Think about boosting you immune system by just sleeping?

It's true. What could be easier than getting a good night's sleep to take care of your health? (I realize as I write sleeping is not easy for everyone but read on for tips).

There is so much material written on this topic that it's hard to condense all the relevant information into one post. It's probably no surprise to anyone that developed countries have reduced the average night's sleep from 9 hours to 7.5 hours since the turn of the century (20th that is) We've given up sleep to make room for work and leisure. People who trade sleep for work or play may get used to it and feel less fatigued but the wear and tear on the body continues. It's just my guess (and not implying it has anything to do with sleep) that the number of attention deficit individuals has also increased since the turn of century. I'm included in that number which is why I'm offering up a "Did You Know" list rather than a lengthy post.

Did You Know?
Adequate sleep boosts your immune system. Studies on certain vaccines show antibodies double in participants who get plenty of sleep vs those that are sleep-deprived.

GH or growth hormone declines with inadequate sleep (related to reduced muscle mass, increased fat tissue, weakened immunity to infection)

Cortisol increases with inadequate sleep (resulting in negative effects on memory, metabolism, and insulin levels)

Research with 70,000 women for 10 years showed a 34% increase in diabetes for those that slept 5 hours or less each night

Chronic sleep loss may speed the onset of age related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and memory loss.

Sleeping less than 7 hours each night creates a sleep debt

Resuming sleep patterns of 7 to 9 hours each night restores our chemical balance

Avoiding grain and sugar before bed snacks helps promote sleep

Eating a high protein snack hours before bedtime helps produce melatonin

Sleeping in complete darkness promotes sleep

Listening to white noises promotes sleep

Daily exercise promotes sleep

Journaling before bedtime can help your mind wind down

In summary, sleep should be a priority in your life as it plays a dramatic role in your overall health - much like proper nutrition and regular exercise. Without enough sleep your body will be challenged to reach its optimal state of health.

What Motivates You to Exercise?

Motivation generally comes from two sources: from within a person and from outside sources. External motivation might be your doctor telling you your blood pressure or cholesterol is high and you need to exercise and/or go on medication. All of a sudden your health is at risk and you feel motivated. Another example is praise. The feeling you get when someone says wow, you look great! Intrinsic motivation on the other hand comes from within. You have a desire within you to do something for personal satisfaction. You decide you want to climb Mt. Everest, go back to school and get your degree, or maybe you look in the mirror and just plain and simply don't like what you see and decide to go to the gym that very day.

Motivation gets results whether it comes from within or without. The combination is powerful - you're personally motivated to get in shape, and it's hard and you're not where you want to be and you're getting discouraged and then a friend who hasn't seen you in a while says WOW, you look great! Yes! The excitement is back and you're headed for the gym for another day of hard work.

Nike coined the most relevant tag line for exercise (and for life actually) and that is, "just do it." Whatever it is you want to do, you really can just do it. You decide. You decide each day and each moment if you're going to just go to the gym and workout, and if you're going to eat healthy. Negative thoughts are normal and exist in all of us. But we decide each and every day whether we allow our negative thoughts to dictate our actions or whether we control our thoughts and decide to JUST DO IT! I love you Nike.

The A Team of Vitamins!

I'm so happy I went through this process of researching each and every vitamin that is in my cupboard. I have for years bought separately - Vitamin E, B, C, D3, Resveratrol, CoQ10 and a multi-vitamin. Without doing the homework I thought more of these super vitamins would be better. Never occurred to me that too much C and E could be toxic or that my body just excreted the extra B since I was getting all my body could use in food and my multi-vitamin.

Also understanding bioavailability vs synthetic was huge for me. Thanks to Michelle Poliski I became familiar with two great sources for natural, whole food vitamins, Defense Nutrition and Dr. Mercola

So, I can now introduce my A team with the comfort of knowing my team provides all of the required vitamins without going overboard. They are natural, whole food vitamins that my body can absorb. In addition, I've added a couple of extras, CoQ10 and Resveratrol. Their benefits seem undisputed and I like the added value they bring to the team. So, without further adieu, meet the A team!

Whole Foods Multi-Vitamin from Dr. Mercola
This along with a healthy diet provides RDA of the standards such as B, C and E and then some!


Vitamin D
According to Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University School of Medicine, most individuals who live north of Los Angeles (about 90%) are Vitamin D deficient. This post would be way to long if I were to list the various roles vitamin D plays in specific diseases so please go here for an excellent article.


