The Sunshine Vitamin That Can Save Your Life & Boost Your Performance

I’ve been taking the “Sunshine Vitamin” for over a year now. It’s cheap, effective, and you should be including it in your daily supplementation schedule A.S.A.P.

In fact, as you’ll soon see, it’s really more of a hormone than a vitamin.

I’m going to show you some videos today of doctors talking about the beneficial effects of Vitamin D on everything from flu to cancer, and even athletic performance!

The unfortunate fact is that most of you are probably deficient in this vitamin at least during some part of the year.

I’ll talk about dosage at the bottom of the article.

First up, check out Dr. Prendergast talking about the positive effects on flu (including bird flu), asthma, and cancer. At around 3mins 45 secs he says, “16 major cancers would all be diminished by 90% by supplementing with vitamin D.”

Dr. John Cannell here talks about how people on more than 5000 IU (international units) of Vitamin D per day don’t get sick. That’s been my experience so far too.

Here’s a short clip called “The Real Story on Vitamin D”

As you heard from Dr. Cannell above and also from this page on Dr. Mercola’s website, the recommended dosage is about 5000 IU per day.

In Ireland we’ve had about 10 really sunny days this summer and the rest of the year ain’t that great, so I take 10,000 IU per day.

You won’t need this supplement at all if you live somewhere where it’s sunny all year round. And if you only get good summers, you won’t need it during those months. However, if you’re summers aren’t great, it may be a good idea to take it year-round.

Don’t buy anything until you read this: You specifically need to buy Vitamin D3 as Cholecalciferol capsules.

This is the brand and strength I take: Healthy Origins Vitamin D3. You get 360 capsules for $27, which is less than 30 bucks for a whole year’s supply!

I searched MyProtein UK and was surprised to see that they stock it too here (is there anything they don’t sell?). They only sell 2500 IU capsules, but it’s a very cheap way to start supplementing and see what you think – £7.99. At their website they also say, “There is also some evidence to suggest Vitamin D levels are associated with the maintenance of power and strength by potentially increasing the size and number of fast twitch fibres.” I don’t know where they got that from to be honest but it’s worth bearing in mind.

For your overall wellness and long term health, I want you to seriously consider getting some Vitamin D in your life, guys. There’s not much point in having large muscles and being ripped to shreds if you end up getting sick.

To health, energy, youthfulness, vitality and all that good stuff!

Mark

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Top 5 Reasons To Eat Red Meat

I don’t think anyone is going to be shocked when I say I love red meat. Nor will it come as a surprise if I say it’s a healthy, nutritious food, and should be included in everyone’s diet, especially those wishing to build muscle.

Here are 5 reasons to include some delicious red meat in your diet:

1) Protein. You get a high quality, complete protein to supply your hungry muscles with the fuel they need to recover and grow! Meat is typically 20-25% protein, so for every 100g you chow down, you get about 25g protein.

2) B Vitamins. Red meat is rich in B vitamins, including vitamin B12. These are needed for supporting a healthy metabolic rate, immune function, and good skin and hair among others. B vitamins are important for emotional as well as physical well-being with a deficiency being linked to depression.

3) CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid). Animal and human studies have shown CLA to be beneficial in regards to combating various cancers, heart disease, inflammation, hypertension and more. Try to get grass-fed beef if possible. (UK CLA supplement | US CLA supplement).

4) Stearic Acid. You would think from what some people say that the fat in red meat is 100% saturated. In fact, you’ll find sites on net that say just that! (Be careful where you get your info)

Beef fat is about 50% monounsaturated fat, 90 percent of which is oleic acid. This is the same healthy fat found in olive oil and will typically contribute to a lower LDL and higher HDL cholesterol.

About a third of the saturated fat in red meat is stearic acid, which also increases HDL cholesterol but typically has no effect on LDL.

There is also about 4% polyunsaturated fat, which typically lowers LDL and has zero effect on HDL cholesterol.

Lowering LDL (more specifically the VLDL) and raising HDL cholesterol is the ideal scenario for heart health. People on low-carb diets, which include red meat consumption, often experience this. Additionally, their triglyceride levels plummet. For a more in-depth discussion of this see my other articles on dietary fat and heart health including, “Saturated Fat, Not Guilty As Charged!“.

