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social media and digital space critic ++ Fitness, Nutrition, Photography, Lifestyle,

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The Science behind bodybuilding

If you’re wondering what processes are involved in a body in relation to fitness or bodybuilding, then you have found the right place! Considering the different systems within a human being, we have the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems. These are the three main systems that are tied in very closely with fitness and bodybuilding. First, the skeletal system is the foundation of the body’s structure. Without this system, we wouldn’t be able to support our body, stand upright, and even protect our internal organs. You can think of the skeletal system as the actual mechanical and moving parts in an automobile. Next, the muscular system is what allows us to make certain movements and then enables our bones to be mobile with respect to its own axis or joints, think of this as basically the car’s engine that allows the tires to rotate. Finally, the body’s nervous system is the command center which enables or tells the muscle to contract or relax. The body’s nervous system is analogous to an automobile’s computer. I am glad to be able to share this information to the best of my knowledge following an Anatomy and Physiology course that I finished recently. Stay tuned!

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Build muscle and lose fat at the same time! Is it possible? Part 3

When bodybuilders or fitness enthusiasts with distinct experience levels talk about the most important nutrient in resistance training, it will most likely be protein. The two sources concur that protein is the most important nutrient that helps build and repair muscle tissues in resistance training. There is absolutely no question that protein is the basic building block that is essential for muscle growth. At this point, these two sources strongly agree with that claim but along the way, when we start to dig into the specifics about protein itself, particularly the intake needed, these sources started to have some differences between one another. From the research by Helms et al., they asserted “The collective agreement among reviewers is that a protein intake of 1.2-2.2 g/kg is sufficient to allow adaptation to training for athletes who are at or above their energy needs.” The baseline numbers provided coincide with the statements that the nutrition professionals postulated in their discussion with Bodybuilding.com. Dr. Jacob Wilson, one of the fitness and health experts in the said interview also added that if you try to divide your protein intake in a day, what matters is the total protein intake at the end of the day itself.

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Build muscle and lose fat at the same time! Is it possible? Part 2

Another source that I chose to bolster the previous post is an interview hosted by Bodybuilding.com’s Deputy Editor, Chris Ullery. The panel has presented multiple medical experts supporting this idea of proper exercise, nutrition and diet management can keep building muscle while losing fat. With proper management of protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake, it has shown to have equivalent results with multiple research teams and colleagues with the same field of expertise. The two sources have an interesting relationship with one another that could explain and even clarify the common misconceptions about nutrition that a particular audience or group might have. Now, if you go back all the way to my third post, do you really think that the body transformation process is as easy as learning the ABC’s?

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Build muscle and lose fat at the same time! Is it even possible? Part 1

For most people, having a healthy lifestyle is usually on top of their list when it comes to taking care of themselves. One way to do this is by making sure that we are keeping our fitness level high or at least not on the lower-end or sedentary level, also adding nutrition to the equation would not only keep our bodies healthy from the inside but also looking good outside. One of the sources I chose to feature in this article is a research by Eric Helms, Alan Aragon, and Peter Fitschen called “Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation” Helms et al. provided a scientific explanation on strategies and techniques in preparing for a bodybuilding contest. Although it may seem that this paper would benefit professional or competing bodybuilders, the research still has substantial information that even the amateur or novice bodybuilder could benefit from. Since the question “Can you build muscle while losing fat at the same time?” still appears in the context of fitness and nutrition, this source claims that it is possible to do that but also adds that it will be quite a bit of a process due to the scientific nature and the processes involved

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Is this all about lifting weights and forget cardio?

If you had this question in mind, follow along to know the facts. This is not magic or whatnot! This is again, science! Lifting weights or resistance training is more of tearing muscle cells – thus giving you a sore muscle in a particular group – and we refer to these as skeletal muscles! As the name implies, these are the muscles that make a person look “muscular.” Examples are the abdominal muscles, biceps, triceps, pectoral muscles(chest), and the lower extremity muscles. As you tear apart the muscles cells involved, they tend to recover and get bigger – cell multiplication is involved and again, Science! How about cardio? Cardio in a different but somehow the same, cardio exercise are different because the mainly target the smooth muscles – the heart and the lungs are made up of smooth muscles! So if you’re doing cardio exercises, you make your heart and lungs “stronger.” With this information, I am hoping that you just won’t ever forget about running, or at least playing basketball with your buddies! From my personal experience and routine, I usually do 60% resistance training and 40% cardio. Since every person is different, this may or may not work for you. You have to play with your own numbers and try to look and listen to your body as you move forward.

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Not seeing any progress in your fitness goals? Here’s why...

As a military service member, fitness has always been on top of the list when it comes to readiness or preparation. Fitness not only means physical fitness, but also includes mental fitness. Even outside of the military service, it is always good to be mentally prepared in all aspects of life. This time, we’ll segue into mental preparedness in relation to physical fitness goals. This is ultimately important because if you happen to be in the second group as mentioned in the previous post, there are a lot of paths that you could take, intentionally or unintentionally. We cannot deny the fact that if we get frustrated for not having any progress at all, I tell you! Do not let all your efforts go down the drain! You have made a progress, although it is not as obvious as what you expected. Mental preparation is key in addition to consistency. Always have an open mind and don’t expect too much. Having an open mind means that you put your goals at its peak and expect to have challenges along the way. So, never give up on your goals because you’ll never know, you might be over halfway through that goal and only need a sixteenth worth of that same effort to be able to see the results! Yes you read that right, sometimes you might see an abrupt transformation at 50.1875% through your goal!  

