Boost Your Fitness, Boost Your Confidence

Guest Post by Mathews McGarry

“Your mind and body are powerful allies. How you think can affect how you feel. And how you feel can affect your thinking.” (WebMD - Mind-Body Wellness)

This statement should be remembered by each one of us and constantly repeated so we always hear its echo. The Mind and the Body are one and they produce a reciprocal effect on one another. Improving your physical condition greatly affects your mental health and even the simplest physical activity can build up your confidence and mental toughness.

Side Quest Podcast: Coaches Corner: A Discussion On Nutrition

Confused about nutrition?

You're not alone.

Luckily, a few of my trainer friends and I recently jumped on the Side Quest Podcast to clear the air on exactly what you need to know -- and don't need to know -- about nutrition.

Listen to the episode, Coaches Corner: A Discussion On Nutrition, here:

http://www.sidequestfitness.com/podcast/coaches-corner-nutrition

Or get it on iTunes here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/side-quest-podcast/id927795072?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

10 Reasons You Look Like You Don’t Even Lift (#10 May Surprise You)

1. You lift hard for a week then skip the gym for the next three.

Consistency is the key, and we're not talking about just a few weeks here. You know those monstrously muscular dudes you look up to? It probably took them years of dedication to develop that kind of physique.

2. You follow around the biggest, most roided out guy in the gym, doing whatever he does and hoping he doesn’t notice.

You’re not him, and you probably aren’t on the same juice he is. Unless you are, in which case, go right ahead and follow him around. But know that at some point, he will probably notice. So you might as well just introduce yourself and ask for help. Hopefully, he's not as mean as he looks.

AskMen.com: The Most Inspiring Athletes

Losing an arm or leg, being born with cerebral palsy, having a stroke, getting shot.

By most standards, these would be pretty decent excuses for getting a little out of shape.

Not for the six athletes whose stories I chronicle here, though. Instead of resting on their laurels, these individuals turn their hardship into their ultimate motivation.

Find out just how they do it in my new article for AskMen.com, The Most Inspiring Athletes: Six Inspiring Athletes Who Put Your Excuses To Shame:

>>http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding/the-most-inspiring-athletes.html<<

No Leg, No Colon, No Problem

The year was 2010, and I seemed primed for a takeover of the limb-deficient sector of the Paralympic swimming world. Fresh off an American record in the 100-yard freestyle and a first place finish in the 50-meter freestyle at Spring Nationals, I figured to be sitting pretty leading up to the 2012 Paralympics. If I just continued to improve at the same rate, surely I’d be close to the top of the world rankings heading into the Games.

Then disaster struck. I’d been having digestive problems throughout the collegiate swim season, but I’d been so focused on my athletic and scholastic endeavors that I avoided dealing with them as much as possible. Finally, the situation became acute. With my dorm room bed frame actually stained pink from Pepto Bismol, I couldn’t avoid it any longer.

T Nation: 5 Ways You're Wasting Time in the Gym

If you're anything like me, you love lifting weights. It’s the best part of your day. There’s no finer feeling than the blood coursing through your veins, no finer sound than metal clanking against the floor. But when your life starts to revolve around three-hour marathon gym sessions, you’re no longer getting the most out of your training.

Though your intentions are pure when it comes to these all-day exercise affairs, your results are suffering. You see, building muscle depends on a delicate hormonal balance. Anabolic, or muscle-building, hormones are released at the onset of training, and catabolic, or muscle-wasting, hormones are released around 40 minutes in. Spend much more than an hour pumping iron, and you start tipping the scale in the wrong direction.

It’s easy to fall into this trap. We’ve all been there. One minute you’re warming up; the next you’re only halfway through your workout, it’s two hours later, and you’re late for dinner. Through a combination of improper warm-up, suboptimal exercise selection, and idle rest periods, you’ve managed to turn what should have been a gym quickie into some sort of tantric chest and triceps experience.

With a little extra attention to detail, though, you can get back to building serious muscle without the full-time plus overtime commitment. In my latest T Nation article, I chronicle 5 Ways You're Wasting Time in the Gym -- and what to do about them. Read it here:

>>https://www.t-nation.com/training/5-ways-youre-wasting-time-in-the-gym<<