Anti-Aging Health & the New Superhuman » fitness

Exercise Tips for Strength and Cardio Fitness

New Superhuman — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:15:09 +0000

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Do you want to begin working out, but not sure where to start? You know deep down that you don’t know the most modern and effective methods of strength training and cardio workout techniques, and don’t want to make mistakes that will waste your time or cause injury.

Or perhaps you’re working out now but not getting the muscle-building, weight loss results you know you should be. If that sounds like you, then keep reading. There are efficient, time tested ways to design an optimal exercise and workout program that delivers significant results with minimal effort.

You know you’ve found a really successful exercise and fitness program when you find yourself losing weight and building lean muscle mass – getting into the best shape of your life without getting bored or burned out. If you feel a desire to quit your fitness and exercise bodybuilding or weight loss program out of frustration before you develop the ripped abs or rock hard pecs you see other people walking around with, your program probably isn’t any good. This means you still haven’t found the exercise and fitness program that is right for you.

However, you have to have realistic expectations. You can’t expect to achieve incredible results within just a few days or weeks. I’m not going to lie to you: it takes months of dedicated, disciplined training to get real results. But the great part is that it can be some of the best fun you’ve ever had in your life. If you don’t learn to enjoy your fitness workouts, you won’t stick to them.

Don’t try to be superhuman: work within your current ability and level of fitness and allow yourself the time to progress naturally. Start with what you can do comfortably today, and when it becomes too easy, slowly increase either the intensity or duration of your fitness routine, or both. If you’re weight lifting, slowly add the amount of weight you are lifting every week if you want to build strength and muscle mass. Or as is the case with most women, increase the number of repetitions for each exercise if you’re more interested in building lean muscle mass and losing weight than you are building muscle mass and strength.

You may decide to change your exercise and fitness routine completely. For example, instead of walking, you may take up jogging, biking or swimming, which have the potential for greater workout intensity. The most important thing is that you continually increase the demand on your muscles and cardiovascular system so you remain challenged as your fitness level increases.

So, what about doing strength training and cardiovascular exercise regimes at the same time? Some people prefer to stress strength training and others aerobic exercise routines, but the truth is that both are necessary for optimal fitness. Strength sessions are important because they develop your lean muscle mass and keep your body strong and protect your joints. Cardio is also important because it improves your health by strengthening your heart, burns off excess calories and allows you to lose weight and strip away the fat.

You have to do strength training to tone your muscles and look leaner and more “cut”, but you need to do cardio exercises also to actually burn off your stored fat reserves for optimal weight loss. Doing one while neglecting the other will not produce optimal health and fitness results.

The good news is that there are specialized, optimized fitness programs that can achieve the results you are looking for, without taking too much time from your busy schedule or boring you to death!

The most efficient, time-saving method for achieving fitness synergy is to do strength training and cardio workouts at the same time. Interval training is one method that has been developed over the last few years that allows those with less time to spend exercising a way of getting a complete workout in a shorter amount of time. It is now considered one of the most advanced fitness techniques ever developed, and is used by all the top athletes.

With interval training, you alternate strength training exercises with cardio and endurance exercises, getting the best of both worlds. You move rapidly from one exercise technique to the other, working out your muscles for strength while at the same time keeping your heart rate high for maximum cardio fitness. The result is a great strength training workout for lean muscle mass with all the fat burning, endurance and weight loss qualities that come with cardiovascular conditioning.

It’s simply not true that you have to do all weight training or all cardio conditioning at one time. You can combine them both for incredible health and fitness enhancing results! Millions of people do it every year, and you can too.

The purpose of a cardio workout is to keep your heart rate up for an extended period of time, burn off calories for optimal weight loss, forcing your body to burn off stored fat in those hard to tone places (you know what the are!). The point of strength training is to tone, strengthen and condition your muscles. You can do them both at the same time with strength training and cardio workouts using interval training, so why not do it?

Check out some of the links in this article and work your way toward a new you that you can love and feel proud of. You can do it, I promise! Don’t give up!

Stress Tips for Health & Anti-Aging

New Superhuman — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:24:01 +0000

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Vitamins and antioxidant health supplements, along with healthy diets of natural, organic foods for weight loss, exercise and fitness are necessary for optimal mental health and anti-aging. But it goes further than that.

Stress may be the number one killer of modern times. Everywhere you go, you hear people saying how stressed they are. This is due to the fact that life is changing and progressing at an exponential rate. People are losing their jobs or changing careers and relationships faster than ever before. Debt is at record levels, at least in America.

Of course, this change is both good and bad. It is good because it means knowledge and technology are advancing exponentially, increasing our life-expectancy and standard of living. It is bad if we do not learn to cope with this change.

Statistically, about about 12% or 13% of all Americans ages 18 to 54 suffer from an anxiety disorder at some time in their life. That’s about 20 million people. This is the number one health problem among women, and the number two health problem among men second to alcohol and drug abuse.

More people suffer from anxiety than any other mental health disorder. Women suffer from anxiety at twice the rate of men. The cost to society approaches $50 billion a year. And what is the cause of this anxiety? Very often it is triggered by stress.

Stress does not just cause anxiety, it also leads to depression, another scourge of modern society. Stress is a killer, which can cause many horrible diseases from high blood pressure, strokes and cardiovascular illness to autoimmune disorders and cancer. We know that stress weakens the immune system, which is responsible for fighting nearly all disease.

During stress, the body releases hormones that can be useful against short-term threats or for physical activity, but when released for an extended period of time lead to the break down of the body and disease. In addition, stress leads people to unhealthy habits such as poor diets, drinking, smoking, lack of exercise and drugs.

So how do we fight stress and become more relaxed? There are many ways, and each person must find what works best for them. Here are a few suggestions that seem to work well for many people.

The first thing is to realize that almost all stress is caused not by events in the external world, but by how you react to those events. Stress is produced by the thoughts in your own mind which you are responsible for creating.

One of my favorite techniques for reducing stress is listening to music. When you are feeling stressed, your body is vibrating at a low level of energy. Beautiful music vibrates at a higher energy frequency. So by listening to music, the higher levels of vibrational energy will lift and increase the energy levels in your own body and naturally decrease your stress levels. Music will help your body to vibrate at a higher frequency, and has been shown in scientific studies to reduce stress levels.

Meditation has also been proven to reduce stress levels. If you have not learned how to meditate, now is a great time. Meditation is a great way to reduce stress and gain control over your life. Everyone I know who meditates appears more calm, relaxed and in control of their emotions and their life. Meditation clears your mind of the negative thoughts that produce stress and draw negative experiences into your life. Remember, stress is produced by the thoughts in your mind. By learning to meditate, you are taking control of your thought process which produces your reality.

