Health

THE 1ST WEALTH IS HEALTH.

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SLEEP & RECUPERATION

SLEEP IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FOOD

Tony Schwartz
MARCH 03, 2011

Let’s cut to the chase.

Say you decide to go on a fast, and so you effectively starve yourself for a week. At the end of seven days, how would you be feeling? You’d probably be hungry, perhaps a little weak, and almost certainly somewhat thinner. But basically you’d be fine.

Now let’s say you deprive yourself of sleep for a week. Not so good. After several days, you’d be almost completely unable to function. That’s why Amnesty International lists sleep deprivation as a form of torture.

Here’s what former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin had to say in his memoir White Nights about the experience of being deprived of sleep in a KGB prison: “In the head of the interrogated prisoner a haze begins to form. His spirit is wearied to death, his legs are unsteady, and he has one sole desire: to sleep … Anyone who has experienced this desire knows that not even hunger and thirst are comparable with it.”

So why is sleep one of the first things we’re willing to sacrifice as the demands in our lives keep rising? We continue to live by a remarkably durable myth: sleeping one hour less will give us one more hour of productivity. In reality, the research suggests that even small amounts of sleep deprivation take a significant toll on our health, our mood, our cognitive capacity and our productivity.

Many of the effects we suffer are invisible. Insufficient sleep, for example, deeply impairs our ability to consolidate and stabilize learning that occurs during the waking day. In other words, it wreaks havoc on our memory.

So how much sleep do you need? When researchers put test subjects in environments without clocks or windows and ask them to sleep any time they feel tired, 95 percent sleep between seven and eight hours out of every 24. Another 2.5 percent sleep more than eight hours. That means just 2.5 percent of us require less than 7 hours of sleep a night to feel fully rested. That’s 1 out of every 40 people.

When I ask people in my talks how many had fewer than 7 hours of sleep several nights during the past week, the vast majority raise their hands. That’s true whether it’s an audience of corporate executives, teachers, cops or government workers. We’ve literally lost touch with what it feels like to be fully awake.

Great performers are an exception. Typically, they sleep significantly more than the rest of us. In Anders Ericcson’s famous study of violinists, the top performers slept an average of 8 ½ hours out of every 24, including a 20 to 30 minute midafternoon nap some 2 hours a day more than the average American.

The top violinists also reported that except for practice itself, sleep was second most important factor in improving as violinists.

As I began to gather research about sleep, I felt increasingly compelled to give it higher priority in my own life. Today, I go to great lengths to assure that I get at least 8 hours every night, and ideally between 8 ½ and 9, even when I’m traveling.

I still take the overnight “redeye” from California to New York, but I’m asleep by takeoff — even if takes an Ambien. When I get home at 6 or 7 a.m., I go right to bed until I’ve had my 8 hours. What I’ve learned about those days is that I’d rather work at 100 percent for 5 or 6 hours, than at 60 percent for 8 or 9 hours.

        • With sufficient sleep, I feel better, I work with more focus,

and I manage my emotions better, which is good for everyone around me. I dislike having even a single day where I haven’t gotten enough sleep, because the impact is immediate and unavoidable. On the rare days that I don’t get enough, I try hard to get at least a 20-30 minute nap in the afternoon. That’s a big help.

Here are three other tips to improve the quantity and quality of your sleep:

Go to bed earlier — and at a set time. Sounds obvious right? The problem is there’s no alternative. You’re already waking up at the latest possible time you think is acceptable.

        • If you don’t ritualize a specific bedtime, you’ll end up finding ways to stay up later, just the way you do now.

Start winding down at least 45 minutes before you turn out the light. You won’t fall asleep if you’re all wound up from answering email, or doing other work. Create a ritual around drinking a cup of herbal tea, or listening to music that helps you relax, or reading a dull book.
Write down what’s on your mind — especially unfinished to-do’s and unresolved issues — just before you go to bed

. If you leave items in your working memory, they’ll make it harder to fall asleep, and you’ll end up ruminating about them if you should wake up during the night.

FOOD FUEL

FOOD AND NUTRITION

The egg white contains about 4 grams of protein, 55 mg of sodium and only 17 calories. The egg yolks carry the cholesterol, the fat and saturated fat of the egg. One egg yolk has around 55 calories, 4.5 grams of total fat and 1.6 grams of saturated fat, 210 mg of cholesterol, 8 mg of sodium, and 2.7 grams of protein.

 

 

 

The 1st Wealth is Health.

FITNESS & CORE STRENGTH

Develop Core Strength
Your core is your entire support system.

Your core muscles play a huge role in your everyday activities, from getting out of bed, to walking down the street, and bending over to grab your purse—but, most importantly, they literally help you stay upright.
“That’s because your core muscles are the base of support for your entire body,” says Meredith McHale, P.T., D.P.T., regional clinical director at Professional Physical Therapy. They completely surround and support your spine and pelvis and connect your upper body and lower body, effectively transferring forces from one to the other.

