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18 April 2008 Sleep Requirements |
Treadmills | Stress | Career Change | Herbs for Menopause
| Love and Gratitude
This eZine (No. 126)
Wisdom Through the AgesBy: Ainsley LaingI have a friend who is much older than she looks. Since I know that she generally takes good care of herself by eating well and exercising (great skin and what a fit body!), I once asked her if there was one thing she did that she felt contributed the most to her youthful look and she replied “I try to sleep long enough every night so that I wake up naturally”. (I had hoped to get the name of some new amazing beauty treatment). There’s lots of new research out there attempting to fully understand the effect that disturbed sleep has on health. Although, those of us who have had a newborn baby in the house KNOW without the science what sleep deprivation does to you…OH BOY! But seriously, there are more and more indicators of the association between lack of sleep and many of the “big” killers. Lack of sleep appears to increase the production of stress hormones and drives up blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Moreover, people who are sleep-deprived have higher levels of chemicals in the blood which indicate a heightened state of inflammation in the body, a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes (big killers)…. All of which can lead to a shortened life. Scientists tell us that, for the majority of people, seven to nine hours per night of sleep is needed for optimal functioning. And as more and more studies of the body processes that take place during sleep are uncovered, it becomes clearer that getting enough sleep is really important in the prevention of disease. The research even points to the idea that, in addition to the big killers, the risk of obesity increases with less than 6 or 7 hours of sleep per night. Obesity? Really? Hold on. The idea that excess fat accumulation happens because of lack of sleep goes against my personal logic. After all, if you stay awake more hours it seems like you would burn more calories than if you were sleeping. Well, apparently you do burn more calories….but there’s a pitfall: the brain chemicals involved with appetite signals go wacky. So much for that line of thinking… The two recently identified chemicals involved with appetite are called leptin and ghrelin. Leptin, which is produced by the fat cells, suppresses appetite and ghrelin increases it. When the duration of the sleep is shorter or sleep is interrupted, the leptin levels drop and ghrelin increases, and sends hunger signals to the brain. That explains the popularity of the midnight snack! Back to my friend’s idea of sleeping until you wake up naturally. Last summer, I decided to try it for a couple of weeks (with the alarm set as backup in case I slept TOO late). To do this, I had to go to bed a bit earlier. You know what happened? Except for the one night I stayed up too late with my girlfriends and woke up too early, I slept between seven and eight hours. I felt great and looked rested. More importantly, I became more tuned into my own body’s sleep requirements. Good lesson. The gist of it all? My friend is on to something. Sleep IS….. good for you. About the author: Ainsley Laing, MSc. has 25 years experience in Group Exercise, Nutrition and Personal Training. She writes exclusively for Body for Mind - Wellness Lifestyle for Successful People. Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db  Treadmills vs. Exercise BikeBy: Brady FreemanMany people in this day and age know that the key to a long life is to eat healthy and perform regular exercise. This fact has made gym memberships and home health equipment surge in the last decade. Many people choose the latter due to the fact of ease of use in their own home and not having to deal with gym rats. There are hundreds of types of exercise equipment on the market, but the most popular are treadmills and exercise bikes. The major problem most people find with at home exercise equipment is overcoming boredom. The only thing that seems to work on boredom on a treadmill is a TV or watching an exercise program. The same is true on an exercise bike, but some bikes allow you to plug into a TV or video game so that you may visually pedal thru a course. Recumbent bikes allow your hands to be free so that you may use the phone, magazine or book. Safety on a Treadmill or Bike If safety is a major concern due to age or injury, obviously the exercise bike is the safest for either. Not only while on a treadmill do you have to worry about a misstep, but also if you have children they can endanger the user or themselves. If a ball or any other item is placed under the deck and belt the treadmill can abruptly