Sleep – How Much Is Enough Part 2

We spoke about Sleep and how much is enough in our post last week and examined why we need sleep, how much the average requirement of sleep is and the factors that determine the quality of our sleep. Studies and statistics are all very well, but how do we determine how much sleep is enough for each of us?

There are certain indications of a person not getting enough sleep – if for instance you awaken in the morning feeling un-refreshed and un-rested then you either did not have enough sleep or enough good quality sleep.

If you find it difficult to concentrate during the day, or feel fatigued, and find that your reasoning and performance at work or school appears compromised or below par, this could be due to a sleep deficit as well.

It could be that the sleep deficit manifests in other different ways – there could be unexplained weight gain and being prone to accidents.

In fact lack of proper sleep is one of the major causes of auto accidents.

One way to determine how much sleep you need in a 24 hour period is to try and awaken without the help of an alarm clock for several days in a row. This will help to redress any sleep deficit you have and will also help you understand the sleep requirements of your own body.

If you find that you are sleeping enough hours but are still not feeling properly rested, examine certain issues that could be causing you to have poor quality sleep even if you are getting the requisite number of hours.

People who work nights (shifts) or who travel a lot between time zones (jet lag or jet daze) may find that their disturbed sleep patterns impact energy levels and performance.Cigarettes, caffeine and alcohol consumption also interrupt sleep. Remember caffeine is not just coffee but also many other beverages and its effects can be felt up to seven and half hours after consumption.Sleep apnea can also interrupt sleep because it can cause the person to awaken, snore, gasp, pause in their breathing and so on.Kicking and jerking of limbs during the night or conditions such as the Restless Legs Syndrome may cause one to awaken at night and suffer disturbed sleep.Night sweats, a common feature for menopausal women, can also interrupt sleep and cause fatigue the next day.Medical conditions, chronic pain and certain medications can also be the underlying cause for poor sleep.Partner disturbances are another factor one should examine to determine the cause of lack of good quality sleep. Establishing Healthy Sleep Habits for Active Lifestyle!Extra Sleep Improves Your Fitness LevelsBaby Fitness For A Good SleepHow Does Sleep Deprivation Affect Fitness?How Sleep Deprivation Can Impact Health And Fitness?Sleep – How Much Is Enough? – Part 1Posted in: HEALTHY LIVING

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Night Rider — Big-Wave Surfer Mark Visser Makes History

The 30- to-40-foot swells of Jaws are intimidating enough in broad daylight. Try tackling them in complete darkness. That's what Mark Visser did back in January, when he became the first person to night surf the world-famous break in Maui (shot for his upcoming documentary series, (9 Lives). Looking back, Visser calls it the "most draining, scariest" feat he's ever accomplished, but also an experience that'll change the way he looks at things forever.
Three years in the making, "Operation Night Rider" required massive training. Physically, Visser kept his workouts as functional as possible at all times. "All the exercises I do are similar to the movements I use in my sport," he says. "A lot of it is full-body training, using your own body weight or light weights. You might not look humongous, but functionally, you're strong." His favorite core-building exercises from the routine include "four-ball push-ups," where you balance yourself with each hand and foot on a Swiss ball.  
When it comes to mental fitness, Visser has spent the past few years trying to go "above and beyond the level of training" he was originally accustomed to. "We did drills where they flew me by helicopter at 9:30 at night, miles out into the shark-infested sea, dropped me off with a surfboard and said, 'Make your own way back to shore,'?" he recalls. "I paddled for four hours, alone, in the dark."
Visser confesses he was "straight up scared" the night of Operation Night Rider. "I reckon I probably lost 20 years of my life just freaking out." The feat required him to sit in pitch darkness for more than 45 minutes just to adjust his eyes to the overwhelming blackness. Then he rode 12 waves from 2:10 a.m. to 5:50 a.m., outfitted with an LED-lit life vest, and only moonlight illuminating his way. "I had to just go on instinct and trust and be one with the wave. That's what made this project so exciting and so special."

 

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New measurement important complement to GI

Many people are careful to follow a low glycaemic index (GI) diet. However, the glycaemic index concept has some shortcomings, in the view of one young researcher, who has developed a complementary method, 'glycaemic profile' or GP. The findings were recently published in Nutrition Journal.

"White pasta is one example of a product which in some cases has received a bad reputation because of a high GI. However, white pasta produces just as good a blood glucose response as wholewheat pasta," says Liza Rosén, doctor in applied nutrition at Lund University in Sweden.

The reason why wheat pasta has sometimes been assigned a confusingly high value is that GI only considers the entire area under the blood sugar curve. In contrast to what many believe, GI does not take fluctuations in blood sugar into account. This puts foods with a long and fairly low curve at a disadvantage. Not only pasta, but also many rye bread products have this type of curve.

"White pasta has just as dense a structure as wholewheat pasta and therefore takes a long time to digest. The structure of a food is actually the most important parameter for the glucose response," says Liza Rosén.

Liza Rosén stresses that fibre is always good, but that it is not always present in high enough levels to have a significant effect on the blood glucose response. In addition, not all types of fibre are the same.

"There are a lot of high-fibre bread products in the supermarkets which gives the same blood glucose response as white wheat bread," she says.

