I have a pretty good understanding of biology/physiology as that is what I did my undergrad in. A point I was going to make, but you did me a favour and already stated, was the fact that a lot of medicinal drugs are derived from natural sources. So why would you be so skeptical that certain plants/herbs/fungi etc could treat certain ailments without being altered?

From reading comments you made in other posts, you obviously seem totally against alternative treatments.. so is it fair for me to say you do not believe in massage therapy, hot cold treatment, pretty much anything do to with physiotherapy as well? I mean none of those are a pill you take that is prescribed by a doctor, or invasive surgery to fix a problem.

Fact: food allergies exist. Food sensitivities exist.

i'm not skeptical of natural remedies, some work or some don't. its really up to the person to conduct their own independent research. however, alot of natural remedies have little evidence supporting their claims...like traditional chinese medicine for example

i dont know why you call them "alternative" treatments, nor am i against it. some are empirically tested and work (i.e. physio + rehab, massage therapy) whereas others lack
such evidence (for example, ice baths were recently discredited as an effective muscle soreness remedy)

i'm not "against" anything, its just that things that claim to be effective without scientific evidence should be rightfully dismissed as bullshit

fair enough.

as for ice baths. a lot of people always mistaken or interchange DOMS with lactic acid buildup. I have even read that some people believe that DOMS is due to lactic acid. DOMS is from micro tears, whereas lactic acid is a by product of Glycolysis. Ice baths are good for lactic acid as it constricts the muscles/vessels and aids in flushing the muscles of lactic acid. It does nothing for DOMS.

One thing I've noticed that helps a lot is to have someone to work out with. On those days where you feel like you could skip, they're there to motivate you. Take it from my personal experience this summer; gym about 3-4 times a week, but I easily find myself skipping days after work lately. I keep encouraging my friends to get passes, but they keep finding excuses not to.

It sucks. I find myself getting lazy at the gym sometimes too; doing lighter weights than usual, or doing shitty sets, skipping my core routine, etc. Having that extra motivation to work hard (aside from eye candy at the gym) is a huge bonus.

^^ You just have to realize that no one else can MAKE you do anything. Your still going because you want to. You, yourself, are your biggest motivator. :thumbsup:

By being fit, I've just been doing alot of supersets to increase cardio, making sure I get a solid core workout everyday (or every time) I go to the gym. And try to run once or twice a week for increased cardio.

Diets a big factor, but I'm not there just yet.

i beg to differ

as a girl, 5'5 i used to be almost 200 pounds in high school. i was very athletic and competitive in sports (used to play club basketball and volleyball) but had poor diet
back then i didnt care what people thought of me, as long as i was enjoying what i was doing.. but grad year came along i wanted to look good in my grad dress(and in general), and wanted to change up my lifestyle so i started getting really active and eat healthy.

went down to 155 within two months of hard core training and healthy eating. one our of cardio and 20 minutes of toning every day woopeee

two years later i kind of gained around 10 from all the partying and because i got lazy, but now im back at it, lost 20 in the last two months and on my way down to 130! then off to reward myself with a back piece lol !!