber Nutrients does not contain microcrystalline cellulose.

The third most prevalent ingredient in the Centrum Performance product is a compound named potassium chloride.

Potassium chloride is a corrosive compound commonly used in fertilizer, fire extinguishers and is the third compound in a three compound mixture used for lethal injection. In this case, it is being used as cheap and ineffective potassium.

The Poliquin multivitamin, Uber Nutrients, does not contain potassium chloride.

The fifth most prevalent ingredient in Centrum Performance is a compound named calcium carbonate.

Calcium carbonate is a geological compound derived primarily from marble. Its primary use is in the construction industry as a foundation building material. Finely ground calcium carbonate is used in the production of baby diapers.

Calcium carbonate is used as a very cheap source of calcium by food and supplement manufacturers.

Poliquin Supplements, Uber Nutrients does not contain calcium carbonate.

Centrum Performance does have a slight price advantage over Poliquin Supplements, Uber Nutrients -but for purity, safety and my own good health -I choose Poliquin Supplements.

Shouldn’t you?

Be careful what you put in your body. It’s the only one you have.

To Your Good Health!