However, the GP measuring system which Dr Rosén has developed provides a more accurate picture of the blood glucose response because it takes the curve's appearance into account. The flatter the curve the better the GP. Food which produces an even and reasonably low curve scores the best values.

In order to calculate the GP, the glucose levels in the blood are measured for three hours after a meal. GI is also a measure of the blood sugar response, but only over two hours.

"A food with a high GP indicates that the energy lasts longer. The absolute best situation is if the product has a low GI and high GP. This means it's a really good product! One example is boiled rye kernels, which have a GI of 73 (where 100 is the GI of white wheat bread) and a GP of 94. In the same study, boiled wheat kernels had a GI of 68 but a GP of 51. The results suggest that the rye kernels produce a more stable blood sugar profile," says Liza Rosén.

She stresses that the GP measurement is new and more research is needed. For example, sugary products have to be studied. Research is also needed to test whether products with a high GP also have beneficial effects on blood sugar regulation in the longer term. Dr Rosén believes this is the case, but so far it is only a hypothesis. She has just landed a job in industry, but her former research colleagues have taken up the mantle.

"We are using the concept and will relate it to other parameters. For example, we suspect that products with a high GP keep you fuller longer, and that products with a high GP could improve blood sugar regulation not only in direct connection with a meal, but also at a later meal," says Elin Östman, associate professor in applied nutrition and Liza Rosén's supervisor.

 

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MF City San Juan

Outdoors

Parque Central
www.sanjuanpr.com
The mangrove-bordered Parque Central, inaugurated in 1979 for the Pan-American Games, covers 35 acres of green. Recently renovated, you can hone your serve on the twenty tennis courts and four racquetball courts, or sprint your way around the track. A golf course is currently in the works for the adjacent former landfill and an Olympic diving and swimming arena lures those who prefer their water off the beach.

Hacienda del Campo
787- 523-2001. www.haciendacamporico.com
Right near beautiful Carolina Beach, where locals (and visitors) get their fix of sand and surf, a different kind of outdoors adventure can be found. A one-stop kayaking-hiking-zipline destination covering 2,300 acres of unadulterated land, Hacienda del Campo offers a way to physically engage your body that stimulates not only your muscles but also your senses.

Indoors

Gym

Zonactiva
1445 Roosevelt Avenue, Doral Bank Plaza. 787-781-6993 www.zonactivapr.com
Boasting the latest TGS Wellness Systems, Kinesis machines, LCD screens on all cardio equipment, assortment of scheduled classes, and steam/sauna rooms, Zonactiva is one of San Juan's premier fitness destinations. A one-day pass is free, while 1-week passes can be purchased for $25.

Hotel Gym
Las Olas at the Caribe Hilton
1 San Geronimo Street. 787-721-0303.
www.caribehilton.com/spa-health-club/
Set in a separate facility that overlooks the sea, the Olas Spa and Health Club at the Caribe Hilton includes a 12,000 square foot spa and state-of-the-art Health Club outfitted by Precor. With daily fitness programs, including water aerobics, yoga, circuit training, Pilates, as well as personal training sessions, this is the health club to hit.

Eats

Varita
Condado Plaza Hotel. 999 Ashford Avenue. 787-919-7818. www.wilobenet.com
Though Wilo Benet's Pikayo delivers the ultimate culinary experience his latest, Varita, also located in the Condado Plaza Hotel, is making an equal amount of waves. Set in a colorful space with artwork by the chef, Varita's lettuce wraps (tuna, crispy rice, wasabi, peanut sauce), house made sausages (chicken and cranberry), pulled pork sliders, and mofungos offer a more casual way to sample Benet's food.

Budatai
1056 Ashford Avenue. 787-725-6919. www.budatai.com
If you're looking for sexy, you'll find it here. Budatai's sleek, Asian-inspired rooms and Latin-fusion menu court the hungry, beautiful crowd. Chef Roberto Treviño oversees a kitchen that excels in playful dishes like pork belly profiteroles with a to-die-for salted caramel sauce, spicy tuna poppers, and killer Budatai noodles with scallops. If it's a nice night, be sure to head up to the restaurant's terrace for an after dinner cocktail.

Laurel Kitchen | Art Bar
Puerto Rico Museum of Art. 299 De Diego Avenue. 787-522-6444. laurelkitchenartbar.com
For an elegant date, set against the backdrop of an eerily quiet museum, Next Iron Chef contestant Mario Pagan's Laurel is the place. The drinks are strong, the food is sublime and the ambiance can't be topped. Start with lamb meatballs or the light scallop tiradito, and then finish strong with the outrageous port wine and foie gras laced Chilean sea bass, or the filet with yam gnocchi.

Nightlife

Casinos

El San Juan Hotel. 6063 Isla Verde Avenue. 888-579-2632. www.elsanjuanhotel.com
La Concha. 1077 Ashford Avenue. 787-721-7500. www.laconcharesort.com
If you're a gambling man, there are plenty of spots to try your luck, but the casinos with the best scenes (and great rooms for overnights) are at the El San Juan and La Concha Hotels. If the magic number 21 eludes you, the smaller La Concha offers a good break from the table action with a jam-packed poolside lounge and spinning DJs, while the El San Juan's majestic lobby transforms into a hot, tropical hangout that goes until the wee hours

Bars
El Barril
1302 Ashford Avenue. 787-294-9691
Sharing an address with popular Basque tapas lounge Bar Gitano, El Barril takes off around midnight, just as Bar Gitano finishes its service. A more laid-back, lounge atmosphere, El Barril is a cozy space inflected with wood accents and low lighting, and always draws a good crowd. Open until 3 AM, it's a guaranteed late-night bet in trendy Condado.

