UA-47062478-1

"Time and health are two precious assets that we don't recognize

and appreciate until they have been depleted."

- Denis Waitley

What Happens During Sleep?

As the afternoon wears on, we realize that in a few more hours it will be sleep time.  After all, we either get up early to take the kids to school, go to work, shop for food, clothes or whatever and however we spend the day.  It all requires energy and, like your cell phone, it needs charging at night.  So sleep time is when your body rests and restores its energy levels.  It is a state that affects both your physical and mental well-being. If you've had a good night's sleep, you'll feel ready to do the things that fill your day with activity and have enough energy left over to spend with your family or talk to friends.  Let's look at what sleep involves and learn a little bit about it's four stages.

Stage 1.  Sleep studies show a reduction in activity between wakefulness and stage 1 sleep.  The eyes are closed but the depth of sleep is such that if one is awakened, it is early sleep and the person may feel as if he or she has not slept.  This period may last for five to 10 minutes.

Stage 2.  Studies at this time now show intermittent peaks and valleys, and the waves and either positive or negative.  There are spontaneous periods of increased muscle tone mixed with periods of muscle relaxation.  Also, the heart rate slows and the body temperature decreases.  When this happens, the body prepares to enter deep sleep.

Stage 3 and 4. The brain waves are known as slow or delta wave sleep.  If awakened in these stages one may feel disoriented for a few minutes.  Most of the beneficial effects of sleep can be found in stage three and four.  As sleep deepens and becomes more intense, it progresses to stage 4.  After about 90 minutes from entering the sleeping stages, REM sleep follows for about 10 minutes.  Each REM recurring deepens and lengthens so that as it progresses, sleep is more intense.

Stage 3 is characterized by the release of the human growth hormone, or HGH.  Blood rushes from the brain to the muscles to initiate recovery and to re-energize your body. Up to 70% or the production of HGH may occur in stage three and this is also when the immune function and normal glucose metabolism is supported.

Stage 4 is also know as "rapid-eye-movement sleep" or REM. This is when we dream, our arms and legs are still, and the total body seems paralyzed.  It is also when the sleep is associated with learning and memory retention. The body repairs and regenerates tissues, builds muscle and bone, and strengthens the immune system. The day's information is kind of like a computer uploading information and clearing its RAM onto the hard drive.  

Some of the important benefits of slow-wave sleep are:

• HGH is produced and if you want to get stronger and faster, then you need your body to maximize the natural production of HGH.  If sleep is not adequate in time or depth or if exercise is not intense enough to make changes, there will be little HGH produced.
• There is a suppression of cortisol.  Cortisol helps the body cope with the stress of daily life. When there are high levels of cortisol in the night it helps to create insulin resistance and this is linked to disorders such as Type 2 diabetes, as well as memory loss and cognitive impairment.  This process will throw off your body's ability to process glucose throughout the day.
• There is a suppression of  the sympathetic nervous system in favor of the parasympathetic nervous system.  The sympathetic nervous system is what is activated under stress, whereas the parasympathetic nervous system is what the body activates to recover and recuperate.  
• Release of prolactin, which is necessary for proper immune system function.
• A good night's sleep is often the best way to help you cope with stress, solve problems or recover from illness.

Summarized; insufficient REM sleep has a negative impact on the brain as a whole and causes it to function abnormally.  Therefore, Get your sleep.......ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

  UA-47062478-1

"Motivation is What Gets You Started, Habit is What Keeps You Going!"

Sleep: Another Pillar in Healthful Living

Exercise is the  process of fatiguing the muscles to the point of failure.  Failure in  this case means you cannot do another full repetition of the exercise you're working on.  It also means that you can't even do a part of a repetition; you can't budge the weight (start the movement).  The outcome of this is a catabolic result.  It includes minute tearing of some of the muscle fibers, some minute bleeding may occur and some byproducts are produced.  Some lactic acid, and other breakdown matter are the result of exercising and if you are doing the exercising with high intensity training (HIT) the more tear down results.  Catabolism is the destructive metabolism involving the release of energy and resulting in the breakdown of complex materials.  