Exercise has also been proven to reduce stress. When you are feeling anxious, stop what you are doing, get up and move your body. This can be as simple as going for a walk, or just doing some stretching exercises. You will be surprised at how effective this can be at reducing stress in your body and mind, as simply moving will help you feel better. I find for myself that a good exercise workout in the gym lifting weights is a tremendous stress reducer. Fitness is fabulous. In fact, at no time in the day do I feel better than after a good hard workout. Exercise releases endorphins in the brain that are responsible for elevated mood and just plain feeling good.

Most people spend their entire day inside. They go from their house to their car to the office, back to the car and back home again. They get no direct sunlight on their skin, which is necessary for creating vitamin D, serotonin, melatonin and other hormones that help you to feel good and get adequate sleep. If you are feeling stressed out, go out and get some natural sunlight on your skin, and even better, exercise in the process. Additionally, commune with nature. If there is a park or some woods nearby, take a nice walk and soak in the calm and beauty of the natural world.

Learn to laugh more, and laugh and play every day. Laughter is a great stress reliever. Watch a funny movie or a comedy routine on TV. Or better yet, go out and see one live. Getting out of the house will increase your confidence and help you to feel that you can master your world. Laughter has even been shown to fight disease. Figure out what gives you joy and pleasure in life and do more of it. Find and learn to love the child within.

Make friends and socialize. Studies show that people who are socially active have less stress, are less prone to disease and live longer. Married people live longer that singles. Even people who have animals that express the positive vibrations of unconditional love have reduced stress levels.

Eat a healthy, nutritious diet of natural, organic foods. These should include lots of organic fruits and vegetables (and fresh juicing), whole grain carbohydrates, quality proteins such as eggs, spirulina and lean meats, and healthy fats such as olive oil (no trans fats).

This is critical for maintaining fitness and feeding your cells with the vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and nutrition necessary to support your immune system to fight disease, and give you the mitochondrial energy to live an active, long and productive life.

Supplement your natural food diet with extra vitamins, anti-oxidants and hormones for maximum anti-aging health benefits. These should include powerful multi-vitamins, herbs and health supplements such as DHEA, melatonin, pregnenolone, fish oil, green tea, ginseng and resveratrol.

Finally, remember one thing if nothing else: the law of attraction. You are the master of your thoughts. You create the thoughts in your mind, and the thoughts in your mind create your reality. Learn how to think positive thoughts, and learn how to imagine and visualize the things that you want in your life. The more you do this, the more you’ll attract these positive qualities and experiences into your life, the better you will feel about yourself, and the more success you will achieve.

Build Muscle Diet Tips for Bodybuilders & Fitness Health

New Superhuman — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:01:14 +0000

It is a well known fact nowadays that your build muscle diet is a critically important component of your total fitness regime that will determine the degree of your bodybuilding success. If your diet is substandard and lacking in key nutrients and food types, regardless of how hard you train you won’t gain the muscle mass and definition you desire.

Let’s review a few simple but essential rules to follow to design and implement a superb build muscle diet, and then we’ll uncover some of the very best quality and targeted foods for building muscle mass. Here are some quick guidelines for a diet to build muscle:

1. Consume 6-7 quality, well-planned meals per day to sustain a high metabolism and avoid glycemic spikes. This will make it much easier for you to metabolize the required amount of calories in order for you to gain muscle mass. Also, it will ensure your body has high energy levels throughout the entire day to fight fatigue, maintain an elevated mood and assist recovery and muscle repair.

2. Your build muscle diet should consist of roughly 50% carbohydrates, 30% proteins, and 20% fats. This provides sufficient amounts of the amino acids you require to build muscle mass, and the energy you will need for your workouts for sustaining a high metabolic rate. Many bodybuilders make the mistake of eating too little fats, but they don’t realize that fats are crucial for optimal functioning and losing weight.

3. The timing of your meals is extremely important on a build muscle diet. Eat approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours before you workout so your body has sufficient time to metabolize the proteins for building muscle and carbohydrates for energizing your workouts.

Also, be sure to eat within an hour after your workout, even if you only have time to drink a protein shake. This is necessary to maintain consistent nutrient flow to the muscles and other organs that have undergone the tremendous stress of your workout and are striving to recover and grow. Another time to drink a high protein shake is right before going to bed so you can build muscle mass while sleeping. Remember, your growth hormone output peaks in early sleep, so be sure it has the nutrients available to assist it in building muscle and facilitate repair. Always eat as soon as you awaken since your muscles will be low on energy at that time and hungry for nutrition.

4. Add supplements to your build muscle diet to help you pump up muscle mass. Based upon what you can afford, consider taking Omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamins, creatine, DHEA, testosterone or its precursors, IGF-1 and whey protein. A healthy diet targeted at heavy lifting is crucial to build muscle mass; the right supplements can give your diet a massive energy boost.

5. Drinking plenty of water throughout your day helps your body build muscle mass. Water is important to many of your body’s functions including building muscle mass. Staying hydrated is necessary for peak cellular energy production, and helps clear toxic substances from the body. Drinking too much water at once can make you feel nauseated and bloated. It is best to drink smaller amounts consistently throughout the day. Water is an important complement to your build muscle diet.

Those were five good tips for building muscle mass. Now let’s look at the specific kinds of foods you should eat on your build muscle diet to optimize your exercise routines.

Protein is obviously essential to build muscle mass so you must get plenty of high-quality protein in your build muscle diet. These are great sources of protein: egg whites, turkey breast, cheese, tuna, cottage cheese, lean beef, salmon, chicken breast, and whey protein shakes. High quality whey protein isolate is best because of its quality protein density which has the highest Biological Value. That means it is easiest for your body to assimilate and use to build muscle mass, and filters out any unwanted substances unnecessary for the specific task of building muscle. It also has the highest quality protein profile, containing all the necessary amino acids in the right quantities.

Carbohydrates are another extremely important component of your build muscle diet because they provide the calories and energy that are needed to sustain heavy exercise and bodybuilding routines to build muscle mass. To sustain high energy and fuel your muscle growth add these foods to your diet: beans (high in antioxidants), sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta, baked potatoes, brown rice, fat-free yogurt (providing enzymes helpful in digestion and nutrient assimilation), bagels, and oatmeal. Eat whole grain carbs whenever possible for the fiber, which is necessary for optimizing weight and helps fight disease.

