Five Things You Must Know About Sleep

You're tired. You could put your head down on a desk right now and fall asleep immediately. You went to bed late last night, had trouble falling asleep and woke up too early. And let's not kid ourselves: Tonight will be the same unless ... well, read on.

This is the classic not-so-shut-eye experience of many adults who think they are sleep-deprived and possibly need pills or other treatment to fix their insomnia, teeth grinding, jet lag, restless or jerky legs, snoring, sleepwalking and so forth.

Reality is quite different.

For instance, insomnia is said to be the most common sleep disorder, but these dissatisfying sleep experiences only get in the way of daily activities for 10 percent of us, according to the National Institutes of Health. And in almost half of those cases, the real underlying problem is illness (often mental) or the effects of a substance, like coffee or medication.

Here are five findings that might help you rest easier:

1. We sleep better than we think we do
For most of us, sleep deprivation is a myth. We're not zombies. The non-profit National Sleep Foundation (which takes money from the sleep-aid industry, including drug companies that make sleeping pills) says the average U.S. resident gets 7 hours a night and that's not enough, but a University of Maryland study in early 2008 shows we typically get 8 hours and are doing fine. In fact, Americans get just as much sleep nowadays as they did 40 years ago, the study found.

2. We need less sleep as we age
We'll die without sleep. The details are sketchy, but research suggests it's a time when we restore vital biological processes and also sort and cement memories. Last year, the World Health Organization determined that nightshift work, which can lead to sleep troubles, is a probable human carcinogen. On the upside, the latest research suggests we need less of it as we get older.

3. You can sleep like a baby (or Thomas Edison)
Multiple, shorter sleep sessions nightly, rather than one long one, are an option. So-called polyphasic sleep is seen in babies, the elderly and other animals (and Thomas Edison reportedly slept this way). For the rest of us, it is more realistic and healthy to sleep at night as best we can and then take naps as needed. EEGs show that we are biphasic sleepers with two alertness dips - one at night time and one mid-day. So talk to HR about setting up a nap room, like they have for NASA's Phoenix mission team members.

4. Animals exhibit a range of sleep habits
The three-toed sloth sleeps 9.6 hours nightly. But newborn dolphins and killer whales can forgo sleeping for their entire first month. However, the latter extreme is not recommended for humans. We grow irritable and lose our ability to focus and make decisions after even one night of missed sleep, and that can lead to serious accidents driving and using other machinery.

5. Get used to being tired, hit the desk
The bottom line is that a good night's sleep is within the reach of most of us if we follow common-sense guidelines for sleep hygiene:

• Go to bed at the same time nightly.
• Set aside enough time to hit that golden 7 hours of sleep.
• Refrain from caffeine, heavy or spicy foods, and alcohol and other optional medications that might keep you awake, four to six hours before bed-time.
• Have a pre-sleep program so you wind down before you hop in.
• Block out distracting lights and noises.
• Only engage in sleep in bed (no TV-watching, reading or eating).
• Exercise regularly but not right before bed.

But you already know all this and you don't do it. So your realistic plan might be to surrender to the mid-day desk nap.

Never Walk Without a Goal

Walking shoes -- check. Pedometer -- got it. But do you have a goal? No goal? Better set one. It doesn't even matter if you hit the mark. People who put a target on their radar -- like walking 10,000 steps a day -- walk a whole lot more than people who don't have a goal. Studies prove it.

The End Game
Walking 10,000 steps a day is an ideal physical activity goal, according to new guidelines. And in a large review of the research, scientists discovered that people with this goal -- or a personalized step plan -- literally walked the extra mile, logging about 2,000 extra steps a day. Plus, when people tracked their progress with a pedometer, they lost weight and improved their blood pressure.

A Few More Motivators
In addition to your comfy shoes, your daily-steps goal, and your pedometer, here are a few more tools to help you keep on keeping on:

• Some tunes: Do you lose that loving feeling for your workout about halfway through? Take along your iPod to make going the distance easier.
  Music really does pump you up. If you listen to tunes, you'll automatically walk, jog, or pedal farther than you would with silence as your partner in sweat. And your workout won't feel so difficult.
  