stop, or little fingers and hands can be hurt by putting them in places they don’t belong. With treadmills you also have to remember that you are putting much more stress on your joints. With an upright exercise bike users may stress your back while trying to reach handle bars. Recumbent bikes are said to sometimes improve existing back pain by forcing proper posture and giving you support while exercising. Exercising on a bike compared to a treadmill will reduce joint stress and injury. Calorie Burn On average a treadmill will burn more calories per hour than an exercise bike. NordicTrack conducted a study using different types of exercise equipment and they found that all at the same intensity the treadmill and ski machine burned more calories per hour than any other piece of equipment. If you are interested in losing weight, a treadmill is the way to go! If you are a healthy individual with no joint problems or health problems you can expect to lose about 750 calories per hour on a treadmill compared to 550 calories on a bike. The key to losing weight is thru vigorous activity which a treadmill can allow. Conclusion Both exercise bikes and treadmills are wonderful options for anyone interested in losing weight or improving health. The major decision is what you are truly interested in achieving, and if you feel that you will be able to stick with your program long term. Long term success is determined by long term usage, so pick wisely, or even better choose both if your wallet can afford the investment. About the author: Brady Freeman is a regular contributor at treadmill doctor. A site specializing in treadmill lubricants and repair parts. http://www.treadmilldoctor.com/ Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db Comic ReliefFour
Men and Their Dogs
Four men were bragging about how smart their dogs are. The first man was an Engineer, the second man was an Accountant, the third man was a Chemist, and the fourth was a Government Worker. To show off, the Engineer called to his dog. "T-Square, do your stuff." T- Square trotted over to a desk, took out some paper and a pen and promptly drew a circle, a square and a triangle. Everyone agreed that was pretty smart. But the Accountant said his dog could do better. He called his dog and said, "Slide Rule, do your stuff." Slide Rule went out into the kitchen and returned with a dozen cookies. He divided them into 4 equal piles of 3 cookies each. Everyone agreed that was good. But the Chemist said his dog could do better. He called his dog and said, "Measure, do your stuff." Measure got up, walked over to the fridge, took out a quart of milk, got a 10 ounce glass from the cupboard and poured exactly 8 ounces without spilling a drop. Everyone agreed that was good. Then the three men turned to the Government Worker and said, "What can your dog do?" The Government Worker called to his dog and said, "Coffee Break, do your stuff." Coffee Break jumped to his feet, ate the cookies, drank the milk, dumped on the paper, sexually assaulted the other three dogs, claimed he injured his back while doing so, filed a grievance report for unsafe working conditions, put in for Worker's Compensation and went home on sick leave. Stress Can Affect Your Mind, Too!By: Andrew JohnOne of the major problems with stress is that it attacks the mind first, making sure that its ability to response to it is limited at best. Stress causes weakening of memory sometimes to a point when you start forgetting things, makes it extremely difficult to focus on anything and makes you question your motives and your will to stand up from bed every morning. Even worse than that, stress gets also into our feelings. We can be overcome with any feeling ranging from anger and sadness to panic with no prior warning. This makes living and especially solving the problem you have extremely difficult as such mood changes make you extremely vulnerable and prevent you from handling many issues in your lives much harder. What is worse, mental stress will sooner or later cause also physiological problems, just as any kind of stress does. What starts from aching muscles often ends in severe illnesses unless you start coping with your problems instead of avoiding them. If you start feeling weak and weary due to your stress-induced physical problems, this sooner or later will affect your social role and functions. You will become much worse employee as even the simplest tasks will prove to be beyond your abilities. You will start to shout or cry for little or no reason, keeping your family on tips of their toes. And such situation will only aggravate your initial mental stress problems. If such vicious circle has been started, you have to look for help and break it as soon as possible - the worst is still ahead