Again, many people don’t realize it, but a well rounded build muscle diet must also contain the right amount of high quality fats in order to grow muscle mass. Include these good fats in your diet: flax seed oil, fish oil, olive oil, avocados, nuts, and peanut butter. The omega 3 fatty acids are one of the super supplements, beneficial for everything from protecting your brain to sustaining your heart and everything in between. A healthy lipid profile is vital for health and lean muscle mass.

Your body also needs a substantial supply of vitamins and minerals in order to function properly and operate in a state of health, especially under the increased demands and stress of bodybuilding. It is known that bodybuilders often suffer from a suppressed immune system because of the physical stress on their bodies. Your body must be healthy first before it can build muscle mass.

You should take high quality supplements, but you can also get substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals by adding healthy foods to your build muscle diet like asparagus, peas, spinach, beans, carrots, green beans, spirulina, acai berry, cauliflower, and broccoli. You should also make fresh fruit and vegetable juices which are packed with massive amounts of natural vitamins, minerals and other antioxidants.

By following these suggestions you will be able to build serious muscle. Remember that lots of calories are required by the body for both energy and to support the growth of enlarged muscle tissue. If you don’t consume excess calories you won’t grow. OK, now that you know what to eat to gain muscle, go do it.

Exercise & Fitness Tips for Health & Anti-aging

New Superhuman — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:58:29 +0000

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Aerobic exercises and strength training should be a part of everyone’s weekly routine (at least three times a week) in order to maximize their overall health, fitness and enjoyment of life. Exercise helps with weight loss by boosting metabolism. The healthier you are the better you feel. So it only makes sense that greater health leads to greater satisfaction in life. If you look around at the people with the biggest smiles on their faces, they are usually the ones who are healthy and active. Our bodies were made to move. Movement is life.

Before starting any rigorous exercise program, you should consult with your Doctor in order to ensure that you are not endangering your health in any way. In other words, it is important to be healthy before you begin exercising. It is also important to exercise in many cases if you are not healthy, but this must be done under the strict supervision of a health expert. Here are some exercise tips to make your exercise program work to your benefit, helping you lose weight, increase lean muscle mass and fight depression while maintaining your motivation and sense of fun.

1. Begin by finding an aerobic exercise program that you find interesting and enjoyable so that you will be able to maintain it over a long period of time. Perseverance is key to getting fit and losing weight. If you start by working at an exercise program you don’t like, you will become depressed and won’t maintain the motivation to keep doing it on a daily basis, which is crucial for success. If you don’t enjoy exercising, you will soon be back on the couch watching TV, gaining weight.

2. Many people enjoy walking, which is easy and natural, and find they are able to maintain a walking program three to seven days a week without much trouble. Walking is great because we can do it with a partner or in groups, and have great conversations. It is perfect for becoming more intimate with family, friends, or even conducting high-level business meetings. It is a great way to meditate, improving our mental health, and many great thinkers have said they got their best ideas when walking. That is because of the meditative quality of walking, which combines increased blood flow to the brain with a relaxed and rhythmic gait.

3. Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing and good supportive shoes that are specific to the particular exercise activity you are engaging in. By using appropriate clothing and shoes you will decrease your risk of injury while increasing your enjoyment. The more you exercise (within reason), the more you can lose weight.

4. Get basic training for your particular exercise regime. While you may not require extensive training in order to walk, many people actually walk incorrectly, which causes injuries to either their plantar fascia, shins or hips. If you experience any pain in your legs or hips, definitely consult with a fitness expert who can show you what you may be doing wrong.

5. Individuals who are attempting other rigorous sporting activities should also ensure that they get proper instruction prior to beginning the program. Especially if you’re rock climbing or doing some other activities that could cause serious injury or even death. You would be surprised how many people seriously injure themselves every year because they attempted to do activities they were not adequately prepared and trained for. Don’t be one of them. If you’re a guy and getting on in years, don’t try and show off or regain your youth overnight. Many injuries happen this way.

6. For minimal benefits, you need to exercise at least three times a week, which is ok for those who want to maintain their overall level of fitness. Those who want to increase their level of fitness should exercise five to six times a week, with increasing intensity. Plan exercise regimes that are age appropriate and in line with your abilities. Regular exercise has been shown to be anti-aging, increase weight loss and fight depression.

7. Incorporate some form of strength training into every routine in order to improve bone strength, muscle strength and tone, and cardiovascular health. Strength training should never be done more than three times a week unless you are a bodybuilder or serious fitness buff, and there should always be a 24 hour window between each workout to allow your muscles to repair themselves.

8. Those without access to weights or hand weights can use resistance bands, which will help accomplish the same task. These bands are sold in most department stores and can also be ordered online. The important thing is to increase resistance to the muscles, which builds strength and tone, increases metabolism and burns fat. An increase in lean muscle mass helps you lose weight, as muscle increases your metabolic rate, burning more calories faster.

9. Participants should always warm up before any sport, whether it’s weight training or an aerobic activity. Warming up will ensure flexibility and blood flow to the muscles, decreasing the risk of any injury. Stretching is a great way to warm up before exercise. It is also a great way to reduce stress and relax when not exercising. Doing mild calisthenics will also increase blood flow to all muscles of the body.

10. As important as the warm-up is the cool down time, when muscles are tight and gorged with blood, vulnerable to injury. All participants should take the time to cool down and stretch in order to maintain muscle and joint flexibility, and reduce the risk of injury. The endorphins released during and after a good work out produce one of the greatest natural highs in the world.

Colloidal Silver: Antibiotic, Antiviral, Antifungal Health Supplement

New Superhuman — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:53:08 +0000

It’s a little humorous to find a new article by Natural News “Features writer”

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S. L. Baker, writing in a Friday, September 11, 2009 column, where he seems to have made a new discovery in colloidal silver, a substance that has been around for over a century. WikiAnswers says,

“the process for making colloidal silver was discovered in the late 1800′s, shortly after Edison harnessed electricity, it immediately became a popular natural infection-fighting agent, used both topically on cuts, burns and infections, and internally as a remedy for a wide variety of infectious diseases. Numerous medical studies were conducted on colloidal silver throughout the early 1900′s, and the substance was used in hospitals and laboratories around the world, in a wide variety of forms, to help fight infection and disease. Studies documenting its phenomenal infection-fighting qualities were written up in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the British medical journal Lancet, and many others. Indeed, as far back as 1919, Alfred Searle, founder of the giant Searle Pharmaceuticals firm, had written, “Applying colloidal silver to human subjects has been done in a large number of cases with astonishingly successful results…it has the advantage of being rapidly fatal to parasites without toxic action on its host. It is quite stable. It protects rabbits from ten times the lethal dose of tetanus or diphtheria toxin.” “

So why is Baker sounding as if colloidal silver is a new discovery when he writes,

“In a recent presentation before the annual American Chemical Society meeting held in Washington, D.C., scientist Ankit Agarwal revealed that he’s come up with an approach to healing that can kill 99.9999 percent of bacteria in a wound using a natural substance — silver. And he claims he’s found a way to help skin heal by using tiny, targeted nanoparticles of the precious metal. The treatment could help save diabetics from amputations and help victims of severe burns heal with fewer complications from infections, too.

