Building Lean Muscle with Superfoods

We all like to look and feel good about ourselves. It's this desire that gives us the motivation to exercise. Exercise helps us feel great, we become healthier individuals like many fitness guru mention, lowering the risk of many diseases by partaking in regular activity. 

The endorphins released during exercise help us feel fantastic & have been known to assist with mild depression & low self esteem. 

It isn't just about feeling good though, many of us are motivated by a desire to look fit, healthy & strong. To achieve this we exercise to look younger, lose body fat & build lean muscle.

Benefits of regular exercise:

• Increased endurance
• Healthier muscles, joints & bones
• Increased metabolism
• More energy
• Better sense of well-being & ability to cope with stress
• Sleep better

Building lean muscle is a sure fire way to look good! Not only will you look more toned, but muscle in its resting state burns fat - meaning it burns calories for fuel or energy! Inevitably, this means you will be burning more calories each day. 

An exercise training program to build muscle & a smart nutrition plan, will ensure fat loss occurs - having you looking and feeling great.

How can Superfoods help with building lean muscle?

Building muscle naturally alludes many health & fitness professionals. Many have been led to believe that we need the latest supplements to get "ripped" & to build muscular physiques. 

Many of these supplements contain processed & chemical ingredients that lead to unforeseen side effects including things like fluid retention, breakouts & digestive disturbances - none of which are going to make you feel overly great! 

During the process of muscle growth, the body needs more frequent & regular meals, as your metabolisim increases - it's of importance that the body is being fed the right fuel. 

By fuelling your body with Superfoods, you will certainly avoid any of the nasty side effects mentioned, but you can be confident that superfoods will naturally increase your levels of anabolic hormones to help you increase your muscle mass.

Hormones

Testosterone is imperative for muscle-building. The hormone synthesises proteins to rebuild muscle fibres that have been damaged during training, creating muscle growth. 

The amount of testosterone in your body is a limiting factor when it comes to muscle building, as you can't build more muscle if your testosterone levels aren't high enough. 

Maca contains di-indole methane, which prevents testosterone in the body from converting into dihydrotestosterone - the hormone responsible for muscle atrophy, baldness & man boobs. 

Maca is also a rich source of proteins & minerals. As an adaptogen Maca elevates in adequate hormonal levels and diminishes elevated hormone levels; working directly with your body's individual needs.

Nutrition

Protein is made up of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of your muscles and body. Without them, it would be impossible to build, repair or even maintain muscle tissue.

Protein is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Having a sufficient amount of protein will put you in a positive nitrogen balance, or an anabolic state. Being in an anabolic state will allow you to build muscle. 

On the contrast, if you have a negative nitrogen balance you will be in a catabolic state. Your body actually fuels itself by breaking down your hard earned muscle for energy. So it is extremely important to get an ample amount of protein intake. 

Bee Pollen is an amazing source of complete protein, containing 17 amino acids - which is essential for muscle growth and tissue repair.

Recovery

Muscle growth (hypertrophy) takes place during rest, not during a workout, making recovery an extremely important step in the process of building lean muscle. 

In order to optimize muscle growth and recovery, make sure your post-workout nutrition is in order. 

Why? By supplying your muscles with the appropriate vitamins, nutrients & minerals after a workout, you can increase protein synthesis (muscle building) and reduce protein degradation (muscle breakdown), which can lead to an increase in muscle growth. 

What's more, consuming nutrient dense foods can help replenish cellular energy, which can lead to faster recovery time! 

Raw Cacao is a great source of phytonutrients including aminos, protein, omega-3, calcium, zinc, sulphur, copper, potassium, beta-carotene, chromium and magnesium. 

Magnesium is critical for muscle relaxation & circulation. Magnesium helps us to relax, and prevents us from getting overly stressed. 

Chromium is a mineral that is critical for helping us to regulate our blood sugar. It helps our cells to become more sensitive to insulin. Chromium helps us bring insulin levels back into balance, resensitising our cells to insulin. This is important because, this means that our bodies can utilise glucose (blood sugar) as fuel. Without balanced blood sugar, our brain function, muscle function and overall well being affected. 

Iron is an important mineral oxygenation of the blood. Haemoglobin is responsible for transporting oxygen throughout our body. This is important to energy production and recovery after training.