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Fitness made easy-yes-t, it’s the genes!

If you happen to be a fitness fanatic like me and have been putting all the arduous work in trying to get that picture perfect, beach-body or even a ramp model physique, then you are incredibly lucky! For one, you got really good genes. The cells that make up these awesome genes are designed to be able to handle the chemical processes ever so smoothly and swiftly as it can! If you’re on the other group, that no matter how much effort you put into working out or lifting weights but have yet to achieve the goal, well, never lose hope! The cells and the processes are just way slower than that of the other group. Just keep on doing what you are doing because consistency is key and slow progress is always better than no progress!

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Fitness made easy...

As mentioned in the previous post, a lot of fitness influencers made the body transformation process look easy. Honestly, this is very subjective. I have talked to different people that have different body types and went through a lot of scholarly articles on nutrition and dieting. First, it is good for you to know that just like fingerprints, every person’s body and the system within is unique. For instance, a friend of mine who weighs 140 lbs. and I am 165 lbs., is stronger than me since he lifts heavier weights than I do. In another aspect, a person who weighs 210 lbs and stands 5’6” tall is guaranteed to lose weight more easily than someone who weighs 160 lbs and with the same height. The reason being, is Science. There are a lot of chemical processes that are happening in a person's body. Additionally, the anatomy and physiology also affect the rate of the chemical processes that are happening.  

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The fitness journey begins

As mentioned in the earlier post, there is an implied argument that there is something off about how the online bodybuilding/fitness influencers are putting information in the digital space. No matter how they present themselves or what type of exercises they’re currently showing the public, in almost every instance, they always make it look easy, but it is not. I personally experienced the struggle when I first started my journey five years ago. Before I even got myself a gym membership, I first went to different social media platforms to search for “how-to” videos and articles. After doing such, it was a breeze because as a beginner, I was overly excited to see the results and was very hopeful that I could transform my body into having a muscular physique. The first time I went to the gym, I did a whole-body workout because most of these influencers said that it is a good way to acclimate yourself into resistance training. So far, this is just the beginning -  I have yet to experience any challenges. On to the next one...

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Body transformation is as easy as ABC’s

We have all seen thousands, even millions of photos and videos of people displaying their bodies that have highly defined muscular physique on different social media platforms, Instagram and YouTube are on top of the list and oftentimes, these influencers make it look like the process of attaining that type of body is effortless, yet it is totally the opposite of what they are showing the public, because of this, it creates a misconception of the entire process.    

As part of my fitness journey, I have tried my best to find the secret or if you will, the magic of transforming one’s physique. But the truth is, there is none. There are a lot of factors why this is such - for one, we all have different body types. As far as our body’s anatomy and physiology is concerned, there are a lot of different processes that our body undergoes in every activity. This article is a rundown of the next articles that would involve the said processes and challenges.  

The fitness enthusiasts and influencers in the digital space make the process look easy but in fact, it is not. The entire process requires a lot of experimentation and thus, patience and dedication is absolutely necessary.

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Reaping the benefits of social media and several digital platforms. But … be cautious, read along and you’ll know why.

The days are almost gone for cable tv providers that used to hand their subscribers cable or tv boxes. They have now shifted to the use of digital platforms to provide the same tv shows to their market and keep up with competition. Consequently, the public have adapted to all these changes and a lot are already reaping the benefits of such services.  

In one way or another, you probably have searched “how to” videos – this could be something that you needed help with your homework, a home remodel, or a car repair. I wouldn’t even deny that I resorted to this option first even before consulting a professional.  If you could get a task or a repair done without a professional or a tradesman, well, you’re in luck and saved yourself a few to a thousand dollars!  

If you are one of the folks that started a “do-it-yourself” project or repair and wasn’t remarkably successful, do not stress, just appreciate that you are still reading this and nothing unfortunate has come your way! I am pertaining to the “DIYers” that thought they were successful with a particular task, yet the work done by them resulted in a woeful event. If you have second thoughts about your capabilities and/or the credibility of the source, then it’s better off paying a fortune and leaving it to the professionals! After all, everyone’s lives are indispensable.  

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Have fun and succeed in digital learning

In today’s modern era, we have all been introduced to a new educational platform – the digital, online or distant learning, as many would call it. This article will provide tips on how to succeed and have fun in any type of digital learning.

Always put your goals at the top of your list! I could never stress this out enough! Be it professional, personal, or anything else, the goals are one’s driving factor for success. No matter how many obstacles and setbacks we encounter, these will be nothing if we put our goals at the forefront.

Lazy Susan and laidback Lucy are not homogeneous. In most distant learning platforms, you decide when you want to do an activity or coursework. That does not mean you have to be lazy nor procrastinate. If you do so, you’ll easily realize that you do not have enough time to get things done. Contemporary learning requires a refreshed time management skills. We all have different schedules and lifestyles so take each day as an opportunity to master your time management skills.

You might ask, where’s the fun in all these? Distant learning does not mean passive learning. Everyone enrolled in a distant learning course will have the opportunity to collaborate with peers and even with the professor. You can’t deny that it is fun to be able to grow your network and even share insights in and out of the “classroom.” Still not enough? Let’s take one step back to time management, if you have mastered this skill, you’d be able to still spend time outside of this and have fun!

Finally, don’t stress on challenges! Everyone of us has one or a bunch, deal with it immediately and ace it! You’d be amused to know that it really wasn’t that difficult at all and be proud to say “I had fun and I succeeded!”