CoQ10
This is a not vitamin but rather a naturally occurring compound in your body and is required to produce energy. Levels of CoQ10 diminish as we age so it makes sense to replenish this important compound as it also boosts our immune system, and protects us from damage caused by free radials (among other things).


Resveratrol
I posted on this yesterday and there are too many studies on this unique antioxidant for me not to want it on my team. This falls into the "if it doesn't hurt but may help" category so Resveratrol - you're hired!


I hope this series has been helpful to you as well. Thank you to all my followers and I love to read your comments so please let me hear from you. Happy Wednesday!

Resveratrol, the modern day "fountain of youth"?

Studies continue to support the health benefits of Resveratrol. I first heard about Resveratrol's health benefits from Dr. Oz and well, who can dispute Dr. Oz. I really like him. It is considered to be one of the most potent antioxidants and is found in fruit, vegetables and cocoa. To date Resveratrol is not known to be toxic or cause any adverse side effects in humans.

Resveratrol is unique in that it can cross the blood-brain barrier to help protect your brain and nervous system. Other benefits include:

Protects cells from free radical damage
Inhibits the spread of cancer (most notably prostrate)
Lowers blood pressure
Keeps your heart healthy and improves elasticity in your blood vessels
Normalizes your anti-inflammatory response
Helps prevent Alzheimer's disease

These are mostly bio-markers of normal aging (not to mention they mirror benefits of exercise- what a combo!) so hence resveratrol being dubbed the modern day fountain of youth. I think resveratrol is a keeper for me.

Neither Defense Nutrition nor Dr. Mercola has a resveratrol product so I went on a search for a product that is non synthetic and offers the bioavailability our bodies need. This one passed the test!

"Controversy Surrounds Vitamin E"

Interesting.

It's similar to B Complex as it exists in eight different forms. The most common one is Alpha-tocopheral and is typically the one you will see listed whether it's in your vitamin or lotion. The group however works better as a team than when one of the forms is isolated. Another thing to look for is whether it is a synthetic form or natural form. The synthetic form is called "dl" alpha tocopherol while the natural form is called "d" alpha tocopherol. If there's one thing I've learned from my research is that I will opt for the natural form in all of my vitamins.

As with Vitamin C, the controversy with E is the safety of taking high doses. There is voluminous material on this topic. When it comes to any product that comes with a warning or insufficient studies to make a conclusive judgement as to its safety, I err on the side of caution.

The RDA varies from 30 IU to 400IU based on who did the study. Pretty wide range. Vitamin E is essential to life and unlike B complex it is not "abundant" in our foods. Here is a list of foods in order of most to least mg of E per serving:

Wheat Germ Oil
Almonds (dry roasted)
Sunflower seeds (dry roasted)
Hazelnuts (dry roasted)
Peanut butter
Peanuts (dry roasted)
Spinach (boiled)
Broccoli (boiled)
Kiwi
Mango
Tomato
Spinach (raw)

Dr. Mercola's multi vitamin includes 400 IU of natural, "mixed" tocopherals. So once again, I will be content with the vitamin E that I get from my multi vitamin and the foods I eat.

If you are interested in reading more about this important vitamin, here is an excellent article.

B Complex Simplified

B Complex used to be plain old vitamin B, just like its cousins C and E. Things got complicated however when it was discovered that there were chemically distinct vitamins coexisting within this complex vitamin. These distinct vitamins are:

B1 (thiamin)
B2(riboflavin)
B3 (niacin)
B5 (pantothenic acid)
B6 (pyridoxine)
B7 (biotin)
B9 (folic acid)
B12 (various cobalamins)

Just about everybody in America gets all of the B vitamins they could possibly need in their diets. They are found in whole, unprocessed foods and are particularly concentrated in meat. Other sources are potatoes, bananas, lentils, chile peppers, tempeh, and beans. Processed foods with their sugars and white flour tend to significantly reduce B vitamin content so we're back to looking at our diets to understand if extra supplementation is needed. If your diet consists basically of whole unprocessed foods then taking supplementation of B vitamins is probably not necessary. A note to vegetarians; B12 is not available in plant sources so this is a consideration even if your vegetarian diet is mostly whole unprocessed foods.