of you. If you do nothing to cope with stress and let it grow, after a few years you will notice that your physical and mental condition will have gone to pieces. Heart diseases, obesity, muscle problems, arthritis, depression all of those conditions are likely to show up if you don't stop your stress now. If you choose to do nothing, you risk death whether due to your medical condition or a suicide attempt out of depression. This is a "do or die situation". There is one thing you have to remember when you fight with your stress: you can't do it alone. External help and support is necessary for anyone to cope with their problems. All so-called "strong people" that can go through anything unscarred know that lesson well and rely on others instead of taking more problems on themselves than they could handle. Do as they do: find some help, rely on others and use a hand when it is given. This way you may end your stress-induced problems in no time - permanently! About The Author: Andrew John writes about stress and it's damaging effects. Andrew can show you how to cope with stress via all-natural methods. For more detailed insights and information on how to fight stress without drugs, go to: All-Natural Stress Relief. http://anti-stress.product-truths.com/ Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db A Quick ChangeBy: Roderick ArmstrongI want to tell you a storyDavid is a department manager for a major retailer. He typically works 70 hour weeks and when he does get home it seems as if it's only for a few hours before he has to get right back to the sales floor. He's worked for this company for 14 years now and it still seems like he just started yesterday. He makes good money and lives in a nice neighborhood. David and his wife Lori just refinanced their home in order to help with the cost of the twins upcoming college education. David and his wife both drive new Lexus'. Their expenses are tight and it is hard to imagine ever getting out of debt. He started working for his company straight out of college just until he "found what he really wanted" and found himself at the same company 14 years later. It seems as if the twins grew up right around him and he can't even remember when they were younger. It's like whole years of their lives are lost to him. He wants a quick change but doesn't know where to start. He knows other people work from home in MLM or Internet Marketing companies but he doesn't think he can do that. All he knows is working for a job. Does this sound like your life? A cycle of dull, mind numbing boredom? You don't have to answer me. You should be honest with yourself. How many people go through this same cycle day in, day out, year after year after year? What about the dreams we had when we were kids? We were going to set the world on fire. Now, we'd just like to save 10 minutes on our morning commute. I'm not trying to get you down here. I want to help you remember the dreams you had when you knew nothing could stop you. The world was yours for the taking and you were just the one to do it. What kind of legacy are we leaving our children by living a life that we have just grown to accept? We come into this world full of desire and drive to win. We are then taught to get good grades, get into a good college so that we can get a good job and then have kids, and repeat the cycle all over again. Sadly, we're taught to believe that life is supposed to be just like that. Work hard all your life, raise a family, die. I think life is supposed to be much richer than that. Amazingly, this is not the life we dreamed of when we were young. You are supposed to live life as you like it. What happened? Life happened to us. We find ourselves caught up and sucked in to a system that was never designed for us to live in. Be encouraged. This is the moment. The purpose of this article is to enlighten you that the life you dreamed of years ago is still possible if you choose to believe that it is possible for you. You don't have to despair and accept a fate that you were not chosen for. Your destiny is much greater than that. My intention is to inspire you to believe in your dreams again. You had them once and you can still live them. They are yours to achieve. Don't give in to thinking that it's too late. It's not. I know you can live your dreams if you dare to believe that it's possible for you. Believe...then change will come. Peace... About the author: If you are ready to live life as you like it I am excited to help you. I know life of your dreams is just around the corner. If your are ready to take charge and stomp out loud then check this out: http://noceilingprofits.com/edc.php?aid=RA10236 Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db Learn
how to stop wanting to
smoke ever again!