5) Testosterone Production. Fat is needed for the production of testosterone. Don’t be surprised to see people on low-fat diets walking around with low-levels of enthusiasm, vitality, and all-round “spunk”. And what better way to ensure that you are getting enough fat in your diet than eating a nice juicy steak?

I could go on here by the way; there’s creatine, iron, ALA, and zinc to mention but a few further benefits. But you guys know the drill by now, eat your meat!

Now I want to know something. Do you eat red meat daily? Weekly? Let me know below.

Also, let me know about your whole egg consumption while you’re at it!

Stay Motivated! 

Mark

P.S. At MyProtein right now they have a ‘Buy 1 Get 1 Half Price’ on their Impact Whey Protein. So if you’re going to need some whey soon, now is a good time to get it! Use code ‘IWP‘ at checkout.

Related posts:

Top 10 Reasons You Need Eggs In Your Diet5 Reasons You Should Take Fish Oil Supplements8 Reasons For Hitting A Plateau And How To SMASH It!Top 10 Reasons You’re Not Building Any Muscle5 Reasons Why Water Aids Fat Loss

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Trapezius Workouts. 9 Ways To Get Your Traps To Grow

If you’re unsatisfied with the size of your traps, give me just 3 minutes here and I’ll give you some advice that will have them GROWING again in no time!

If I had to name the one exercise that attracts the most negative feedback from trainees, it would be trap shrugs. People complain that they just can’t feel this movement.

This is understandable since the percentage of people in the gym that do this exercise correctly would be rather low.

Now this is a real pity since shrugs are the best traps exercise there is in my opinion. But they have to be done correctly!

So how are people getting this movement wrong?

My observations have lead me to conclude that the vast majority of people:

 Involve the biceps far too much by NOT having their arms dead straight. This transfers much of the load away from the traps to the arms.

 Use too much momentum/the cadence is too fast

 Don’t use anywhere close to a full range of motion

Before I recommend how you should correct this and stimulate some growth, let me give you a quick warning…

Drop your ego a little and be prepared to lift a lighter load

Ok? Good.

Remember, you’re in this game to actually change your body. Not to boast about the loads you can lift. “Absolute” loads aren’t anywhere near as important as “relative” loads i.e. as long as your PERSONAL strength is increasing over time, that’s all that matters. Remember that small, incremental increases in load work best in the long term.

Here’s my recommendations. Take them and USE them ASAP!

If you do, the first thing you’ll notice is that you’ll experience soreness (DOMS) in your traps within 48 hrs. When was the last time your traps were sore? The second thing you’ll notice is that your traps will actually start to grow for a change! (I’m being facetious here  )

THT should ALWAYS produce strength and growth. You can have 100% certainty about success on this program.

So here’s what you should do during your next traps workout…

(1) Try giving up the dumbbells and barbells and pick up a trap bar, use the smith machine, or even a low pulley. Trap shrugs are one of the exercises where taking stabilization OUT of the equation is a good thing.

The above methods will allow you to do this, enabling you to produce MORE force and concentrate SOLELY on the issue of producing maximal trap contractions.

(2) Reduce the cadence/go slower. You simply can’t do shrugs quickly; they won’t work to stimulate growth in the natural lifter if done rapidly. Try a 2-1-3 cadence. Lift for 2 seconds, hold at the Peak Contraction Point (PCP) for 1 second, and lower under full muscular control for 3 seconds.

(3) On the issue of the PCP, make sure you actually hit it! There’s a visualization exercise I give to people who are having trouble with this exercise. When performing the positive/lifting part of the rep, try to visualize attempting to make your shoulders touch your ears. It’s physically impossible to do so, but that’s not the point. It will FORCE you to fully contract your traps and get into that all important PCP for a maximal muscular contraction.

(4) Do the negative! You’ll often see this critical mistake being made in the gym. Guys just skip the negative and focus only on the positive. Lowering the weight under muscular control is as important as the lifting/positive part of the rep. You do NOT drop the weight. A rep is not just a lift. A rep is a lift AND a lowering. For this exercise allow the traps (and the traps only) to lower the weight back into the starting position.

