Your Body Is A Gift

Natural body builders treat their bodies like a gift.

Natural body builders treat their bodies like a gift. This is the third article in a series on body building. I started these articles in response to the frequent questions I get regarding the bad reputation that body boulders have. Check out the previous articles:
Is Competitive Body Building Healthy?
Body Building Is An Healthy Sport!
This article addresses the other areas of concern that most people seem to focus on in regard to developing a negative attitude about body building. Most people could learn a lot from the body builder mentality. Body builders believe that their bodies are a gift and they treat it as such.

Protein Loading

Most body builders consume their approximate body weight in protein each day during the muscle building phases of their program. Protein increases muscle mass, enhances immune functions, lowers muscle breakdown from weight training and increases strength. Excess protein for a long period of time can cause acidosis. Acidosis is an excess of uric acid in the blood. Most Americans eat to much protein and have acidosis. This can result in many health issues most specifically kidney issues. (See previous post on Acidosis.) Symptoms of acid may include gout, reduced immune system, and basically becoming more vulnerable to disease. People with healthy kidneys do not have adverse reactions to excessive proteins. Older body builders, like myself, need to be more concerned in this area. Eating a diet high in antioxidants will assist the body in reducing uric acid in the blood. Long term use of high protein diets definitely will compromise the body’s ability to fight off disease if acidosis is present. Check out the article on Goji Juice. Goji juice has been my solution to this issue. Goji is the most antioxidant dense fruit in the world. By incorporating goji juice into my meal plan I have been able to keep my uric acid level in line even when protein loading.

Sodium Depletion

Body builders deplete sodium during the last three days prior to competition so that over they can eliminate all excess body water. Sodium holds water. This is a very simple process about three days out of stopping eating eggs, dairy, wheat and other high sodium foods and replacing them with lower sodium rice, chicken, oats, etc. The natural body builder only eats whole foods. This may not be the healthiest practice and I doubt very much if it causes any long term effect when done occasionally.

Dehydration

Body builders do not want any water in their body on competition day. The goal is to have the skin lay right on the muscle without any body water softening the muscle appearance. During the first day of sodium depletion, the body builder continues to drink the normal compliment of water, usually more than half of their body weight in ounces per day. I drink about a gallon a day year round. After reducing sodium for one day, and continuing to drink plenty of water for 36 hours then I will cut back on water to only sips all day. In the last day and a half leading up to the show, I drink maybe 16 per day total the last day and on show day. (As opposed to 126 oz on all other days.) With very little sodium and also a reduction in carbs, the body will let go of all excess water. Is the healthy? Probably not. Is it unhealthy to dehydrate your body? Probably not, if done only occasionally.

Supplements And Vitamins

Yes, there are some body builders that give body building a bad name through drug use. More often though, body builders invest in the finest vitamins and supplements on the market. They understand that when it comes to vitamins, you get what you pay for. Bio Available vitamins, although more expensive are far better value. There are three kinds of vitamins available today. The pills are the cheap vitamins, made from technology invented in the 1930’s. The colloidal vitamins and chelated minerals were invented in the 1960’s and the bio-available vitamins are made with technology from the 21st century. The vitamins are absorbed into your system the way nature intended. Your body is capable of utilizing all the nutrients to keep the body healthy and growing stronger. To learn more about Vitamins. CLICK HERE.

Live Right, Eat Right

The natural body builders stick with the old-school systems of living right, lifting right and treating their body like a gift. Natural body builders will always invest in their bodies first. For a natural body builders nothing is too expensive when investing in their health. Body building is a healthy sport because a body builder understands his/her body and treats it like the gift that it is. Most people could learn a lot from the life style of a natural body builder. There is nothing in life more important than health and we know it and live it.

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