Until recently people thought of sleep as a passive part of our daily lives. We now know that our brains are very active during sleep. We are just beginning to understand how sleep affects our daily functioning and our physical and mental health. Nerve-signaling chemicals called neurotransmitters control whether we are asleep or awake by acting on different groups of nerve cells. Neurons in the brainstem produce neurotransmitters that keep some parts of the brain active while we are awake. Other neurons at the base of the brain begin signaling when we fall asleep. These neurons “switch off” the signals that keep us awake.

Scientists are still trying to learn exactly why we need sleep. Sleep appears necessary for our nervous systems to work properly. Some experts believe that sleep gives neurons used while we are awake a chance to shut down and repair themselves. Without sleep, neurons may become so depleted in energy or so polluted with byproducts of normal cell activities that they begin to malfunction. Sleep also gives the brain a chance to exercise important neuronal connections that might otherwise deteriorate from lack of activity. Many of the body’s cells show increased production and reduced breakdown of proteins during deep sleep. Since proteins are the building blocks needed for cell growth and for repair of damage from stress factors, deep sleep may truly be “beauty sleep”.

During sleep we pass through five stages, 1,2,3,4 and REM (rapid eye movement). These stages progress in a cycle from 1 to REM, repeating through several cycles in one night. We spend almost 50 percent of our total sleep time in stage 2, 20 percent in REM, and the remaining 30 percent in the other stages.

Stage 1 is light sleep. We drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. Our eyes move slowly and our muscle activity slows down. In stage 2 our eye movements stop and our brain waves become slower. Extremely slow brain waves called delta waves begin to appear at stage 3. By stage 4 the brain produces delta waves almost exclusively. It is very difficult to wake someone during stages 3 and 4, which together are called deep sleep. There is no eye movement or muscle activity. People awakened during deep sleep do not adjust immediately and feel groggy or disoriented for several minutes.

Moving in to the REM stage, our breathing becomes more rapid, irregular, and shallow. Our eyes jerk rapidly in various directions. Our limb muscles become temporarily paralyzed. Heart rate and blood pressure rise. When people are awakened during REM they can often describe bizarre and illogical tales called dreams. The first REM sleep period occurs about 70 to 90 minutes after we fall asleep. A complete sleep cycle takes 90 to 110 minutes on average. The first sleep cycle each night contains short REM periods. As the night progresses REM sleep periods increase in length while deep sleep decreases. By morning you spend nearly all your sleep time in stages 1,2, and REM.

The amount of sleep each person needs depends on many factors, including age. Infants require about 16 hours of sleep a day. Teenagers need nine. For most adults 7 to 8 hours per night is required (though some may need as few as 5 and some as many as 10). The amount of sleep you need increases when you have been deprived of sleep in previous days. Getting too little sleep results in “sleep debt”, like being overdrawn at the bank. Eventually your body will demand that the debt be repaid. We do not adapt to getting less sleep than needed. We may get used to it but our judgment, reaction time and other functions will still be impaired.

Too little sleep leaves us drowsy and unable to concentrate the next day. It leads to impaired memory and physical performance and reduced ability to carry out math calculations.

If you feel drowsy during the day, you haven’t had enough sleep. If you fall asleep within 5 minutes of lying down, you probably have severe sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is dangerous. Sleep-deprived people perform worse in eye-hand coordination tasks than do intoxicated people. Driver fatigue is responsible for 100,000 car accidents and 1500 deaths per year. Since drowsiness is the brain’s last step before falling asleep, driving while drowsy can be very dangerous.

Here are some tips for getting a good night’s “beauty sleep”:

1. Stick to a sleep schedule.
2. Exercise, but not late in the day (a Jody Victor suggestion).
3. Avoid caffeine and nicotine late in the day.
4. Avoid alcohol before bed. Alcohol keeps you in the light stages of sleep.
5. Avoid large meals and beverages before bedtime (a Jody Victor suggestion).
6. Avoid naps after 3 PM.
7. Maintain a good sleeping environment. Eliminate visual and aural stimulations and provide a comfortable room temperature.
8. If you don’t fall asleep right away, don’t lie there awake. Get up and move around a bit or take a hot bath. The anxiety of not being able to fall asleep makes it harder to fall asleep.

