Men's Fitness Goals and Staying Motivated

Hello, In this article I would like to cover setting some fitness goals in your workouts. I also think that staying motivated to workout can be challenging in itself. It is very easy to slack off if you are not motivated or if you do not have any reachable goals in mind. Whatever your reasons to work out, set goals.

Everybody works out for a reason. There are different reasons that men have, but still, a reason. For example, maybe they just want to stay ft and keep that "boyish" figure. They don't care about building tons of muscle, they just want to keep looking fit and fitting into their clothes. So, for those people, it is more of a weight goal and nutrition goal than a muscle goal. I would assume that stepping on a scale daily or weekly would keep them motivated. That and all the stares from women that they would get. You must realize that a backslide, occasionally, will happen. It is human nature. Put the slip into the past and keep moving forward. Think of how satisfying it is to look your "GQ" best!

Another group of men might be interested in getting bigger muscles. The "Hulk" look, so to speak. The motivation for those types might be just looking in the mirror, a tape measure, and a journal of how much more they can lift from week to week. Now, for myself, I don't aspire to the "muscle bound" look, but many men do. They can put on their Speedos and see the muscles growing. Here again, keeping a journal from week to week with weight lifted would be great motivation. Working out with a partner also would provide competition to keep you motivated. Muscle builders are competitive!

Some men just want to lose weight. Building big muscles is not a priority, but just not being fat and flabby anymore is. They are probably motivated by a wife or girlfriend. They want to be looking their best and be stronger for them, have more energy, and be in shape. If you are in shape, you can do more things with your partner and possibly protect them better if you need to. That is motivation. here again, hit that scale twice a week, and watch the weight drop off.

Whatever your reasons are for working out, find the motivating factor that you need. Figure out the goal or goals you want to reach. There will be days you just don't want to workout anymore. It happens to us all, but you just have to fall back to, "what am I trying to accomplish here". Take a cheat day if necessary and then get right back at it! If a gym membership is getting expensive, don't use that to quit. Work out at home. Change your routine to include exercises you can do at home. Don't use ANYTHING as an excuse to not reach your goals in your workouts.

I hope you get a lot out of this article, and remember, keep on moving forward towards your goals. They are well worth the effort.

Thanks For Reading, Scott

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_L._Moser

Choose Your Chocolate Wisely

Since it's Easter, let's talk about chocolate. Cacao vs Cocoa

BACKGROUND:
The tree from which chocolate is derived is the cacao tree, otherwise known by its species name Theobroma cacao. After the cacao seeds (including the beans, which grow inside the seeds) are dried and fermented, they are known as cocoa. From this point, the beans can be processed into cocoa powder, cocoa butter, or chocolate.

So the tree is cacao, and cocoa is the substance made from the cacao tree. Elements of the cacao tree that have NOT been processed in the manner of cocoa remain cacao.

HEALTH BENEFITS:
There are over 711 identified nutrients and phytochemicals found in cocoa. Cocoa seeds are often considered a “superfruit” because of their nutrition content and they do have a higher ORAC score and flavanoid value compared to acai, blueberry, cranberry and grapes.

Historically, there have been over 150 medicinal uses of cacao, including many heart health benefits. Cultures that live near the equator have been using cocoa for its health benefits such as the Kuna Amerinds. Though they have a very high sodium diet, they don’t experience much high blood pressure. This may be attributed to the average of five cups of a cocoa beverage they consume every day, according to presenter Debra Miller, PhD, director of nutrition at the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition.

Cocoa, the main ingredient of this beverage, contains powerful plant nutrients called flavanols which help cells that make up the inside lining of arteries produce nitric oxide which relaxes the arteries. This allows more blood flow to the heart and the rest of the body, which in turn lowers blood pressure.

More than 250 studies show that natural cocoa and dark chocolate have health benefits, and a recent meta-analysis of research supports that cocoa flavanols not only help lower blood pressure but may help manage cholesterol and improve insulin sensitivity, too. A study in the Netherlands showed that elderly men who consumed chocolate regularly had a 50% reduced risk of developing heart disease and a 47% reduced risk of dying from all causes.

Emerging research suggests that cocoa may also be beneficial in cognition and exercise recovery – especially when combined with milk. One study showed that athletes could do 27% more work after consuming chocolate milk and increased their time to exhaustion by 40%.

WARNINGS:
1) Depending on the product, chocolates can contribute a hefty calorie contribution if you’re not careful about portion sizes. An ounce a day is about the right amount.

2) Since not all chocolate is created equal, make sure to choose
--> a) the darker variety
--> b) one with a higher percentage of cacao (the higher “% cacao” the less added sugar it contains), and
--> c) one that has preferably NOT been alkalized/Dutch processed, which strips the chocolates of its healthy flavanols.