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Top 10 Anti Ageing Foods

April 27, 2023 by MBAdmin2023 Leave a Comment

Your body begins to wear out as you get older. As you age, the cells of your body stop multiplying. Your skin becomes wrinkly, thinner and less elastic. It gets drier too. Your bones are more visible because you store less fat beneath your skin. Your muscles tend to atrophy and your bones become fragile and you also seem to lose a bit of memory. Not a happy picture indeed!

Well, you are not so defenseless to the onslaught of ageing. You can defend yourself from the effects of ageing with the help of right foods and a healthy lifestyle. The best part is that these anti-ageing super foods are easily available in the budget and help immensely in erasing the adverse effects of ageing.

TOP 10 FOODS TO FIGHT AGEING

Did you know each time you breathe, you create a highly reactive free radical, unstable atom eager to steal an electron from other atoms. This process is known as oxidative stress and if prolonged can damage cell structure. Add to it environmental toxins, cigarette smoke, stress, UV exposure a load of free radicals to clean multiplies. In order to offset the effect, your body requires a generous helping of colourful foods, such as leafy greens, plump berries, nuts as these foods willingly donate an electron to neutralize the free radicals. Recently, sugar has been identified as the biggest culprit in speeding up the ageing process. An overdose of sugar in the blood causes glucose molecules to attach to the proteins in collagen (the glue that holds your skin together) to form AGEs. These sticky brown compounds stiffen the otherwise elastic fibres in the skin, creating lines, blotches and wrinkles.

It is possible to win the race against time and your ally in the process is a fork. Top 10 foods in your anti-ageing diet include:

1. LEAFY GREENS

Leafy greens, like spinach , lettuce , kale are exceptionally rich sources of fiber, vitamin C, K and folic acid (a B vitamin that saves your heart and memory), lutein (vision protector) and four essential minerals: calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium. Leafy greens, like spinach, have a very high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) score, which is a measurement of food’s ability to destroy free radicals. The higher the score, a better food it is for you. Also, leafy greens deliver a hefty supply of anti-ageing vitamin A, which supports skin-cell turnover to help keep your skin soft and supple. Go for two servings a day, for example, 1 cup cooked greens or 2 cups raw greens. The darker, the better. Studies have shown eating foods rich in these antioxidants can significantly reduce your risk of AMD (age-related macular degeneration).

2. WHOLE GRAINS

Whole grains are good sources of fiber, mineral, vitamin and antioxidant rich B vitamins and reduce the likelihood of age onset illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease. Due to their slow digestion, these foods are perfect for preventing diabetes and high blood pressure. Whole grains contain liberal dose of fiber.

Adults need 25 to 35g of fiber daily and whole grains are enriched with soluble and insoluble fiber. The fiber content in whole grains keeps bowels active and whole grains are also a rich source of lactic acid which helps promote the good bacteria in the intestine as well as build immunity. The other health advantages of including whole grains in diet show in lowered cholesterol and blood pressure. Achieving your weight loss goal becomes easier with whole grains and it also helps in curbing abdominal obesity.

3. YOGURT

For centuries yogurt has been considered as a health food. Other than containing many beneficial nutrients like calcium, protein, potassium, magnesium, zinc and B vitamins, yogurt is rich in probiotics, healthy bacteria that fight the growth of harmful intestinal bacteria. A well-functioning digestive system is central to the anti-ageing process as it nourishes skin, hair, nails, muscles and bones and allows you to look and feel younger.

4. NUTS AND FLAXSEEDS

If you are keen to challenge time and reverse the effects of ageing a handful of nuts and flax seeds every day is your best bet. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, nuts are the right foods to fight ageing and full of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Walnuts and nuts in general, assist with managing cholesterol levels, improve digestive functioning, and strengthen immunity due to their rich mineral content.

Since the effects of ageing are more visible on the face, you need to hydrate your skin inside out to prevent dry skin and wrinkles. Enriched with omega 3-6 and 9 fatty acids, nuts and flaxseeds help maintain a healthy looking skin, as these foods plump your skin cells resulting in a dewy and fresh looking exterior. The logic is that if your skin cell walls are healthy and plump your skin, it will look more hydrated and dewy. Whereas, non-vegetarians can easily get their omega 3 fatty acids from eggs and fish, for vegetarians good sources of omega 3 fats are walnuts and flaxseeds and the latter is a better source of omega 3 fatty acids. A quarter cup of walnuts contains only 2.7g omega 3 fatty acids, whereas the same amount of flax seeds has 6.3g omega 3 fatty acids.

5. ONIONS

Who would believe that the sharp pungent tasting onion holds the fountain of youth? Well, truth is stranger than fiction! Studies have shown that onions are one of the richest sources of quercetin, one of the most potent antioxidants and nutrients to keep your skin wrinkle free. Querectin plays an important role in fighting free radical damage which is responsible for the effects of ageing. You don’t need to chomp raw onions to get quercetin advantage. Add onions liberally to soups, side dishes and stews because querectin content does not get degraded when you cook onions rather it winds up in the soups and dishes. The much-touted polyphenol content is higher in onions than garlic, tomatoes, carrots and red bell pepper.