Nuyorican Café
312 San Francisco Street. 787-977-1276. www.nuyoricancafepr.com
Craving the local scene? Head to Nuyorican Café, the city's ultimate live music venue. Here, all walks of all ages gather to dance the night away to pure salsa, cool jazz, and rock depending on the night of the week. It's an affordable, authentic joint that goes off nightly, infusing the crowd with a Latin passion for music.

 

El Convento Hotel
100 Cristo Street. 787-723-9020 www.elconvento.com
The only luxury boutique hotel in Puerto Rico, this 350-year old converted Carmelite convent in the center of Old San Juan is dripping with old world Spanish charm. Grab drinks in the breezy courtyard, hang on the rooftop, or settle into some of the most gorgeous rooms on the island.

The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan
6961 Avenue of the Governors. 787-253-1700. www.ritzcarlton.com
With a gorgeous beach, lion fountains guarding the massive pool, and high-end restaurants like BLT Steak and Il Mulino on-site, The Ritz-Carlton is the premier property in San Juan. A lush spa, quiet casino, free valet parking, and busy sushi-serving lobby round out the hotel's amenities.

San Juan Water and Beach Club
2 Tartak Street. 787-728-3666. www.waterbeachclubhotel.com
A modern alternative on gorgeous Isla Verde beach, the Water and Beach Club evokes Miami's breezy South Beach hotel scene. With a daily complimentary cocktail hour on the roof, the sexy, modern Tangerine restaurant serving throughout the day, and just 78 rooms with the breathtaking views of the Atlantic, this hotel is the perfect choice for a romantic getaway.

 

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How to Prepare for Barefooting