The next step is to rebuild the muscle tissue to a newer, healthier condition.  The healed muscles are now stronger, leaner, and enlarged and, although you may not notice the change occurring, it does restore itself if you give the muscles nutrition and rest.  Rest should include sleep for about eight hours without interruption.  

While occasional restless nights are normal, prolonged insomnia can interfere with daytime function, accidents, headaches, and depression.  Surveys indicate that 50% of people suffer from sleep difficulties, and 20 - 36% of them struggle with such difficulties for at least 1 year.  Some studies show that one person out of three in the United States has insomnia, but only 20% tell their doctor about it. 

Signs of insomnia may include:

• Not feeling refreshed after sleep
• Inability to sleep despite being tired
• Daytime drowsiness, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and impaired ability to perform normal activities
• Anxiety as bedtime approaches
• Tension headaches

A common term in referring to sleep is the Circadian Rhythm.  It amounts to an internal clock that governs the timing of sleep, hormone production body temperature, and other functions. If you want to improve your sleep pattern you have to develop your sleep time so that it allows you to meet the demands of a desired lifestyle.  It should be compatible with your own circadian rhythm. 

Therapy combines proper sleep hygiene techniques, and considering factors such as lighting in the sleeping quarters, noise, work schedules, traveling to different time zones, age, gender (women are more likely to have insomnia than men), stressful and/or traumatic events, substance abuse, asthma (bronchodilators occasionally cause insomnia), and the amount and quality of exercise as in a sedentary lifestyle (i.e., the couch potato).  If you do exercise strenuously before sleep, your body will probably be "hyped up" and affect your the soundness and quality of your sleep.

As there are many causes of poor sleep you may wish to use the National Sleep Foundation and the American Sleep Association as references to any matter you may have regarding sleep. Sometimes a visit to a sleep doctor is advisable as they specialize in diagnosing and treating sleep problems and your internist or family doctor could recommend one.  

 

   UA-47062478-1

"The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. 

It's your mind you have to convince"

- Vince Lombardi

This article came from Muscle & Strength magazine.  It stresses and maximizes

your workout time to the major muscle groups.  In addition, it details 5 exercises 

in each group and thereby allows for variation - good for your muscles

and your mind!

Maximize Your Gym Time: A Look At The Most Productive Muscle Building Exercises

A detailed look at the most potent muscle building exercises, as well as a bodypart by bodypart breakdown. Stop wasting time in the gym and start getting results!

A workout is made up of only so many sets and exercises. Constructing a workout without a purpose, and without the use of the best available tools will only waste your time. If you want to gain muscle and strength at the fastest rate possible you will need to choose the best possible exercises.
The following exercises are the best of the best. You will notice that they generally fall into three categories:

1. Barbell Exercises.

1. Dumbbell Exercises.

1. Bodyweight Exercises.

When you begin to explore the muscle building workouts on Muscle & Strength, you will notice that the bulk of these routines make use of barbells and dumbbells. These movements are often performed first for a bodypart, and are then followed by machine and cable exercises. While some machines and cables can be beneficial, they are rarely as good as their barbell or dumbbell counterparts.
A Smith machine bench press is not as good as a barbell or dumbbell bench press. A leg press is not as effective as deep squats. And lat pull downs are nowhere near as effective as pull ups.
The following exercises are considered the top seven. If you're goal is to build muscle, consider adding these to your workouts.
The Top 7 Muscle Building Exercises
Squats. Squats are the king of all muscle and strength building exercises. No workout should be without deep squats. They are performed with a barbell, generally in a squat rack. Squats not only build massive legs, but also stress most of the upper body. They are like a hormonal nuclear bomb – destroying the entire body, forcing it to get bigger and stronger with ever rep.
Deadlifts. Second only to squats in effectiveness (and a very close second at that), deadlifts are another man-maker that will pack on slabs of muscle mass while helping you become as strong as a bear. Like squats, deadlifts are a barbell only exercise.
Dips. Dips are often called the upper body squat, and for good reason. Dips work the shoulders, chest and triceps very hard, and are a great overall exercises for building a beefy upper body. Dips should be performed at a parallel bar dipping station.
Pull Ups. It seems that even the strongest and most fit lifters can barely squeak out more than a few pull ups. The pull up is an excellent exercise for building the back and biceps, and should be used instead of inferior exercises such as the lat pull down when possible.
Bench Press. The bench press is an upper body staple. There are several highly effective variations including the flat bench barbell press, flat bench dumbbell bench press, incline bench barbell press and incline dumbbell bench press.
Overhead Press. As with the bench press, there are numerous quality variations of the overhead press that can be used. Nearly all seated and standing dumbbell and barbell overhead presses are solid choices. You may also use the Arnold dumbbell press, and behind the neck overhead presses. Another popular press variation is the standing push press.
Rows. Both barbell and dumbbell rows are tremendous upper back exercises. Old school barbell T-bar rows are also a solid choice. While cable and machine lifts are generally sub-par, seated cable rows can be very challenging and effective.
The Best Exercises By Bodypart
Now that you know which tools are the most productive, let's take a look at the best exercises by bodypart. This list will include some of the top 7.
5 Most Effective Chest Building Exercises

