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TO
SLEEP OR NOT TO SLEEP?
Marilyn St. Hill- Super Fitness Model/Spokesperson
How
many hours of sleep do you get a
night? Millions of canadians suffer
from lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation
is "a general lack of the necessary
amount of sleep." (www.wikipedia.com)
Meaning, the sleep that your body
should be getting, it's not getting!
In
order to achieve overall health,
you must accomplish a consistency
of good diet, good exercise, and
good sleep. What's good or sufficient
sleep? Well, if you look at research,
you would most probably say that
both male and female adults should
get at least 7 - 8.5 hours of sleep
a night. Children who are attending
school need at least 10 - 11 hours
per night.
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SLEEP
DEPRIVATION
As mentioned earlier, sleep deprivation
is when your body does not get the right
amount of sleep. Depriving someones sleep
can affect their mood, how they interact
in daily activities, a person's productivity
(daily or long-term) and on a larger scale,
your overall quality of life.
Research
has found that "partial or low-level
sleep deprivation has a bigger effect
on behaviour than either the short or
long-term complete sleep deprivation."
(Sleep, May 1996) Sleep deprivation makes
learning and focused attention difficult.
It also can result in low energy levels,
daytime tiredness and a greater susceptibility
to illness.
SLEEP
AND HEALTH
Proper amounts of sleep are crucial for
overall health. How much sleep is really
enough? As with everything in life, everyone
is different. However you could judge
if your body was fully rested by the way
you feel in the morning, after sleeping!
Getting
adequate sleep helps the body's circulatory,
respiratory, skeletal, digestive, immune,
muscular and nervous systems. While you
sleep...the body and brain are hard-at-work
renewing cells and renergizing the body.
WHAT
CAUSES THIS?
There could be many reasons why a person
does not sleep properly or at all. Keep
this list in mind, and if you have trouble
sleeping, see if any of these apply to
you:
*
Your environment: A place to rest should
be a quiet place used for calming and
possibly reflection. Remove all electronics
(ie) TV, computer, etc) if you want a
better sleep!
* Outside distractions: Noisy neighbours,
traffic, general outdoor noise. My suggestion:
Get double-paned glass windows.
* Pets
* Babies/ Small children
* Mattress: What you fall asleep on does
matter. There are certain things that
you should spend money on, and a proper
mattress is one of them
* Medical conditions: Insomnia, sleep
apnea, etc
* Stimulants: Too many stimulants throughout
the day (ie) caffeine) can be detrimental
to a good sleep.
* Smoking: statistically smokers have
more trouble sleeping than non-smokers.
READY,
SET, SLEEP!
If
you think you've tried everything to go
to bed, think again! Follow some or all
of these tips and you're sure to get some
more or all your necessary shut-eye!
*
Take an oil bath regularly
* Get up and Go down at the same time
daily, even on weekends
* exercise regularly to relieve daily
tensions and stress
* develop a ritual before going to bed
so your body recognizes when it's time
to sleep (ie) praying, meditation)
* sleep only when sleepy
* don't take naps
* have a light snack before bed
SLEEP
NOW!
Rectify
your bad sleeping habits now. "Chronic
sleeplessness may harm the immune system,
since lack of sleep is linked to an increase
in cytokine molecules" (www.cbc.ca),
the molecules that are linked to controlling
immune response. Adequate rest is a crucial
part of the foundations of good health.
Build that foundation today!
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EGGS!
WHAT'S UP WITH THE YOLK?
The
Egg. For years, it has been a myth
that the yellow part of the egg,
or yolk is high in cholesterol and
bad for you. Or is it a myth? Well,
the truth is, the yellow
part of the egg is indeed high in
cholesterol. However, it is high
in good cholesterol. "It's
not the amount of cholesterol...
Read More
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WHOLEFOODS
Whole
foods are foods that are as close
to their natural state as possible.
These foods are full of essential
vitamins and minerals that can help
protect our bodies from chronic
diseases like heart disease, stroke,
some cancers and diabetes. Whole
foods are also full of proteins,
enzymes...
Read More
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OVER
TRAINING
In
the beginning phase you learn the
level of fitness of the body. During
training "the targets level
of fitness decreases and training
becomes a catabolic process"
(www.wikipedia.org) The third stage
is the recovery process. The body
will enter a recovery stage and
will rejuvenate to the initial fitness
level...
Read More
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HYPERTENSION
How
important is it for you to know
your own blood pressure? Do you
know what your blood pressure is?
High blood pressure is the leading
risk factor for death in Canada.
Why? Mainly because there are no
symptoms. You will never know whether
your blood pressure is high or low
unless you check it...
Read More
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SUSHI
In
North America, western sushi is
the most popular. California roll,
dynamite roll, caterpillar roll,
rainbow roll, spider roll, salmon
roll, crunchy roll and seattle roll
all fall under the category of western
sushi. All sushi uses rice as a
base and compliments with other
ingredients...
Read More
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ELECTROLYTES
Electrolytes!
What are they? How important are
they? Given the amount of times
this word is mentioned in relation
to exercise, my guess? Pretty important.
