PERFORMANCE NUTRITION

I have finish my book, PERFORMANCE NUTRITION.  Am proud of the work put into it, as well as the book itself. Copies are available now.

Make Change ... NOW!!!

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Christmas Season is here.

NOW is the time to begin those “CHANGES” in YOU or your life. There is absolutely no reason to wait until January or “The New Year”. NOW IS THE TIME!

If you wait, you will continue to wait. Waiting until January is an excuse. If you haven’t already heard this, I hope this statement hits hard.

“If it is important, you will find a way, if it is not important, you will find an excuse!”

You can hope that the time will be right and all of a sudden there will be time in you day or time in you life to exercise, eat right, get you dream job … what ever it is. If you have these thoughts, you want change. Do not sit around and HOPE!

Take 10 – 20 minute make a list of changes that you want to make. Where are you now?

Turn that “wish list” into a small list of Goals. What do you want? Where do you want to go? WHEN do you want to be there (this is the hard part, being realistic with out making a built in excuse)

Make a plan … How are you going to get there?

Make change! Do not wait for it to happen, MAKE IT HAPPEN! TAKE ACTION!!

The easy part is now behind you. The rest is hard BUT the rest is up to you. Remember: If it is important, you will find a way, if it is not important, you will find an excuse! There will be days that you do not “Feel like it” or there will be days that you are ready to quit. You will need support. This is where a friend, exercise partner or a coach comes in to play. Share your goals and plan with you partner. This part works best when you are “in it” together.

Hold each other accountable

You can not be afraid to hurt feelings or get your feels hurt (it will happen some where along the way … probably more than once … or twice). I am not talking about deep hurt, just enough to get them going.

Be supportive and accept coaching. If you will not listening or can not accept coaching … Do you wonder how you got here in the first place?

This journey or Process WILL BE HARD, it will also be rewarding. Embrace it and most importantly, Enjoy it.

Do you have a plan?

We all spend a little time, each day, thinking about our fitness. This may come in the form of our exercise or diet or our over all general health. For MANY this is where it stops. It is great that we spend the time that we do on this area of our lives. There is a LARGE population of people who do not. I do and will continue to reach out to that population through out my life, but today I am speaking to everyone mentioned above.

We spend time, energy, and resources reaching, improving and attempting to maintain good health. Again, this is great. Keep it up. It is only 1 leg of the 3 legged stool known as wellness. The three legs are Mind, Body and Spirit. Body is the one that we work on. To be honest, if the body is right, it is MUCH easier to keep or to get the other two “right”.

Today I want to “talk” about the Mind. When working with athletes for competition preparation, my saying is: “If you Mind aint right, you gonna get left”. Athletes continually work on their bodies. Their body is their tool. It is the machine that allows them to do what it is that they do. The Athletes that do well, in their arenas spend time on mental preparation. Some refer to it as focus.

Before this goes down the road of a lecture on Athletic Focus and mental preparation, I need to get headed to the point I am trying to make. Our thoughts lead to actions … they do for successful people. Without ACTION a good idea, is just a dream.

Do you have a Plan? I plan is a map of where you are trying to go, or what it is that you are trying to accomplish. The plan I am talking about here is a plan for after you get there. Many of us have goals or a plan, and action plan, in place for our careers. Do you have a plan for your life? Allow me to go a little deeper. Do you have a plan for after your life? This plan is for the ones that you WILL leave behind when you die. You will die. How? When? No one on earth knows. Fact is we all will die. Can you tell me what WILL have to your family when this happens?

I will stop VERY BRIEFLY to answer the question: What in the HELL does this have to do with Fitness and Wellness? My aim here is to get you to think AND ACT on your Family’s wellness. Will they “be OK” when you die?

My wife was catching up with a friend and asked him, what he was doing now (for a living). His response was “I help people sleep better, at night”. He had begun a career as a Financial Planner.

Dave Ramsey has a lesson addressing this topic in his Financial Peace University program. It is a very important lesson. In this lesson, Mr. Ramsey discusses his “Love Drawer”. This love drawer contains the information that his wife will be able to use to “pick up where he leaves off”. It is finical information, contact information and other important information about the finical HEALTH for his family when he is no longer around to provide for his family. If you do not have this information, GET IT … NOW!!!