• Bench Press. The king of all upper body muscle building movements. The bench press is so popular that it is often seen as having it's own training day - bench press Monday.

• Incline Bench Press. The first choice of many top pro bodybuilders.

• Dips. Once considered the upper body squat, dips are a great compliment to any bench press movement.

• Dumbbell Bench Press. You will really be able to feel the chest work with this pressing variation.

• Incline Dumbbell Bench Press. A solid alternative to the incline barbell press.

Decline variations didn't make the list because they shorten the pressing distance and tend to shift some of the focus to the triceps.

5 Most Effective Back Building Exercises

• Deadlifts. Nothing builds beefy backs like the deadlift. The sheer act of holding a barbell with heavy weight places the lats under an incredible amount of stress.

• Pull Ups. A far superior choice to lat pull downs. If you can do one, try for two. If you can do two, try for three! If you can't do them at all use rack chins.

• Barbell Row. No back building workout should be without a heavy row, and barbell rows are at the top of the list.

• Dumbbell Row. An excellent second choice to barbell rows, especially if you have a weak lower back.

• Power Clean. The explosiveness of the power clean effectively works the back from traps down.

5 Most Effective Shoulder Building Exercises

• Military Press. This exercise has been a staple of great workouts for decades on end.

• Push Press. Very similar to the military press, but utilizing more of an Olympic lifting-style explosiveness.

• Bench Press. Yes, you read that correctly. The bench press is an amazing front delt builder. In fact, if your chest day involves several pressing movements there's a good chance you won't need any direct front delt work on shoulder day.

• Seated Behind The Neck Press. Go no deeper than arms parallel to the floor, and this is a rock solid choice.

• Seated Dumbbell Press. A little easier on the shoulders for many because the dumbbells can be placed in a more natural position.

5 Most Effective Leg Building Exercises

• Squats. The king of all muscle building lifts. 'Nuff' said.

• Front Squats. Another top choice of bodybuilding beef kings. Front squats can be tricky to learn, but you will be rewarded with big wheels.

• Stiff Leg Deadlifts. Beef up your hamstrings!

• Leg Press. If you don't have access to a squat rack this is your next best bet.

• Barbell Lunge. Lunges are another quality leg-building staple.

5 Most Effective Arm Building Exercises

• Chin Ups. A shocker, but chin ups (performed with palms toward the face) are a beastly bicep builder, perhaps even better than straight bar curls.

• Close Grip Bench Press. This exercise allows for a heavy amount of weight to be placed on the triceps.

• Dips. Much better than most tricep isolation exercises.

• Barbell Curls. A classic. Just don't curl in the squat rack.

• Seated Two Arm Dumbbell Tricep Extension. Allows you to lift heavy weight and reach a deep stretch. You will need a good spotter.

Honorable Mention

• Weighted Sit Ups. Why do volume when you can add weight and also build thickness.

• Power Shrugs. Performed with an Olympic lift style explosiveness, power shrugs allow you to move a lot of weight and tax the traps into massive growth.