There’s nothing new about the idea silver can be used as a healing medicine. In fact, Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician known as the father of modern medicine, wrote that silver has beneficial, anti-disease properties. And silver is often used today to prevent wound dressings from becoming contaminated with bacteria. However, the huge loads normally used by Western medicine can damage skin. That has made many doctors, especially those who treat burn victims, shy away from using silver to treat wounds.

But Agarwal, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, believes he’s come up with a way to take advantage of silver’s anti-bacterial properties while at the same time avoiding skin damage and actually promoting the healing of damaged skin. The key? Extremely small doses delivered precisely.”

I hate to break the good news to Baker, but delivering silver in “extremely small doses” is nothing new. Baker even goes on to describe how “Agarwal created the experimental material by alternately dipping a glass plate in two solutions of oppositely charged polymers and then adding a precise dose of silver.” Sounds pretty much like how everyone I know makes colloidal silver, except these guys are making “multilayered” skins which can slow release the silver over skin wounds, which is a genuine innovation.

But additionally, it sounds like scientists looking for ways to patent the use of colloidal silver so they can profit from it. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but let’s call a spade a spade and not pretend this is a new discovery. The applications for burn victims is a genuine innovation, and an exciting new potential application of colloidal silver, but it’s still colloidal silver.

Whey Protein for Health & Fitness Nutrition

New Superhuman — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:17:38 +0000

Whey Protein

Whey is a great source of protein and has a high biological value (BV).

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A high BV means that the amino acid ratio in the formula is bioavailable and excellent for building muscle and that a large percentage of the protein consumed is in a form readily absorbed and utilized by the body. In addition, numerous studies from reputable scientific journals have shown that whey protein and colostrum have immune-system enhancing benefits as well.

Whey is a dairy protein that is a by-product of the cheese making process. Before it is processed, whey contains large amounts of fat and lactose (milk sugar), not exactly what you want to ingest to build lean muscle mass. That’s why it is filtered and processed: to remove most of the lactose and fat. If you’ve ever heard of microfiltration or “ion exchange,” you’ll know they are methods of separating the fat and lactose from the protein in order to purify it for fitness purposes.

The end result is a more concentrated protein for sports performance and muscle-building – either concentrate or isolate. Whey protein isolate and whey protein powder concentrate are two alternatives on the market to be considered when seeking a quality protein supplement for your diet and exercise regime. This decision is what confronts many weight lifters and fitness buffs when glancing at the shelves with all the varieties of protein powder available in the health food market.

Which whey protein should you be using; concentrate or isolate? Here are a few facts to help you make an informed decision.

The most important chemical difference between the two is that Isolate is processed to a more refined state so that even the fat and lactose are removed. This more involved system of purification results in a higher concentration of protein in the end product because the isolate form is free of anything that doesn’t contribute directly to muscle enhancement.

In other words, isolate contains more protein with less fat and lactose per serving. Depending upon the particular brand, whey isolate usually contains between 90-94% protein while whey concentrate has a protein ratio of 70-85% depending upon the brand.

This may be very important depending upon what level of bodybuilding you are at and what kind of bodybuilder you are. What are your goals? For professional level bodybuilders, smaller levels of fat are crucial to maintain competition quality muscle definition, and also when whey is utilized for the goal of losing weight. For the average weightlifter who doesn’t need to lose weight and just wants to add a little muscle, this is not important at all. Many bodybuilders want to gain weight.

A decrease in lactose levels will also help those people who are lactose intolerant, meaning they cannot digest the lactose (sugar) in milk and get sick as a result. If you have some lactose intolerance, isolate will reduce the stomach bloating that can occur when drinking protein shakes made with dairy products. However, there are a few disadvantages to consuming whey protein shake isolate also.

Because of the extra manufacturing involved in processing the higher purity protein in whey isolate, whey isolate powder is more expensive – which adds up when you have to take it on a regular basis. And just because isolate is a little more pure, it doesn’t necessarily mean whey isolate is “better” or will produce greater muscle growth. That depends mostly on how much you work out and how good your exercise routine is. Whey protein concentrate is still an excellent source of protein that can build serious muscle. And it has other advantages too.

Iowa Fitness! A Bike Rider’s Health Paradise

New Superhuman — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:09:28 +0000

Editor’s note: fitness is about exercise, getting and staying healthy, stimulating hormones that have anti aging and

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disease fighting effects, eating natural foods and communing with nature, adventure to fill the spirit and enthusiasm for life. It’s not just about taking vitamins and health supplements, but getting out and living life to the fullest. Here’s a great article that shows you how to do just that. Check it out, or find a place like it near you and get some exercise to increase your fitness for life!

Iowa has transformed more abandoned railroad beds into bike trails than any other state! With a variety of terrains–hilly, rocky, forests, prairies, and waterways–Iowa has exercise, fitness and adventure for every level of biker. Beginners will be happy to experience some of the longest paved trails anywhere in the country. You’ve just got to come and see for yourself!

For a great family ride, check out the Wabash Trail located near Council Bluffs. With 25 miles of trail, it’s a nice easy ride on predominantly flat terrain and it’s not only relaxing, but it is also a great way to tour the area. In addition to beautiful scenery and countryside, there are some small towns with interesting places to visit along this route.

Sometimes called the “Brickyard,” a 7-mile route of biking trail officially named the Sycamore Trail includes lots of challenging loops with the main trail running beside the Des Moines River. Because of the close proximity to the river, in the springtime some of the trail can be underwater, so don’t ride here when the weather is still wet. You’ll enjoy steep, rocky climbs and drops plus some great technical obstacles to navigate-including deer on their way to drink at the river.

Looking for hilly terrain with some really awesome downhill shots where you can pick up some speed? What about creek crossings? You’ll find that and a lot more at the Oleson Park Trail not far from Fort Dodge. This trail was designed by Joker Racing, so bikers are going to love it!