Do an inventory. What do you have to leave to your family? Who will get or take care of these assets? This is to be addressed in your Will.

How much debt do you have? If you love your spouse, you do not want to dump this on them, IMEDEATLY following your death. How much money will your family need to get rid of the debt you have? This is life Insurance thought 1.

Now that the debt (the house, car, credit cards etc) is taken care of, How will they Eat, Dress, and stay cool or warm. How will they buy groceries, pay the power bill and cloth themselves? HOW WILL THEY LIVE? This is life Insurance thought 2.

What legacy will you leave? When your son/daughter interviews for a job, will the people conducting the interviews think: “I hope this kid is nothing like his / her Mom / Dad” or will they think: “If this kid is ANYTHING like his/her Mom /Dad, I want … NEED them to be part of our company”. I know that we all want people to think very highly of us. This is our reputation, AND it come from our CHARACTER. It is called your Name.

You got it from your father; it was all he had to give.
So it's yours to use and cherish, for as long as you shall live.

If you lose the watch he gave you, it can always be replaced.

But a black mark on your name, son, can never be erased.

It was clean the day you took it, and a worthy name to bear.

When he got it from his father, there was no dishonor there.

So make sure you guard it wisely, for when all is said and done,

You’ll be glad the name is spotless, when you give it to your son.

                                                                                         Edgar A. Guest

This poem says a lot. Your name is very important. It is important not just so that your family member will be thought of in a positive light but you want you family to be proud of who there are. Positive self image is part of their wellness.

The last question is does your family KNOW that you love them. Did you tell them that you loved them, before you left the house? Did you mean it?

These are all very personal questions. I do not look for answers from you. I do ask that you ask yourself these questions. I do ask that you answer them HONESTLY. If you do not like the answers that you have, you are still breathing so you still have a chance to correct the answers. I did not say change the answers. I mean that you have a chance to do something about the answers that you do not like and be able to ask yourself the same questions, at a later date, and give yourself an answer that you and EVERYONE will be proud to hear.

To review:       1. Take in inventory – Make a will 2. Make sure that the loved one that you leave behind will “be OK” – Get life Insurance. 3. Sincerely love your Family.

Have a plan that includes “after you are gone”. After some thought, and reflection, talk to your Attorney, Finical Planner AND Insurance Agent. They will ask more questions, and yes they make money from you doing this. They are taking care of their families … and helping you take care of yours. THEY ARE HELPING YOU!

Make a plan and PUT IT INTO ACTION.

You will sleep better, at night. Which of course, will help your body rest, recover and recharge for the NEXT and MOST EXCITING day of your life?

Food and The New Year

As we enter the New Year, many have goals or “resolutions” that involve diet or nutrition. These involve changes to be made in a effort to improve our health, or to simply “lose weight”. Let me offer a suggestion or two. When making changes, in a diet, a few keys to “sticking with it” are:

1.                   Finding a few things that you like and using it over and over. … But it is important to have “a few” so that when the one or two start to “get old”; you can change without going back to the old bad habits.

2.                  Throw out condiments! Yellow Mustard, Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, etc. Why? SUGAR. Commercial Condiments are LOADED with processed sugar. Instead use: Rubs (watch the salt), Salsa, Fruit Juices, good ole Salt and Pepper, Onions, Oils & Herbs

3.                  TRY NEW THINGS. Go to a Whole Foods or Organic Food Store, set a budget and have fun. Try stuff that you never thought that you would try. Try different meats and different combinations. You may HATE some, but the goal is to DISCOVER new things that you like.

-          Try different spices. Spices can be expensive but can add a new “twist” to the “same ole dish”.

-          Try “new” Meats. Ostrich is “the new thing”. Try the fish that you’ve never had, or simply something off the wall. Wild game is always something new and different to a large population. You may have to look but you can find Duck, Dove, Venison, & Alligator meat for purchase. If you can’t find it, or do not have a clue as to how to cook these meats; go to the store find a guy in a truck, wearing boots and camouflage pants. Ask him. You’ll be surprised at the recipes that come out of these folks. Be sure and have something to write on and write with.