• Cable Crunches. Forget floor crunches - add some weight and thicken your six pack!

• Side Bends. Side bends not only help to build core stability, enhancing your performance on other compound exercises, but they also target the obliques, helping to build an impressive midsection.

• Seated Calf Raises. The easiest way to isolate and blast the calves.

   UA-47062478-1

"The drug of choice...........EXERCISE"

Sleep & Rest

There are three pillars to the health equation:  Diet, Exercise and Sleep.  All three are important and you can arrange them to suit your order.  So far we have been considering exercise as our main topic.  We started out with a description, followed it with some of the benefits (goals) and included topics for beginners to more advanced trainees of an exercising program.  We will come back to the subject of exercise on and off, again influenced by what our reader's desire to include in this blog.

Some of the better sources of sleep information can be found at the National Sleep Foundation (http://www.sleepfoundation.org/), ScienceDaily (http://www.sciencedaily.com), WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/insomnia), and Sleep Information.com, (http://www.sleep.com/content/sleep-information.

In a study reported in ScienceDaily dated 12/4/2012 an article labeled "Protected 'Power Naps' Prove Helpful for Doctors in Training to Fight Fatigue" was the result of study of two groups of medical residency doctors. This involved 106 interns from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.  The standard intern shift of 30 hours overnight was compared to the protracted sleep period shift - during a twelve 4-week blocks.  During the study, the participants in the protected sleep group increased the amount of time they slept while on call by 50% (from two to three hours on average).  They also decreased the overall amount of time they were awake, reducing periods of no sleep while on extended duty, and the study participants reported far less sleep disturbances, helping to improve overall sleep quality. The participants felt less fatigued after on-call nights in the protected sleep group.

By accepting sleep at strategically assigned times, the residents were also able to maintain consistent contact with their patients and stay with them during their first critical 24 hours in the hospital, while improving alertness.  It was also noted that decreasing the overall amount of time that participants were awake is particularly important, as continuous periods of wakefulness are a major predictor of work-related performance errors.

Boiled down, the need for sleep helps reduce fatigue, errors, while increasing and improving transition in patient care.  As a result of sleep studies, the July 2011 the medical residency programs across the country revamped physician-trainees' schedules to comply with new work-hour restrictions imposed the the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACMGE).  First-year residents are no longer permitted to work more than 16 hours at a time.

                                                                                                        

UA-47062478-1

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it

takes to accomplish it, the time will pass anyway".

The following article was published in Men's Fitness but affects

both men and women in a positive way!

7 Muscle-Building Mistakes to Avoid

By: Myatt Murphy

You've put in the time. The sweat. Maybe the tears when you don't see results. Quit blubbering. It'll be fine.

Entering the weight room is the first step toward building muscle, but it's not the last. What you do before, during, and after a workout can either negate your hard work or elevate your growth to a new level.

"Your personal habits, your social life, even which exercises you choose to do can take away from what you're trying to build," says Jeff Bell, C.S.C.S., an exercise physiologist and the owner of Spectrum Wellness in New York City. Bell and other experts helped us pinpoint seven factors that sabotage results. "Add them up and they could be why your muscles have nothing to show for all your time served," Bell says.

Eliminate these seven saboteurs, then watch your muscles grow—with nothing holding them back.

Skipping Basics

Plenty of lifters believe that doing isolation exercises like chest flies and leg extensions is the only way to make their muscles grow. But basic moves such as bench presses and squats force several muscle groups to work together, imposing more stress on your body for bigger gains.

"Your body reacts to all that stress by having the anterior pituitary gland issue more growth hormone to compensate for the extra effort," says Allen Hedrick, C.S.C.S., head strength-and-conditioning coach at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Of course you need variation, but don't abandon basic moves in favor of intermediate isolation exercises.

Fix it: Write down the exercises in your routine to see what percentage of them are compound moves. "If it's not in the range of at least 40 to 50 percent, then you're doing too many isolation exercises," says Bell.