As with Vitamin C, my plant based multi gives me 100% of the RDA for B vitamins (in addition to what I get in my diet). So sorry B Complex you've been a valued member of the team but due to cost cutting measures and reorganization your services are no longer needed.

In summary, here is what I like to call my A team, supplements that have made the cut (vitamin
E and Resveratrol have yet to have their review so stay tuned). Enjoy the weekend.

Plant based Multi Vitamin
Absorbable D3
CoQ10

Here is a trusted site for purchasing plant based multi vitamins and the below links are Dr Mercola's D3 and CoQ10.

The Proper Dosage of Vitamin C In The Diet Has Been A Subject Of Much Debate In The Medical Community.

Vitamin C did not make the cut for my new and improved daily vitamin regimen and here's why.
Researchers from the National Institute of Health recommended raising the RDA for vitamin C from 60 mg. to between 100 mg. and 200 mg. So as many as 200 mg are considered safe and my multi vitamin provides me with 160 mg., so I'm covered. Plus my diet includes a lot of fruits and vegetables loaded with the best and most natural form of vitamin C.

The debate going on about vitamin C has to do with taking high doses in the hope that its antioxidant properties will work to destroy harmful substances in the body which is causing illness. The question is whether or not high doses are toxic or helpful? I won't try and sort that one out but if you are interested in knowing more go here as Dr. Mercola has an excellent site for researching natural health topics.

The U.S. Government on the other hand comes up with recommended daily allowances (RDA) from the perspective of preventing deficiencies not as natural therapeutic agents.

In summary, extra vitamin C is coming off of my list. Staying on my list so far is a plant based multi-vitamin, absorbable D3, and CoQ10. There's still B, E and I'm throwing in an extra, Resveratrol, for my continued research.

Someone commented that they liked getting the skinny on vitamins as it has always been a source of confusion as to what to take and what not to take. I feel the same way and I have tried in the past to do abbreviated research that really didn't uncover the answers like researching one vitamin at a time for my blog. Hope it's helpful to you as well.

Would You Spend $492 on a Jar of Honey?

Manuka honey from New Zealand is considered the cadillac of honeys. The FDA has recently approved its use in wound and burn care in the US. It has been used for several years as an antimicrobial wound dressing in its native New Zealand, Great Britain, Australia and Canada.

It tastes really good too. I have splurged once on a $40 jar which I bought at Whole Foods. In researching for my post today I found jars priced anywhere from $14 to a whopping $492! The price varies based on its content of UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) which is the level of antimicrobial qualities. Whether you buy Manuka or something from your local store the key is to buy raw (unheated) organic honey. The processed and refined versions can promote disease and will not have the same benefits as raw honey. I would use it for wound care if needed but mostly I like it in my tea or to satisfy my sweet tooth by using it as a dip for apples, rice cakes, etc.

But besides tasting good and using it for wound care it was used as therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century when penicillin hit the scene. Raw honey contains enzymes that aid in digestion. It has all the B-complex vitamins, Vitamin C, D, E, and amino acids. Plus numerous trace minerals such as copper and iron. If you are interested in learning more here is a great article that goes into more detail about the many health benefits of honey.

One last word. Bees, by pollinating trees and crops, are true sustainers of life on earth. Without their tireless service, we would not be able to feed ourselves. I'll think twice before I take out a can of hairspray to halt the fluttering around me activity of these sometimes pesky creatures.

Dark Chocolate A Cure For Emotional Stress?

Clinical trials say yes to that question. I'll get right to the important part. Here is the order of types of chocolate with the highest level of flavanol antioxidants:

Natural Cocoa Powder (double the amount of antioxidants of red wine, and green tea!)
Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

My whole life I've found chocolate simply irresistible. I've enjoyed, yes enjoyed, unsweetened baking chocolate on a few occasions, even had a teaspoon or two a pure cocoa powder the other night. And while it's not the same as a box of Godiva it is still the unmistakable taste of pure wonderful chocolate. Ok, enough about me. Here's why it's good for you.

The health benefits from chocolate are mainly due to the antioxidants present in the cocoa, such as flavonols. Flavonols are a subclass of flavonoids, which are natural chemicals found in plants, fruits and vegetables. Gives a whole new meaning to "eat your vegetables!"

The use of chocolate as a cure for emotional stress has gotten new support from a clinical trial. The trial found that eating an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced levels of stress hormones.