 "Just go barefoot."
How many times have you heard that from the dude with big calves, wide feet, and soles like supple calf skin? (Hmm, that came out weirder than I imagined.) Or maybe you're that guy, and you've said it. Heck, I've probably said something to that effect before. It's a casual recommendation that we long-term barefooters toss around… but maybe we shouldn't. (Heresy!) Okay – bear with me, here. Everyone agrees that shoelessness is the foot's natural state, and that getting to a place where you can enjoy that natural state is ideal. Natural isn't always synonymous with good, but in the case of the human foot – a sensitive, capable, highly mobile appendage packed with innumerable nerve endings, muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and fascia that responds and reacts to the environment as you walk and/or run – natural is almost certainly desirable. The human foot is pretty amazing, and sticking it inside a restrictive shoe obscures that fact. I think we can agree on that.
But before you tell your friends to burn their shoes, consider something: the shod foot has been living in a cast most of its life. It occasionally enjoys a bit of freedom, but it's a fleeting, temporary freedom that's usually only granted when there's nothing to do but lounge and sleep. When the modern foot is called into action, like at the gym, on a walk, or when going about daily business, they are usually wearing shoes that restrict muscle engagement and turn the feet into passive pieces of leather and rubber that slap along the ground. The feet are merely along for the ride; they do nothing, while the hips and ankles must shoulder the load. Ever seen an arm that's just had a cast removed? It's a skinny, withered shell of its former self. The muscles have atrophied, so it's weaker. The connective tissue can't quite handle the demands of regular use, so strains are a real possibility. It'll even smell bad until you wash it (just like some feet), because it's been cramped up for so long.
The perpetually shod foot is in a very similar state. All that reactive organic material (the bones, tendons, muscles, fascia) has either atrophied, tightened up, or weakened from disuse, so you need to ease into it. Eh, "ease into it" is another phrase that gets thrown around with very little substantiation or elaboration. How, exactly, does one ease into barefooting?
Let's explore some concrete strategies.
I'd like you to purchase a lacrosse ball and use it on your plantar fascia and your calves. Huh? Allow me to explain. The fascia, that interconnected sheath of connective tissue that surrounds our muscles, gets extremely tight and ornery when the muscles aren't used, or when they're used incorrectly. The plantar fascia, located on our feet, supports the arch and can get notoriously tight and unresponsive after a lifetime of shoe wearing. You've been wearing shoes for most of your life, and your plantar fascia is likely tight. This will impede your abilities to use your feet and develop natural arch support. Walking and running barefoot loads the calf muscle far more than walking and running in shoes. In fact, one of the most common complaints I hear from new barefooters is the calf pain. They go from rarely using their calves to absorbing the impact of a footfall with them – and the soreness can be excruciating. Reducing that tightness before it gets worse can go a long way toward making the barefoot transition a smooth one.
So, how does one roll one's plantar fascia? Extremely intuitively. Place a lacrosse ball on the floor, stand on it, and roll around. Just explore your foot with the ball. It'll be really painful at first, but that's how you know it's working. Roll each foot twice a day for about five minutes. Be sure to flex your foot and move your toes around as you roll over tight spots – try to put your foot through every possible range of motion it might see in the real world. You can do it while sitting, too, while watching TV or messing around the computer (at your standing workstation). It's simple and can be done almost anywhere. There's no excuse not to.
Rolling the calf takes more dedication. You have to be on the floor for it to work, and you have to focus. It's still really, really simple, though: sit on the ground with your leg outstretched and the lacrosse ball underneath your calf. Place as much weight on the ball as you can handle, and roll up and down your calf. When you hit a tight spot, flex and extend your ankle until it starts to feel less tight. Be sure to hit every aspect of your calf. Roll each calf once a day for about five minutes.
All said, this won't take more than thirty minutes out of your day. Furthermore, you don't have to keep this up forever. Just do it for the week leading up to your barefoot transition, and thereafter on an as-needed basis.
If you had spent your entire life barefoot, you wouldn't need any specific foot-strengthening exercises – foot strength would have developed naturally – but you haven't, so now you need them. I discussed similar exercises before in an old post on strengthening flat feet.
Toe spreads: Loop a rubber band around your toes, tight enough so that it pushes your toes together if you let it. Now, spread your toes out and hold that position for a few seconds. Do two sets of ten reps with each foot.
Toe squeezes: Stick pencils, fingers, or anything that can fit in between each toe and squeeze them together. Hold the squeeze for a few seconds before releasing. Do two sets of ten squeezes with each foot.
Toe points: Pick something in the room and point at it with your toe. Hold the position for five seconds, then try to point at your own face. Hold that position for five seconds. Repeat the process ten times with each foot.
Side roll: Stand up and slightly bend your knees. Roll onto the outer edges of your feet, take a few steps forward, then a few steps back to your starting spot. Roll back. Repeat for fifteen reps.
Sand walk: This obviously isn't available to everyone, but if you have access to sand, go walk in it. As you walk (barefoot, of course), squeeze the sand with your feet. Sand grabbing is an old trick for grip building, and the same concept applies to your feet (which used to be grabby ape feet, if you go back far enough). I suppose you could also fill a bucket with sand and use that instead, if you can't find enough sand to walk on.
As you move into frequent barefooting, your feet will naturally get stronger, but these overt exercises will help speed up the process.
It's important to have a few ideas about barefoot walking before actually kicking off the shoes and heading out. My basic foundation for barefoot walking? Take shorter strides, land softly; avoid over striding and harsh, jarring footfalls.
If you haven't already, read the Definitive Guide to Walking and try out the various walking styles.
While I'm a big fan of feeling things out and going with the flow, there's something to be said for linear progression. That goes for strength training, endurance training, sprint training, and yes, barefooting. You don't go from squatting the bar to squatting two plates, do you? Sure, you might get the weight up once or twice, and you might even finish the workout, but what about next time? Where do you go from there after the initial big jump? How do you think your connective tissue is going to feel without adequate adaptation?
When you start walking barefoot, keep it short. Don't go to failure. Do a ten minute walk on flat ground (sidewalk, track), max, and head home. You're sending some very strong, extremely new messages to your nervous system, feet, and legs, and you don't want to overwhelm the physical structures before they're ready.
The next time you walk, add ten more minutes. Maintain this progression until you're up to an hour and it's easy and effortless. Once adding more time doesn't result in sore feet, calves, or legs, you're ready for new terrain.
The beauty of walking, hiking, and running barefoot is that you get to experience the ground in an entirely new way. When you're wearing shoes, everything feels the same. You might notice big topographical changes, but you miss the little things. You miss the blades of grass between your toes, the way gravel sort of massages your soles, the way scalding sand gives way to cool, damp sand at the beach. Going barefoot, then, can shock your system. You will be awash in sensation that cannot be ignored. You can't just clomp around in rubber soles. You've now got a new sensory front to consider. Eventually, this will give you greater mobility, stability, and control over your body, but it can also throw you off and lead to missteps, or even injuries, when you're just starting.
Be ever aware of the ground on which you walk. Look for rocks, sticks, and other sharp things. In time, you will glide across the ground effortlessly, subconsciously integrating the sensory input from your feet, but not yet. No – for now, you have to focus on focusing on your surroundings. It's a subtle distinction; you'll never not focus on your surroundings. It's just that the focusing will become second nature.
You're effectively a beginner now, so act like it. Don't try to be a hero and tackle a three hour hike right off the bat. And when you do head out for an extended walk, take a pair of trusty shoes along with you… just in case. Whenever I hit a decently-sized hike in bare feet, I bring a pair of Vibrams along, too. You never know what's gonna happen and it pays to be prepared.
Especially for your first few real walks, runs, or hikes in bare feet, cut it short if anything goes awry. I mean anything. Weird foot pain, stubbed toe, tight calves, bee sting – just call it a day and stop where you are. You're still getting acclimated to barefooting, you're excited about it, and the last thing you want is to be sidelined for weeks because you went too hard too quickly.
Swallow your pride. It might not taste so great, but it's a valuable nutritional supplement when transitioning to barefooting.
I don't want to scare you away from barefooting. It's really quite wonderful, safe, and rewarding (it's certainly safer than regularly wearing shoes, in my opinion), but only if you do it right and acknowledge that the habitually shod foot is a pampered, emaciated thing ill-prepared for real work. Besides, the strategies I've outlined take maybe a week to implement and integrate. If you can't spare a measly little week for the health and strength of your feet (you know, those miraculous pieces of evolutionary artistry that have been serving hominids well for millions of years?), you probably shouldn't be barefooting in the first place.

