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Ageless MirrorAthlete Pacific Book Review by Allison Walker

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Updated: 8 March 2020, Marc Woodard

Learn More About Ageless MirrorAthlete book and the author by clicking on the book link and reading the free preview.

Title: Ageless Mirror Athlete: Overweight and Unfit No More Author: Marc T. Woodard Publisher: iUniverse ISBN: 978-1-5320-5373-3 Genre: Health and Fitness Pages: 367. Book can be ordered on Amazon, B&N and iUniverse: Hard and soft book cover and digital copy.

To view Ageless MirrorAthlete original pacific book review listed at their website [click here]

Pacific Book Review, by Allison Walker, June 2019

“The weight loss industry should be ashamed, opines lifestyle consultant and author Marc Woodard. Fad diets, the inundation of weight loss pills, and fitness equipment that sits in the corner gathering dust sells people gimmicks instead of solutions. Woodard’s book, Ageless Mirror Athlete, promises to expose the industry’s cheap secrets and offer readers a healthier way to live.”

“As a person looking to make a healthy lifestyle change, to lose weight or gain strength, maybe even to manage a disease, you are entrusting your lifestyle coach with not only your well-being, but with your life. Woodard knows this, is passionate about his job and it’s clear he holds equally high standards for others in his industry. This is why Woodard scorns the half-truths of weight loss products, and favors a more wholesome diet, regular exercise and good old fashioned calorie counting along with self-awareness. “

“Calorie counting, or at least awareness of caloric intake, is a key component of Woodard’s fitness plan. Understanding your body’s basal, resting and exercise metabolic rates is how Woodard’s clients lose weight safely, without sacrificing the foods they love. The book becomes technical, explaining the differences between carbohydrates, fats and protein; how the body utilizes each nutrient; and how to calculate how much of each you need. Thankfully, Woodard follows up with, You don’t have to finish reading to begin losing weight and feeling well right now. Instead, Woodard says, make a commitment to daily walking and minimizing processed foods. Ageless Mirror Athlete scorns fad diets in favor of this holistic, educated approach. As an example, Woodard points to high protein, high fat diets like Atkins and KETO. These diets work by throwing the body into a metabolic state of ketosis, wherein you lose weight very quickly but may suffer health complications with continued use. Woodard notes an extended state of ketosis may result in gout, kidney stones and kidney failure.”

“The Ageless Mirror Athlete plan focuses on habitual adjustment to daily routine, since unless you can maintain your lifestyle long-term, no diet or exercise plan is going to work for you. Instead of limiting the types of foods you eat, people learn a better awareness of the food being consumed, the quantity and their nutrient value. Exercise plans favor daily walks or bicycle rides. By making healthier lifestyle choices, clients have greater sustainable energy to get through their day. Woodard offers the example of a client, Sally, who was placed on a popular diet plan by a previous lifestyle coach. Sally was eating a high carbohydrate, low fat, low protein diet. At first she was able to meet her exercise goals, but eventually found she barely had energy to get through her work day, never mind spending energy working out. Under Woodard’s tutelage, they developed a more balanced diet plan to give Sally more energy, and an exercise program she was more easily able to commit to. Several months later, Sally lost weight and still practiced her healthy lifestyle.”

“Just as he promises, Woodard is the real deal. He promises to expose the truth behind the weight loss and body building industries, and he does. Ageless Mirror Athlete is a no-gimmicks call-out to all the diet plans, weight loss pills, and exercise equipment founded of false promises made by commercial interests.”

Change Exercise & Nutrient Strategies – Grow More Muscle, Part 2

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Task Specific Training for Muscle Growth Success

Task Specific Training for Muscle Growth Success

Click on Read Part 1, or cited article link, How to Grow Muscle Naturally, Part 1, below to get the full muscle growth and strength story.

Muscle growth is dependent upon protein synthesis [process in which cells build and repair themselves].  An adequate supply of essential amino acids is necessary to grow muscle and keep it in a good state of repair.  It is wise to ensure you consume a diet high in essential and nonessential amino acids for muscle during high intensity weight training cycles.  The mix of amino acid through proteins comes from a variety of whole foods: poultry/eggs, fish, beef, seafood, beans, nuts/seeds and dairy (Healthaliciousness 2013).