In addition, there is growing scientific evidence that antioxidants and other beneficial substances in dark chocolate may reduce risk factors for heart disease and other physical conditions.

As with vitamins and food we need to look at the process. Obviously there's a huge difference between the minimally processed dark chocolate and the milk chocolate found in most candy bars.

Here are a few organic choices from a trusted brand:



Happy Tuesday!

"Don't Let The Perfect Be The Enemy of The Good."

Voltaire makes a good point. The more discussion and reading I do on vitamins in order to uncover the perfect combination, the more I'm convinced there is no perfect prescription for the perfect combination of vitamins. Everyone is different with different needs. My diet is pretty good and taking more supplements is not necessarily better for me. So what I know for sure is my list of daily vitamins is about to shrink. I'll keep taking a daily multi vitamin and switch to Defense Nutrition's plant based formula (which you can find here.)In addition, I will take vitamin D3 which we discussed in a previous blog and switch to Dr. Mercola's "ultra absorbable" truly natural spray.

The supplement I would like to talk about today and one that will also stay on my list is CoQ10. This is one of the few supplements that Dr. Mercola considers highly beneficial for nearly all adults.


CoQ10 is naturally produced in the body (unlike vitamins) but levels diminish as we get older. CoQ10 is an oil soluble substance that the body requires in order for cells to produce energy. In addition to energy the list of benefits is long. It is recommended for angina, and hypertension. It protects the body from free radical damage, reduces signs of normal aging and boosts the immune system.

I'm reviewing information one vitamin at a time so stay tuned for more on standards such as B, C and E. But here's the good news! Chocolate and raw organic honey are REALLY good for you. Can you believe it? I'm looking forward to delving into those two delicious supplements in my next blog.

Are "whole food organic" vitamins same as plant based?

In my last blog we talked about synthetic vitamins vs plant based. There is another category that looks appealing when you're browsing the many choices of vitamins. That category is yeast based which is typically labeled "organic". Here's a quick description of the process for many whole food organic vitamins.

It's a mixed bag of tricks so to speak. It starts with a synthetic vitamin C for example, next add food that contains C naturally. In order to convert the non organic to organic they add yeast which binds these two compounds together theoretically making it an organic compound. Next they need to destroy the yeast which is done by adding a bacteria. However, whether the yeast is dead or alive, you're still getting it.

The problem(s) with the above process is many people are allergic to yeast, and there is a debate as to whether it feeds the bad yeast already present in your gut. Defense Nutrition makes a plant based multi vitamin which you can find here and Dr. Mercola has a true "whole foods" multi vitamin which you can find here

I hope this helps to sort out the many choices there are out there on the market. I've typically bought "natural", "organic" "natures best" etc without really understanding the process. The good news is there is a source for buying truly plant based or whole food items. Both of the websites I refer to above are a wealth of information with product offerings that hold true to an organic lifestyle.

Is Your Vitamin Hurting or Helping?

To help unravel the complexities of diet and supplements I've enlisted the help of Michelle Poliski. Michelle is the mother of three and is currently studying nutrition at Bauman College. She is passionate about making a positive shift in the world "one bite at a time". After speaking with Michelle it became clear her knowledge is vast and to cover all vitamins in one blog would be impossible. Women have a special need for Vitamin D and Calcium (and strength training) to protect their bones - so let's start with Vitamin D. I hope you enjoy this series of blogs from me and mostly Michelle!

Nothing will replace a balanced diet. Optimally our diets should consist of whole raw foods as much as possible with no processed or very minimal processed foods. Eating seasonal and organic is a plus. Foods lose nutrients the longer they sit. They also lose nutrients the more that we cook them and freeze them. If you eat or drink anything out of a microwave you are actually taking away life source from your body as it tries to assimilate and get rid of the toxic dead food. Besides the radiation, broccoli for example loses 95% of its nutrients in the microwave.

Supplements are no different. We need to ask ourselves with every supplement. . . how was this processed? stored? what is the source? Vitamin D for example. . . D3 is natural yet D2 is synthetic and can be toxic. D can be toxic in general and should be regulated with blood tests since everyone's sweet spot is different. The general rule is 35 IU per pound of body weight i.e. 125 lbs. = 4375 IU's of vitamin D. The question to ask - is it bioavailable (absorbed by the body) or synthetic (typically gets stored in your fat and becomes toxic) For the most part you will find synthetic rather than bioavailable vitamins in your local grocery stores. Dr. Mercola has a great natural D3 spray that is also easy for kids to take as well.