 

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I Didn’t Just “Manage” My Condition, I Beat It, and Wiped the Floor With It

It's Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark's Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark's Daily Apple community please contact me here. I'll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!
Dear Mark, Carrie, and Bees,
This letter is long overdue, but the recent article you posted on the Weekend Link Love made me want to share my experience with a Primal lifestyle and PCOS.
I was an active and skinny kid, generally healthy except for some seasonal allergies and a tendency to pick up every single cold that went through school. My family attributed it to a crowded public school, and I took all kinds of immune-supporting herbs that seemed to help for a while. Add to that, my diet was pretty awful: I subsisted on pasta, breads, and sugary stuff. Again, it didn't strike my family as being too out of the ordinary. All the kids I knew ate that way, or worse. My diet and health were never connected and never any cause for concern.
By the time I was fifteen, it started to alarm my family and doctors that I hadn't yet developed a regular menstrual cycle. I was also physically underdeveloped. I didn't break 100 pounds until my sophomore year of high school and had no hips, breasts, or any markers of puberty. The only sign of any hormonal change was a wicked case of acne. A quick trip to the gynecologist with some blood work confirmed a hormone imbalance and a testosterone level three times the healthy range for a girl. Not good. Not good at all. I got put on the pill to straighten things out.
Instantly, I was having regular cycles. Within two months, all the missing "parts" exploded out and I looked normal for a girl my age. My acne cleared up. Finally! The drawback, however, was a scorching case of depression (I nearly failed out of school that year), a huge weight gain (something like thirty pounds) and constant migraines (several storms a week that disabled me for the rest of the day). Doctors fixed one set of problems with the pill, but brought on a slew of new ones, and my health was (sorry to swear, but I feel it's the only effective word) a goddamned nightmare.
Doctor's visits became the norm for the next several years. Dermatologists, gynos, internists, family practitioners, and everything in between couldn't figure out what my problem was. Still, they had no problem giving me all sorts of drugs for weight control, acne, hormone balances, everything to treat just the outward symptoms with extra side effects. The only one that I felt did any good was migraine medication, which I depended on with my life. I never left the house without my wallet, keys, and drugs. My bag rattled with half a dozen meds. I lived with constant ailments, knowing that I felt awful that day and would feel just as awful tomorrow.
It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I started hearing about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. All the symptoms fit and I knew I had it. My mother and I sought out an endocrinologist specializing in PCOS. He recruited some more blood work and after a short interview, determined I did have PCOS. Then the magic combo came: the pill and metformin! I lost a decent amount of weight, my skin cleared up, everything seemed cool… for a while.
During college my health would turn on a dime. I'd be fine for a few months, and then everything would fall apart. For seemingly no reason, too, I never felt there was a correlation to activity, meds, diet, anything… I felt out of control. My body was self-destructing and there was nothing I could do about it. The doctors and drugs continued since I just kept getting sicker and sicker. The worst part hit after my junior year: huge stress plus a break from some of the meds brought on hair loss. SIGNIFICANT hair loss… I was 21 and GOING BALD. I could deal, mentally, with the stress and the bad skin and the weight but hair loss?? Aah! I knew I had to make changes, but… didn't. Not for a few more months. What a bad idea. I sat things out until graduation, when I moved home.
With college stressors out of the way, I decided to take time off and focus on my health. I tried all the SAD ways and fad diets and heavy exercise (running, which wrecked up my hips with bursitis and isolation weight machines, which made me weird-looking and bulky). I managed to drop a lot of weight, 150 lbs to 120 lbs, and a decent amount of hair grew back (not all of it, just enough) but I felt awful. I was tired, weak, and still felt like I was "swollen"… I was thin but I looked odd. My face looked almost swollen and my body felt bloated and inflamed all the time. I couldn't recognize myself in photos, it was so severe. Good ole skinny-fat.
Someone recommended the GI Index to me and it made a lot of sense… Insulin secretion was my big issue with PCOS, so a low-insulinogenic routine clicked. It was easier than other diets but still left me with a huge calorie deficit (cue sugar-binges). However, in the book I was reading, the author was joking about how we evolved on low-GI foods and if we could all eat like cavemen, we'd be in great shape, but "ha-ha, that's so silly! We need grains and processed foods, it's a modern world after all."
This was the greatest possible thing anyone could ever have said to me. I remembered that a friend of mine had started something called "Primal" living. It wasn't impossible to eat like a caveman! All my problems could potentially be over… people out there are doing this "caveman" thing!! A quick search online brought up Marks Daily Apple and I was smitten. The next week was devoted to reading all things Primal. I consulted nutrition journals to make sure everything was lining up right, and no article or resource pointed to grains = healthy, fat = unhealthy. I started eating Primal right away. Lots of healthy fats, proteins, fruits and veg… Relaxed exercise… It was a remarkably quick transition. There was a sudden surge of energy I hadn't had for years. My skin cleared, weight fell off, and get this: NEW HAIR GREW. I literally cried with joy when I saw my new hairline filling in.
I've continued to see the same endocrinologist a few times a year, always with blood work. I decided to experiment. I finished up the pill and metformin prescriptions I had and, unlike other times I'd stopped taking pills, saw no onset of symptoms. I was healthy, alone, with just Primal Blueprint diet and exercise by the time I went to get blood drawn. The results two weeks later confirmed everything: all my numbers were in range. Mark, friends, this has NEVER happened. All the years I'd struggled with my health, tried different diets and exercise, went on and off a million different meds, my numbers had never been even CLOSE to good. And now, without drugs, they were perfect. Absolutely perfect. The doctor was stunned. He didn't believe me when I said I stopped taking meds and was eating lots of fat. He advised I get back on meds and switch to a low-fat, low-protein diet, but… nah. I'm good. For the first time in my life, I'm good.
It's been close to a year now that I've been living Primal. I've experimented with different foods, different intakes, and occasionally indulge with grains (sorry, sorry, I know they're bad) always in way smaller amounts than I used to, with very little effect on my overall well-being. CrossFit introduced me to weightlifting, which I love and actually have a rack and 300 lb set in my home. Easy walks, jogs, and bike rides are the norm, and hiking has become such a pleasure now that I have the energy to keep up for long hauls. I'm awake during the day without the gross caffeine that used to be the norm, and I sleep well at night. My weight has settled to about 125 lbs with ~19% body fat. My skin is clear, my hair is better, and I can't remember the last time I had a migraine. I have the mental acuity to get through difficult projects at work and at home, where before I'd get frustrated and punk out. I get regular monthly cycles. I actually grew half an inch (posture? growth? not sure, but it's cool either way). My body and face lost that swollen appearance and sensation. I feel like I look the way I'm supposed to.
Mostly, Mark, it's the freedom. I used to feel great one day, and awful the next. The dread of what might happen next, the uncertainty of my day-to-day health, put a grip of terror on my existence. Years of struggle with my health left me questioning my control. I believed doctors when they told me I'd be an infertile wreck by 30, diabetic by 40, and dead of heart disease by 50. It was a losing battle and I had to simply accept what was my fate… My wretched, disease-ridden fate. I was told PCOS was a disease I was born with and would never overcome. The best I could hope for was to "manage" my condition. I hate that word, "manage". I didn't just "manage" my condition, I beat it, and wiped the floor with it. I feel great today, and I'll feel great tomorrow. Knowing what caused PCOS, and learning how to change those patterns, has completely changed my life. I don't fear my body. I don't fear tomorrow, or the coming years. There are no more limits. I am Primal. I am free.
Mark, you haven't changed my life… You've made it possible. You shocked my ignorance of the human body and started a wonderful quest for health and knowledge that I'll carry with me and share with others forever. I can't thank you enough.