-          Grill or cook “cowboy style”. Cowboy style is what I call Camping cooking. Cooking over an open fire. Have fun with it.

I found that I LOVE Feta Cheese, Banana Peppers and SALSA … LOVE ME SOME SALSA. Salsa is a great food. It is unbelievably healthy IF you make it yourself OR don’t eat it with chips and cheese … and 8 beers. Salsa works for me, I Love it and it is my condiment of choice.

Happy New Year!

Diabetes – We can control diabetes, DON’T LET IT CONTROL YOU. It’s about Lifestyle and ATTITUDE.

Have you ever had a series of events fall into place, in a way, that you just know that it was not a coincidence? As I am in the final editing of The Performance Nutrition Book, I received a message from a friend of mine. His Diabetes has “gone wild” and he is suffering. He is two weeks out from having MAJOR surgery. HE IS 40. His Health is BAD. He asked for help. I want to help … That’s why I am here. He will be one of the reviewers of Performance Nutrition, and HE WILL be a success story of this book.

No one literally asked for Diabetes … right?

There are people who are predisposed for Diabetes, meaning that their genetics puts them behind the 8 ball when it comes to developing diabetes. Others HELP bring on Diabetes through their lifestyle. Their lifestyle may include eating the WRONG foods, overeating, or a lack of exercise.

Unlike Osteoporoses and like High Blood Pressure, Diabetes is not reversible BUT IT CAN BE CONTROLED … as in VIRTUALY non- existing. I say virtually non- existing meaning that it will always be there ready to show its UGLY face BUT we can put it so far in the back of the closet that it doesn’t come around.

What is Diabetes?

The short and sweet definition is: Diabetes mellitus (MEL-ih-tus), or simply, diabetes, is a condition in which high blood glucose levels result from the body's inability to produce and/or use insulin.

When we eat too much or we eat the “right” … or wrong foods, the blood sugar level “spikes”. In an effort to maintain a consistent blood sugar level, the body produces insulin to bring the blood sugar level back down. Diabetics have a problem producing this insulin or using the insulin. As a result they become weak, dizzy or past out.

Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. As part of digestion, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells.

There are 3 types of Diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes.

Type 1

Also known or formally known as Juvenile Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes is present in someone whose body does not produce insulin. It is normally diagnosed in Children and Young Adults. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease

Type 2

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.

In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause two problems:

Right away, your cells may be starved for energy.

Over time, high blood glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart.

Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes affects the mother in late pregnancy. Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes. It is estimated that gestational diabetes affects 18% of pregnancies.

According to the American Diabetes Association, We do not know what causes gestational diabetes, but we have some clues. The placenta supports the baby as it grows. Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop. But these hormones also block the action of the mother's insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it hard for the mother's body to use insulin. The mother may, now, need up to three times as much insulin.

Gestational diabetes starts when the body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels. This is called hyperglycemia.

Any insulin produced by an overworked pancreas, does not lower the blood glucose levels. Although insulin does not normally cross the placenta, glucose and other nutrients do. Extra blood glucose goes through the placenta, giving the baby high blood glucose levels. This causes the baby's pancreas to make extra insulin to get rid of the blood glucose. Since the baby is getting more energy than it needs to grow and develop, the extra energy is stored as fat. This can lead to macrosomia, known as and unfortunately adored as "baby fat". Babies with macrosomia face health problems including:

Higher risk for breathing problems due to very low blood glucose levels at birth due to the extra insulin made by the baby's pancreas.

Babies with excess insulin become children who are at risk for obesity and adults who are at risk for type 2 diabetes.

All of us

Diabetes is a condition that affects 25.8 million children and adults in the United States. 8.3% of the population has diabetes. 18.8 million Americans have been diagnosed with Diabetes, and it is estimated that another 7.0 million people live with Diabetes but have not been diagnosed. It is also estimated that another 79 million people are on the verge of developing. If you are a parent or a school administrator trying to evaluate the importance of Physical Education and Sports in your school, or if you are someone who really wonders if we have a problem with the health of our youth, in America, try this on:  25.6 million, or 11.3% of all people in this age group have diabetes. How big of problem is Diabetes? The “suits” are concerned about the bottom line financial cost of Health Care and Treatment of Diabetes. I will include those numbers later in this article. Those numbers are what they are, and they are SKY HIGH, but here is a statistic that should hit home with everyone: In 2007, diabetes was listed as the underlying cause on 71,382 death certificates and was listed as a contributing factor on an additional 160,022 death certificates. This means that diabetes contributed to a total of 231,404 deaths.