(5) Let it hang! I just said to lower the load under control into the starting position. The starting position is ALL the way down. Basically, it’s the point where your shoulder blades can’t physically get any lower.

You’ll know you’re in it when there is no tension on your arms; they are straight and hanging like chains. The weight is simply hanging there and producing a real STRETCH across the traps; trust me, you’ll feel it. Mentally tell yourself to let the weight “hang” at the bottom of each rep.

(6) Straight arms. Like I mentioned above, your arms should not be assisting in the lift. In order to take them out of the equation, keep them straight (fully extended) throughout the lifting and lowering. This transfers 100% of the load to the traps themselves.

(7) Try higher reps. To begin getting this movement right, try using higher reps until you get the hang of it. Instead of aiming to reach failure on the tenth rep, try 12-15 reps for a week or 2 until you really master correct form. Then you can increase the load a little and reach failure in a lower rep range.

(8) Reduce the load. In order to accommodate all of the above recommendations, you’ll almost certainly have to reduce the load a little. This is not a big deal. If it’s bruising your ego, just get over it. The fact is that if you keep doing what you’re currently doing, you’ll produce the same result. If you’re not happy with your results, then you HAVE to change your method to produce a different outcome. Simple.

(9) On a related note, make sure you are doing deadlifts for full trap development. Heavy deadlifts are great for stimulating growth in the traps and will help you continually get stronger in your shrugs too. So don’t neglect to do this important compound movement on back day!

My personal favorite way to hit my traps is by shrugging with a low pulley. The movement is so smooth and I can really concentrate on fully contracting the intended muscle. The only issue here is if your gym has enough weight on the stack for you.

I’m sure many of you will require loads over 100kg and I know some gyms can’t accommodate this on their pulley stacks. If this is the case at your gym, use a trap bar and/or the smith machine.

Read over the above recommendations a few times and memorize them. Apply them in the gym and I can GUARANTEE that you’ll see positive changes in your traps over the next few weeks .

Stay Motivated!

Mark

P.S. Here’s a short vid I shot over a year ago of me doing a low pulley cable shrug. While it isn’t a great vid, note the controlled cadence and the full range of motion.

Related posts:

(Video) The Best Trapezius Exercise For GrowthThe THT 2.0 Training Cycle. Shoulders & Traps Day (part 12)How To Overload Muscle And Grow!5 Ways to Get Fit in 2008

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Why Supersets Aren’t So Super

I’ll be blunt about this: One of the dumbest things you can do is a superset.

The rather unbelievable point about them is that they are touted as an ADVANCED training technique for ADVANCED trainees!

Take a look around the web and you’ll no doubt come across several websites advising you that supersets will ignite new growth for those who have plateaued. I say they do no such thing.

Before I go any further, let me state that this article is talking about supersetting DIFFERENT body parts, not back-to-back sets of the same muscle group, which I will talk about a little later.

Most web sites that promote this method often do so without any explanation whatsoever. They tell you it’s good, but not WHY it’s good. The sites that do give reasons usually say something like the following:

1) Doing the same workout over and over again leads to plateaus. Supersets break the monotony by SHOCKING the muscle and forcing new growth.

This is total B.S. No-one should ever be doing the same workout anyway because you should always be adding more reps and/or more weight to the bar. This is progressive overload, which underpins all success in bodybuilding.

Changing your routine often in order to shock your muscles is a strategy doomed to failure. Muscles don’t get shocked. Secondly, changing a routine too often leads to a slowing down of REAL strength and size gains for reasons I’ve outlined in this article about so-called “muscle confusion”.

2) You’ll Save Time In The Gym.

What!? Come again!? Pardon me!? Are you kidding me!? Last time I checked the purpose of a bodybuilding workout wasn’t to try and get it over with as soon as possible, but to intelligently impart the precise stimuli that stimulates new muscle growth.

While a workout for a natural trainee should come in at around an hour or less, that’s actually more than enough time when you know what you’re doing. Doing things properly creates MAXIMUM overload. Supersets actually decrease the intensity for reasons I’ll cover a little later.