6. GREEN TEA

Many teas are high in antioxidants but green tea is rich in antioxidant known as EGCG, a super antioxidant. Anti-ageing and anti-inflammatory effects of green tea delays signs of skin ageing such as sun damage, expression lines and wrinkles. In research studies, it has been found that green tea may prevent against cancer. The antioxidant activity of green tea and its ability to increase production of stree-reducing proteins helps increase longevity.

7. GARLIC

Since time immemorial garlic has been used to stave off evil spirits, build stamina, enhance immunity, and ward off infections. In the ancient time when Olympic Games was held in Greece, athletes were said to swallow garlic as a stimulant. Garlic is a part of the lily family along with onions and chives. Eating a clove of raw garlic is your shortcut to wrinkle free skin. Garlic contains vitamin B6 which helps with serotonin production reduces cortisol level. Additionally, allicin in garlic, an antioxidant inhibits wrinkle-causing free radical activity, but this super-antioxidant will get released only when you crush the garlic properly. Also, it begins to degrade quickly. Therefore, consume it immediately.

Rich in antioxidants, like zinc, selenium and vitamin C garlic scavenges free radicals and supports production of collagen. The presence of sulphur in garlic controls infections and reduces inflammations. It also enhances blood flow to give the skin a natural glow. Garlic naturally lowers blood cholesterol which keeps your heart healthy.

8. DARK CHOCOLATES

Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, like procyanidins and epicatechin, potent antioxidants that are helpful food to fight ageing. Dark chocolate is a rich source of cocoa, which has a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels. Composed of steraic and oleic acid, a kind of fat but with positive effect on cholesterol, dark chocolate is good for the health of your heart. Serotonin in dark chocolate may improve your mood and regular intake is associated with better cognitive performance in the elderly. Enriched with a number of minerals, like calcium, magnesium and potassium, dark chocolate keeps boosts your well being and immunity.

9. BERRIES

Your anti ageing foods recipe is incomplete without berries. Pick any berry, and the chances of it helping you stay younger looking are very good. The popular choices in berres are strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. They are excellent dietary sources of vitamin A, C, and E and are packed to the core with essential antioxidants, to keep our skin glowing. The high level of antioxidants in berries make it an excellent food to combat free-radical damage that takes place everyday in your body. The cumulative effect of free radical damage reflects in accelerated ageing. Try including a mix of these berries in your diet every day.

10. WHEY PROTEIN

Whey Protein is actually a supplement but is one of the best anti ageing foods you can have. Studies have shown that whey protein helps increase your body’s store of the antioxidant, glutathione or GSH, which helps increase the integrity of telomeres, a bundle of DNA found in every cell. Telomeres shorten with age due to free radical damage and are largely responsible for age-related damage. The best way to increase and maintain your GSH levels is to make sure your diet includes foods (such as animal foods and eggs) rich in the sulfur amino acids your cells need to synthesize glutathione.

Stay healthy and younger with these 10 superfoods and let people guess your age!

How to Choose The Best Whey Protein Powder

April 27, 2023 by MBAdmin2023 Leave a Comment

What do you consider while choosing your whey protein powder? Do you take recommendations from your friend or gym buddies? Well, your fitness goals completely depend upon the intake of pure whey protein. With quality whey protein powder, you don’t have to worry about any side effects plus you get better results for muscle building, lose fat and improve your overall health and wellness. Also, it is very important to know how much protein is enough? What is the best time to consume whey protein powder? In this article, we will try to cover all your questions regarding whey protein powder.

WHEY PROTEIN FACTS

Even if you have never bought a tub of whey protein, you have seen it. Whey is the leftover liquid from the cheese-making process. It is the clear fluid on the top of the set curd. Though this liquid is whey, still, it is not the pure whey protein that the fitness enthusiast craves for, as it contains carbs and fats. In order to get purer whey protein, the leftover liquid from the cheese-making process goes through a filtration process to remove traces of carbs and fats, along with valuable protein sub-fractions. As whey protein becomes purer its grading changes from whey concentrate to whey isolate and whey hydrolysate.

The fact that whey protein offers premium-quality, fast-acting proteins in a serving make it a compulsory supplement for fitness enthusiasts. The faster-acting proteins speed up the muscle-building process and ensure a quicker recovery. Muscle building in a simpler language is a process of breaking down muscle tissues when you exercise and repairing those with whey protein. Therefore you should focus on your whey protein intake for muscle building, especially post-workout.

Along with proteins, whey delivers a double whammy of immunoglobulins that restrict the activity of bacteria and viruses. In simpler terms, a healthy supply of immunoglobulins coursing through your veins implies that you will be able to deal in a better way with the environmental toxins, muscle building and weight loss stress.

