Tag Archives: healthy body

3 Reasons Canadians Are Tossing And Turning At Night

Did you know that a third of Canadians are not getting enough sleep?

We all live busy lives. When it comes time to shuffle things around on the schedule, your sleep is often the first place to take a hit.

However, nothing is more frustrating than trying to be good and turning in early to finally get a good night’s sleep. You toss and turn for a few hours, looking at the clock, wide-awake. Why did you bother going to bed early? You might as well have stayed up late to watch a movie or get some work done.

Even though we’ve all been sleeping our entire lives, most of us are doing it wrong. Our sleep habits and our bedtime routines are preventing us from getting the deep rest we need.

Here are a few of them:

1. Your Mattress

Let’s start with the obvious, your mattress. We often hold onto a mattress much longer than we should. The reason is simple: mattresses are expensive to replace. Or at least they used to be.

You no longer have to squeeze as much life as you can out of your current mattress to save enough money to buy a new one. Now, you can discover the benefits of buying your mattress online for a fraction of the price that we’re used to paying at furniture shops and big-box stores.

This way, you get a far more comfortable mattress, and you can sleep better knowing it didn’t cost you a fortune.

2. Your Devices

This is such a hard habit to break. For most people, the phone or tablet is the last thing they put down before bed and the first thing they look at when they wake up.

You might find it relaxing to read on a tablet or lazily scroll through your social feed before bed, but it’s actually keeping your body awake.

There are a number of reasons that experts point to when it comes to digital devices robbing people of their sleep. However, on a physiological level, the light from the phone hurts your body’s natural melatonin levels, which keeps you awake for longer.

3. You’re Away From Home Too Much

Ever notice how tired you feel when you’re on the road a lot?

This nice big king-sized hotel bed has crisp and clean sheets. So, why can’t you wake up feeling refreshed in it?

It’s because the human body isn’t designed to sleep well when it’s not in a place is sees as “home.” In fact, only half of your brain is asleep, while the other half stands on guard to protect you from unfamiliar threats.

It’s not just that you’re travelling, active and busy. It’s that half your brain is still awake.

These are only a few reasons that you’re having trouble falling asleep or waking up feeling rested. Of course, there are always lifestyle factors that can hurt your sleep patterns.

However, you could be doing all the right things when it comes to diet or exercise, but still have trouble sleeping if you’re struggling with any of the issues we mentioned above.

Your body wants to sleep and knows how to sleep. Don’t get in its way!

Aging, Muscular Neurosurgeon Says Building Muscle Best Protection Against Aging

If you want good health, a long life and to feel your best  well into old age, the No. 1 most important thing you can do is  strength-training, says Dr. Brett Osborn, author of “Get Serious, A  Neurosurgeon’s Guide to Optimal Health and Fitness,”

Build Muscle, Stay Young | IMPACT Magazine

“Our ability to fight off disease resides in our muscles,”  Dr. Osborn says. “The greatest thing you can do for your body is to build  muscle.”

He cites a large, long-term study of nearly 9,000 men  ages 20 to 80. After nearly 19 years, the men still living were those with the  most muscular strength. (BMJ, formerly British Medical Journal, 2008).

Muscle is all protein – “nothing but good for you,” Dr.  Osborn says.

According to ask.com- Popeye is a comic star and an actor in cartoon films and shows. He is 34 years old, born in California and is popularly known as Popeye the Sailor.

Fat, however, is an endocrine organ, meaning it releases  hormones and other chemicals. When a person has excess fat, he or she also has a
disrupted flow of excess biochemicals, which can increase insulin resistance and  boost risk factors for stroke and high blood pressure, among other problems.

“Increased cytokines, an immune system chemical, for  example, are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease,” Dr.  Osborn says. “You’re only as old as your arteries!” Strength-training has health benefits for everyone, he adds, no matter their size. “Some fat is visceral fat – it’s stored around the organs  and it’s even more dangerous than the fat you can see,” he says. “People who look thin may actually be carrying around a lot of visceral fat.”

So, what’s the workout Dr. Osborn recommends?

“Back to basics,” he says. “These five exercises are the  pillars of a solid training regime.”

•  The squat is a full-body exercise; it’s the basic movement around which all training should be centered. Heavy squats generate a robust hormonal response as numerous muscular structures are traumatized during the movement (even your biceps). Standing erect with a heavy load on your back and then repeatedly squatting down will stress your body inordinately – in a good way — forcing it to grow more muscle.

•  The overhead press primarily activates the shoulders, arm extenders and chest. Lower body musculature is also activated as it counters the downward force of the dumbbell supported by the trainee. From the planted feet into the hands, force is transmitted through the skeletal system, stabilized by numerous muscular structures, most importantly the lower back.

•  The deadlift centers on the hamstrings, buttocks, lumbar extensors and quadriceps, essentially the large muscles of your backside and the front of your thighs. As power is transferred from the lower body into the bar through the upper body conduit, upper back muscles are also stressed, contrasting with the squat, which is supported by the hands. Deadlifts are considered by some to be the most complete training  exercise.

•  The bench press mostly targets the chest, shoulders and triceps; it’s the most popular among weightlifters, and it’s very simple – trainees push the barbell off the lower chest until the arms are straight. This motion stresses not only the entire upper body, but also the lower body, which serves a stabilizing function. This provides a big hormonal response and plenty of bang for your buck.

•  The pull-up / chin-up stress upper body musculature into the body. A pull-up is done when hands gripping over the bar; a chin-up is where hands are gripping under the bar. Nine out of 10 people cannot do this exercise because most simply haven’t put in the effort. It’s also been called a “man’s exercise, which is nonsense,” he says. There are no gender-specific exercises. Women, too, should aspire to enjoy the health benefits entailed with this pillar.

“There are no secrets to a strong and healthier body; hard work is required for the body that will remain vital and strong at any age,” Osborn says. “Always practice proper form and safety. Otherwise, the result will be the opposite of your goal, an injury.”