I would love to get into our need to get enough sun and not use toxic chemical ridden sunscreens. The sun is not our enemy. We need sun so that we get a coating of cancer protecting vitamin d oil on our skin. We need the sun to heal, and most sunscreens have chemicals that actually cause cancer! There are safe and natural sunscreens available.

If you are a mother, a grandmother, aunt, father, or just love kids go here and check out Michelle's website, "Lil Peeps Nutrition".

Tips on Buying Organic

Even though I am very cost conscious I buy organic. I ran across an interesting article today that kinda supported what I knew intuitively. Certain foods retain the many pesticides and chemicals used in today's farming more than others. Makes sense. In general foods like bananas, watermelons, oranges and grapefruits have a pretty impervious skin that prevents the chemicals from seeping into the meat of the fruit. Certain fruits and vegetables are more susceptible to pests and fungus and need more pesticides than others to get them to market. In addition, they have a thin skin which allows the fruit to soak up the pesticides. These are the fruits and vegies that I will go ahead pay more for so that I don't ingest 10 or more different pesticides when I'm getting my 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

Thought I would list what the article referred to as the "dirty dozen".

Peaches
Apples (peeling strips away beneficial nutrients but leaves the chemical residue)
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery (No protective skin at all)
Nectarines (26 different kinds of pesticides used on these)
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Leafy Greens (most potent pesticides used to keep these leafy greens leafy green)
Grapes (different pesticides used at various stages of development)
Carrots
Pears

Many of these items are "Super Foods" so I choose to bite the bullet and buy organic rather than eliminate them from my diet.
Very disappointing too to read that coffee beans frequently come from countries that don't regulate the use of pesticides. Never thought too much about to buy or not to buy organic coffee. . . . . until now. Not to mention, I will ponder over whether my occasional glass of wine should be organic as well as grapes get a substantial dose of pesticides throughout the growing process. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

The Mighty Shoulders

Our last work out which is one of my favorites (maybe because it's the shortest) is shoulders. Well developed shoulders on women is a must have when you sport a strapless top or sundress. Also think about the many movements in which the shoulder comes into play - swing, serve, down dog, reach, carry and zip (to name a few). You need strong shoulders. A word of caution however when it comes to shoulders. They are a ball and socket joint as is your hip for example. The difference however is the "socket" part of the shoulder is much more shallow than the hip's. All in all shoulders are relatively fragile considering the many functions they are called upon to perform. So let's start building strong shoulder muscles so the joint stays protected and you look great in a sundress!

We're back to 15 reps and 3 sets of each exercise:

Front raise
Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Grasp dumbbells with pronated grip and hold weights straight down at your sides. Starting with right arm, lift arm to the front until it is parallel to the ground (usually eye level). It's ok to lock out your elbow in this movement so that your arm remains straight. Return to starting position and lift left arm in same manner. Continue alternating arms until have done 15 reps with each arm.

Lateral Raise
Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Grasp dumbbells with pronated grip and hold weights straight down at your sides. Lift arms straight out, sideways, until they are parallel to the ground. Take 3 seconds to lower your arms so that they are straight down by your sides again. Repeat 15 times.

Dumbbell Posterior Shoulder Raise
Using a bench, sit at end of bench with feet planted firmly on the ground. Grasp dumbbells with palms facing in. Bend over at the hips so you are bent at about a 90 degree angle. Begin by laterally raising arms by contracting posterior shoulders. Elbows should be pointed back and slightly bent. Continue to contract until arms are almost parallel to floor. Slowly lower arms back to starting position.

Alternate the above 3 exercises for 1 set. Repeat so that you complete 3 sets.

Extra
Barbell Upright Row
Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Grasp bar with pronated grip and with bar resting at front of hips. Hands should be about 6" to 12" apart. Begin by pulling the bar up along the body. Keep body erect with knees slightly flexed. Continue to pull bar up until it reaches clavicle level. Your wrists should not move. The movement is in your shoulders with your elbows pointed outward.

Dumbbell Military Press
Sit on bench or pad that has back support. Grasp dumbbells with pronated grip. Extend arms above head and lower weights stopping when biceps and triceps are parallel to floor. Keep weights and arms slightly in front as opposed to lining up exactly at your sides. Repeat this movement 15 times.