WHEY PROTEIN NUTRITION

One scoop of the average whey protein powder weighs 32 grams. Each scoop contains 113 calories, the total fat content is 0.5 gram out of which monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are 0.1 gram each, saturated fat is 0.3 grams and trans fat 0 gram. They usually contain 5.1 gram of cholesterol that make up for 2% of your daily requirement. Sodium is 50 mg and makes up for your 2% daily nutritional value. You can expect 5% potassium content of your daily requirement and dietary fiber makes up 1%. The Iron content is 2%, calcium 12%, and the protein content is at least 25g.

What To Consider When You Are Buying Whey Protein

Before you get your favourite type of whey protein, read the label very carefully as the label carries all the necessary information that will help you to make an informed choice. Here are the 5 tips on how to choose the best whey protein.

1) What Is The Source Of Protein

Most of the whey protein emphasizes the source of their whey protein is either whey protein concentrate on whey protein isolate only a few of them will mention protein hydrolysate and source of protein. You should know the difference between them. Whey protein isolate contains 90% protein content then the whey protein concentrate. Also, it is the purest form of protein and has a higher concentration of BCAAs. Though whey protein is the best protein option, whey protein concentrate is the good bang for the buck, and it is best for anyone who is not lactose intolerant. Beginners can use this protein as it helps in improving their health and provides 80% of proteins by weight.

Whey Protein Hydrolysate is the quick-acting protein source and is lactose-free. It is digested quickly and acts quickly as compared to the whey protein isolate, but it is pricey.

2) Protein Content In Single Scoop

Protein powder should be free from sugar, cheap fillers, and other stuff. You should get 80% in the form of protein in a scoop. If your scoop is 40g then there should be 22g of protein in each serving, don’t buy it unless the rest 18g is made up of the good stuff. So, make sure to read the label carefully to know whether it has the right ingredients or not.

3) Check The Sugar Content

Say no to a whey protein powder that contains added sugar. Check the label for the terms like corn syrup solids, maltodextrin and cane sugar, if your protein powder has it then don’t buy it. Your protein should not contain sugar, and if you are on a diet, then this is the last you want in your protein powder.

4) Check For The Digestive Enzymes

Protein powder without the digestive enzymes can make you experience indigestion and bloating. Look for the protein powder that is fortified with digestive enzymes such as amylase, lactase, protease and lipase that improves the protein absorption rate.

5) Look Beyond Protein

You need a whey protein that contains essential vitamins, minerals and creatine that helps in achieving your fitness goals. At MuscleBlaze, you can get the best powder range to meet your body goals.

Top 5 Best Whey Protein Powder Supplements from MuscleBlaze

Here Is The List Of Some Of The Top 5 Whey Protein Powders that You Should Try

MuscleBlaze Biozyme Whey Protein

MuscleBlaze Biozyme Whey Protein is the best Indian whey protein, specially formulated for the Indians to achieve their muscle gains. It has an enhanced absorption formula that helps in maximising the bioavailability of the protein for the Indian bodies. This product delivers 50% higher protein absorption and 60% BCAA absorption rate and therefore works systematically so that your hard work doesn’t go to waste.

MuscleBlaze Iso-Zero Whey Protein Isolate

It is an effective, low carb protein powder and is the best-tasting whey protein powder. Each serving of this iso-zero whey protein powder gives you 30 grams of protein, 6.51g BCAA, 5.17g of Glutamic acid and 126 calories. It has zero added sugar, zero trans-fat and zero lactose, which makes it perfect for people with lactose intolerance. It comes in 3 delicious flavours; zero carbs dutch vanilla, low carb chocolate and zero carb strawberry.

MuscleBlaze 80% Raw Whey Protein

Are you looking for top whey protein that will help you achieve good muscles and great muscle strength? Your search and share with MuscleBlaze 80% Raw Whey Protein. This protein supplement comes with the unique way formula along with the best quality glutamic acid. It is loaded with healthy fats, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, inflammatory immune factors and peptides. Also, it fills up nutrient deficiencies of the body. It comes unflavoured, so you can use it in your smoothie and juices.

MuscleBlaze 100% Whey Protein with Digestive Enzymes

It is one of the preferred whey protein powder in India. It comes with 0 additives and preservatives. Each serving delivers 25g of protein, 5.5g of BCAA and digestive enzymes. It gives you nine essential amino acids and has digestive enzymes that make it easy to digest. You can expect that better strength, better immunity power and great focus with this protein powder. Also, it comes in various delicious flavours.

MuscleBlaze Whey Hydro Hydrolyzed Whey Protein

MuscleBlaze Whey Hydro is the top quality hydrolyzed whey protein powder that is specially formulated to stimulate muscle growth and recovery. It gives you a quick-absorbing amino acid that fuels your muscle and optimises results. Each serving gives you 11.28g of amino acids, 24 grams of protein and 5.3 grams of BCCAs. It also contains a blend of 5 digestive enzymes.

You can choose anyone from the above-mentioned list that suits you in the best way and meet your needs.

Top 4 Commonly Made Mistakes with Mass Gainers

April 27, 2023 by MBAdmin2023 Leave a Comment

You cannot get those big and sturdy muscles just by grabbing that big tub of Mass Gainer. Any resource isn’t useful until you know how to use it. To ensure the best results, you should learn how to use it properly.