“The United States RDA is 0.8g/kg or 0.4g/lbs. This is 80g protein per day if you weigh 200lbs. But this recommendation is based on studies done on average, sedentary people.  The minimum if you train hard is 1g protein per pound of body-weight per day. That’s 200g daily protein if you weigh 200lbs. You’ll reach this amount easily by eating a whole protein source with each meal.”  (Mehdi 2009)

Professional body builders and athletes frequently consume three times that in food calories and supplements to grow muscle and increase strength.

Most Americans, unless you’re adverse to eating animal products get enough protein in the average diet. But this does not guarantee your getting all essential amino acids from the proteins you consume in a day.

Your body needs 20 total amino acids to build and repair muscles and tissues.  The nine essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.”  If you are stressed or severely sick, you need to get dietary non-essential amino acids as well.  Non-essential amino acids, made by the body include alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, arginine, cysteine, glutamine, glycine, ornithine, proline, serine, tyrosine and glutamic acid.” Meat, dairy, eggs, poultry and seafood provide all nine essential amino acids and are known as complete proteins. (Coffman 2013)

If you do not eat seafood or animal-based foods, your diet is likely lacking in essential amino acids.  This is one reason power lifters supplement their diet with an amino acid or protein supplement drink or power bar.  By doing so ensures muscle tissue has adequate nutrients to optimize muscle growth and strength potential.

Their supplemental nutrients taken daily also often include a daily vitamin and mineral complex.  These are the staple nutrients necessary to ensure the bodies muscles can optimally repair and grow.

 Changing exercise strategy to grow more muscle,

Frequently switch up your exercises.  Don’t get stuck on the same routine week in and out.  Use a wide array of weight lifting equipment and target muscles you typically don’t train.  For instance, the bench press focuses on the mid-pectoral chest muscles, but it does not maximally stress the upper or lower pectoral muscles.  Be sure you’re adding an incline and decline chest exercise to round out the chest area (symmetrical).  After 72 hours when you work the chest again, use stationary bench press equipment, or dumbbells as opposed to the free weight bench press to perform similar chest exercises.

If you typically look the other way as you walk past a workout station… this should tell you, you have weak muscles that need work.  Many experienced bodybuilders never do the same workout twice.  How do you think natural body builders sustain their size for decades?  They work other supporting muscular structures that assist weakening muscle fiber.  In this way, if strength diminishes through the aging process; muscular bulk is maintained through other variations of less intense exercise activity.  It is possible to sustain muscle mass and not have great strength.  It’s really about how you train and set fitness goals.

Until the weakest muscles are worked, for example by varying the angles of the muscle group articulations it will be harder to optimize symmetrical muscle growth and overall strength-power.  Why’s that?  Because the muscular inter-tie and effort per muscle group is dependent on the weakest bundled muscle fibers that work in sync to achieve maximum muscle torque per grouping.

You’ve heard that team that work together win championships right.  The same is true of a body’s internal musculature groupings and forces.  The first place to visually observe an interlinking muscle grouping weakness can be seen in an outer appearing muscular symmetry beneath the skin.

So how do you view this to determine muscle group weaknesses?  Stand in front of a mirror and you’ll note the developing muscles vs. muscle depressions/or size differences from one arm or shoulder muscle, from the other side as an example.  The muscle groups required to compete cannot with an underdeveloped or depressed, undersized, or underdeveloped muscle grouping.

For example, if the bulk of your chest development resides within the mid chest and front shoulder areas, your upper and/or lower chest muscles will appear to be deflated or depressed.  If your goal is to win a national body building competition, or become a great fighter for example, how can you compete with the elite if muscle symmetry and/or full strength ROM (Range of Motion) per task specific body segments is underdeveloped?  Point and case, you’ll face competitive challenges.

When you pay attention to muscle development deficits, it makes it easier to take a corrective weight training (task specific) exercise action to keep the team of muscles within any muscle grouping symmetrically trained, especially if you plan to compete in competitive sports.

Can you train competitively without the steroids and growth hormones?

