Antioxidants 
have become a hot topic in combating disease in recent years, and the list of these substances has grown thanks to extensive research which has been conducted and disseminated to the public. A particularly powerful antioxidant is curcumin. Curcumin, an extract which is derived from turmeric, has been used in Asian curries for many centuries and has also been used for treatment of arthritis and other health conditions. Only recently has curcumin received attention from the United States regarding its remarkable benefits as a potent antioxidant.
Perhaps the most exciting potential benefit of curcumin is that it may help to prevent and treat cancer by inhibiting cancer cell growth and the growth of blood vessels which feed into tumors...
Cortisol’s 
Functions
Cortisol has gotten a bad rap in recent years due to its nickname, the “stress hormone”. What occurs during times of excessive emotional stress? The adrenal glands respond by producing more cortisol in an effort to provide more energy and a higher pain threshold which is in keeping with the “fight-or-flight” response you may be familiar with. Normally, cortisol levels are at their highest in the morning then decrease progressively throughout the day, but if your body is placed under excessive stress, it may produce abnormally high levels of cortisol which disrupt this natural pattern. The resulting elevation in cortisol stimulates the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats and also triggers insulin release. These activities can result in an increased appetite and uncomfortable hunger pains. Blood glucose levels also rise as a result of excessive cortisol release, and if that glucose is not used for energy, it will be stored in the body’s fat reserves, particularly in the fat cells of the abdominal region...
Friends 
and others at the gym often ask me which supplements I take and what I recommend they take to get their best possible results. My supplement use is dependent upon my specific goals at that time as they can change throughout the year. My standard “go-to” supps” I use on a regular basis are whey protein, a multi vitamin and creatine. All three of these are essential in producing lasting and hardcore results. For many of the people asking me for advice, these are good options for them as well...
Last 
month’s article was on the importance of our health in relation to sculpting the physique of our dreams. I thought I would continue down that path and talk about free radicals and antioxidants. For those that are not familiar with free radicals they are organic molecules responsible for aging, tissue damage, and possibly some diseases. Some of these molecules are very unstable and looking to bond with other molecules destroying their health and further continuing the damaging process. Not all radicals have a negative consequence in the body, but for the purpose of this article we will focus on just the negative consequences of free radicals and how to combat them.
There are five different forms of free radicals:
How 
do you recover from a hard gym session? If you are not recovering after a single workout session then this will impact you in the short term, it's when you are seeing this regularly that it really becomes an issue in and outside of the gym. One of my solutions to recovery is the supplement L-glutamine
L-glutamine is the most abundant amino acids found in human muscle and plasma and over 60% of the free-floating amino acid pool in skeletal muscle cells is made up of L-glutamine. It is also a primary nitrogen donor, meaning that it moves the nitrogen around in the body to where it is needed as maintaining a positive nitrogen balance is absolutely necessary for muscle building.
Corn
sugar, or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as it is more commonly called, is the most common sweetener which is used in processed foods and beverages. In fact, HFCS comprises more than 40 percent of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages and is the sole caloric sweetener in soft drinks in the United States. It is adored by the food industry because it is extremely sweet, incredibly cheap, easy to transport and keeps foods moist. Like its chemical cousin table sugar (sucrose), it has raised eyebrows in the research world and prompted a growing body of studies which examine the manner in which the body processes it. The general consensus is that consumption of large quantities of any type of sugar is closely linked to dental cavities, obesity, malnutrition, and increased triglycerides. One study which was published in Metabolism Journal discovered that individuals who drank a beverage sweetened with HFCS had fructose blood levels five grams higher than those consuming a beverage sweetened with table sugar. This may not seem like much, but when you consider the cumulative effects, HFCS becomes a much more insidious dietary villain.
How 
many of you know what supplements to take? Or when to take them? Well fear not as I will be giving you my take on when and what supplements to take prior to specific workouts.
60 Prior to your weights workout:
Try to consume 5 grams of l glutamine and 3-5 grams of arginine on an empty stomach.
The glutamine will help energize your workout and will also help with the recovery aspect of your workout. The arginine will help with nitric oxide production; this will help with blood flow to the muscles.
Proteins 
are comprised of amino acids arranged like beads on a string (primary structure) which are then folded upon themselves by means of hydrogen bonds (secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures). This intricate folding can be very complex, conferring specificity which defines a protein’s biological activity. If such higher structures are disrupted, such as by temperature extremes, altered salt concentration or changes in pH, a protein’s biological activity can be reduced or completely obliterated.
When most proteins are heated beyond 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit), the bonds are broken, thus resulting in denaturing of proteins. When you consider the fact that normal body temperature is 37 degrees Celsius or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, not much heat is required to break down a protein. Most stoves have broiling air temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, with the surface temperatures of food reaching higher temperatures as a result of direct radiation from the heating elements. In essence, normal cooking practices heat proteins well above the temperatures at which they become denatured...
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