3) Higher Production of Anabolic Hormones. By not taking breaks between sets the body will release more testosterone.

I doubt it. Firstly, I think the “hormone theory” of bodybuilding has been laid to rest (RIP). The homone theory says that a workout that causes the highest production of anabolic hormones ends up producing the most muscle growth. I talk about this in the “Compound & Isolation” section of THT 4, leaving you in no doubt that compound-only routines are INFERIOR to workouts consisting of both compound and isolation exercises.

Secondly, there’s just no way that a superset workout would end up producing more testosterone. Why not? Because you end up using lighter weights because of the fatigue involved. You’re not going to be able to maximally overload 2 muscles groups when you take no rest between working them. This leads us on nicely to the last nonsensical point…

4) You Can Use Lighter Weights.

Now don’t laugh. This is actually being touted as a benefit, can you believe that? Apparently you can push your body “to the limit” with lighter weights than normal because of the higher fatigue involved in back-to-back sets.

Isn’t that a good reason why a bodybuilder should never dream of doing supersets? You need adequate rest between sets to allow for both localized recovery of the muscle (flushing out lactate) and systemic recovery (getting your breath, getting your heart rate down, feeling energized and motivated for the next set).

This is a bodybuilding workout after all. You need to be at your best in each set. You need to have the capability to push the heaviest weight you can for the maximum number of reps possible. Supersets just don’t allow you to do that. And some bozos see this as a benefit!?

The Goal of a Bodybuilding Workout

As we’ve seen in point 4, supersets lead to a DECREASE in intensity because of the negative impact on both local and systemic recovery.

Since the goal of a bodybuiliding workout is to perpetually increase the overload and intensity placed on our muscles over time, straight sets achieve this much better than supersets.

Pre-Fatigue/Extended Sets

Now I need to be 100% clear about this. Supersetting 2 different bodyparts is totally different from performing a pre-fatigue set on the same muscle e.g. my shoulder pre-fatigue set, which involves back-to-back sets of overhead press and lateral raises.

A pre-fatigue set will INCREASE intensity by forcing a muscle beyond positive failure e.g. if you take the lateral deltoid head to failure with a set of lateral raises, then perform the compound movement Overhead Presses, the lateral head will be pushed beyond its normal levels of intensity as more deltoid muscle fibers, and even the triceps, are called into play to perform the 2nd exercise.

However, even in workouts where I recommend this method, (shoulders, chest, biceps in Volume Cycle 1) you’ll note that there is always a straight set prior to the pre-fatigue sets so you can still establish new bests in the big lifts. The pre-fatigue will more than likely cause you to use a lighter load in the overhead press for example, so you should always begin the workout with a straight set or 2 before beginning the pre-fatigue technique.

So that should clear up any confusion between supersets of different body parts and pre-fatigue sets, which some people refer to as supersets. There is a world of difference. One is effective, the other is counter-productive.

Bodybuilding gains are essentially caused by progressive overload and have nothing to do with attempting to increase the volume of work done per unit of time.

Other forms of training with completely different goals may utilize this strategy, but it is NOT something to be carried out by those wishing to increase the strength and size of their muscles.

Train With Passion!

Mark

image credit: Em Bhoo

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Weight Loss With Body Building Routine - Tips and Strategies

If you've seen a body builder before either in real life or in a magazine or tv, you can see that these athletes have lean muscular bodies and practically no fat. Usually, you can see their six pack abs quite well. Their abs themselves show that their amount of body fat is very low because the more your muscles are visible, the less fat you have. Body fat is measured in percentage and a 2-4% range is usually the norm for most body builders.

The topic of this article is about weight loss and how to use body building to achieve your goal and why I've given you the previous illustration of body fat is because the less fat you have in your body, the lighter you'll weigh. Fats are excess calories in your body and fats have more calories than protein and carbohydrate. So if you consume more fats, you'll get more calories and you can end up storing excess calories as fat deposits in your body.

