Tips To Live a Frugal Life

In the current financial state of our country it’s important that we do what we have to, in order to ensure we’re save from any crisis. If you don’t want to be stuck in a hard place when the economy does finally collapse then you need to start preparing now. A lot of jobs have already been lost and many regular day products are escalating in prices. Most of us haven’t seen a financial state such as the one we’re experiencing now and it’s tough for us first timers to prepare for what’s ahead.

Throughout this article we’re going to look at some tips that you can follow to live more frugally. A lot of people have been talking online about living frugally and it’s something more and more people are beginning to adapt into their lives. The whole idea of living frugally is to spend less and therefore save more money. In tough times like these where nothing is a sure investment the best thing you can do is live frugally and just keep your money for a rainy day.

Downsizing

The first tip I can give everyone is downsize your life a little bit. The time of finding cheap financing for everything you want are gone and everyone including banks are being tight with money. You should consider downsizing your current vehicles and house so that you can live more comfortably. Owning a big home and struggling to pay the mortgage is a lot more stressful then downsizing a little bit and knowing your bills are paid each month.

Don’t Waste Money

If you’re strapped for money then you need to stop wasting money on things such as eating out and entertainment. In these times you need to save every penny, you still need to have fun, but there are plenty of things you can do with friends for free. Don’t buy movies, games or anything of that nature as these things aren’t going to help your savings fund.

Don’t Spend Money Online

A lot of people make aimless purchases online and don’t really need to be buying the products their buying. To live frugally you can’t spend money on impulse buys online because you see something you like. If you add up how much you’ve spent the past three years on the internet you’d probably be amazed. For the most part you have nothing to show for it either.

What to do with your Investments

If you’ve been investing in stocks like thousands of other Americans then you may have been feeling the recent financial storm. Since the $700 billion bailout plan was set into motion stocks around the world have taken a tumble. People everywhere are becoming worried about their live savings and investments and want to know whether they should pull out.

For those of you who are invested in the stock market right now and nearing retirement you may need to prolong your retirement date. A lot of financial advisors and stock brokers around the US have been telling their clients nearing retirement that they may need to wait a couple more years. For those with plenty of investments and diversification this won’t matter much, but for the every day American this is tragic.

It’s being recommended by many top consultants right now that if you need your investment money within the next couple years that you should just take it now. The markets will need time to recover from this massive financial hardship and it won’t be something that can be fixed overnight. So if you’re planning on needing your investment money within the next couple years then it’s being recommended that you pull out of them now and take what’s left.

Too many people around the US are having trouble sleeping at night with the losses being posted on the stock markets and this is causing even many veteran investors to pull out. Noone can predict where the economy is heading which is causing a massive selling of tons of stocks.

On the other hand though if you don’t need your investments for fifteen to twenty years then it’s recommended you hold in there. Markets always fluctuate heavily once in awhile and we’re long overdue. In twenty years your investments today could be worth a lot though and therefore professionals are recommending holding out. The major concerns are with those people who have investments maturing within the next few years because there is a massive uncertainty about the economy.

Top 10 Ways to Build Muscle Mass Fast

“Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”

- Arnold H. Glasow


Note: This guest post was written by Mark McManus. Check out his website here.

Want to look better and burn more calories even when resting?

You will if you add some muscle to your frame.

Whether you want to be the next Ronnie Coleman or just want a more defined / toned physique like Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston, you’ll need to build some muscle mass.

So here’s 10 tips to help you build pounds of lean muscle and get the body of your dreams.

1. Pursue Progressive Overload.

The law of progressive overload simply says that you must increase the amount of reps or the weight lifted every single workout (or as close to this as humanly possible) in order to ignite muscle growth.

The body adapts to stimuli, so how do we use this to our advantage? Well the key is to place ever increasing demand on the body, thereby forcing it to continually adapt. Training with weights is undoubtedly the best way to achieve this. You can know precisely how much weight you can handle and can also make incremental increases over time to spark muscle growth.