I don’t believe anabolic steroids should be allowed to create a performance advantage for competitive sports for ethical and health reasons.  But the fact is they are used by many professional athletes.  Note I said many, I didn’t say all.  I recommend you follow professional athletes that train muscle naturally if you want to steer clear of the unwanted health risks associated with anabolic supplements.

Does this mean that Growth Hormones and steroids have no medical use?  There is literature that makes good sense out of its use to benefit health and quality living experiences.  But it is only through a doctor’s care and treatment and when used correctly can provide a health benefit while minimizing health risk.

“Suzanne Somers states, Growth Hormone is one of the most studied compounds in medicine.  When growth hormone deficiency is present, growth hormone replacement therapy has widespread health benefits on quality of life, body composition, cognitive function, cardiovascular outcomes, bone density and exercise capacity.  Growth hormone replacement therapy has been studied with published results in major medical journals reporting on more than 100,000 patients.”   (Somers 2012)

It is the abusive and unnecessary overuse of steroids and growth hormones that skew the benefits vs. health risk.  In other words, science can find ways to keep us healthy longer, but ultimately it is man’s abuse, greed and vanity that seeks to deliver a performance shortcut and achieve a short-term competitive edge.  In using a pharmaceutical or supplemental product above and beyond its safe use throws blinds over impressionable eyes.  And in doing so delivers unwanted health consequences for too many of our young athletes.

If you want to gain strength and grow muscle safely, work for it by doing it naturally.  Working hard without the use of dangerous chemical short-cuts will reward your body by supporting a long-lived quality lifestyle.  If you suspect you need hormone therapy, ensure you consult with a doctor.  Or if your intent on using any type of steroid or growth hormone supplement, do yourself a favor, first read the article link below to learn more about them,  “GH-Hormone Stimulator the Fountain of Youth. ”

Works Cited,

Coffman, Melodie A. “Do You Need to Eat Essential Amino Acids Every Day?” Healthy Eating. Hearst Communications, Inc., n.d. Web. 17 June 2013. <http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/need-eat-essential-amino-acids-day-3113.html>.

Healthaliciousness. “Top 10 Foods Highest in Protein.” Top 10 Foods Highest in Protein. Healthaliciousness.com, 2013. Web. 17 June 2013. <http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-protein.php>.

Mehdi. “Protein 101: How Much Do You Need & Best Sources of Protein | StrongLifts StrongLifts.” StrongLifts RSS. StrongLifts.com, 25 May 2009. Web. 17 June 2013. <http://stronglifts.com/protein-daily-needs-myths-best-sources-protein/>.

Somers, Suzanne. “Human Growth Hormone Update.” Suzanne’s Blog. Suzannesomers.com/blog, 5 June 2012. Web. 17 June 2013. <http://www.suzannesomers.com/Blog/post/Human-Growth-Hormone-Update.aspx>.

Woodard, Marc T.  How to Grow Muscle Naturally, Part 1.  Mirror Athletes Fitness Secrets. MirrorAthlete.com, 18 June. 2012. Web. 20 July 2013. http://www.mirrorathlete.org/?p=1629 

Woodard, Marc T.   GH-Hormone Stimulator the Fountain of Youth.  Mirror Athlete Fitness Secrets. 3 Feb. 2012. Web. 17 June 2013. Elixir? http://www.mirrorathlete.org/?p=1283

Author: Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, ARNG, CPT, RET. 2013 Copyright. All rights reserved, Mirror Athlete Inc., www.mirrorathlete.org, Sign up for your Free eNewsletter.

GH-Hormone Stimulator the Fountain of Youth Elixir?

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Men and women’s growth of healthy muscle, bone, body fat regulation and sexual desire and sense of well-being is dependent upon the metabolisms optimization of 7 hormones working in harmony with each other. The decline in maleness is now being referred as andropause, while the parallel term used on women is menopause. These terms are characteristic of the aging process. There is something you can do about reversing the attributes of old age without creating risk to your good health. Of course, you must understand, there are specific conditions to be aware of prior to participating in any hormone stimulation program, to include supplementing your diet.

You first must be aware why marketers have taken advantage of hormone replacement therapy and androgen stimulation science to promote products that may not be in your best health interest (i.e., supplementation and steroids). Today, we’ll be looking at 2 of the most important male hormones that are also produced within women that contribute to wellbeing (Testosterone and Growth Hormone). Yes, women do produce this hormone in small amounts.