A body building routine for weight loss is an ideal weight loss plan since a body builder regularly exercises and pays strict attention to nutrition. If a weight loss achiever wants to attain his objectives, body building is a highly recommended sport. With body building, the weight loss individual will adopt a different mindset. He will be more disciplined, patient, determined just like a body builder's qualities. And naturally, he will have a better health and less prone to diseases like cardiovascular, diabetes, high blood pressure amongst others.

So what consists exactly a body building routine? A body builder typically trains several times a week with weights and perform body weight exercises as well and eat several quality meals daily. He also does cardio training multiple times a week. Since a body builder usually competes in contests, he needs to adhere to his routine very closely and this is what you should do too even though you're not competing. Why? The simple reason is that if you follow such a strict routine, your weight loss success will become a reality sooner than you initially thought of. Here are some tips and strategies.

When you work out with weights or do body weight exercises alone, you are basically toning and strengthening your muscles. And you know what? Muscles speed metabolism which will benefit you because your body will be more inclined to burn fat rather than store them. Also, when you do strength training, you are also burning fat since you will be sweating. Sweating is a key factor to burning fat and excess weight. Then, you also need to do some cardio training like running and cycling. You can do these activities in the gym with the machines or in nature. The frequency of your weight loss routine is fundamental too. You can do weight training 4 times per week training different body parts per day and perform cardio training 3 times per week for about 45-60 minutes per session. Do your cardio training on the days you don't do strength training. Basically it's preferable that you don't mix your cardio in your weight training. If you do cardio first, you might be a bit exhausted to do weight training after. And vice versa.

Since you'll be training hard, you should pay strict attention to your nutrition because if not, all your hard work will be wasted. Avoid foods high in saturated fats and soft drinks which are filled with sugars. Don't snack on just anything. If you don't know what to eat, here is a sample nutrition for your weight loss goals. Eat more quality protein and opt for complex carbohydrates but be moderate though. Some valuable protein sources are skinless chicken breast/turkey breast, egg whites, white fish, lean red meat, tuna, salmon, cottage cheese and skim milk. Some valuable complex carbohydrates are wholegrain cereals, porridge oats, oatcakes, wheetabix, shredded wheat, brown rice, corn, yam, lentils, potato, sweet potato, bagel, brown bread, wholemeal breads, spaghetti and macaroni.

Don't forget your vegetables intake like broccoli, green beans, asparagus, tomatoes, lettuce, garlic(garlic has been proven to be great for weight loss) and eat fruits like banana, orange, kiwi, papaya and grape. Opt for healthy fats like canola oil and olive oil. Go for healthy cooking techniques like boiling, baking or steaming. Drink lots of water at least 8 glasses or bring at least a 1.5 litre bottle with you. Go for 4-6 small meals per day instead of 3 big meals. And eat every 2-3 hours. Eating regularly in small quantity will boost your metabolism which will put your body in a fat burning mode rather than fat storing. Get adequate amount of sleep everyday.

If you follow a body building routine with determination, discipline and patience, I guarantee that you will shed the pounds away like you never did before. Give it a few weeks before you start noticing changes in your body fat and weight and sooner than you realize, you're on your way to get the body of your dreams. Good luck.

This article can be freely published on a website as long as it's not modified in any way including the author bylines, plus the hyperlink must be made active just like below.

Want to lose weight and gain lean muscle mass? Check out Body Building Resource for articles about muscle building, fat loss, diet and fitness. Also available are a muscle building eBook, DVDs, gym equipment and supplements. Go to http://www.body-building-resource.com

What Exactly Is Testosterone and Tips on How to Increase Your Testosterone Levels Naturally

To raise ones testosterone levels the natural way being an natural bodybuilder. You need to ask just what exactly will cause ones testosterone levels to boost up along with just what will cause them to go straight down as well as the testosterone that's bio-available. As a result of the following content you will see just what circulating testosterone is in addition to what amount of it really is readily available for ones receptors inside the cellular walls.

Testosterone and the Science of it

Testosterone is the primary man sex hormone in addition to an anabolic steroid. With men, it has a vital function in the development of male reproductive tissues for example the testis plus prostate in addition to promoting secondary sexual features like amplified muscle mass, bone mass as well as new hair growth. Testosterone induces alterations in form, size and even can certainly transform the particular physical appearance and also the amount of lean muscle fibers.