Iowa City is home to the Sugar Bottom Recreation Area. Here you’ll find a web of trails totalling nearly 12 miles with something for every biker of every skill level. These great, well-marked trails are mostly one-way, so watch for signs or look at a map. Then choose trails to match your skill level. Advanced riders who are fit and experienced will love the trails with technical challenges like roots and double backs. Keep your eyes open, though. You won’t be the only bikers here, as this area is pretty popular.

For intermediate to professional level bikers, the 14-mile trail on the Decorah Mountain Bike Trail System will get your heart racing! Home to the first MTB racing event to be held in Iowa, you’ll find lots of technical features to challenge even the most advanced riders. Roots and rocks, steep inclines and rapid descents, dirt track and lots of other types of terrains and surfaces-there is something here to challenge everyone-and this track definitely will challenge most riders!

Another trail perfect for the most adventurous of bikers is the Lewis and Clark Trail near Council Bluffs. It’s a good thing that there are some good bailout points along this 7-mile track because there’s a lot of technical stuff here and intermediate riders may not be up for all of them. Twists, turns, roller coaster hills, sharp inclines and drops, obstacles to navigate, and more keep this one interesting. And you’ll need to watch out for hikers on these trails, as well.

Good Health: Basic Principles

New Superhuman — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 15:28:22 +0000

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Health is a concept that is not easily defined. The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of desease or infirmity.”

They are saying that health is a lot more than just the absence of disease. It is much more than that. But good health usually comes down to personal responsibility: choosing to live a healthy lifestyle or an unhealthy one. It is our choice.

It doesn’t help that the media and food industry are loaded with messages encouraging poor health. Most of the food manufactured and produced in the US, for example, is junk filled with disease causing chemicals and stripped of almost all nutrition. And we wonder why there is a cancer epidemic in the US?

There are 4 main steps to a healthy lifestyle.

A healthy, optimistic attitude filled with gratitude, forgiveness, love and nourishing, supportive relationships.
A healthy diet, of mostly raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains and legumes.
Adequate supplementation to add what we cannot get from our normal diets. This includes fruit extracts such as resveratrol and hormones such as melatonin and dhea.
Exercise and movement. It doesn’t have to be going to the gym and benching 300 lbs. Anything that involves moving, from simple household chores to walks to gardening have shown to keep our bodies healthier, leaner, more flexible and more resistant to aging and disease. Keep moving.

Probably the most important of the 4 is a positive mental attitude. Our thoughts are so powerful that they radiate chemical messages to every cell in our bodies 24 hours a day. Either your body is going to respond to those messages by releasing healthy chemicals or by releasing toxic stress hormones. Which do you prefer?

More evidence is showing the intimate connection between the mind and the body. When the mind is unbalanced and stressed, depressed and fearful, our bodies eventually respond and break down. We become ill, stricken with one disease or another.

When it comes to mental health, perhaps one of the greatest contributors to our modern day understanding comes from a great innovator in the field of psychology, Abraham Maslow. He gave us the notion of “self-actualization“, in which a person becomes the person they were meant to be at their highest capacity – when a person lives up to their fullest potential. It is fulfilling our talents and dreams, finding our purpose in life and accomplishing it.

As he put it, self-actualization is a process of “ongoing actualization of potentials, capacities, talents, as fulfillment of a mission (or call, fate, destiny, or vocation) as a full knowledge of, and acceptance of, the person’s own intrinsic nature, as an increasing trend toward unity, integration, or synergy within the person.”

Using our talents to the fullest, finding a purpose for living, and becoming whole within, which means connecting with the outside world.

Maslow was the first great psychologist to study healthy people instead of sick ones. This helped give him his unique insight into an understanding of what it means to be healthy. Most self-actualized people have several things they share in common.

A balanced personality has a realistic and accurate perception of reality. Such people have more realistic expectations of themselves and others, are more accepting and less critical, and have a clear understanding of their limitations and strengths. They are more accepting of their weaknesses and limitations.
Of course, such people still feel negative emotions like everyone: sadness, anxiety, envy, fear, but they can keep things in perspective and not become obsessed and stuck in their negative emotions. They pull out of it with their positive thinking.
Most self-actualized people are spontaneous, meaning they can do things at the spur of the moment without having to have everything planned out beforehand. This spontaneity is a sign that they are mentally flexible and adaptable, not rigid and stuck in certain, possibly unhealthy, patterns. They can go with the flow.
The healthiest people take the center of attention off themselves and put in on a cause or mission or purpose larger than and outside of themselves. Perhaps they are involved in politics, or saving the environment, or volunteering at the local church or hospital. Whatever it may be, they don’t obsess about their problems. The look to help solve the problems of others.
Self-actualized people tend to be quite independent, detached from the unimportant little things most people get upset about, and value their privacy and solitude. They are comfortable with themselves and don’t always need the approval of others to be productive or feel good about themselves.
Healthy people have a rich capacity to enjoy the simple things in life. Good food, a walk in nature, music or sex. They are not inhibited by feelings of guilt or shame. They accept their nature and feel good about pleasing themselves. Even the simplest things in life give them a feeling of wonder and awe. They appreciate life and are grateful for what they have.
Self-actualized people have usually had some kind of mystical or life-altering experience that has awakened them spiritually. Often it is a tragedy or loss of a loved one, which forces them to discover who they really are, what they really value, and see that there is more to life than what they usually experience on a mundane level. They see life as an awe-inspiring mystery and miracle.
The ability to get outside of ourselves, our own egos, and care about others is critical to a healthy lifestyle. The capacity to love, feel compassion and empathy for others, makes us feel better about ourselves. Helping a homeless person. Stopping to give someone directions. Healthy relationships fill the heart and soul.
Healthy people have a voice and are not afraid to use it. If they see something they don’t like, they will say so. They are not passive victims of life but choose their path, make responsible decisions for their own care and boundaries.
They tend to have fewer but very intimate friendships, rather than 100 “acquaintances.” This shows they have the capacity for genuine relationship – not just superficial connections.
Healthy people tend to be humble, not arrogant. The are “democratic” in that they see and treat others as equals, with a sense of fairness and integrity. They are not condescending to others, nor do they feel superior to them. They find something to appreciate and learn from in everyone.
Healthy people have a strong ethical and moral sense, but not necessarily conventional. They have strong principles, but they reach those principles by thinking for themselves and arriving at their own conclusions. They don’t blindly follow others, but have a sense of confidence in their own intuition and wisdom.
Healthy people have a healthy sense of humor. That means they don’t laugh “at” people so much as “with” them, and can definitely laugh at themselves. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and go through life with a light-hearted, joyful attitude. They like to laugh and laugh often. Laughter has been shown to release healthy chemicals in the body, and is now used in the therapy and treatment of many diseases.
Self-actualization means learning to be creative. Creativity is the essence of life, and the more we can create the deeper the well from which we can drink. The act of creation, music, painting, being yourself, etc, is healing to the soul and makes us feel genuinely useful to others and society. A strong, wild imagination adds passion and zest to your life. Read books.