• Your furry friend: Dog owners may walk as much as 2 hours more a week than people without a furry friend. Makes sense. When Phydeaux needs to get out and stretch his legs, he lets you know, and on go your walking shoes.
• A buddy can make both of you accountable for getting your walking in. And just like the above examples, the time seems to go by quicker.
  

No time to walk today?
Don't have 30 or -- even better -- 40 minutes to walk today? No sweat. You can make any day a day to get younger by taking four 10-minute walking breaks. Doing several shorties a day could do more for your blood pressure (BP) than one 40-minute session on the treadmill.

References: Using pedometers to increase physical activity and improve health: a systematic review. Bravata, D. M., Smith-Spangler, C., Sundaram, V., Gienger, A. L., Lin, N., Lewis, R., Stave, C. D., Olkin, I., Sirard, J. R., Journal of the American Medical Association 2007 Nov 21;298(19):2296-2304

Ten Minutes Here, Ten Minutes There

Didn't find the time to hit the gym today? Take heart. Here's another way to fulfill your promise to work out more this year. Start your day with a 10-minute walk. Then grab three more 10-minute walking breaks throughout the day. Research shows that grabbing 10 minutes here and there could provide you with even better control over your blood pressure than if you'd slogged your way through a single 40-minute treadmill session.

When people with prehypertension -- that's systolic blood pressure of 120-139 or diastolic blood pressure of 80-89, or both -- were asked to walk briskly for 40 continuous minutes or for 10 minutes once per hour over a stretch of 4 hours, their blood pressure benefited most from the accumulated walking stints. The shorter walks reduced people's systolic pressure (that's the upper number) for 11 hours after the accumulated walks compared to only 7 hours for the continuous walk. Their diastolic pressure (the bottom number) was lower for 10 hours after the accumulated activity as opposed to only 7 hours for the continuous activity.

Welcome news if you're struggling to fit exercise into an already jam-packed day. Just grab a quick walk around the block in the morning, in the office parking lot during lunch, at the grocery store on your way home, and around the block again when you get there. You're done. And your heart is healthier.

All forms of exercise are good for lowering blood pressure; so are losing weight and a heart-healthy eating plan. Do all three -- exercise, lose weight, and eat right -- and you'll substantially reduce your risk of strokes and heart attacks.

Naturally Boost Testosterone Levels

Normal level of testosterone in the male system should be between 800 and 1,200 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl). Doesn't sound like much, but it has a huge effect on men's metabolism and health. These quantities start to decrease around age 40. Expect to lose about 1 percent a year—a slow decline to be sure, but research says this is a cause of obesity, bone loss, muscle loss, and impotence by around age 60. Testosterone levels in the low range (a blood serum score below 700 ng/dl) may increase the chances of dying of a heart attack.

Men in their 30s and 40s may also have low testosterone counts. It's called hypogonadism, with many causes such as an undescended testicle, a testicular injury, a pituitary gland disorder, or even the use of prescription and/or recreational drugs. Usually it's undiagnosed until a man confesses to his doctor: "I can't get an erection."

Reduced levels of sexual desire might mean you need your testosterone level checked. A naturopathic doctor can help. Low testosterone can be repaired with injections, gels, pills, or patches. These medical treatments are no catch-all remedy. There are side effects like acne, high cholesterol, shrunken testicles, and liver damage. Also, avoid supplements like DHEA or androstenedione to boost testosterone—they've been linked to increased risks of prostate cancer and heart disease.

Urologists and Naturolpaths I've talked to say that for men with borderline testosterone scores (near 800 ng/dl), they advise exercise and weight loss as a way to increase levels naturally before moving on to testosterone therapy. It also helps to start young, since your testosterone levels decline at a steady rate, it makes sense that raising your hormone levels naturally in your 20s and 30s could help you maintain higher levels later on. A side benefit of exercise and weight loss is a stronger physique, more confidence/self-esteem, and possibly better bedroom sessions.

