"Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

- Jillian Michaels

Nutrition - A Recommended Diet

Of  our three pillars of heath and fitness, namely Exercise, Sleep, and now, Nutrition, lets see what make sense.  Pick up almost any magazine or newspaper and you'll see many, many,

diet recommendations.  Why do so many people look to diet as a means of loosing weight? Well, exercise alone is a poor method of loosing our "pot" bellies.  If one eats the wrong foods, or too much of most any food (s), you'll pack on the pounds.  If you only diet without exercising, you can lose weight but you'll also loose muscle.  That's a no-no for a fitness buff. 

What really matters is not so much what one weighs but what the composition of the person's body is. There are percentages of fat, muscle, etc. that are recommended.  Much more information can be found at Monica Mollica's address:  http://www.mowifit.com/Its_your_body_composition_not_bodyweight_that_matters.pdf.  Monica is a nationally recognized expert on nutrition and exemplifies her appearance on the bodybuilder physique that she so successfully displays. The article she wrote is quite lengthy so you might want to go to the Summery at the end of her composition.  

So let's see what makes for a healthy diet.  For any diet to be successfully followed, it should not be too rigid or complicated in it's structure.  It should allow for good nutritional value, few if any saturated fats, no trans fats, sweets (pastry, bagels, surgery products), with much more fresh fruit and vegetables than most dieters eat.  A quick rule of thumb is "If it has a mother or if it comes from the earth, it's OK to eat."  Read the labels as they are of considerable help in determining the food's nutritional content.

After considering the present knowledge of healthful diets, I would recommend the Mediterranean Diet and to get a good perspective of how it works, look at one of it's locations, the Mayo Clinic. The address at the Mayo Clinic Mediterranean Diet is: http://www.mayoclinic.org/Mediterranean-diet/art-20047801

Mayo Clinic gives an excellent description and help in playing and using the Mediterranean Diet. Now, after reading all of the above, how about a Snicker's Candy Bar?

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"Getting fit is all about mind over matter. I don't mind, so it doesn't matter.” 
― Adam Hargreaves, Mr Lazy's Guide To Fitness

The Fitness World - An Author's Opinion

Although almost everything we think and speak about seems to have political overtones.  Even health, fitness, and medical care are influenced by the gentlemen and ladies in Washington, D.C.

In the "good old days" you could pick your doctor and consider his treatment plan for any of your medical problems.  What happened to the "doctor-patient" relationship?  The choice of treatment was not influenced by those unrelated to your own care.  

In the "good old days" you could study medicine if you had the brains, attitude and endurance to go through a rigorous training period for many years.  After "paying your dues," you opened your practice and if you were a good doctor, medically, and appealed to your patients via your knowledge and personality. you could make a good living.  Under Obamacare, the doctor's will get fees so low that the responsibilities and expenses for insurance, help, and tending to additional paper work are leading them towards earlier retirement.  Additionally, fewer gifted students will enter the medical fields and our care will be from secondary helpers.

Enter the insurance business, the anointed ones in Washington, and all the rules and stipulations they bring to the playing field, the medical professionals become almost secondary in the doctor-patient relationship.  There has to be some balance in our medical care and a real world of agreement between all parties involved. As things stands now, hope and change should be, "Let's hope that all parties in the health care field are consulted, that all the three branches of our government are involved and that our Constitution be closely followed. We have to change back to the concept that government is subservient to the welfare of the populace. If we are to have medical care, then all citizens should be on the same plan.   That includes all federal employees and the government.  This is not a socialistic country as we became the greatest and most productive people by free enterprise and not by government control.  

If we find that our medical care will be reduced in the quality of care we receive, it is of utmost importance that fitness becomes a major factor in our lives.  We have to prepare ourselves to be more cognizant of nutrition, exercise, and rest (sleep).  The previous and forthcoming articles published in this blog are all related to that cause.

Listed below are sources of information on various health subjects that you could find useful.

In matters of disease, treatment, and help, you can go online and search at the Mayo Clinic, The Cleveland Clinic, and there are other very qualified groups to answer your questions.

Sources of Information on Various Health Subjects

Journal of Strength and Conditioning: https://www.google.com/#q=journal+of+strength+and+conditioning

Journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism: https://www.google.com/#q=journal+of+applied+physiology+nutrition+and+metabolism

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism: https://www.google.com/#q=journal%20of%20Clinical%20Endocrinology%20and%20metabolism

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: https://www.google.com/#q=American+Journal+of+Clinical+Nutrition

International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog?term=International+journal+of+obesity+and+related+metabolic+disorders%5BTitle%5D

National Institutes of Health Office of dietary supplements https://www.google.com/#q=National+Institutes+of+Health+Office+of+Dietary+supplements

Proceedings of the nutrition society: https://www.google.com/#q=Proceedings%20of%20the%20Nutrition%20society

NOTE:  In reading some of the more technical articles, go to the "Conclusion" and see the author's condensation of his (their) research.  This will save you time, and reduce the frustration in trying to understand what really matters.

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"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!

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"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.  

 

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"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.

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"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.