Circulating Testosterone

Testosterone influences are generally indexed by age and are typically relying on the amount in addition to duration involving circulating free testosterone. The amount of circulating testosterone within men range in between 350 and 1, 000 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl). Following the age of 40 these types of standard levels commence going down by approximately 1 per cent a year.

Precisely How Testosterone is Made

Just like various other anabolic steroid human hormones, testosterone comes from cholesterol that is the 1st step within the bio-synthesis. In the last phase involving androstenedione it's minimized to produce anabolic testosterone.

Just how Testosterone Stimulates Muscle Development

Anabolic testosterone is really a anabolic steroid hormone from your androgen group. Androgens encourage protein synthesis to get development with racking up bone density, strength and muscle tissue by using androgen receptors. Anabolic testosterone helps bring about nitrogen retention within the lean muscle the more nitrogen the actual muscle tissues retains the more protein your muscle stores. Anabolic testosterone may also improve the levels regarding yet another anabolic hormone, IGF-1, within muscle tissues.

Anabolic testosterone also offers the particular remarkable capacity to improve your activity regarding satellite cells. These kinds of cells perform an extremely productive purpose with restoring destroyed muscle tissue. Anabolic testosterone furthermore binds on the androgen receptor in promoting A. R dependent mechanisms with regard to muscular gain in addition to fat reduction, this also drastically improves the concentrations on the A. R within cells essential regarding muscle tissue repair in addition to growth and A. R within muscle tissue.

The best way Anabolic Hormone Testosterone Raises Red Blood Cell Production

Androgens such as anabolic testosterone can certainly defend your hard earned lean muscle from the catabolic (muscle losing) glucocorticoid hormones, therefore inhibiting the particular behavior of them. Moreover, Anabolic testosterone possesses the capacity to raise red blood cell production, including a increased Rbc count number may possibly boost stamina by way of much better oxygenated bloodstream. More Red blood cells may also enhance recuperation out of physically demanding exercise. The bigger the actual bioavailability within free form Anabolic testosterone the more your muscle mass building result.

Glycogen as well as Synthesis Contraction

Anabolic testosterone elevates muscle tissue contraction simply by raising the amount of continuous motor neutrons within muscle tissue enhancing neuromuscular transmission. This also encourages glycogen synthesis giving additional energy regarding powerful workout routines as a result raising stamina and speed. whenever compressed when lifting weights.

Anabolic Testosterone Advances Weight-Loss Along With Aggressiveness

Anabolic testosterone helps bring aggressiveness in addition to dominating tendencies. This could make clear the supercharge involving self-confidence that gives bodybuilders the psychological advantage they need to lif some serious weight. Anabolic testosterone can also be great at endorsing fat reduction obtaining a good anti-estrogenic impact it generates a perfect weight-loss atmosphere. Anabolic testosterone binds into the A. R on body fat cells contributing to body fat break-down plus stops new body fat development. It's really worth bringing up an indirect activity of weight loss, that test demonstrated a source of nourishment portioning effect on lean muscle in addition to body fat. Because the human body is definitely developing muscle tissue in an more rapid rate on the more protein and carbs you eat, nutriments will be shuttled to muscle tissue, in addition to away from body fat.

In conclusion by simply knowing the development of anabolic testosterone you will see just how your training workout can be benefited through it.

I have been bodybuilding for over 20 years now. It all started when my dad bought me my first weight set when I was 16. You can say that I am a certified fitness fanatic, diet and nutrition consultant, freelance entrepreneur, and a motivated trainee/trainer. My goal here is to give you the best researched information and my absolute sound advice. I will give you the bodybuilding tips you need from muscle mass and strength, bicep training, weight lifting, power lifting, completion, abs workout, fitness and exercise tips, as well as diet and nutrition top tips to setting new goals. For your workout needs come and visit me at... [http://goldstar-bodybuilding.net].

What is the Best Routine to Gain Weight and Muscle? Revealed!

To find the best routine to gain weight and muscle one needs to make sure that it has a few consistent elements. These elements are what makes or breaks a weight lifting routine. For a program to claim that it is the best routine to gain weight and muscle it NEEDS to have the following elements.