 Can Herbal Remedies for Menopause Help Ease Menopausal SymptomsBy: Wendy JonesGoing through the menopause is an experience every woman will experience in her life as it's part of the natural process of female development and growth. The name given to this change of life - menopause - comes from the Greek meanings of "cease" and "month". Roughly translated it means the end or ceasing of the monthly cycle or periods. In general, most women start to experience early menopause symptoms from their early 50s - but it can start as early as 40 and end as late as their late 50s. One thing is for sure and that is every woman's experience of menopause will be different. Approximately 80% of all women will go through the "change of life" - as it is often referred to - with very few symptoms other than their periods coming to an end. Menopause is caused by physical changes in the female body that occur naturally with age. Specifically, the levels of female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) circulating within the body decrease which leads to menstrual irregularity and eventually menstrual cessation. The three clear signs of the onset of menopause are an irregular monthly flow, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness. Hot flashes have long been considered the classic symptom of menopause. A woman experiencing a hot flash may feel a sudden wave of warmth in the face, neck, and chest, lasting for several minutes and accompanied by reddening of the skin, like blushing. Experiencing a hot flash can also be accompanied by perspiration (or hot sweats) especially over your upper body, and at times can be pretty heavy. It can also bring on headaches, palpitations and dizziness. There's not a lot you can do to eliminate the symptoms, but there's plenty you can do to manage them. Wear multiple layers of clothing, so that you can remove some if necessary, drink plenty of cool liquids, and if you're at home try a cool shower. Some people I know actually say a hot shower works well - not necessarily during the shower, but certainly when you get out - this is a method they practise in hot countries to keep cool so there's no reason it can't be effective to manage your hot flashes. Vaginal dryness is another classic sign of menopause, though one less talked about. As your body is producing less female hormones (estrogen and progesterone), the side effect of this is to thin out the urinary tract and vaginal walls, which leaves the skin there even more delicate and susceptible to damage and infection. In some cases, this thinning can make sexual intercourse an uncomfortable and even painful experience. Of the many natural and herbal remedies for menopause, a simple remedy for vaginal dryness is use of a personal lubricant (K-Y jelly, apricot oil or Vitamin E oil) during intercourse. A physician may also prescribe a vaginal cream containing estrogen. About the author: Wendy Jones has her own menopause support website. For her personal tips and support on herbal remedies for menopause check out her site: http://www.wendysmenopausesupport.com/herbs-for-menopause/ Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db Love, Forgiveness And GratitudeBy: TheArcherI get so frustrated with the futility of people’s lives. Most people are so concerned with trivialities and protocol that they completely fail to see the reasons why they are here on earth. I don’t mean that we should be irresponsible – there are some things that need to be done to earn a living or for the sake of safety or hygiene. And of course it’s always a good idea to pay your bills on time. But does it really matter if you didn’t watch a particular TV show tonight or if you ate tea an hour later than usual? Some people’s lives are so regimented that they are not consciously aware of what they are doing most of the time; most of their everyday functions are performed on autopilot. And does it really matter if you don’t have the latest DVD, the fanciest mobile phone or more clothes than you can possibly fit into your wardrobe? I think many people need to get their priorities right! There are only three things in life that really matter - love, forgiveness and gratitude. Get these right and nothing else really matters; everything else will fall into place without a struggle. Of course you will still have challenges in your life but they will no longer seem insurmountable. Solutions will present themselves much more readily! It isn't a coincidence that nearly all the songs we hear on the radio are about love because love really is what "makes the world go round". Without love we are nothing. I am not referring specifically to romantic love; we can love in many different ways. But the love of God goes beyond any mortal feelings. I would never have believed that a few short years ago. Regardless of what some religions may preach about God being jealous or demanding, that isn't true. God is pure love, nothing else. He loves us all without reservation, without judgment, no matter what we do in our lives or even if we believe in His existence. Hate is self destructive; it never hurts the person it is aimed at, only ourselves. Love is a much better solution. We tend to think that when we have problems that someone else is to blame. But that is not the case at all. It is our own perception of the situation. We blame others so that we can avoid looking at the real issue behind the problem. Problems occur for one reason only and that is so we may learn a lesson. And that lesson is often about forgiveness. Do you want a better life than what you have right now? I think most of us do. An important factor in improving your life is gratitude. When we take a little time each day to give thanks for what we have, we will open a channel to receive more of the good things. This is just the way the universe works. Thank God for the gifts you receive every day, thank your partner for being with you (and maybe putting up with your bad habits), thank your friends for being there for you when you need them, thank your children for choosing you to be their parent (and yes, we do choose our own parents before we incarnate into a human body). There are many things to give thanks for every day. So life isn’t about blame, it’s about learning forgiveness. It isn’t about hate; it’s a lesson in love. And it isn’t about resentment; it’s a lesson in gratitude. As we learn these lessons and incorporate them into our daily living, the quality of our lives is vastly improved. And you will feel different because your life will be more peaceful and harmonious than it ever has been before. And you will attract a great deal more of what is good into your life. About the author: My aim is to help as many people as possible realise their full potential from both a human and spiritual perspective. My website provides resources for personal and spiritual development including articles, newsletter and help available by email. Pat Campbell "TheArcher" http://www.eyeofthearcher.com.au Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db Dave's Life Changing Program: |
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