GH (Growth Hormone) also called somatotropin, and somatotropic hormone is produced by and secreted by a man and woman’s anterior pituitary gland (located at the base of the brain), through the glands somatotrope cells. This hormone stimulates the release of another hormone called somatomedin that is produced by the liver which causes growth during puberty. These complex GH protein cells released by these pituitary cells influences the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and other proteins within the metabolic function. GH is an occurring 190 complex amino acid protein hormone synthesized by our body’s pituitary function.

The major role of GH is to balance and sustain human growth and metabolism after puberty. Another role of GH as we become adults is to regulate body weight. It targets adipose (fat cells) receptor sites to stimulate the breakdown of the fatty triglyceride acids while suppressing the fat cell from absorbing more fat after you eat. When the gland is producing enough of this somatotoph protein hormone there is an immediate release of an insulin-like Growth Hormone (IGF-I) secreted by the liver and other soft tissues that also maintains the bodies healthy muscle mass through cell repair complimenting muscle strength and growth.

As medical doctors and scientists focus on HGH (Human Growth Hormone) effect in human and animal studies, it is understood that this hormone as well as the body’s natural producing androgen (testosterone/estrogen) are very significant “anti-aging” metabolic components. This becomes more important knowledge as you’re wondering how to optimize and maintain these hormone levels to help slow down the aging process and provide more vitality. Not only do these hormones optimize metabolism in many respects for both sexes, but most important and valued attributes to both male/female: increased muscle mass, strong bones, sexual desire, reproduction, hair, skin, energy, obesity prevention and sense of well-being.

If a women has lost the pituitary GH function because of a medical condition or surgery, then this can be a major problem since the adrenal glands signaling mechanisms to the ovaries is no longer telling them to stimulate the production of fit-healthy female hormones (GH, progesterone, estrogen, testoterone). As stated, small amounts of testosterone are fractionally produced in the ovaries as in comparison to men and essential for a woman’s overall sense of well-being.

Blood tests can determine if either men/women are low in testosterone-GH and if androgen therapy is right for either sex. Testosterone therapy for women is a different set of circumstances which also appears to have some positive results if needed. A man’s testosterone production is equally split between the testes and adrenal glands (50:50). If a male’s testosterone levels drop below a safe level, increasing these levels can be accomplished through injections, pills, gels or patches. Hormone treatment is known as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).

The healthy levels of testosterone typically found in the blood stream for men ranges from 350 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl). Under the 300-350 level can then become a contributing cause to obesity, bone density loss (brittle bones), muscle loss and may increase your chance of a heart attack. And by the time a male turns 60, since you lose 1% testosterone production per year after the age of 40, impotence occurs for many men.

Young men attribute impotence as an old man’s problem, men in their 30-40’s also can have low testosterone counts. This disorder is called hypogonadism. Many times this disorder is caused by an un-descended testicle. But also common to this disorder can result from a groin injury, prescription drug use, or pituitary gland disorder, or a combination of one or more of these problems.

Although testosterone production in women is fractional in comparison to men, it is an important hormone to a women’s overall good health. And it also contributes to sex drive or libido for them. If a woman is low in testosterone production and then receive HRT to increase their testosterone levels, they often equate the quality of life effects as feeling much better as shown through scientific data.

HRT treatment for men with low testosterone production can improve male characteristics if deficient of this natural occurring hormone. It is recommended by endocrinologists that men with borderline testosterone work towards raising hormone levels naturally through exercise before going on testosterone therapy, especially if you border around 350 (ng/dl). If you can elevate testosterone naturally through exercise activity, then you’ll accomplish the same goal without the health risk associated with unnecessary hormone therapy.

The following represent the wellness benefits for men and women when maintaining normal levels of hormones: You’ll have a stronger physique, better mood, more energy and improved bedroom sessions. However, too much HRT or GH supplementation is not considered safe or useful. As a matter of fact, too much or too little appears to contribute to illness and disease complications.