Effective Stimulation

Lifting weights alone is not good enough. You need to know how to lift to optimize muscle fiber stimulation and you need to know the superior exercises for each target muscle group. As a rule of thumb, the best routine to gain weight and muscle will attack the type one fast twitch fibers AND the type two slow twitch fibers.

Mind Integration

Believe it or not, the mind is what ends up building the muscle. It is the source that sends the muscle building signals and hormones to build the muscle quickly and effectively. So clearly, the best routine to gain weight and muscle MUST address the importance of the power of the mind and how to manipulate this power to aid in weight training.

Calendar Schedule

What good is a workout program if you can't handle the demands? A low intensity easy program will be much more effective than a "hardcore let's kill ourselves at the gym" type of program if you are not the most motivated person in the world. The best routine to gain weight and muscle for you must be one that fits with your schedule and one that you can easily continue to workout with months at a time.

So what is the best routine to gain weight and muscle? It's simply the one that works best for you and that has a proven track record with plenty of testimonials and credibility.

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Women's Health and Fitness - 10 Tips On How To Look Younger

Appearance is very important, it is the first thing you notice when you meet someone. As you grow older the body starts to let you down, but there are a few things that you can do. Some ideas are very simple, while others need a bit of work but they can all help to turn back the clock and make you look younger.

1. Standing up straight is one of the best ways to look younger and more confident. Standing straight, with shoulders back and down with your tummy pulled in. At first you will need to practice and check yourself that you are standing up straight but soon it will become second nature. Doing exercises to strengthen your tummy muscles will also help.

2. Having enough sleep, at least 7 to 8 hours a night will make you feel healthier and younger. Your body needs sleep so that it can repair your body cells and refresh you mind.

3. Smiling makes you look radiant and younger. Smiling also distracts from areas that show your age. A smile just changes your whole face, try standing in front of a mirror and see what smile can do for your face.

4. Just because you are older does not necessarily mean that you have to have a short haircut. It all depends on the shape of your face, a short hairstyle can be cut to flatter and frame your face. This can be great to draw attention away from signs of ageing. Though longer hairstyles can be just as flattering as long as you have a good haircut that is shaped and maybe layered. A good hairdresser should be able to advise on the best way to cut your hair, as it does not just depend on the shape of your face but also on the texture and volume of your hair.

5. Colouring your hair is also a great way to hide the tale tell grey hairs. It is best to choose a colour that is close to your original colour so that it naturally compliments your facial tones. Otherwise you can have high lights or low lights put into your hair, and these do not require re-doing as frequently as an all over colour.

6. Choose the right clothes to compliment your body and hide the areas that you do not like. For example if you have flabby arms you can wear three quarter length sleeves to hide them. Soft colours will help you look younger because your skin tones become greyer as you get older.

7. Keep your teeth clean, with brushing and flossing, and with regular visits to the dentist to have your teeth checked. Getting teeth cleaned to prevent plague build up can also save you losing teeth unnecessarily. If your teeth are discoloured, the dentist might suggest whitening them, so that you will be happy to smile and show off your teeth.

8. Losing weight can also help you look younger. Make sure that as you lose weight that you tone your body with aerobic and resistance exercises.

9. Make-up can also help as long as you do not cake it on. Use a light foundation that does not sink into the wrinkles and emphasis them is better than a heavier one that does. Be careful about which eyeshadows to use, cream ones will sink into your wrinkles.

10. Look after your skin. Do not clean your face with soap and water but with a proper cleanser so that it dissolves all the make-up on the face and cleanses it properly. Always make sure that you remove your make-up every night as one night leaving it on can age your skin eight days. After cleaning your skin make sure that you moisture it so that it keeps your skin hydrated and younger looking.

With the aids that have been shown above on how to look younger, start today by choosing a couple of ideas, implement them and watch the changes in your appearance.

Gill Webster is dedicated to helping women over 40, learn how to live a healthy beautiful life. To learn more, jump to [http://www.feelinggreatafter40.com] and sign up for her free newsletter on health and fitness.