In this article, you’ll learn:

What is a mass gainer?
What mistakes are you making while using mass gainers?
How to take mass gainer?
When to take mass gainer?
Difference between mass gainer and whey protein?

What is a Mass Gainer?

For those who face difficulty gaining, mass gainers are a gift. Such individuals are blessed with a high metabolism and this makes them struggle to pack muscles. Such individuals need to consume more calories than an average individual. A mass gainer is a formula that lets them meet their surplus calorie needs and helps with muscle building. Mass gainers are rich in carbohydrates (complex carbs) and protein. The carbs to protein ratio of mass gainers are generally 3:1 and they also contain other nutrients such as MCT (Medium-Chain Triglycerides), vitamins, and minerals. This calorie-dense formula enriches you with various nutrients and helps in putting on muscle mass.

But, what is important to understand is that mass gainer ain’t no miracle product. It will give you desired results only when you combine it with the right workout routine and a balanced diet. Don’t expect it to push your bodybuilding if you are not willing to push your limits.

Another point on which you need to focus on is the way you use mass gainers. Even the best mass gainer supplement can fail to deliver optimum results if not used correctly. You need to pay close attention to realize if you’re making any mass gaining mistakes. Below are 4 common mistakes that you are most likely to make when using mass gainers.

Read About Best Homemade Mass Gainer Shake Recipe For Muscle Gain

1. ARE YOU MEETING YOUR CALORIE SURPLUS

You won’t gain muscles until you gain bodyweight. The confusion here is- whether you need to gain extra kilos in the form of muscle or fats? The answer is simple- keep your fat level at a minimum since your goal is to gain muscles. You definitely need a calorie surplus, but it should not be more than 500-600 on the days you are training. Any number, less than it will cripple your goal of gaining muscles if you get indulged in extra physical activity. On the days when you’re not training, you should stick to your regular calorie intake. If you normally need 3500 calories a day, you can raise it up to 4000 on the days you are training.

For a 25-year-old male who is working out heavily, the calorie requirement will vary depending on his height

Weight in Kilos	Calorie Need in Kilo Calories
	5ft 6 inches	5ft 8 inches	5ft 10 inches
50 – 55	2740 – 2872	2800 – 2900	2838 – 2970
55 – 60	2872 – 3000	2900 – 3000	2970 – 3100
60 – 65	3000 – 3137	3054 – 3186	3100 – 3235
65 – 70			3235 – 3367

Know About Top 8 Bodybuilding Supplements for Beginners – Benefits & Uses

2. DO YOU EAT THE RIGHT FOODS

Your diet greatly impacts your muscle building. Sitting on your couch and munching fries & chips won’t do any good to you. Having a whole large pizza to yourself might sound like a delicious idea, but it will only result in the development of flab and love handles. For building muscles, you need to have a nutritious diet that is made up of various macro and micronutrients. Foods like brown rice, oats, potatoes, and pasta are rich in complex carbs that are required to maintain energy levels. Fruits are a great source of antioxidants and enrich you with healthy carbs. These are essential for recovering from the stress of training. Don’t go completely carb-less or fat-less. Saturated fat is great in keeping your testosterone levels high which are crucial for muscle gains. As for protein, consume 1-1.5g of protein per kg of body weight.

Most importantly, you have to follow the rule book (1 to 1.5g for a pound, 453g of body weight) on your protein needs, because muscles are made of proteins and if you shortchange on the necessary amino acids, your muscle growth suffers.

Weight in Kilos	Protein in grams
55	121 -181
60	132- 200
65	143 – 215

Top 4 Facts to Consider Before You Buy a Mass Gainer

3. ARE YOU MAKING THESE ERRORS WHILE USING MASS GAINERS?

What more can you ask for when you just have to mix the powder in water/milk to get the gains you have always wished for! However, most of the mass gainer powders are mixed with milk to enhance the protein content and add up to the calories. If you’re still not seeing the desired changes in your physique, check if you are making these mistakes:

Use as directed

Every mass gainer supplement comes with a usage direction generally at the back of the label. Always follow those instructions when it comes to choosing the scoop size and try not to use more or less than the recommended usage so that you get the best results.

Not taking mass gainers on your off days

If you’re practising this, you need to change this habit. Even on the days, you don’t train, consume mass gainers because they help in meeting your nutritional needs for the day. You should maintain your daily calorie intake, but not at the expense of mass gainers, as they are rich in various nutrients that your body needs.

Are you following the right workout routine to build muscles?