We don’t become self-actualized in one day or week or year. It takes a lifetime. But as our lives unfold they can become beautiful. But we need to make wise decisions, live a healthy lifestyle with integrity and morality, and take action to attract the things into our lives that will make them more fulfilling and whole. Start writing that novel you’ve always wanted to write. Start a web business. Go back to school for a degree you’ve always dreamed about. Get some counselling for addictions. Do, do but do.

Resveratrol: Anti-Aging; Live 20% Longer!

New Superhuman — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:31:15 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Resveratrol is one of the most remarkable scientific discoveries of the last 10 years for your healh and wellness.

If Dr. Oz touts it on the Opera Winfrey show, you’d better believe something’s shaking. And Mike over at naturalnews.com calls it, “The Miracle Nutrient for Cancer, cholesterol and Longevity.” He also offers the fascinating fact that “The Chinese medicine herb hu zhang is also loaded with resveratrol.”

Resveratrol is of a class of polyphenols called phytoalexins, which is from the Greek word “alexi” or “protect.”

Anti-Aging and Longevity:
Life Extension

Very rarely has a natural substance ever been discovered that actually extends our youthful life span and allows us to live significantly longer. Resveratrol is a wonderful gift from nature (and for the ladies, helps keep skin smooth and free of wrinkles).

As reported by a National Institute on Aging/Harvard Medical School joint study, it was found that resveratrol enhances the anti-aging systems in the body, duplicating the anti aging health effects of calorie-restricted diets, as well as improves our general quality of life.

Researchers in Denmark examined 25,000 people to discover what drinking alcohol does to longevity, and found that wine drinkers lowered their total risk of mortality for any reason by about 40% (of course these people were drinking 2 – 4 glasses a day with meals, not abusing alcohol, which is terribly destructive to your liver).

But the beautiful thing is, you don’t have to restrict your diet (caloric intake), and you can even eat fatty foods like french fries and cheeseburgers. Additional scientific experiments have discovered that resveratrol extends the overall length of life in laboratory animals. In a growing number of studies, scientists who give a resveratrol supplement every day to mice help them live 20% longer! This is truly astounding!

And for those women who want to be slim, the mice in one study who were on controlled, high calorie diets and given resveratrol had 30% less overall body mass than the other mice. That means possibly a little less muscle and mostly less body fat.

It also increases the health of mice on a high fat diet. Mice that were fed high fat diets had the same body composition and lipid profiles of healthy, lean mice on low-fat diets!. As long as you take your resveratrol supplement every day, you won’t suffer the consequences of a high fat diet. You’ll even live longer.

Genuine life-extension now exists in pills. And Resveratrol is only one of several true life-extension supplements. Watch for my upcoming book. Melatonin, for example, is another supplement that has been shown to increase the lifespan of animals by about 30%. Interested in Melatonin? Check out my article on melatonin here.

Natural, Healthy Foods

Resveratrol is mostly found in high amounts in the skins of red grapes, but also in raspberries, mulberries, blueberries, cranberries, and it wouldn’t be a complete party without the red wine (make from red grapes). It also exists in peanuts, certain pine trees and knotweed.

It is produced by the grapes as a defense mechanism against injury, and acts similarly to an antibiotic which protects the fruit from predatory viruses and bacteria which would prevent the fruit from ripening too early and spoiling.

Remember, resveratrol is only one of the best extracts from grapes. Grapes contain hundreds of other compounds, some called polyphenols, many of which are also beneficial and have yet to even be studied. So look for supplements that contain the whole grape, and don’t always focus too narrowly on one supplement, even if it is as powerful as resveratrol.

Remember, nature and supplements work in synergy. It’s the combined effects of hundreds or even thousands of different compounds from foods, herbs, etc that produce the incredible longevity and anti-aging effects we like to write about. The greater variety of sources for your food and antioxidants the better.

Ok, if you have to ask, the primary strains of grapes are vitis vinifera, vitis rotundifolia and vitis labrusca. And in case you were wondering, “Resveratrol is also present in the roots of a number of species of the polygonum genus (polygonaceae family), such as polygonum cuspidatum and polygonum multiflorum.” Some people just don’t know when to quit.

French people have a notoriously high-fat diet, with lots of creamy pasta dishes loaded with delicious calories. Yet they have little heart disease or problems with being overweight. Why? Resveratrol.

It is customary for the French to drink a glass or two of red wine with their meals. The healthy chemicals in the grapes used to make the red wine – one of the best being resveratrol - protects them from the harmful effects of the fat in their diet. And it will protect you too.

Increase Height Naturally

Andrewi Bao — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:46:20 +0000

by Andrewi Bao

Do you want to be taller? Age does not matter since there are many ways that can help you become taller regardless of your height.

There are many techniques and practices to increase height naturally, without risky surgery. One of the most effective things you can do is to increase the growth hormones in your body. In your teens, this should not be one of your worries since you are producing huge amount of growth hormones naturally.

If you are 20 years old an above however, you will need to induce your body to produce greater amounts of growth hormones. One way you could do this through stretching exercises, which help lengthen ligaments, stretch muscles and your spine. Stretching can also help in producing lactates that triggers the production of growth hormones in your body which can make one taller. [Editor's note: it would seem to us that optimal gain in height would occur when the individual is still growing, not after they have stopped.]

When the growth hormone levels of the body increase, this will make the body’s cartilages thicker and increase the density of the bones which results in gains to height [Editor: would like to know the source for this]. Combining the right healthy diet and the stretching exercises will be even more effective. Eating right will help strengthen your bones which can help in lengthening your bones. The foods that are useful in increasing height are fiber rich whole grain foods like unprocessed wheat brans, wheat, rice, oats and the like.

Some of the other foods that you should also eat are carrots, broccoli, spinach and other salad greens which can also help to make a person taller [Editor: evidence?]. Steamed fish and citrus fruits also aid in making someone taller. Avoid fats, sweets, alcohol and caffeine [Editor: beer and caffeine contain potent antioxidants].