Effects of Diabetes

Many long term health conditions develop or come along with Diabetes.

Heart Disease and Stroke

In 2004, heart disease was noted on 68% of diabetes-related death certificates among people aged 65 years or older.

In 2004, stroke was noted on 16% of diabetes-related death certificates among people aged 65 years or older.

Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.

The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes.

High Blood Pressure

In 2005-2008, of adults aged 20 years or older with self-reported diabetes, 67% had blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg or used prescription medications for hypertension.

Blindness

Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20–74 years.

In 2005-2008, 4.2 million (28.5%) people with diabetes aged 40 years or older had diabetic retinopathy, and of these, almost 0.7 million (4.4% of those with diabetes) had advanced diabetic retinopathy that could lead to severe vision loss.

Kidney Disease

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of new cases in 2008.

In 2008, 48,374 people with diabetes began treatment for end-stage kidney disease in the United States.

In 2008, a total of 202,290 people with end-stage kidney disease due to diabetes were living on chronic dialysis or with a kidney transplant in the United States.

Nervous System Disease (Neuropathy)

About 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage.

Amputation

More than 60% of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes.

In 2006, about 65,700 nontraumatic lower-limb amputations were performed in people with diabetes.

Cost of Diabetes

• $174 billion: Total costs of diagnosed diabetes in the United States in 2007
• $116 billion for direct medical costs
• $58 billion for indirect costs (disability, work loss, premature mortality)

After adjusting for population age and sex differences, average medical expenditures among people with diagnosed diabetes were 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association estimates that factoring in the additional costs of undiagnosed diabetes, pre-diabetes, and gestational diabetes brings the total cost of diabetes in the United States in 2007 to $218 billion.

• $18 billion for people with undiagnosed diabetes
• $25 billion for American adults with pre-diabetes
• $623 million for gestational diabetes

In Conclusion

Another fitting quote (not from this situation but it sure fits) is: If you’re not preventing, you’re trying. I vote that we all make an effort to prevent Diabetes from ever entering our lives. Prevention is like “getting in shape for the season”. It’s a whole lot easier to “stay in shape”, that it is to “get in shape”.

At you next physical, ask to be tested for diabetes. Ask for the “FULL MONTY” of blood work to be done. Advise your Doctor that you want to know EVERYTHING, and you want to be HEALTHY.

Prevention is somewhat easy. Eat Right, Exercise and Accept the attitude that you WILL NOT LOOSE!!!

All information and statistics came from the American Diabetes Association.

They may not win all of the time but they DO NOT LOOSE.

Intangibles – Work Ethic, Values, Commitment, Positive nature

I am often asked why certain “Great” players did not make the jump from High School All American to Division I Star, or College Great to The Professional Ranks. I hear STUPID stuff, like “The Coach didn’t like him”, or “They play that guy over my son because he is on Scholarship”. My Reply is: “You know he’s on scholarship because he’s good”.

There are MANY athletes with LOTS of Talent. Talent is genetic. Talent is developed with work. Now there is some talent that is simply God Given. I call those athletes SPECIAL. The 4.2 forty is special. A 400 lb power clean is special. A 40+ inch vertical is special. That being said, why does that guy with the 4.2 forty, a 46 inch vertical, AND a 400 lb power clean not make it to the “Next Level”?

On the other end of the table are guys with minimal “Numbers” or talent that makes it to the next level.

The difference between good and great or making it or not is Intangibles. Intangibles are qualities that cannot be quantitively measured. Examples of these are “Heart”, “Work Ethic”, “Desire”, etc. A person has them or they do not. Intangibles can be developed, but not overnight. As a coach, decisions would be made to play an athlete over another based on intangibles. Sure the “talented” athlete COULD win IF he did what he was asked to do. On the other hand, I knew that the athlete with Intangibles would give every thing he had. I knew what I was going to get and I could game plan around that. When this happened the “talented” athlete and/or his parents were always mad, AND it was always someone else’s fault. Blame is a Negative intangible that does nothing but bring EVERYONE down. Isn’t it easier to admit fault, learn from it and move on. Easier or not it is BY FAR more respectable.