To build sturdy muscles, you need to provide it with enough stress by doing something which your muscles haven’t experienced much. Until and unless your muscles undergo wear and tear, it is almost impossible for them to repair themselves. Plan your workout in such a way that it lays focus on optimizing muscle tension. Below are a few things you can do in order to enhance muscle tension:

Adopt a rep range of around 6-12 to ensure that your muscles face sufficient tension
Perform multiple sets of an exercise to increase muscle tension and damage
Rest time should be somewhere around 60-90 seconds
Instead of being unidirectional, try to hit your muscles from all directions. This will put more stress on them.
Get involved in heavy lifting and perform 1-5 reps once or twice a week so that the release of Human Growth Hormone is enhanced.
Not drinking the complete serving

To get optimum results, consume a full serving of your mass gainer supplement along with proper foods to meet your protein and other nutrient requirements. The most commonly made mistake by many people is to not consume the full serving of a mass gainer and rather have it like any whey protein supplement.

Mass gainers and whey protein are not alike! Know the difference.

Difference Between Mass Gainers & Whey Protein

Whey Protein	Mass Gainers
Derived from whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate	A mix of fast and slow-acting proteins like whey and casein
Has lesser calories	Serves around 3 times more calories than whey protein
Gets absorbed fast and works best a recovery protein shake, post-workout	Used to provide calorie surplus to support muscle growth and enhance muscle size

Can I Take Mass Gainers & Whey Protein Together?

Ideally, you should not consume mass gainers and whey protein supplements together as it is not of much use. Mass gainer powder already contains protein along with a mix of simple and complex carbs, fats, and other nutrients. Protein powders, on the other hand, are a great source of protein mainly. However, if you consume both of them together, you can increase your protein intake.

How To Take Mass Gainer?

Mix a scoop of mass gainer with milk preferably or water. Shake well until the powder is completely dissolved and a smooth shake is formed and consume. Mixing with milk increases the amount of protein and calories of the shake.

When To Take Mass Gainer?

You can follow the instructions given by the manufacturers or your dietitian. However, here are a few suggestions on taking mass gainers:

Mass gainers offer a good dose of complex carbs and that is why you can try it as a post-workout tonic to get that insulin surge which is required for building muscles.
You can also have it with breakfast to kick-start your day. You can also take it in-between meals and 30-40 minutes before going to bed at night.

Mass Gainer advice:

Always go with a trusted brand. Read the ingredients list to ensure that your mass gainer supplement is free from any harmful additives. It is even better if it comes loaded with digestive enzymes for better absorption of nutrients, just like MuscleBlaze Mass Gainer XXL.

Always maintain a log to determine your progress. Don’t ignore the importance of resting. It is crucial for you to rest properly as your muscles repair themselves during this time period. Keep looking for new techniques to build muscle mass and fulfil the nutritional requirements of your body. Keep patience and work in the right direction and you will surely see favourable results.

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Top 3 Ways to Avoid Hitting the Wall

April 27, 2023 by MBAdmin2023 Leave a Comment

Hitting the wall or bonking is a common occurrence during marathons. Mostly, at the last leg of the marathon, the runners experience a sudden loss of energy and their limbs refuse to cooperate. Get an in-depth understanding of the subject:

What is bonking
How carb supplementation helps prevent hitting the wall
Why a carb blend is superior to a single carb for preventing bonking
Carb Supplements: The answer to hitting the wall

More than regular cramping, bonking, or hitting the wall, refers to a condition where your brain seems to work fine but your legs quit.

Technically, hitting the wall means severely low blood sugar or hypoglycemia, a condition brought by severe glycogen depletion. Your main fuel source during prolonged exercise is carbohydrates. You can store carbs in the form of glycogen (longer chain version of glucose) in your muscles or in your liver. After about 2 hours of intense exercise, your glycogen stores run out.

In contrast to the limited supply of glycogen, you have a seemingly unlimited supply of fat, but fat is an inefficient source of fuel. It burns slowly and will not give the same amount of energy, like glycogen.

During a long-distance run when the glycogen stored in the liver and leg muscle cells depletes totally, the athlete faces severe energy crunch and his body just refuses to budge, a condition known as hitting the wall, or bonking more common in cycle races. In marathons, the athlete damages his leg muscles while running, which forces him to slow down. However, pedaling is done in a rotary motion and the impact is not felt initially.

1. HOW CARB SUPPLEMENTATION HELPS PREVENT HITTING THE WALL

So far this much is clear that the depletion of carbohydrates store is a major cause of fatigue setting in during an exercise, and to recover from the fatigue, the athlete has to rely on the third source of energy: ingested carbohydrates. By this explanation, easily carbohydrate becomes the best workout recovery supplement.

Once absorbed these carbohydrates can be used as fuel right away. Carbohydrate supplementation is the best muscle recovery supplement, post an intense physical activity, as it ensures that athletes have ample carbohydrates, which can be metabolized to help produce energy during contraction.

The ready availability of adequate carbohydrates in the working muscles and bloodstream is central to an individual’s ability to sustain intensive training load as well as to ace the race. No wonder, for these reasons athletes are advised to load up on carbohydrates before, during and immediately post exercise.

Carbohydrate loading maximizes muscle glycogen stores prior to exercise that would otherwise begin to deplete during an intense exercise. Carb loading is an important practice before sports events such as marathons that last longer than 90 minutes. The classical carb loading model takes place 3-4 days before an event.