On top of the stretching exercises, yoga is also a type of exercise that promotes height gain. It promotes balance and flexibility at the same time releases the strain and tension on the back and the spine which helps in making the cartilage of your body thicker, more flexible and pliant, and the muscles stronger. Yoga is also useful in promoting good posture which stretches and elongates the spine.

Tarhasana, sheershasana and matsyasana are the yoga positions that can help increase one’s height. Also get enough rest as this makes your body produce growth hormones. It has been shown in scientific studies that we produce and release most of our growth hormone while we are sleeping. Sleep is crucial for optimal health and height.

Add more hours to your usual sleeping schedule to better the production of your growth hormones. Just make sure that before you perform these routines, you may want to consult a doctor to be sure that you are healthy and safe to perform the exercises mentioned. Once you have the patience and the determination, you will surely be able to increase height naturally.

About the Author:

Get Taller Fast Is it true that you can grow taller naturally regardless of how old you are? Or is it a scam? Discover the truth today! Get Taller Fast

[Editor's note: we do not necessarily agree with the opinions of articles posted by other authors. However, there are some good ideas here that we like, such as the importance of yoga and sleep. So we published the article. As to whether there is evidence that vegetables can increase your height, we have never seen it.]

Low Carbohydrate Diets

New Superhuman — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:21:24 +0000

The main health advantage of low carbohydrate diets is the improvement in glycemic or sugar control in the body. What this means is that your body will age more slowly because of a less stressful insulin response, and you will have a reduced chance of getting diabetes. Not a bad deal I’d say.

It has also been shown that a reduction in saturated fats with a low carbohydrate diet also helps temper the insulin response. This has a positive effect on cholesterol, reducing the bad LDL and increasing the good HDL cholesterol levels in the blood.

One of the new the theories of aging suggests that it is the spike in insulin from the intake of too much sugar that leads to more rapid aging, probably due in part to increased inflammation. Also, when your body continually releases too much insulin in response to too much sugar (often consumed in the form of carbohydrates in the diet: bread, pasta, potatoes), the bodies ability to control blood sugar decreases over time. In other words, you become insulin insensitive. When it gets to the point that it is out of control, this leads to the condition known as Diabetes.

The other nice thing about a low carb diet is that it tends to lose fat from the upper body, particularly the stomach. Now who doesn’t love that. Additionally, it has been shown that upper body fat is less healthy than fat from other parts of the body. One study showed that men were 3 times more likely to lose fat in the upper body on a low carbohydrate diet than a low fat diet.

Another problem with carbohydrates is they tend to be addicting, and more people are addicted to them then we care to acknowledge. The addiction comes from the spikes in blood sugar and the spikes in our insulin response to the sugar. It’s like being on a roller coaster. You feel great and high after eating the spaghetti or pizza or bread, but within 1 or 2 hours our body depletes the sugar and we experience a “crash”, which makes us feel tired and lethargic, lacking energy. This makes us want to eat more sugar (carbohydrates). It is a vicious cycle.

Therefore, when we reduce the carbohydrates in our diet, we also reduce our hunger cravings.

Low Carbohydrate diets work well with regular exercise. But don’t go overboard. It is important to include a reasonable, moderate amount of carbohydrates in our diet every day. Just don’t eat too much at once: spread it out throughout the day, and eat more in the morning when you will have time to burn the calories off. Carbohydrates eaten in the evening will tend to make you gain weight.

Any diet that requires you to go low carbohydrate and use only low carbohydrate foods is saying that you need to hunt for vegetables that are low in carbohydrates. You need to use these vegetables in place of your regular foods, including high carbohydrate vegetables. There are many great tasting things that you can do with low carb vegetables.

They can be used in different diet recipes or used in salads. They are great by themselves as healthy snacks and you can also blend them for a nutritious drink. The many websites that give recipes for low carb cooking and meals have many some recipes that will let you use your low carb vegetables.

Imagine turning out a splendid meal using only low carb foods. You can give a magnificent side dish full of low carbohydrate vegetables that have been transformed into a tasty salad. This salad can be garnished with many interesting foods that are also low carbohydrate but taste great by themselves as well, such as fruits, nuts, or lean meats.

For example, you could make a salad from low carbohydrate vegetables and boneless beef, top sirloin steak, fresh lemon juice, gourmet salad greens, medium plum tomatoes, ranch or blue cheese dressing. You can make a seasoning for this salad with dried oregano, garlic and pepper.

As you can now see, there are many ways that you can mix your low carbohydrate vegetables with many other foods in order to make delicious meals for you and others to eat. The main thing to bear in mind is not to put foods like a heavy French dressing on your low carb vegetables. This will turn your nutritious low carb vegetables into a high carb nightmare.

The Atkins Diet – 1

Owen Jones — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:06:13 +0000

by Owen Jones

When I first encountered an Atkins Diet book, I was working in an office. I had been working there for five or six years and had accumulated a fair bit of excess weight. I had never been active in sport, but my previous job had me working on a non-local job site, which brought with it a certain amount of physical activity – just enough to hae kept me in reasonable shape. After five years of pen-pushing, I weighed 18 stone 12 pounds (264 lbs or 120 kg), up three stone, and neither I nor my doctor were happy about it.

One day a representative of some accounting firm came in for a scheduled appointment, and, while we were awaiting the other directors, we got to talking about working in an office and its tendency to make one put on a stone or two. He said that he had had the same problem before this new, more mobile, job that he had and that now he made sure he got out of the office regularly and walked everywhere he could, time permitting.

He also said that he’d read an interesting book on dieting while on holiday in the United States and that he would send me a copy when he got back to his home town. I didn’t think anything more of it and never saw the man again. I think his name was Mr. Blackwell.

The book arrived as promised, but I left it lying on my desk unread for months and months, until one day, I had a dentist’s appointment and had forgotten to take a book to work to read while I was waiting – something I always did/do because the magazines are always so old and boring. Anyway, I read 50-60 pages that day and I was mesmerized. I had never been on a proper diet before and I thought I should give it a go. I had stopped eating pastry, cakes and chocolate months ago, but it hadn’t had much effect and my weight was still on the increase, albeit more slowly.

It seemed to me that it was a ‘thinking person’s’ diet There is a huge amount of scope for individual tastes and lifestyles, and self-discipline did not seem to be much of an issue because of that. The book warned of addictions and fads and how best to overcome or prevent them. These did not seem to be an issue for me.

I liked coffee, but could take it or leave it [ED: it has not shown to be quite healthy in most respects)] and I had already given up chocolate [ED: dark chocolate, or more specifically the cocoa found in high quantities in dark chocolate - is one of the most powerful antioxidants ever discovered]. Beer and bread could be a problem though.