Get Rid of the Beer Belly
Excess body fat elevates estrogen levels, and the result is sinking testosterone levels. We're not talking about two or three extra pounds here. When you're over 30 percent above ideal body weight, hormonal changes are almost certain. Unfortunately, this is more common now than ever.

Lose a Pound a Week
Starving yourself and exercising like crazy to trim down quickly can do more harm than good. Cutting caloric intake too drastically (more than 15 percent) tells the brain you're starving. One of the first defense mechanisms the body takes is to shut down testosterone production while waiting out the famine. Unfortunately, this reduction in serum testosterone stops you from burning body fat efficiently. You end up counteracting your efforts to melt off that spare tire from your gut.

Skip the Fad Diets
I've read plenty of research that says high-protein, low-carbohydrate eating plans can effect a man's testosterone levels. High amounts of dietary protein in the blood can lower the amount of testosterone produced.

Nutritionists recommend a protein intake between 12 and 20 percent of daily calories. For example: a 170-pound man on 2,900 calories a day, should eat about 140 grams of protein daily, which is about the amount in two chicken breasts and a 6-ounce can of tuna.

Have Morning Wood
Some German scientists discovered that erections cause serum testosterone to rise significantly—while morning erections can boost natural day-time testosterone production.

Tougher Exercises
Strength-training exercises involving several large muscle groups—thighs, chest, and back—will stimulate more testosterone production, than working smaller muscles. For example, leg squats, chest presses, and back rows will increase testosterone more than doing biceps curls or triceps push-downs, even though the effort may seem the same. This is why I'm always telling my clients that doing squats could help you build bigger biceps.

Snack on Nuts
Nuts are good you. Eating foods rich in monounsaturated fat—found in peanuts for example—have been shown to increase testosterone levels. I'm not sure why this happens, but it may have something to do with monounsaturated fats affect on cholesterol which is a key ingredient in the manufacture of testosterone and other metabolic hormones in the body. Nuts, olive oil, canola oil, and natural peanut butter are good sources of monounsaturated fat.

Max Your Reps per Set
I know I say that the biggest guys in the gym don't have to lift the most weight, but using five-pound dumbbells won't have any effect on testosterone levels. Try this tip: begin by lifting a weight you can push/pull for only five reps. That would equate to approximately 85 percent of a one-repetition maximum. In Finland, researchers discovered this method produced the greatest boosts in testosterone.

Why we do Three Sets
Because research scientists found three sets are better than one or two when looking to stimulate increases in testosterone. Resting a least 60 seconds between sets, lets you regain enough strength to continue with the next set. Shoot for 70 percent of one-rep maximum during the second and third sets. More than three sets may cause over-training, which has it's own problems.

Rest is Important
Over-training—not allowing the body to recuperate enough between workout sessions—can have the effect of reducing your serum testosterone levels by as much as 40 percent. Symptoms of over-training include: irritability, insomnia, and muscle shrinkage. Avoid over-training by making sure you get at least eight hours of sleep each night, and never work the same muscles with strength-training two days in a row. Rule of thumb: if the muscle is still sore, give it another day of rest.

Sobriety Equals More Testosterone
Cut yourself off after three drinks. More can kill testosterone levels. Alcohol retards our endocrine system—meaning the testes stop producing male hormones. Avoiding going limp at the moment of truth is a pretty good reason to go easy on the alcohol.

An Afternoon Snack Might Be Just the Ticket
Our bodies need a steady supply of calories to make testosterone. If you regularly skip meals or go for long stretches without eating, you can cause your levels of the hormone to plummet.

Fat is a Good Thing
Want to raise your testosterone score? Include about 30 percent fat, and not much less, in your eating plan. Your body needs good fat (like monounsaturated fats) to produce testosterone. Vitamin B₁₂, and healthy fats that include omega-3 fatty acids are often missing in eating plans like those followed by vegetarians. These are the two main reasons I don't recommend eating strictly like a vegetarian. That doesn't mean you can skip the fruit and vegetable aisle at the market, fellas.