The following is from a paper that I wrote, in Graduate School about Intangibles:

I believe that it is simple human spirit to be competitive. People have always wanted to do better than the last guy. Today, if you find a group of athletes, men, women or any group of competitive people you will hear: “I can ______ better / further / faster / more than you can. They may be talking about physical contest or even producing more “widgets” in a day. Humans are competitive. They are always looking for a completive edge.

When it comes to human performance (in athletics, or ANYTHING), There is no replacement for genetics. BUT the old saying goes: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. We can overcome any shortcoming with Smart and Hard work. Smart and Hard work refer to the “Intangibles”. Coaches look for Intangibles, and Employers also look for Intangibles.  In looking for these Intangibles, a coach or employer may ask:

Does a person work hard?

Are they competitive?

Will they NOT quit when it gets tough?

Do they naturally compete?

Do they like and live for a challenge?

Does loosing hurt?

Do they simply just bear down and find a way get things done?

These Intangibles are what separate “Those People” from the everyone else, in a good way. They are successful; there is just something about them. They have a charisma. There is something about them that makes you want them on your team. They may not win all of the time but they DO NOT LOOSE.

I am HUGE on intangibles. I think that they have gotten me where I am today. I am not and have not been the most talented person, but I have goals, I make a plan, I follow and adjust the plan as needed and I reach my goals. Nothing stops me. I have realized that not everyone is like this and I make Intangibles my tool to separate me and my teams in a way that makes us different from the others.

Winning and losing are tangible. Our paycheck is tangible. We have to have a measuring stick to know if we are successful, that is our competitiveness. We have to know if we won or lost. These are goals. Goals are very tangible and Goals are very important. While goals are tangible, the intangibles are very important in reaching our goals. I mentioned the little things adding up to the big picture. Without little intangibles, we would never reach our big goals.

A brief list of Intangibles include: “Heart”, Care, “Want To”, Desire, “Stick-to-itiveness”, “Guts”, Fight, and Drive. I said it earlier in this post, but a person has them or they do not have them. One cannot hide it. In fact it is more evident when a person tries to “fake” it. Bottom line is that intangibles reflect a person’s character, and their motivation. This is true in athletics and in the “real world”. Show me a person who lacks the intangibles to be successful, and I will show you a person who is either a person of no or low character, OR a person who is doing something for the wrong reasons … that person is not successful in the long run.

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep … Isn’t it NICE?

There are people who enjoy a great night’s sleep each night. They wake up refreshed and ready to go. THE REST OF US sleep here and there, don’t sleep at all this night while sleeping half the night on others nights. Then there are others that “sleep” while really not getting any “good” sleep. Then there are others that sleep a few hours a night and toss, turn and “think” the rest of the night.

We all probably fall into one or a few of these categories. Unless you are in the category that sleeps all night and wake up refreshed and ready to go, you are taking years off your life each year. The lake of sleep affects your health more than feeling tired.

How many hours of sleep do you need?

Average Sleep Needs
Age	Hours
Newborns                             (0-2 months)	12 - 18
Infants                                   (3 months to 1 year)	14 - 15
Toddlers                                (1 to 3 years)	12 - 14
Preschoolers                        (3 to 5 years)	11 - 13
School-aged children          (5 to 12 years)	10 - 11
Teens and preteens            (12 to 18 years)	8.5 - 10
Adults                                    (18+)	7.5 - 9

Chart Taken from HELPGUIDE.ORG

Definition

A basic definition of enough sleep is getting enough sleep that you wake up feeling alert, refreshed, and ready for the day. The amount of sleep required is different for everyone depending on age, genetics, and physiological factors.

Sleep Deprivation is referred to, in many research studies as interrupted sleep. Interrupted sleep is sleep that does not complete normal sleep cycles.

To better explain this, I will explain sleep cycles.