2. WHY A CARB BLEND IS SUPERIOR TO A SINGLE CARB FOR PREVENTING BONKING

Whole foods such as potatoes usually contain carbs in the form of starch. Post digestion starch converts into glucose, the most basic unit of a carbohydrate. When we talk of blood sugar, we refer to glucose (a byproduct of carb digestion) in the blood.

Glucose (blood sugar) is different from the sugar (table sugar). Table sugar along with glucose also contains fruit sugar. Fructose is fruit sugar.

Glucose remains a preferred fuel during sports nutrition, as you can burn more of this fuel as compared to fructose. Post-exercise, glucose refills muscle glycogen easily, making it a better choice for recovery.

Separately, fructose is not as efficient as glucose, as a fuel source during exercise, but when glucose and fructose combine together, they use different routes for absorption in the intestine, which makes it more effective than glucose separately as a refuelling carb and has a higher rate of absorption. Add maltodextrin to it, a long-chain complex carbohydrate and it is easier for the body to assimilate and provides a steady supply of energy.

The mix of different carbs provides the athlete with glycogen to support his training sessions. This prevents degradation of their muscle tissues and keeps them energised during their intense physical activity.

A 35-year-old man who weighs 76kg with a resting heart rate of 63bpm should consume 1687 calories to finish in 4 hours 20 minutes. This is equivalent to eight bowls of pasta on top of his normal diet. The calorie load will increase to 3054, if he wanted to complete the course in 3 hours. So much food before a race will slow you down.

3. CARB SUPPLEMENTS: THE ANSWER TO HITTING THE WALL

It’s practically impossible to eat different carbs when you are in the midst of a strenuous sport, like marathon, cycling race, or for that matter even after you have completed it.

As a result, the sportsman requires a post-workout recovery drink that offers the concentrated dose of carbs better than the regular glucose. The best part about such carb blend supplements is that they work perfect as an intra-workout or sports drink and replenish the glycogen reserve quickly.

Also, the blend of carbs (glucose, fructose and Maltodextrin) makes sure that the external source of carbs will be burnt for energy and the muscle glycogen is spared from burning for the fuel. The recovery drink powder is easy to use and can be had whenever the athletes face energy crunch so that they do not hit the wall. The recovery drink for athletes should contain more than the much-hyped glucose. It should have a mix of fructose (fruit sugar) and starch-derived Maltodextrin, like MuscleBlaze Carb Blend. The refreshing orange flavour adds to the zing factor.

Top 5 Mistakes Made When Using BCAAs

April 27, 2023 by MBAdmin2023 Leave a Comment

Amino acids are of three kinds: essential, non-essential and conditional. BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) are essential amino acids. It implies that your body can not make these amino acids. Hence, you have to rely on foods to source them.

BCAAs refer to three essential amino acids, leucine, isoleucine and valine. They constitute one-third of muscle proteins. Their structure resembles like a branch of a tree, therefore the name. Protein-rich foods, like chicken, eggs and pulses also supply BCAAs in some amount. 100g chicken serves 3g, a large egg has 1.3g and 100g lentils offer 1g BCAAs. Know all about BCAAs

Benefits of BCAAs
Are you guilty of committing these mistakes with BCAAs use
How much BCAAs should you take

BENEFITS OF BCAAS

BCAAs arrest muscle wasting in people who are confined to bed. Athletes use branched-chain amino acids to improve exercise performance and reduce protein and muscle breakdown during intense exercise. These amino acids are absorbed and rapidly broken down during training, which makes their presence mandatory during workout sessions for optimal absorption and replacement.

When you exercise intensely, your serotonin levels go up, which induces a feeling of fatigue. BCAAs interfere with the production of serotonin, thereby delaying the feeling of fatigue.
Each training session injures your muscle fibers. BCAAs supplementation before and after exercise helps reduce muscle breakdown, reduces muscle soreness and repairs damaged muscles.
Weight trainers have found an increase in the rate of new muscle synthesis with BCAA supplementation, as it triggers mTORC1, a signaling pathway, essential for muscle building.
BCAAs have a significant role in increasing the rate of fat burn and also helps support fat loss. Surveys go on to show that people with a higher BCAA intake in their diets will have less of body fat and more muscle.
No denying the fact, that BCAAs are a critical supplement for bodybuilders who are cutting before an event or show. Before a bodybuilding show, the bodybuilder wants to shed the body fat percentage but at the same time retain his muscle mass. BCAAs with its anti-catabolic effect becomes a must-have supplement for all such people.

ARE YOU GUILTY OF COMMITTING THESE 5 MISTAKES WITH BCAAs SUPPLEMENTATION?

A great addition to the supplementation schedule during periods of intermittent fasting or when you are on a calorie-deficit diet, BCAAs help in delaying the feeling of tiredness in the athlete or bodybuilder. However, like most supplements you need to use it the right way to get the maximum advantage of BCAA supplement.