Cut Out the Late Night Porn
If we don't get enough sleep (eight hours is recommended), our testosterone levels will suffer. A good night's sleep is another ingredient in insuring testosterone levels are higher in the morning. Work and/or social schedules that keep you up late will eventually mean that your craving for sex will decrease.

Age-Less Eating

You can't turn back the clock, but you can wind it up again. Cutting calories may slow down the aging clock as well as peel off pounds. A growing body of evidence has shown that feeding animals a healthy but low-calories eating program for the long-term delays aging and increases lifespan. But suggesting this way of eating also works in humans has been controversial and difficult to study. A research team managed to test it and found that the same life-extending mechanisms that work in animals may also occur in humans.

Moral: Eat light, live longer.
Bonus: You can throw out your fat jeans.

How might long-term low-calorie eating extend lifespan? Put simply, it decreases blood levels of a hormone called T3, which regulates how fast you burn calories--your metabolic rate. Low T3 slows metabolism, and that reduces the formation of free radicals, the destructive compounds that wreak havoc on cells and tissues.

The people in the study didn't starve; they ate a well-balanced 1,800 calories a day (versus 2,700 for a comparison group), and they kept it up for 3 years or more. They got at least 100 percent of the FDA's Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for all the body's essentials by concentrating on nutrient-rich but relatively low-calorie foods, such as fruits, vegetables, soy proteins, egg whites, and lean meats. Not surprisingly, the low-calorie group barely touched highly processed foods, simple sugars, refined carbohydrates, and saturated or trans fat.

While many studies have shown that healthy nutrition and exercise habits decrease the risk of age-related illnesses (such as heart disease and diabetes), this particular study supports the theory--long held by some--that it takes a calorie-restricted eating program to actually slow aging.

That said, it isn't easy to eat this way, year in and year out. But if extra time is more important to you than extra helpings or a regular ice cream fix, there's now evidence that calorie restriction may pay off in extended time on earth. To evaluate your eaitng plan, contact Bodies@Work for a Nutritional Assessment.

References: Effect of long-term calorie restriction with adequate protein and micronutrients on thyroid hormones. Fontana, L., Klein, S., Holloszy, J. O., Premachandra, B. N., The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2006 Aug;91(8):3232-3235.

Getting Flat Abs

I get asked almost daily about how to get a flat abdomen. One question really stood out and it was something like this: "I've been working on my lower belly pooch for about two and half years and it still won't go away even though I have a good eating program." That one question made me realize how long many of us persist with these types of goals, even in the face of failure.

Despite the facts, many people still think they can get a flat abdomen if they do enough abdominal exercises. They think, if they're not achieving that goal, they must be doing something wrong. The truth is, getting a six-pack is hard work and, if you haven't seen yours yet, maybe it's not what you're doing that's the problem.

The Myth That Wouldn't Die

If you've been doing sit-up and/or crunches forever and are wondering why you still don't have a flat abdomen, you're no doubt operating under what I think is the biggest myth of weight loss: That you can do an exercise for a certain area of your body and get rid of the fat there.

Why is this myth is so popular? If you pick up any fitness magazine, you'll find plenty of headlines to feed that belief. For example, in one issue of a magazine it proclaimed: "Banish Belly Fat - Tone, tighten , trim in just 7 moves." Seven moves to a flat abdomen? Who wouldn't want that? But it's these kinds of headlines that keep us stuck in the same place for months, even years, trying the same thing over and over and wondering when we'll finally get it right.

The truth is, a six-pack is difficult to get. Personally, I've been exercising consistently now for 10 years and consider myself in excellent shape. I don't have a six-pack (never have and not for lack of trying). It took me years to understand that goal wasn't right for me and, when I finally did, my life changed for the better. What about you? Is it time to let go of old goals and set new ones? Maybe it'll help to get a clear idea of what it takes to get a flat abdomen.

What You Really Need for Flat Abs

Despite what you think, abdominal exercises are not the number one thing you need to do for a flat abdomen. In fact, getting a flat abdomen requires hard work, commitment, and something else you have no control over: cooperative genes.

