How to Improve Flexibility and Circulation

Hey everyone! Welcome to Cheap Gym and Diet. I have been kind of busy lately, but now I'm back! So many people wonder, how I became so flexible. If you did not know, I can do full splits, touch my toes with my palms, and put both legs behind my head. "Wait a minute, that sounds a little creepy", you are probably thinking. Why would I want to do that? There are lots of benefits. Being flexible is great for party tricks. Nothing leaves a more lasting impression then doing a full split on the dance floor. There are less guys who can dance, than those who can't dance. Yet there are even fewer guys who can do splits than those who can dance. By being flexible you get an edge on the competition. Everyone will remember you as the one who can do a split, perhaps even the guy or girl you are interested in. Another added benefit, is the improved circulation. Stretching is a proven way of improving health. After an intense workout, stretching can help muscles to better relax. This is often neglected by many weight lifters. As a result, when they become big and bulky they also become stiff! This is no good. For exercises like Olympic Lifting one needs to be flexible during cleans, snatches, and squatting.  You don't want to be old and not able to bend over because your hamstrings have become so tight! You need to stretch now! Well actually not now exactly. There is a huge significance as to the time you stretch just as to how you do it. This article points out that stretching can actually WEAKEN muscles before the workout. This is no good. But this does not indicate you should not stretch! Stretch after your workout to loosen up and gain flexibility. Now, this article points out, "Stretching before or after exercising does not confer protection from muscle soreness. Stretching before exercising does not seem to confer a practically useful reduction in the risk of injury". While it may not have proven to reduce soreness, if a muscle remains tight from working out and does not relax, it can interfere with future workouts. Fortunately stretching DOES help relax muscles. Stretching is still a useful tool, but underrated. While the study implies (not proves) stretching doesn't lower injury risk significantly, it doesn't mention the need of getting blood flowing to the muscles. A good warmup of dynamic movements, such as agility ladders, light plyometrics, light running,  and other methods are good alternatives to getting ready for a workout. The difference between having your blood flowing to your muscles and being stiff and not well circulated is huge. This is because the early portion of a workout that has no warmup ends up being the warm up anyways, when that important time could of been used towards working the muscles hard. In short, I recommend a warm up, not necessarily stretching, before a workout, and heavy stretching after. Do consult a medical professional for help before starting any sort of physical routine, that's the bottom line.  Lastly, one of the benefits to flexibility is that you can even perform or teach others through methods like yoga or even performing on the streets. Let me show you a guy who I once met. From what I remember he got a good number of "donations" from his observers. If you are good enough it is possible to perform and make a living like this guy

In my next article, I will list all the exercises that can help you get flexible!
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The Best Vegetarian Foods for Body Building

In my last article, I discussed the benefits of vegetarian body building. Now if you liked what I wrote and have an interest in the actual foods to eat, then keep reading. Also, the foods mentioned are not exclusively for vegetarians. They are of benefit for anyone looking for extra protien in their diet. Here they are!

• Tofu/Soy beans. This food is great. I recommend pressing it and marinating it. I will write an article on this later. It's a complete chain of amino acids, which means it does not to be mixed, like other vegetables, with other foods to have a complete protien
• Quinoa. This food is amazing. it is a complete protien like soy. It makes a good breakfeast. It is also very versatile
• Nuts are great. They have fat, but this is healthy fat. Don't eat too many though, as too many can cause weight gain. A small to moderate ammount is sufficient
• I recommend a combination of beans and rice/pasta. The reason for this is because beans alone are not a complete protien. Neither is rice or pasta. The trick is by mixing these foods, when digested, your body synthesizes them into a complete protien.
• Vegetables. These themselves are not high in protien but deserve honorable mention. Why? Because they are often neglected by many. They contain many vitamins and minerals to help speed up muscle recovery and improve over all health.
• Fat free cottage cheese. This is one of the best foods out there for muscle growth. It is slow digesting casein protein. It has the benefits of milk minus the sugar and the fat! A portion before bed can help prevent atrophy.
• Egg Whites. Eggs as a whole are good. But unless you have a ridiculously high metabolism, it can he unhealthy to eat a lot of whole eggs. Egg whites are great because they are pure protien--no need to worry about cholesterol. 
• Lastly, I recommend taking a multi vitamin. This is because many don't do it right and end up lacking in nutrition.

The secret to success in Vegetarian Body Building is eating a large variety of protien from many sources including the one
Please, though, do consult a doctor before doing any changes in your diet to avoid health problems. The foods listed can be used for a vegetarian or non vegetarian. If you have any questions please look me up on twitter, facebook, email, etc.

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Vegetarian Body Building

Whether you knew it or not, I have been a vegetarian for about 8 years. Over this period of time I have had a lot of experiences with my diet--good and bad. When I first started, my diet consisted mainly of frozen pizza, which is obviously not a good idea. As I progressed, my diet included more and more variety, yet it was still lacking. It wasn't until I had to start buying and cooking my own that I realized my diet had been awful. I learned how to make different foods, how to listen to my body, how to shop smart, and how to distinguish between the healthy and unhealthy. "That's good and all" you might be thinking, "but why should I be a vegetarian". Let me list some of the benefits right now!

