A New Year, A “Nu” You

Happy New Year!!!! Have you written any resolutions for the New Year? Several of my friends are committing to losing weight through improved diets and adding exercise this year. Personally, I am back on track with my pre-holiday diet consisting of small meals and snacks of veggies, a handful of nuts and fresh fruit 5 or 6 times a day. Every night I drink 2 tablespoons of unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar. Combined with 3 to 4 days of fairly strenuous weights and conditioning exercise, this system has worked really well for me. I lost 13 pounds before the holidays following this regimen. Now, I never stopped drinking my apple cider at night but my meals became irregular in size and time. Snacks were gone all together or consisted of holiday cookies and yummy, high calorie, holiday snacks. I expected my skinny jeans to get a little tighter. But, what I did not expect was to feel so tired between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Now, I only gained about 5 pounds and I was still mourning the loss of my grandmother, but I felt about 20 years older!!!! That just goes to show how diet directly affects physical energy.

Here is an interesting fact I got on Monday, January 2nd, from a local gym: “60-percent of all new health club memberships come in January and February and as many as 50 people joined one local gym on January 2nd”. How many of these new members remain throughout the year? About 50-percent of them continue their journey to better health through exercise or at least they think they will so they don’t cancel their membership. Gyms get their money whether people go or not so my advice is find an accountability partner. For me, I have to schedule an appointment to exercise with someone. It ensures I make it to the gym even when I might be tired. I’m always glad because I feel better afterwards.

Health Tip: Steroids: Side Effects Not Worth It!
Often referred to colloquially as just “steroids”, Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones similar to the male hormone testosterone. While there are many types of anabolic steroids – each with their own effects – anabolic steroids generally stimulate muscle growth and tissue regeneration, and amongst their many uses they can be used to build size, strength, and explosive power. However, used improperly they can also carry a number of harmful short and long-term side effects. Two common steroids used to gain muscle strength and reduce body fat are Dianabol and Winstrol. See below for a list of their individual side effects.

Dianabol Side Effects
Strain On Liver
As a 17-aa steroid, Dianabol can cause liver damage if high doses are taken over an extended period of time.
Gynecomastia
Because Dianabol converts quite easily into Estrogen, another potential side effect of the drug is the condition known as Gynecomastia. Gynecomastia is when males develop mammary glands and grow female breasts due to various reasons related to hormonal imbalances.
Fluid Retention
Also related to Dianabol’s tendency to convert to estrogen is the Dianabol side effect of increased fluid retention as well as fat storage.
Winstrol Side Effects
Liver Toxicity
Like Dbol, Winstrol is a 17aa compound, which allows it to be taken orally, but also renders it toxic to the liver. Winstrol is quite hepatoxic, thus it’s extremely important to limit its use and avoid abuse.
Negative Effects On Cholesterol Levels
Tests have shown that Winstrol may have results on Cholesterol that are less than desirable, including lowering HDL (good) cholesterol while increasing LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Effects On Joints and Connective Tissue
Winstrol has been said to cause joints to feel less lubricated, likely due to its negative effect on fluid retention
This is just a small list of the negative side effects from only (2) of the anabolic steroids available. It certainly makes it understandable as to why professional sports ban their usage. These listed side effects make me wonder about other drugs used to enhance physical performance and/or physical appearance. Stick to reducing the number of caloric intake and make them the most nutritious calories you possible can for the sake of your health and beauty.