Here’s an anatomy refresher: Your abs aren’t just one muscle. The deepest layer of abdominal muscles, and arguably the most important, is your transverse abdominis (sometimes called the “corset” or “Spanx” of the core), which stabilizes your spine and pelvis. Then you have two layers of oblique muscles, which control lateral flexion (think a side bend), rotation, and other spinal movements. Last but not least is the topmost muscle, the rectus abdominis, which runs vertically in the front of your abdomen and is the muscle you see as a six-pack. It flexes your torso forward, like in a crunch.
And when you’re talking about your whole core (versus just your abs), there are even more muscles involved: your pelvic floor muscles, the back muscles that stabilize your spine, and your diaphragm (the main muscle involved in breathing), says McHale.
“A strong core helps keep a more upright and erect posture whether you’re being active or just sitting at your desk,” says McHale. Think of it like the tree trunk of your body (albeit a lot more mobile): It has to hold its ground so that your branches (arms and legs) can do their ~thing~ any which way.
Core strength is crucial in every movement you do.

That stable base is super important when you start moving: “The ab muscles play a dominant role in movement in every plane of motion: sagittal (forward and backward), frontal (left and right), and transverse (rotational),” says Scott Mitsiell, C.S.C.S., strength coach at Soho Strength Lab in New York City.
Even when they don’t seem important, your core muscles are often the first—and most important guest—at the party.
“Typically, the core muscles fire or activate prior to us doing an activity,” says McHale. “Our nervous system anticipates the activity, and braces for support, really, when we go to do anything. If you don’t have that core stability and support acting as a brace or a girdle for your spine, you’re likely going to compensate with other muscles.”

“While back injuries are very common with a weak core, you can also injure other parts of your body as a result, like your shoulders, hips, and knees,” says McHale. Even if a weak core isn’t the sole reason for a person’s injury, it usually plays a part, which is why McHale says she almost always incorporates core work into her patients’ rehab.

You need to build enough core strength before you can build strength anywhere else...
For the most part, core strength is what keeps you from being able to complete or continue an exercise—even in moves where you’re not primarily working your abs, says Mitsiell. For example: During push-ups, are your hips sagging? Is your lower back arching and is your stomach is touching the ground first? In an overhead press, does your lower back arch and ribs pop forward to get the weight up? In a deadlift, does your back hurt or are you forced to either hunch forward or extend (arch) your back? In any of these cases, it’s likely you have weak abs, he says.
That’s why many exercise programs—like the American Council on Exercise’s Integrated Fitness Model—call for core stability and joint mobility work before introducing any other exercises. Building the proper base will not only help you avoid injury, but will help you perform better too. A study of runners published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that runners who did six weeks of core strength training increased their speed in a 5000m run.

The 1st Wealth is Health.

Wisdom to live by: BANANAS…”
Very interesting FACTS #COPIED

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!…
This is interesting. After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.

But energy isn’t the only thing a banana can help us keep. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

DEPRESSION:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and make you feel happier.

PMS:
Forget the pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

ANEMIA:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

BLOOD PRESSURE:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

BRAIN POWER:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

CONSTIPATION:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

HANGOVERS:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

HEARTBURN:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

MORNING SICKNESS:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

MOSQUITO BITES:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

NERVES:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system..

Overweight and Pressure at work Place? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

ULCERS:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL:
Many other cultures see bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has FOUR TIMES the protein, TWICE the carbohydrate, THREE TIMES the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, ‘A BANANA a day keeps the doctor away!’

PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS…
PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! : ]

The 1st Wealth is Health.
The Best Exercise and Eating Advice for Your Body Type
BY KYLE ARSENAULT JUNE 14, 2018

Ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph might sound like alien races straight out of a sci-fi series, but knowing which of these three body types you are can help you customize your workout plan.

While there are numerous training programs to choose from, tailoring your training to your body type (somatotype) and goals will help you start seeing results faster, which means you’re more likely to stick with your new workout.
Typically, people gravitate toward what they’re good at and shy away from more difficult activities. But if your goals are to change your body, doing more of what’s challenging is key. But don’t think that means you have to do endless burpees until you reach your dream body. It’s not so much which exercises you do, it’s how you structure your workouts, taking into account exercise order, reps performed and rest periods taken.

Which Body Type Are You?
As mentioned above, there are three main body types: ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph. But how do you know which one you are?

1.

    Endomorphs

have trouble losing weight and seem to gain weight even thinking about food (OK, not really, but sometimes it feels that way). They are typically shorter, have shorter limbs and are “curvier.” For a celebrity comparison, look to Jessica Simpson, Hilary Duff, Chris Pratt or Seth Rogen.

2.

    Ectomorphs

the opposite of endomorphs. They’re the people who seem to eat whatever they want and never gain any weight (think Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper and Taylor Swift). They are typically taller, longer-limbed and thinner individuals.

3.

Mesomorphs

are a combination of endomorphs and ectomorphs. They seem to gain muscle and shed fat with little effort (relative to the other two body types). They are usually average in height (but can be taller or shorter) and sport an athletic frame defined by more lean muscle mass.
Once you find which category you fall in (or which types you’re a blend of), it’s easier to design a program that best suits your goals, needs and challenges when it comes to training. And don’t forget: Workouts are only one part of changing your body. You also need to focus on the right nutrition for your body type. So keep reading to get your tailor-made workout and nutrition plan.

The 1st Wealth is Health.