 

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Gym Etiquette

Back in the day going to the gym was a no-frills experience. There were no fancy body washes in the shower or neatly folded towels at the front desk. In fact, at Gold Gym Venice, Joe Gold didn't even play music.  If you brought in a portable radio (as some tried), he'd kick you out. He believed that we were there to train, and that's all.

We didn't have iPods, headsets, cellphones or any of the modern toys you see in the gym today. There were no distractions to our training. There were also no treadmills or Precor machines or stair masters. All we had was weights and a few machines, and it got the job done. There was no such thing as cardio at all, in fact. As we would often tell those who came in looking for a bike or treadmill, "Cardio never built big arms." Gold's Gym circa 1973 would probably be unrecognizable as a gym to many today. Looking back, it was a completely different animal. There were no lockers, just a coat rack upstairs where you could hang your jacket, so people usually came in their gym clothes and left in them. There was only one shower, and Joe only had it built so the place could pass inspection. Of course, being that there was just one shower, it was often shared by guys and girls. No one seemed to care though—it was the 70's. The atmosphere and the attitude was different then as well. If you wanted to work in with someone on a bench it was never a problem, and whoever was there would always spot you and help push you to the max. Today's gyms are different. I see so many unqualified trainers who clearly are there just to make a buck, and who would be doing something completely different if a better offer came along. They appear disinterested and passionless about what they're doing. Lots of them don't put weights back, and they talk on their cell phones while training clients. Many just count reps and have no problem when their clients take a call in the middle of a workout. What kind of focus is that? 

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Getting enough 'sunshine vitamin' may not just be about catching rays, new blood test reveals

Researchers from London's Kingston University have developed a new highly-accurate blood test which can detect how much a patient's diet could be responsible for a lack of the so-called 'sunshine vitamin'. Vitamin D deficiencies can weaken the immune system and increase the risk of cancer and osteoporosis.

A team headed by Professor Declan Naughton spent five months developing the new test. For the first time, the different forms of vitamin D the body absorbs from diet and sunlight, known as vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 respectively, can be individually distinguished from closely related compounds.

"Many people know that the main source of vitamin D is from exposure to sunlight because humans produce a type of vitamin D naturally from the action of sun on the skin," Professor Naughton said. "But what's perhaps less well known is that another type of the vitamin can be found in foods such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and egg yolks. Our new test can individually measure all the forms of vitamin D that matter, and potentially help us to understand exactly what is causing any deficiency. Perhaps people just need more sun, or maybe they should be looking much more closely at their diet too."