The only requirement in the seven-fourteen day induction phase is to eat not more than 20 gram of carbohydrate per day. The book has a clear list of almost every foodstuff and their carbohydrate content. I found it really very easy. In fact, I was eating in a more healthy way in the induction stage than I had been eating before it!

I bought a carton of Ketone sticks from the local chemist to make sure that the Atkins Diet was working and I found that I wasn’t in ketosis [ED: "An abnormal increase of ketone bodies in the blood as in diabetes"] on the third day. It was very gratifying to know that I would be slimming down whatever I did and wherever I was all day long from now on.

I gave up bread (and Guinness!) for a fortnight and felt great. I actually felt ‘springy’ or ‘bouncy’ like a martial artist in the ring before a fight. I had no bother whatsoever staying within the 20 gram limit, although I did miss some fruits more than I’d expected. But I found ways to get around any ‘problem’ that cropped up.

There are hundreds of recipes and recommendations in the book so there’s no need to go into them here. I started eating breakfast before I went to work and dinner in the evenings regularly. I really enjoyed taking care over preparing lunch for work the next day, usually consisting of a salad, some cheese and various nuts to snack on. You can even eat a few strawberries too. In the evening, I would cook up something like a curry (no flour) eating it with green beans instead of rice; or a traditional British meal without potatoes followed by cheese and strawberries and cream. I lost 18 pounds in two weeks and felt better than I had for a decade.

About the Author:

Do you want to learn more about Atkins Dieting? Learn more about Atkins Dieting on our website. You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

Superfoods: Spirulina and Chlorella

New Superhuman — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:00:57 +0000

Chlorella and Spirulina: The “Perfect” Superfoods

Chlorella and spirulina are two of the most remarkable superfoods ever discovered. Everyone should include these miracle foods in their diet. For example, pound for pound, spirulina contains twelve times the digestible protein of beef. It’s a far superior protein than beef because of your body’s natural ability to digest it, and incorporates a much more complete balance of minerals such as magnesium.

As another example, a phytochemical in chlorella can actually rebuild nerve damage in the brain and nervous system. Because of this, chlorella is used in the treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Both of these superfoods have been scientifically shown to both prevent and even reverse cancer in humans. These superfoods also contain a high amount of essential fatty acids such as GLA that are lacking in the diets of most people yet are essential for healthy brain function.

Chlorella & Spirulina: What Are They

Food! Chlorella and spirulina are both microscopic plants that grow in fresh water, called micro-algae. They are among the earliest and simplest forms of life. They incorporate an astonishing spectrum of nutritional ingredients: vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, protein, nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), chlorophyll, and other phytochemicals. They are thought to contain every nutrient necessary for health. Yes, you could actually live off them because they are so nutritionally concentrated!

Chlorella and spirulina contain zero refined carbohydrates or “bad” fats, and are high in digestible protein, essential fatty acids and chlorophyll. It is likely most of the healing properties of these superfoods have yet to be discovered. For instance, scientists used to think there were only four essential vitamins, yet we now know of hundreds of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, plant extracts, herbs, etc. that are important sources of optimal health. And more are being discoverd all the time.

We are in the midst of a veritable explosion of knowledge surrounding health and anti-aging.

Chlorella and spirulina contain:

• Protein that is more dense, digestible and of superior quality than that derived from animals. (Chlorella is 58% protein.)

• All the known B vitamins, including B12, almost never found in plants

• Vitamins C and E

• Macrominerals: magnesium, calcium, ,zinc, potassium and much more

• Trace minerals, many of which are yet to be discovererd

• Omega-3 fatty acids including GLA

• Mucopolysaccharides

• Beta-carotene

• Nucleic acids (RNA & DNA)

• Chlorophyll

The variety and density of nutrients is awe-inspiring: all the critical nutrients in almost perfect amounts! Like manna from heaven. And yet most people are ignorant of these miracle foods because pharmaceutical companies can’t manufacture and patent them for profit, so most scientists and doctors in the mainstream medical community, aided and abetted by the US government, refuse to publish the true healing benefits of these superfoods.

Unfortunately, they would rather see you sick and malnourished in the interests of their profit machines that spit out toxic junk foods with artificlal ingredients and artificial drugs. This is tragic, since chlorella and spirulina can help prevent millions of cases of serious disease every year, and actually reverse – yes HEAL! – diseases like diabetes and cancer.

Chlorella & Spirulina: Land of Vitamins & Minerals

Chlorellla and Spirulina aren’t just amazing superfoods because they contain virtually every vitamin and mineral needed for good health. What’s really significant is that the vitamins and minerals exist in the natural forms that the human body was meant to digest. If you take “bulk” vitamin supplements, you are frequently consuming man-made vitamins that have been fabricated in a chemical plant from substances you wouldn’t normally eat.

These synthetic vitamins may be molecularly similar to the vitamins found in plants, but studies show that they aren’t as beneficial. That’s why vitamins from Spirulina and Chlorella are typically superior to those in pill form. And you do not have to worry about dosages because they contain virtually perfect ratios for optimal nutrition: hence they are often called “perfect foods”. You can eat these in large quantities without worrying about taking too much of any single vitamin.

Minerals

Just about all Americans are deficient in certain minerals like magnesium, calcium and zinc. That is because most of the valuable mineral content of processed foods are removed in the manufacturing process. When a food processing factory refines wheat berries to make white flour, it takes out as much as 98% of certain minerals. The resulting pulverized ingredient — white flour — is nutritionally substandard and cannot properly nourish our bodies.

That is why they have to “enrich” these flours: by law, some vitamins must be replaced in order to prevent the most obvious diseases like beriberi and ricketts. Does that make sense to you? If it sounds a little crazy, it is. In fact it is immoral, done just for the sake of profit. The price we pay is with our lives.

By consuming these overly refined foods and not ingesting enough “natural” foods like chlorella and spirulina, most Americans do not receive enough magnesium, zinc and many other trace and macrominerals. Furthermore, nearly all low-carb dieters are calcium deficient, not because they do not consume calcium, but rather they lack the vitamins and minerals – such as magnesium and vitamin D – that enable their bodies to absorb the calcium.

What we all lack is mineral balance in our diets. With chlorella and spirulina, however, we can address these mineral deficiencies with superfoods that are abundant in minerals. An ounce of chlorella contains a lot more calcium than an ounce of milk. And pound for pound, spirulina contains a lot more protein than beef.