It is also very controversial regarding the use of DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) supplements to stimulate GH-Testosterone release as opposed to a man’s natural production through the adrenal glands, gonads and brain. DHEA stimulation of a man’s androgen receptor cells metabolite functions cause the release of other hormones: androstenediol and adrostenedione. This is another cause for concern. This is because the metabolite functions undergo further conversion to produce the androgen testosterone through supplementation. The use of a supplement stimulant to increase androgen levels is not natural and is not recommended because of the possibility of increasing your risk to prostate cancer and heart disease.

The hormone androstenedione (mentioned above) is a common precursor sex hormone activated by the adrenal glands. This hormone is also produced within a man’s gonads. Exercise activity will stimulate androstenedione production through the adrenal gland naturally if you don’t have a glandular or metabolic disorder.

Both testosterone and GH hormones drop relatively at a similar rate through the aging process which can create the following ill-health conditions in men and women: gain in body fat, muscle/bone loss, increased breast fat, exhaustion, loss of libido and low sex drive. Can HRT treatment help me with these ill-health conditions? Yes. But it is wise to seek out an endocrinologist to determine through biochemical or physiological test results that show you have “unhealthy” low levels of one or more of the natural occurring hormones.

For both sexes it is the metabolic multi-hormonal functions on the human physiology that promotes natural weight loss and all the other anti-aging properties we desire throughout our lifecycle. These hormonal metabolic functions also help us to stimulate cell regeneration and repair bodily tissues that are beneficial to both men and women. And when these GH functions work in harmony to stimulated normal levels of testosterone, estrogen and other hormones within both sexes, then anti-aging properties are optimized.

It is a benefit to know, if you start exercising in your 20-30’s and sustain this lifestyle your decline of natural occurring hormones during the aging process will slow down considerably. Another noteworthy point: it appears that exercise activity started at a younger age for men and women and sustained also has a greater benefit to the metabolism during the senior years.

Exercise activity for women works much the same way in stimulating increased hormone levels for men. That is, what makes women-women and men-men. Exercise activity will stimulate adequate hormone production to varying degrees in helping to maintain healthy male and female no matter your age. And regardless of when you begin an exercise-activity you’ll experience these natural healthy male-female benefits for as long as you want to sustain your activity levels. If you are looking at supplementation to stimulate GH to activate and enhance male and female characteristics, it is highly recommended you seek professional counseling and lab work before you blindly elevate you’re your hormone levels. If not, you can actually speed up the aging process in a very short period of time simply by breaking your metabolism. The quick results marketers don’t care about your long-term health goals, but your doctors do!

References,

Bowen, Author R.  Growth Hormone (Somatotropin).  December 24, 2005.  http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/hypopit/gh.html

Deadline Theme.  HGH Vs. Testosterone – Renew your Youthful Zest. 2011 Testosterone Hormone.  http://www.testosteronehormone.net/hgh-vs-testosterone/

Exercise Biology, the Science of Exercise.   Can Workouts Designed to Increase Testosterone Increase Muscle Mass?  http://www.exercisebiology.com/index.php/site/articles/can_workouts_designed_to_increase_testosterone_increase_muscle_mass_strengt/

Fit and Healthy.  How to Increase Testosterone Levels.  http://ifitandhealthy.com/how-to-increase-testosterone-levels/

Geraci, Ron.  13 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Testosterone Levels.  Men’s Health, December 25, 2000.  http://www.timinvermont.com/fitness/boosttes.htm

Healthfully.org. Testosterone for Women.  http://healthfully.org/malehormones/id17.html

Matsuno A., Katakami H., et al. Pituitary somatotroph ademnoma producing growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone (GHRH) with an elevated plasma GHRA concentration: a model case for autocrine and paracrine regulation of GH secretion by GHRH. J. Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999 Sep; 84(9):3241-7.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10487694

The Free Dictionary by Farlex.  Growth Hormone.  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/growth+hormone

Urban Dictionary.  Testosterone.  http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=testosterone

Woodard, Marc.  Low Testosterone, another Man-Made Risky Fix?  Mirror Athlete Fitness Secrets. January 22, 2012.  http://www.mirrorathlete.org/?p=1241

Author: Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, ARNG, CPT, RET. 2012 Copyright. All rights reserved, Mirror Athlete Inc., www.mirrorathlete.org, Sign up for your Free eNewsletter.

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