Vitamin D plays a key role in forming and maintaining strong teeth and bones. Professor Naughton said vitamin D deficiency remained a major problem in the Western world, with several studies showing that between 40 and 100 per cent of elderly people in the United States and Europe do not get enough. Symptoms include fatigue, aching muscles and bones and in severe cases a deficiency can cause osteoporosis. GPs in the UK are now routinely administering vitamin D injections to boost patients' levels.

In future, the new blood test could be used to help demonstrate the role vitamin D deficiency plays in illnesses, from diabetes to cancer. Leading cancer expert Professor Angus Dalgleish from St George's Hospital in London said he believed the importance of being able to assess vitamin D levels accurately could not be overstated. "It's crucial to have a normal vitamin D level and that is becoming increasingly apparent across a broad range of diseases, including cardiovascular, neurological and cancer cases," Professor Dalgleish, a consultant medical oncologist said. "It is therefore very important to be able to accurately and reliably measure the different forms of vitamin D in order to monitor levels and to make sure they are maintained in the normal range."

Many people completely forgot how the correction of very low levels of vitamin D completely cured the scourge of rickets, Professor Dalgleish added. "It would appear that it is not just bone that requires vitamin D for normal function but nearly all other tissues as well, particularly blood vessels and the immune system."

The blood test was devised by Professor Naughton's team after he identified the need for a more thorough analysis of the various types of vitamin D. The team reviewed two decades of research and found that the exact link between vitamin D deficiency and health and diseases was unclear, possibly because many forms of the vitamin are active, but are not always measured rigorously. "There are also question marks about just what level of vitamin D is healthy, and it may be that when we talk about deficiency in future, it should be very clearly broken down into the different forms of vitamin D arising from diet and sunlight," Professor Naughton said.

The test was developed using liquid chromatography where a solution is passed through a column containing beads which are coated with certain molecules. Different compounds bind to the beads with varying strength, allowing the vitamin to be separated from blood constituents. Following chromatography, all molecules are identified by their size using a term known as mass spectrometry. This combined method allows separation of the active forms of vitamin D from inactive related compounds which can lead to false test results.

Professor Naughton hopes the development will lead to further trials exploring vitamin D deficiencies and a range of medical conditions. "We're already arranging to apply the test to patients in a trial at a hospital in Saudi Arabia looking at the effects of vitamin D deficiency in multiple sclerosis patients and those with other neurological disorders," he said.

 

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Fructose consumption increases risk factors for heart disease Study suggests US Dietary

 A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that adults who consumed high fructose corn syrup for two weeks as 25 percent of their daily calorie requirement had increased blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, which have been shown to be indicators of increased risk for heart disease.

The American Heart Association recommends that people consume only five percent of calories as added sugar. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 suggest an upper limit of 25 percent or less of daily calories consumed as added sugar. To address this discrepancy in recommended consumption levels, researchers examined what happened when young overweight and normal weight adults consumed fructose, high fructose corn syrup or glucose at the 25 percent upper limit.

"While there is evidence that people who consume sugar are more likely to have heart disease or diabetes, it is controversial as to whether high sugar diets may actually promote these diseases, and dietary guidelines are conflicting," said the study's senior author, Kimber Stanhope, PhD, of the University of California, Davis. "Our findings demonstrate that several factors associated with an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease were increased in individuals consuming 25 percent of their calories as fructose or high fructose corn syrup, but consumption of glucose did not have this effect."

In this study, researchers examined 48 adults between the ages of 18 and 40 years and compared the effects of consuming 25 percent of one's daily calorie requirement as glucose, fructose or high fructose corn syrup on risk factors for cardiovascular disease. They found that within two weeks, study participants consuming fructose or high fructose corn syrup, but not glucose, exhibited increased concentrations of LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and apolipoprotein-B (a protein which can lead to plaques that cause vascular disease).

"These results suggest that consumption of sugar may promote heart disease," said Stanhope. "Additionally our findings provide evidence that the upper limit of 25 percent of daily calories consumed as added sugar as suggested by The Dietary Guidelines for American 2010 may need to be re-evaluated."

Also working on the study were: Andrew Bremer, Guoxia Chen, Tak Hou Fong, Vivien Lee, Roseanne Menorca, Valentia Medici, Peter Havel and Nancy Keim of the University of California, Davis; Katsuyuki Nakajima and Takamitsu Nakano of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. in Tokyo, Japan; and Yasuki Ito of Denka Seiken Co. in Tokyo, Japan.

The article, "Consumption of fructose and high fructose corn syrup increase postprandial triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, and apolipoprotein-B in young men and women," appears in the October 2011 issue of JCEM.