1. Reducing protein intake

BCAAs supplements do not give you a license to cut down on your protein intake. BCAAs contain only three essential amino acids, but a protein food or supplements like chicken, milk, egg or whey has a more balanced protein profile, consisting of 20 amino acids. Whether you are trying to cut down on fat or building muscle, you need to remain in a positive nitrogen balance.

2. Not choosing the right ratio of BCAAs

The right ratio of BCAAs is 2:1:1 in the order (Leucine-Isoleucine-Valine) and often wondered that if leucine is the critical ingredient to bulk up muscles, why can’t the ratio be higher? If lifting more weights guarantees bigger muscles, consuming BCAAs with a higher ratio of leucine should trigger more new muscle synthesis. Sadly, this is not true. Building muscles require intense training. The longer you work out better will be the outcome. Valine builds your endurance and isoleucine promotes fat loss. While leucine is busy building and repairing muscles, these two will provide the fuel to add bang to your training sessions. The best BCAA supplement should be in the powder form as it gets absorbed quickly and should have a ratio of 2:1:1 of leucine, isoleucine and valine.

3. Are you drinking BCAAs at the right time

There are certain rules involved with supplementation to make the most of it. Whey protein is a mandatory supplement post-workout because it helps recover faster. Similarly, Creatine Monohydrate should be taken as part of a pre-workout formula, due to its ability to improve energy output.

BCAAs should be taken either before, after or in-between a workout. When you take BCAAs before exercising, you are able to preserve the lean muscle mass that would otherwise be lost due to a calorie deficit diet or training on an empty stomach to accelerate fat loss.

Drinking BCAAs mixed with water helps prevent muscle loss during an intense workout and speeds up your pace of recovery. Since BCAAs bypass the liver-route of metabolism, they are readily available to skeletal muscles for use.

Drinking it post-workout improves your recovery after a workout. A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition verifies the role of BCAAs in reducing exercise-induced muscle damage. Now, if you do not drink BCAAs as designed, how can you expect it to perform well?

4. Avoiding other supplements when taking BCAAs:

A typical supplement stack will include BCAAs, whey protein, fat burner and pre-workout. However, many people will do away with the remaining three when they start BCAAs supplementation.

BCAAs are present in whey protein. Hence, most gym goers are guilty of making the mistake of dropping whey protein, when they start consuming BCAAs. This is not right because whey protein contains fast-absorbing amino acids (20 of those, including 9 essential amino acids) and it helps in starting the process of muscle repair and recovery. Moreover, the BCAAs present in whey protein are bonded to other amino acids. Therefore, they will take time to absorb and reach the muscle tissues. On the other hand, supplemental BCAAs are free form aminos and are readily available for consumption by the muscle tissues without any time lag. Pre-workouts provide an energy surge and delayed perception of fatigue before a workout, whereas BCAAs protect your lean muscle mass if you train on an empty stomach.

5. Taking BCAAs only as a fat loss aid:

BCAAs indirectly help you with fat loss, but it is not a fat burner. It does not have the thermogenic properties of a fat loss supplement. BCAAs modulate your snack attack. They also help retain muscle mass. More muscles equal more calories burned on a daily basis.

HOW MUCH BCAAs SHOULD YOU TAKE

You should follow the manufacturer’s recommendation on BCAAS dosage. You can mix it either with water or a cold beverage. Beginners should take BCAAs in-between a workout. Serious bodybuilders can take it before and after a workout too, but exercise caution and do not exceed the recommended dosage. Go for MuscleBlaze BCAAs, as it provides the right mix of amino acids and delicious orange and pineapple flavour.

Top 5 Natural Fat Burners to Beat Belly Fat

April 27, 2023 by MBAdmin2023 Leave a Comment

You would find it hard to believe, but we all are born with a set of six pack abs. However, for most of us, it is hidden beneath a layer of fat. Regardless of the fact that you sweat it out in the gym every day, your gut fat will not lose until you make dietary modifications because abs are built in the kitchen.

Before you get going with crunches and other fat burning workouts to peel off the layer of fat, you need to know why it landed on you, in the first place. Therefore, the essentials summarized:

Top 5 reasons for belly fat
Top 5 foods to burn belly fat

Whether you believe it or not, there are certain foods that can speed up your ab-show. Intrigued, but first, you need to figure out the factors that are responsible for hiding your abs.

TOP 5 REASONS FOR BELLY FAT

Apple shaped obesity, visceral fat or excess of belly fat is extremely unhealthy. It puts you at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The success of your belly fat burner plan relies on a great deal in identifying and avoiding the factors responsible for your belly fat gain.

1. Sugary foods

Foods rich in sugar and high-fructose corn syrup contribute to belly fat. Sugar overload, primarily fructose or fruit sugar makes you insulin resistant. A 10 week study analysed the impact on an obese group. In this study 25 percent of the calorie intake of obese and overweight individuals came from fructose or glucose sweetened beverages. At the end of the study, both the groups gained weight but the fructose group had more of belly fat to get rid of.

2. Stress and cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone that gets released when you feel stressed. It is produced by the adrenal gland and is known as a stress hormone, because it helps your body to mount a stress response. Too much of cortisol drives overeating, but the excess of calories get stored as belly fat.

