Subscribe Annual checkups have been standard for decades, but recent research found that if you feel fine, they don't necessarily change health outcomes. For example, one review showed that yearly doctor visits increased the delivery of preventive services—like colonoscopies—but they didn't significantly lower the instance of life-threatening diseases or deaths. (Kick-start your new, healthy routine with Women's Health's 12-Week Total-Body Transformation!)
2a7069d7329fbe58902fc5228cdecbae26f71ba3That said, even if you don't have any medical conditions, a physical is an opportunity to check for issues you may not be aware of (like high cholesterol), assess risk factors like family history, and build a relationship with your doctor. Plus, recent screening tests (like skin cancer checks) may also be reviewed.
Bottom line: There's no formal rule for how often a healthy person needs a checkup—risk factors and medical history come into play—so ask your doctor if every four years is fine for you. But FYI, you should get a blood pressure check every five years, so don't stay away longer than that.
The greatest performance diets may seem complicated and fancy, but they are all built on a foundation of basic principles and simple foods. Eat the right ones, and your body will respond accordingly. If your current regimen doesn't include the following body-builders, beeline to the grocery store and stock up on them, stat. Bonus: They're also all pretty delicious.
Show us a bodybuilder without egg whites in his diet, and we'll show you someone who's missing out on the best protein money can buy. Paired with oatmeal, an egg-white omelet can turn your breakfast into a power meal to fuel the rest of your day.
Buy It: When purchasing eggs, do the basics: Always check the date and open the carton to check for cracks. Also, be sure the eggs are refrigerated in the store and when you get home with them. Although eggs stored out of the refrigerator won't necessarily cause illness, they do lose a grade per day when not refrigerated.
Prepare It: Although many gadgets promise an easy way to separate the yolk from the white, the quickest, easiest method is to simply use your own clean hands. For this six-egg-white omelet recipe, crack six eggs into a medium-sized bowl. Next, using clean fingers, lightly grasp the yolks, lift them out one by one, and discard. With a fork or whisk, whisk the egg whites with salt, pepper and any of your favorite herbs until well combined and a few bubbles have formed on top. Spray a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Place it over medium-high heat and add egg whites. After about 15 seconds, reduce heat to medium. Pull in on the edges of the omelet with a spatula and slightly tilt the pan so the uncooked egg runs under the cooked portion. Continue this around the perimeter until most of the uncooked egg disappears. Then fold the omelet in thirds, as if you're folding a letter to fit it into a business envelope. Using the spatula, carefully slide it from the pan to a plate and eat it immediately.
If you are seriously involved with weight training, bodybuilding, or any athletic endeavor involving muscle mass and strength, then you surely have pondered the question “How do I gain the most size in the least amount of time?” The first and most commonly practiced approach is to “bulk up“ by eating any and everything you can get your hands on, with, of course, a priority on protein. But dietary fat and carbohydrate control? Forget about it! This approach could be extremely effective for an ectomorph somatotype with a blazing metabolism and forgiving insulin sensitivity. However, for the mesomorph and especially, the endomorph somatotype, this method could be a complete detriment to their goals.
The second protocol for size would be a slow and gradual approach involving “dieting” all year long, staying lean, and in a single-digit body-fat range. This involves crunching caloric values, macronutrient values, and constant manipulation to your nutrition and training regimen. Usually the folks who can’t stand losing their abdominal muscles and sharp facial features utilize this approach, which is effective, but will not truly maximize their muscle mass potential.
The third approach to building lean muscle mass is what I refer to as “the decondition to condition” method. This train of thought requires one to dramatically reduce weight training to two to three times a week. Weight training should involve minimal free weights and place an emphasis on safer machine and cable movements for joint and ligament
You want to keep the muscles stimulated, but far from overloaded and severely broken down. You will also need to reduce your protein and food intake, and consume only small, infrequent meals. Discontinue all muscle building supplementation to get your body flushed out and cleansed. One would follow this deconditioning phase for two months or longer, depending on what your goals and lifestyle permit for properly executing the next phase. This practice primes your body for a huge growth spurt when you “fip the switch” and do the opposite approach.
When making the switch to the “conditioning phase” or muscle growth period, the trainee would begin weight training again, meaning four to six times a week. Begin consuming copious amounts of protein, complex carbohydrates, and essential fatty acids to induce anabolism. Begin a supplementation plan and regimented sleep schedule to ensure recovery is optimized. This method should allow a person to do the “impossible” and gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously if the nutrition is strict with smart food choices, training is brutally intense, and no deviations manifest. Of course, you will be gaining back lost size from the layoff, but often times you will supersede your previous size with a lower body-fat percentage.
This sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Well…it’s not quite that easy. The key to making this protocol work for you is having substantial muscle mass from previous “bulking phases,” where you have already been through the rigors of excessive, gluttonous eating, and performed basic, heavy exercises to have put on solid size, setting the stage for your physical foundation of muscle mass. After reaching ultimate size, you can implement the unorthodox protocol of deconditioning and shrinking in size, then flling back out with lean muscle mass gains.
Every individual will differ in how they respond to each method of gaining muscle mass. Listen to your body, and keep records of how each approach works. If you get blood work done and can ensure your health is not in danger, forcing extreme caloric intake is probably the fastest way to accrue appreciable muscle mass