 

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Binaural Beats Assists to Mediate Simply

Binaural beats run at different frequencies and are developed to quickly and very easily get your brain into different says. Theta binaural beats are programmed to induce the patterns that your brain runs when it is in both deep rest or a deep meditative state.
Binaural beats work by playing a little different frequencies into your ears. When your brain tries to resolve the small difference between the two beats you're hearing, they get you quickly and simply into the brainwavelevel that you've decided to listen to. If you are interested in learning more about unexplainable store review then all the info you need is here.
Binaural beats are recordings that introduce separate tones with a little different frequencies into each ear. Every single ear hears a different tone that is best experienced even though putting on a set of stereo headphones. The brain senses this differential in frequencies and interprets it to build a third tone. A German scientist, Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, found out this effect in 1839.
The ability of the brain to "hear" this difference in tone frequency appears to have created from evolutional adaptation. Isochronic tones and binaural beat mp3s have been created as audio recordings and are now becoming used to manipulate dominant brain frequencies. This procedure is identified as brainwave entrainment. By listening to these, a listener can use the recordings to build extra controllable meditative sessions. You can really induce your brainwaves to shift into the frequency array that you want for your meditation function.
Astral Projection is dependant on our brain. It can get several years and several years to ever before be ready to reach the accurate mentality degree that is essential in purchase to enable ourselves to be removed from our physical system. Not only does it get a quite very long time but it also will take an severe total of commitment. Binaural beat recordings have been shown to guide us be ready to astral venture in a quite brief period of time of time. Find out how binaural beats work and how they enable us to astral venture.
nbsp;Basically two separate frequencies waves are used in each ear. Our brains then build a third tone which is the difference between the two. What this does is enable the brain to tune into a frequency that the ear can not hear. That is what binaural beats doAtilde; they are one of a kind combinations of binaural beats that enable us to reach different says of consciousness. A selected mixture will guide us to accomplish astral projection literally inside minutes.
Binaural beats can be used in numerous different tactics and for numerous different reasons. Unique frequencies will have an effect on different areas of our aware and unconscious brain. The top secret is in being aware of which frequencies of binaural beats to develop the sought after effect.
If you are depressed then implementing binaural beats will guide you rest and minimize your depression. If you have been diagnosed and are receiving therapy, whilst I do not endorse to avoid implementing the recommended therapy, implementing binaural beats can guide you to minimize the very long term consequences of your ailment. If you are suffering from persistent psychological illness, you may perhaps uncover that binaural beats can be a useful tool in managing your downturn in moods and may perhaps guide prevent hospitalization.

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A heart-rate-reducing medication reduces the risk of heart failure and cardiac fibrosis

The findings of a Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) study published in the scientific journal Cardiology suggest that ivabradine, a heart rate reduction medication, is also effective in reducing the risk of diastolic heart failure (left ventricular insufficiency) and cardiac fibrosis.

The benefits of slower heart rate on mortality and morbidity associated with cardiovascular disease no longer need to be demonstrated. In this study, titled "Heart Rate Reduction by Ivabradine Reduces Diastolic Dysfunction and Cardiac Fibrosis," researchers sought to determine the effectiveness of ivabradine in treating diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle, a condition affecting 40% of people with heart failure.

The study was conducted on rabbits given a standard diet, a cholesterol-enriched diet or a cholesterol-enriched diet with ivabradine. It revealed that as well as improving the myocardial performance index, ivabradine greatly improved left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in animals receiving a cholesterol-enriched diet. Ivabradine also reduced fibrosis of the heart chambers.

According to Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, Director of the MHI Research Centre and professor of medicine at the Université de Montréal, the results are both interesting and encouraging. "The effectiveness of ivabradine in treating angina pectoris is now well known. However, few treatments are available to patients with diastolic heart failure. The beneficial effects of ivabradine demonstrated in laboratory suggest that this course of treatment should be further investigated." Clinical studies with subjects are expected to follow.

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Increased muscle mass may lower risk of pre-diabetes Study shows building muscle can

A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that the greater an individual's total muscle mass, the lower the person's risk of having insulin resistance, the major precursor of type 2 diabetes.

With recent dramatic increases in obesity worldwide, the prevalence of diabetes, a major source of cardiovascular morbidity, is expected to accelerate. Insulin resistance, which can raise blood glucose levels above the normal range, is a major factor that contributes to the development of diabetes. Previous studies have shown that very low muscle mass is a risk factor for insulin resistance, but until now, no study has examined whether increasing muscle mass to average and above average levels, independent of obesity levels, would lead to improved blood glucose regulation.

"Our findings represent a departure from the usual focus of clinicians, and their patients, on just losing weight to improve metabolic health," said the study's senior author, Preethi Srikanthan, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). "Instead, this research suggests a role for maintaining fitness and building muscle. This is a welcome message for many overweight patients who experience difficulty in achieving weight loss, as any effort to get moving and keep fit should be seen as laudable and contributing to metabolic change."

In this study, researchers examined the association of skeletal muscle mass with insulin resistance and blood glucose metabolism disorders in a nationally representative sample of 13,644 individuals. Participants were older than 20 years, non-pregnant and weighed more than 35 kg. The study demonstrated that higher muscle mass (relative to body size) is associated with better insulin sensitivity and lower risk of pre- or overt diabetes.

"Our research shows that beyond monitoring changes in waist circumference or BMI, we should also be monitoring muscle mass," Srikanthan concluded. "Further research is needed to determine the nature and duration of exercise interventions required to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism in at-risk individuals."

Also working on the study was Arun Karlamangla, PhD, MD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

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