The only way to get a flat abdomen is to lose body fat and you already know what that requires:

1. Regular cardiovascular exercise
2. Strength Training for the ENTIRE BODY (treating the abdomen just like any other muscle in the body)
3. A healthy, low-calorie eating program
   

You must get all three of these (especially your eating program) right on a consistent basis in order to even get close to a flat abdomen. And another important thing: If you've lost body fat and you still don't have a flat abdomen, don't be terribly surprised. Many of us will never see that six-pack because:

• The body fat level required to get a flat abdomen is lower than you can sustain with your current lifestyle/schedule, or
• The body fat level required is lower than is healthy for your body to function.

So, even if you follow a perfect exericse program and a perfect eating program, a flat abdomen still might elude you. Does that mean you should give up? You shouldn't give up on exercise but, maybe, giving up the ideal of a six-pack is exactly what you need to make your life better.

Giving Up on the 'Ideal'

Now you know the truth: The goal to get a flat abdomen may:

• Require more exercise than your schedule will allow and more than you can mentally handle
• Require more attention to your eating plan than you're willing/able to expend
• Require more strict adherence to eating plan/and exercise than you have the time or energy to spare
• Not be in your genetic cards

If that is the case, maybe it's time to get rid of that goal. It may seem foreign to imagine an exercise life without it, but it's possible and tossing that goal may actually be a relief, allowing you to focus on what you can change.

Now's the time to ask yourself:

• Do I really want a flat abdomen?
• Am I willing to work as hard as I need to to get a six-pack?
• If I will work that hard, am I willing to accept that it still may not happen, even if I do everything right?
• If I did get a six-pack, what will that change in my life? What will a flat abdomen actually do for me?
• What would happen if I let go of this ideal and focused on other goals?

Accepting that your body works as a whole and not in pieces and parts is the first step towards releasing that ideal body image that lurks in your mind and embracing the one you have now. Maybe it's time to finally let that goal go and realize you aren't a failure for not reaching it.

Are Your Cooking Oils Going Up In Smoke?

Olive, canola, peanut, sesame, grapeseed . . . these five heart-smart plant oils have one terrific thing in common: They’re rich in monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fats, which have cholesterol-lowering benefits. But overheat them and those healthy perks may go up in smoke. Cooking at high enough temperatures to set off smoke means the oil’s breaking down, losing nutrients, and releasing potentially carcinogenic free radicals. And when oil hits its “smoking point,” food cooked in it tastes off. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t cook with these healthful oils. Just pick and choose what you use.

Here’s how.

Extra-virgin olive: It’s so heat-sensitive that chefs usually recommend not cooking with it--it’s too delicate and too expensive. Instead, cook with pure or virgin olive oil, which can take much higher heat. Use them to quickly saute vegetables in a hot pan or slowly roast them in the oven--just spritz lightly with olive oil, and then roast at 325–350 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour or so, till fork-tender.

Canola: This is a superb cooking oil. It has the least saturated fat of any vegetable oil (about half that of olive and peanut oils); it’s virtually tasteless, so you can use it in anything; and its high smoking point (400 degrees Fahrenheit or more) makes it perfect for hot cooking, like stir-fries and sautes.

Peanut: It’s also known for a high smoking point (around 440 degrees Fahrenheit). And if you choose refined peanut oil, it too is nearly tasteless. On the other hand, if you want the yummy, peanuty flavor that makes Southeast Asian dishes so delicious, cook with refined oil, but add a few drops of roasted peanut oil just before serving.

Sesame: Refined light sesame oil has a high smoking point (about 450 degrees Fahrenheit), which makes it terrific for stir-fries, though it doesn’t add much flavor. For that, choose dark sesame oil but--because its smoking point is a fairly low 350 degrees Fahrenheit--reserve it for drizzling on Asian noodle dishes or miso soup.

Grapeseed: Although a tad pricier than most grocery-store plant oils, grapeseed oil’s neutral flavor won’t overwhelm even the most delicate fish or vegetables. Yet its relatively high smoking point (about 420 degrees Fahrenheit) means it’s fine for brushing on fish or vegetables before grilling. Grapeseed oil is also low in saturated fat and high in vitamin E.