My educated guess lets me assure
you that electrolytes are extremely
important for our bodies to function
correctly. Electrolytes are "substances
that...
Read More
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WHAT
ABOUT GLUTEN?
Gluten
is a protein included in various
foods like breads, flours, frozen
yogurt, cereals, salad dressings
and even dried fruit. People with
Celiac disease (also known as Coeliac
disease) have "an abnormal
immune reaction to partially digested
gliadin..."Read
More
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UNDERSTANDING
BODY MASS INDEX
BMI,
the acronym for Body Mass Index "is
defined as the individuals body weight
divided by the square of his or her
weight." (www.wikipedia.org)
Originating as early as the 1830's,
BMI really only became popular in
the early 1950's and 60's. At this
time, western societies were begininning...
Read
More
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LETS
BEAT OBESITY
Maintaining
a healthy weight can mean life or
death. Obesity is a disease that
Canadians face. Statistically people
who are overweight, do not live
as long as those who maintain a
“normal” weight... Read
More
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ARE
YOU A VEGETARIAN?
Are
you a vegetarian? “A vegetarian
is someone who chooses not to eat
meat, poultry, fish or by products
of meat and fish, such as gelatin”
(The Vegetarian Cookbook, pg. 10)
There are different types of vegetarians.
For instance, lacto-ovo-vegetarians
allow eggs and dairy products in
their diets... Read
More
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PESTICIDES
Pesticides,
most commonly known as being used
in grocery stores and any other
company that manages food, have
been around for quite sometime.
As early as the 15th century, toxic
substances like arsenic, lead and
mercury were being used by farmers
who would apply these chemicals
... Read
More
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THE
DANGERS OF LOW-CARB DIETS
For
several years there has been a craze
called "the low-carb diet".
The assumption that follows low-carb
diets is that if you eat little
or no carbs, you will lose weight.
True? Yes! Effective? No? Best method?
No? Long-term? Gosh no! Lets look
deeper into why. Read
More
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THE
BENEFITS OF A PERSONAL TRAINER
The
article you are about to read is
a special story to me. As a
personal trainer, I consider it
my duty to inform the public about
how beneficial a personal trainer
can really be. Everyday I help,
educate and motivate clients. I
dish out efficient workouts that
help them get closer and closer
to reaching their ultimate goal.
Read
More
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HEART
HEALTH
On
February 20th and 21st 2009, the
Trillum Health Centre Foundation
held their annual 24-hour spin.
The spin is held every year to raise
money for the Hazel McCallion Centre
for heart health, "the Trillium
Health Centre's newly named, regionally
acclaimed, advanced cardial care
program" (www.24-hourspin.com),
in Mississauga. Read
More
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TIME
FOR AN ENERGY BOOST!
Improved
energy levels is the number one
desire for some. Attaining higher
levels is possible, but not without
knowledge, focus and ofcourse, change.
In this article, you will learn
ways in which we lose energy and
ways in which we can gain more.
Read
More
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ELIMINATE
CRAVINGS FOR GOOD!
Everyone
gets cravings. Whether it's late
at night or in the middle of the
day, there's a time in everyones
life when they just feel like chocolate,
or something salty or something
sweet. What is a craving? Well,
a craving is "a strong desire
for particular foods or types of
food." Read
More
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GO
NATURAL!
As
the winter months progress, so does
the chance of catching a virus.
Once a cold hits, most of us run
straight to the drugstore for a
quick fix. Is this the best solution?
Some might argue no. People such
as holistic specialists or ...
Read
More
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STRESS
Consider
your stress level. Where do you
place on the stress scale? The anxious
feeling controls everyone at one
time or another. Stress can arise
from bad situations, but you can
also feel stress from good sitautions.
Read
More
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STRENGTH
TRAINING: WHAT WE ALL SHOULD KNOW!
Strength
training, also referred to as weight
training is one of the best things
you can do for your body and health.
There are a tremendous amount of
benefits to incorporating this type
of exercise. Regardless of age or
gender, everyone needs to lift weights.
Read
More
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SUPERFOODS!
Essential
for healthy living, superfoods should
be added to every diet. Adding superfoods
to your daily meals will change
your whole life! Superfoods have
been proven to prevent (and in some
cases) reverse diseases like hypertension,
cardiovascular disease, type II
diabetes and some cancers.
Read
More
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TO
SLEEP OR NOT TO SLEEP?
How many hours of sleep do you get
a night? Millions of canadians suffer
from lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation
is "a general lack of the necessary
amount of sleep." (www.wikipedia.com)
Meaning, the sleep that your body
should be getting, it's not getting!
Read
More |
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HOW
SAFE IS YOUR CHICKEN?
Chicken!
A popular choice by many at dinner
or lunch. High in protein, low in
fats and carbohydrates, chicken
has many benefits and is a very
important part of many peoples diets.
However, with several cases of illness
and death due to meat and poultry
consumption, there are some things
you should know! Read
More |
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WHY
EGGPLANT?
Anyone
who decides to consume a healthy
and balanced diet, first struggles
with the question, What do I eat?
Eggplant, not always at the top
of the list, has many nutritional
benefits.
Read
More |
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