If you workout with the exact same weight every session and perform the same number of repetitions, how can you expect your body to grow? So, if you want bigger biceps, you must increase the weight you are lifting every session or the amount of repetitions. Remember:

Progressive Overload = Muscle Growth.

2. Perform 8-12 reps.

8-12 reps on any given exercise will stimulate most muscle growth. Lower rep ranges of say 3-6 work well for building strength but not necessarily muscle hypertrophy (growth). Higher reps e.g. 15 - 20 can indeed stimulate muscle growth but it is far from optimal. You should be lifting a weight so heavy that you can’t get more than 12 reps but light enough to allow you to get at least 8 reps.

3. Perform 6-9 sets.

Yes just 6-9 sets per body part. If you are working out with good form this is all you need to stimulate muscle growth. You want to keep your workouts under 45 minutes to avoid the release of hormones that actually break your muscle tissue down (catabolic hormones). Luckily, you can easily accomplish this by performing a maximum of 9 sets per body part.

4. Eat Eat Eat.

Working a muscle tears the tissue, it then repairs and grows. Muscles need fed in order to allow them to grow. Basically you need to eat big to get big. A good bodybuilding diet will allow you to grow without adding fat at the same time.

5. Increase the Amount of Protein in your Diet.

Muscle = protein. In order for muscle tissue to repair itself after your weight-training sessions it needs an abundance of protein. Some beginners don’t take enough protein and some more experienced guys take ridiculously extreme amounts of protein. So how much protein is enough to supply those hungry muscles? Use the following formula for the most accurate daily protein requirements.

Lean Mass Weight (Kg) x 2.75 = Daily Protein Requirement

Your lean weight is your total body weight minus the amount of fat you are carrying. You will need to know your body fat percentage for this. If you are unsure about this, you can get a good estimate by using the ‘Body Fat Calculator’ in the sidebar at MuscleHack.com site. Another good rule of thumb is to take 1 gram of protein for every pound of total body weight. So a 160 lb man would take around 160 grams of protein per day. My favorite sources of protein include

* Chicken
* Steak
* Pork
* Eggs
* Cheese
* Whey Protein Powder Shakes
* Seafood - tuna, prawns, salmon…
* Nuts
* Seeds

Here’s a good post showing great vegetarian sources of protein.

6. Eat Fat.

A Low-Fat diet is not desirable in bodybuilding. Eating fat increases the amount of anabolic (muscle building) hormones in your body. These are:

1. Testosterone
2. Growth Hormone
3. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1)

Some people resort to taking anabolic steroids in order to accelerate muscle growth but you can get great results by implementing the ultimate bodybuilding diet.

7. Make Sure you Drink Enough Water.

Getting enough water is crucial for peak strength and energy levels. You should shoot for around 12 x 8 ounce glasses of water per day. Remember you can include your protein shakes towards your daily water intake.

8. Avoid Too Much Cardio.

Cardiovascular work will rob you of muscle gains. Yes if your goal is to lose fat you should do cardio but make sure it is:

(a) Performed immediately after your weight training

(b) ‘High Intensity Interval Training’ form of cardio for a maximum of 20 minutes.

The reason that too much cardio isn’t desirable when your goal is to build muscle is that too much cardio releases catabolic hormones in the body, breaking down your muscle tissue; obviously this is counter-productive.

9. Sleep.

Sleep is so important for building muscle. We know that muscle tissue repairs itself and grows during rest periods but sleep is more important than waking rest periods.

Here’s why:

1. The release of growth hormone reaches its peak during deep sleep
2. Your metabolic rate slows which is perfect for muscle tissue repair and growth
3. Increased blood flow to the muscles

10. Relax.

Being stressed out results in a catabolic (muscle breakdown) environment in the body. One such hormone is cortisol. Remember that a calm, relaxed person builds more muscle than the hot-head (assuming all other factors are equal).

Keep it positive and stay motivated!