Lunchtime Hoops

Playing sports too often can sidetrack your muscle-growth goals. Muscles typically need 48 hours of rest to adapt to the stresses placed on them during exercise. "Engaging in extra activity also makes your body more likely to use any excess calories it has for fuel, and not for rebuilding itself," says Bell.

Fix it: "Pull your cardiovascular activity back to the bare minimum—20 minutes, three times a week—to see what effect it has on your body," Bell says. If cardio is indeed stealing your muscle, you should begin to notice strength improvements—being able to lift more weight or complete more repetitions—within 2 to 3 weeks. If your primary goal is to increase muscle size and strength, and not necessarily to build your overall health, try pulling back further. Can't miss a game? During your workout, ease up on the muscles you use most in your extra activity so they have more time to recover.

Smoking and Drinking

You know smoking is stupid. You know you're gambling with cancer, stroke, and other health issues. But did you know you're also sabotaging your strength training?

"Smoking places carbon monoxide in your system, which prevents your muscles from getting as much oxygen to use for energy," says Scott Swartzwelder, Ph.D., a clinical professor of medical psychology at Duke University. "The less oxygen your muscles have to draw from, the less efficient they are at contracting, which can limit their capacity for work."

As for alcohol, it can cover your abs with a layer of lard and interfere with hormones that help build them. "Drinking alcohol on a regular basis can also keep your testosterone levels lower than usual and decrease muscle mass," says Swartzwelder.

Fix it: Quit smoking, and don't worry about becoming a cold-turkey butterball. "Getting in at least 30 minutes of exercise three or four times a week not only helps control body weight, but can also produce positive psychological effects that might diminish the need to smoke," says Swartzwelder. Drinking moderately (two drinks or less per day) won't harm testosterone levels and can actually improve your cardiovascular health, he says.

Starvation

You need to eat after your workout. Right after a session, your body is hustling to convert glucose into glycogen so your muscles can repair themselves and grow. "If you don't eat after exercise, your body breaks down muscle into amino acids to convert into glucose," says John Ivy, Ph.D., chairman of kinesiology at the University of Texas.

Fix it: After you work out, eat a high-carbohydrate meal—and don't forget the protein. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that a four-to-one carbohydrate-to-protein ratio can provide 128 percent greater muscle-glycogen storage than a high-carbohydrate drink alone. (They used Endurox R Recovery Drink in the study.) For even greater results, have a sports drink before and during exercise.

Craig Ferguson

If you don't get enough deep sleep, your muscles can't recover. Moreover, says Catherine Jackson, Ph.D., chairwoman of the department of kinesiology at California State University at Fresno, when you work out on insufficient sleep, you exercise at a lower intensity than you realize—but you feel as if it's high. So your muscles are less likely to receive enough stress to grow.

Fix it: Go to bed and wake up at set times every day, even on weekends, to keep your sleep cycles regular. Avoid caffeine—and perhaps exercise—for 4 to 6 hours before bedtime. Elevating your heart rate before bed can interfere with sleep, Jackson says.

Sugar

Sugary drinks like soda can fool your body with a blood-sugar spike, making you prone  to skip "other, nutrient-dense foods you could be eating," says Bell. If your sugar habit limits your intake of muscle-building amino acids, it will sap the fuel you need for your workouts, says New York City-based celebrity trainer Steve Lischin, M.S., C.P.T.

Fix it: Water and low-sugar sports drinks are your best bets. But sugar hides elsewhere. "Watch out for dried fruits, certain nutrition bars, and even ketchup," Lischin says.

Thirst

For the active man, eating about a gram of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight helps build muscle—if the protein is processed correctly. "A high-protein meal has a slight diuretic effect," says Lischin. When the body uses protein for energy, it has to remove the nitrogen component of the molecule to turn it into glucose. "This requires plenty of water," he says.

Fix it: Drink eight to 10 glasses of water a day and divide your protein among five or six small meals throughout the day. "Eating an average of 25 to 30 grams each meal is ideal," says Lischin. "Not only will you put less stress on your kidneys, but you'll also utilize more of the protein you're ingesting by giving your body only as much as it can use each time."

https://www.google.com/
© 2010 Rodale Inc. | MensHealth.com