There are 2 stages of sleep. They are REM and Non-REM.

The Non- REM sleep has four stages; each is a deeper level of sleep than the previous stage. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep is our “Dream Sleep”. In the deepest stage of sleep, our brain activity is very low and the body’s organs and muscles are in a restorative stage. Non REM sleep, we fall into REM sleep. Here the body is “paralyzed” while our brain is working.

The Sleep Cycle last approximately 90 minutes and we repeat this cycle 4 – 6 times over the course of the night. If all goes well, we wake up refreshed and ready for the day … no matter what it may bring.

Problem comes when a cycle is “broken” or interrupted. All stages of sleep have a function and are important. When the cycle is interrupted, we have to start over from the beginning.

Contributors to interrupted sleep are:

Swing Shifts or Night Shifts - Working different shifts or “odd Hours” throws our bodies a huge curve ball. Swing shifts are the most difficult. You can never really develop a routine that your Circadian Clock can ever really set its self to. Night shifts would not be bad … IF the rest of the world were on it with you. The problem here is coming home to a family that is up while you are sleeping. This also welcomes more outside factors to interrupt your sleep cycle.

Having to wake up during the night by noises, babies, spouses, neighbors, or outer outside factors.

Tobacco and Alcohol – Many believe that these products “relax” them. They do the opposite. Both cause disruptions in the sleep cycle. Think of a car running on some outside source and when that is gone, the car kicks back into running on “normal” gasoline. Tobacco and alcohol are drugs. When the “wear off” your body “kicks” back to reality. Here the body basically has to start the sleep cycle over.

EFFECT

When you do not get your sleep at night, it adds up. Sleep Deprivation means your body is not getting the sleep that we NEED.

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation include: shallow sleep, awaking early, difficulty falling asleep, and fatigue.

The effects of Sleep Deprivation may seem minor at first. These effects add up and can QUICKY “snowball”. The results of Sleep Deprivation include:

Fatigue, lethargy, and lack of motivation

Mood swings and irritability

Reduced creativity and problem-solving skills

Inability to cope with stress

Reduced immunity; frequent colds and infections

Concentration and memory problems

Weight gain

Impaired motor skills and increased risk of accidents

Difficulty making decisions

Studies have shown that these effects add up and can lead to swings in hormone levels or worse, to include: Increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems

SO NOW, We know that we are not getting enough sleep. And NOW we may understand why. BUT WHAT DO WE DO NOW.

According to studies, we can “make up sleep”. Many studies advise that getting an extra hour or two of sleep on the weekend will not fix the problem. It is suggested that we try to spread the
extra sleep over the week, in the form of an extra half hour each night. This allows for gradual changes in our routine. Speaking of change in our routine, Like in our diet and exercise plans, Changes in our routine may be a huge contributor to getting enough sleep.

Here are a few suggestions:

Keep a consistent bed time … even on the weekends. Designate a time to go to bed and a time to get out of bed. Keep that time a designate SLEEP TIME.

No food or drink other than water 2 – 3 hour prior to bed time

No Caffeine after noon. No reason behind this on other than it allows plenty of time for caffeine to get out of your system before bed time

Do not exercise 2 hours prior to bed time. Exercise elevates heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. It takes time for these to return to “normal”. The 2 hours AND a nice relaxing bath or shower would help. IF prior to bed is the only time that you can get your exercise, DO IT. Just make it your routine and adjust your schedule accordingly. Allow time to “recover and take time to get that relaxing bath or shower. IT HELPS!

Keep your Bedroom reserved for sleep and sex. Your body and brain get into routines. If you watch TV in bed, Light stimulates the brain and prevents relaxation. If you read “to relax” that is fine, but allow for that in your schedule and keep 7 – 8 hours reserved for sleep.

Keep bedroom cool, and dark. Heat and light stimulate the brain.

These are simple and easy fixes to simple problems. If you have tried these suggestions, and still feel tired or feel the “something is just not right”, PLEASE, ask your doctor about this during your annual physical or check-up, or make an appointment with a sleep expert. Your Health Insurance plans may pay for this as preventative cost (ask your benefits administrator about it). It will help and MAY JUST SAVE YOUR LIFE!!