3. Lifestyle

Your activity level and alcohol consumption are closely related to belly fat. A sedentary lifestyle significantly increases abdominal girth in women. Some studies have shown that alcohol suppresses fat burning and that excess calories from alcohol are partly stored as belly fat, hence the term “beer belly”

4. Eating habits

What you eat will cast an impact on your waistline, particularly belly fat. Research studies have found that a low protein diet is directly linked to weight gain, specifically excess belly fat. Like protein, soluble fiber intake was associated with reduced abdominal fat. An observational study found that for each 10-gram increase in soluble fiber there was a 3.7 percent decrease in belly fat accumulation

5. Lack of sleep

Many studies have linked lack of sleep to obesity, particularly belly fat. In one study, researchers found that obese men with sleep apnea had more abdominal fat than obese men without the disorder. Sleep deprivation increases hunger and slows down metabolism, making it more difficult to maintain or lose weight.

Along with, belly fat burning workouts, you need to realign your body’s natural hunger and sleep rhythms for six pack abs. Tune into the best natural fat burner foods to correct your hunger and sleep cycle, which will help you burn that stubborn layer of fat.

TOP 5 FOODS TO BURN BELLY FAT

For your abs to show, you need to begin tracking your calories and macros (carbohydrates, protein and fat) to ensure that you’re getting enough protein to fuel your workout recovery, but at the same time, you are shifting that layer of flab from your dream body. Your belly fat burning workouts will become more effective in the company of natural fat burner foods

1. Green Tea

Several scientific studies confirm the effectiveness of green tea in belly fat burn. For instance, a study published in an issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, green tea has been shown to activate the body’s thermogenic fat-burning activity. In this study, subjects drank an optimal amount of green tea (690mg of catechins) for 12 weeks. Post the duration of the study, the subjects taking green tea in the required dosage experienced a reduction in their waist size and total fat area.

Green tea helps to multiply the effectiveness of belly fat burning workouts. A study conducted on 12 young men goes on to prove that drinking green tea improves the rate of fat burn along with exercise. Your body has a fat burning sensor in the form of gene signal AMPK (5 adenosine, monophosphate-activated protein kinase). Between meals and after exercise, your body activates the fat burning sensor. It is a signal for your body to burn fat. However, when you eat on purpose, the sensor switches off. In most studies, drinking green tea helps to increase calorie burn by 3-4 percent, although few studies increase the rate of fat burn to 8 percent.

Green tea turns on the fat burning gene during both exercise and rest.

2. Pulses

The humble daal, pulses or legumes including chickpeas and many varieties of beans make up a unique class of fat-burning protein-rich carbs. The latest science has shown that pulses can boost calorie and fat burning, burn belly fat, prevent snack attacks and fuel all-day energy. Pulses are a good source of fiber that allows you to stay full after the diet. Research from Minnesota University shows that men and women who ate 21g fiber in a day gained 3.62 kilos less than people who were eating an equal number of calories but 40 percent less fiber.

Although eating pulses won’t necessarily make you shed weight, it helps maintain regular bowel movement and a healthy gut. Your gut health has a lot to do with belly fat gain.

3. Oats with milk

Oats are super foods for weight loss, as they help you feel full for a longer duration. Go for oats with larger flakes, as they take longer to digest. Mix oats with low-fat milk and you get the protein advantage along with the benefits of slow digesting carbohydrates, a source of sustained energy. Milk and other dairy foods may help win people the battle of the bulge and prevent them from piling on pounds, according to a research published online in the American College of Nutrition.

4. Nuts

Nuts if consumed in moderation can help you lose belly fat. They are full of essential nutrients, such as protein and monounsaturated fatty acids. A 2002 study appearing in “Diabetes Care” found that dieters following a high-protein and high-monounsaturated fat diet lost more abdominal and total weight than those following a diet lower in protein and monounsaturated fats. Each group consumed 1600 calories per day for eight weeks. Nuts are a great source of mood-boosting magnesium. Without enough magnesium in your body, your sleep cycle gets disrupted, which ultimately affects your weight gain.

Nuts are rich in calories, therefore, you need to stick to the serving size of a fistful while having them. Eating nuts in larger amounts will contribute to weight gain.

5. Whey Protein

Whey protein speeds up recovery after a workout, but it is not only for muscle seekers. Even fat loss aspirants will find whey useful. As a dietary supplement whey protein results in a slimmer waistline. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition in discovered that overweight adults who supplemented with whey protein twice daily for 23 weeks had smaller waist circumferences at the end of the trial period than subjects who supplemented with soy or carbohydrates. Those study results are especially significant because subjects did not reduce calories or change their typical diets in any way, leading to the conclusion that for some people, a whey supplement can stimulate belly fat loss.

Related: Top 3 Ways in Which Whey Protein can Help You Lose Weight

Uncover your six-pack abs from the layer of fat. The natural fat burner foods are your best bet, but they will work in the company of a disciplined workout.