• If done right, a vegetarian diet is cheaper. Animals eat the plants, and then you eat the animal. When you pay for meat you are not just paying for the cow, you are paying for the hormones they use to treat it, the land it grazes on, the water, and a whole bunch of other expenses. If you buy the plants that they eat instead, you eliminate a bunch of extra costs. 
• Animals are often given many antibiotics and hormones which studies have shown could be harmful to the human body
• Being a vegetarian is good for the environment. It takes an absurd amount of vegetables produce one pound of meat. Much food is wasted for the sake of producing meat. As funny as it sounds, cow farts are harmful to the ozone layer. 
• Not many people are vegetarians. So when you mention that you are people will more likely remember you. For instance when I saw an old friend once, he asked me if I still was a vegetarian--even before really asking about how I was doing.
• Chicks dig vegetarians, and I'm serious. Your guy friends will mock you for being vegetarian, I can almost guarantee that will happen. However, when you tell a girl you are a vegetarian, she will admire and assume that you are into health, care about the environment, and love animals.

A vegetarian diet is great! If done correctly, you can lose weight, put on muscle, and impress your peers.
Your next question probably is this, "How do I get enough protien?"
Check out the next article where I discuss this called The Best Vegetarian Foods for Body Building
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The Cold Shower, a Coffee alternative

You've seen them before. Groggy, irritated, on edge--you know exactly their story. They wake up, only with faith that they will liven up when they take their first few sips. He is the coffee drinker. It started off as an innocent habit. Perhaps even a slight curiosity sparked his interest in the beverage. Whatever reason it maybe, it has gotten out of hand now. He needs that coffee to function. The seemingly minor expense of  $2.50 a day, and sometimes even higher, 365 days a year amounts to $912.50. That's nearly a thousand dollars that the average American might spend to feed the fix. Furthermore, the ideas on the health benefits of coffees are mixed. Some say it has beneficial properties, while others say it can harm the body. My response is, why take a chance with your health? What if I told you that you could wake up in the morning and feel invigorated and excited for the day, without touching a single cup. What's the secret? Cold showers. What? Yes, a cold shower can wake you up as good or better than a cup of coffee. Let me list some benefits to the benefits of a cold shower.

• You save money on your water bill!
• Relieves Stress
• Your body must heat up in response to the cold water, and therefore, burn more calories
• Hot water can dry out your hair and skin, cold water can help you avoid getting your hair and skin dried
• It improves your mood and fights depression. If you are bogged down by the constant worry and sorrow of all your problems, taking a shower can help. You stop worrying about your problems as the cold water shocks your system!
• Your focus will improve.
• You can develop mental discipline 
• Your immune system can also be strengthened.

I'd like to close by mentioning that cold showers do not work for everyone. Please consult with a doctor if you are healthy and capable of taking these cold showers. They have all the benefits and more of a cup of coffee and are a great alternative if you want to stop. If you don't want to stop take a cold shower anyways!

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Simple Tricks that improve health, that require no working out.

So some of you are thinking to yourselves that you need to get to the gym. Some of you say you need to change how you eat. These things are good. I will not discredit them. However, what people need to do besides change their exercise and diet is change their life. I'm not going to list some exercise or food in this post.  Here are a list of simple things you can do to change how you live.

1. Wake up and go to bed early, preferably a specified time.
2. Make goals, whether they be physical, intellectual, or spiritual. These three all overlap and are directly related. If you lack in one you tend to lack in the others. Find your purpose.
3. Include variety. Variety is the spice of life.
4. Add more structure. Workout at a certain time. Read a book at a certain time. Variety is the spice; structure is the olive oil--a moderate amount is healthy, but beware of too much!
5. Cold showers. What? Yes, cold showers. These are amazing in stress reduction. In fact I need to write an article about them all on their own. They can invigorate you and uplift your mood. They are uncomfortable at first.
6. Listen to positive music. Music is powerful in the fact that in alter your mood relatively quick. It has been shown to lower stress as well.
7.  Help others and engage in wholesome activities that make you feel good about yourself. This will make you happier, and consequently healthier

These are a few tips that I've followed to be healthier. While some may seem silly, you really must try them at first. Health is a style of life, not a hobby. 

Tired of being skinny?

When I was a Sophomore, I weighed 135 pounds. I was weak and small. By the time I reached called I ended up weighing around 195. How did I put on weight like that? I learned how to
work out and I learned how to diet. Let me show you how with some basic tips.
Get a good wworkout program; many are listed on this blog;

Get on a good diet. Control your carbohydrate intake. Eat moderate amounts of fat. Lots of fruits and vegetables. Consume lot of protien. It's not complicated. The effort you put in is what you get out. The only person who can choose is you.

You can look like this guy.

Or you can look like this guys.

The Secrets that Experts don't tell you.

Let's be real here. Talk is cheap. People say stuff works and usually it doesn't. I'm going to go ahead and tell you what the experts don't want you to know about. Are you ready? These are the tips that they don't want you to know so they can make you keep paying them for all the advice you don't need. Experts charge lots of money for what's about to be said. So here it is:
1. There are no weight loss miracles; anything listed as a weight loss miracle usually won't work
2. There are no no muscle building miracles either
3. Supplements tend to have unhealthy chemicals in them
4. Spending all your hours in the gym, unless you are a professional, does not work!
5. Muscle is built while you sleep, not when you use them. When you work out you actually damage your muscles. When you sleep they get built stronger according to the work they do.
6. The people who use miracle products are often sponsored to do so. They are usually paid models. They are not normal people. They are not like us! They are genetically gifted and experienced.

Stop living a lie!
Get a body that looks like this

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