All the Best!

Steve Victor 

Power foods that are high in nutritional value and low in calories help fight heart disease and other serious illnesses while they boost your energy levels. Many of these foods are available fresh now, but they are just as good frozen. Here is a list of the Top Ten Power Foods:

1. BLUEBERRIES (a Jody Victor suggestion) Highest in antioxidants of all the fruits. They contain resveratrol, a heart-protecting flavonoid.
2. ALMONDS Contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Eating one ounce of almonds daily reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol. They are also rich in calcium, protein, copper, zinc, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins B and E.
3. SPINACH Great source of iron. They are a low-calorie, non-fat substitute for red meat. Spinach is also an abundant nondairy source of calcium and vitamin K, a combination good for bone health. Spinach is rich in folate, a B vitamin that reduces heart-damaging homocysteine.
4. BROCCOLI One half-cup serving provides as much vitamin C as an orange, with half the calories. One serving also has 40 milligrams of calcium. Broccoli has zero fat of any kind.
5. GRAPES Rich in nutrients that protect blood vessels and heart muscle from tissue damage caused by free radicals. They also contain many flavonoids, including resveratrol.
6. BELL PEPPERS (a Jody Victor favorite) Contain plenty of vitamins A and C, vitamin B6 and folate, which combat heart disease. Red peppers pack a big punch with lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that is thought to reduce the risk of cancer of the colon, cervix, bladder, pancreas, and prostrate.
7. OLIVE OIL Mostly made of monounsaturated fat, it actually lowers levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol as well as blood fats called triglycerides, reducing the risk of high blood pressure and inflammation. Olive oil also contains vitamin E and carotenoids, such as beta-carotene. Extra-virgin varieties are especially rich in antioxidant phytonutrients.
8. TOMATOES Derive their rich color from their most powerful component, phytonutrient lycopene. Lycopene reduces the risk of breast, cervix, prostrate, pancreas, and lung cancers. For full benefit, eat tomatoes fresh, including the skin.
9. STRAWBERRIES (a Jody Victor favorite) One half-cup contains only 25 to 30 calories. But that half-cup is bursting with heart-healthy nutrients that minimize damage caused by LDL (bad) cholesterol, reduce inflammation in the arteries, and help protect against cancer.
10. WHOLE GRAINS When nutrient-rich bran, germ, and endosperm are not processed out of the kernel, grains retain their natural fiber, vitamins, and phytonutrients, boosting metabolism and controlling blood sugar. They reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, stroke, and heart disease.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Sometimes it seems we expend a lot of time and energy working out on cardio machines with little payoff. For all the hours we spend on the machines our clothes should be a lot looser. The good news is that cardio machines are great fat burners when used correctly.

Treadmill:

Don’t move up and down too much or you will tire out too soon. Keep a level head.

Do warm up a bit by holding the handlebar and alternate swinging each leg to the side (a Jody Victor suggestion). Your legs will be more pliable and your joints will have less strain on them if your muscles are warmed up.

Don’t do too many long, steady, flat runs.

Do run shorter and harder, mixing speeds and inclines. Your muscles will fatigue faster, leading to more efficient fat burning. The more intense the run, the shorter it can be.

Stationary Bike:

Don’t set the seat too low or too high. A low seat adds stress to your knees. Too high and your hips will rock from side to side.

Do sit on the seat and place your heel in the middle of the pedal, where the ball of your foot would normally go (a Jody Victor suggestion). Have your leg fully extended, straight down, at the lowest point of the pedal rotation. Then when you move your foot to the correct position on the pedal, you’ll have the correct amount of bend.

Do vary the intensity of your pedaling instead of cruising. Try 2 to 3 minutes of high-cadence pedaling then 2-3 minutes of recovery pedaling. Stand occasionally to pedal. Standing requires more muscle to push the pedals and to support and balance your body.

Elliptical Trainer:

Don’t set the resistance too low. Gliding isn’t good. If it’s too easy you end up with just momentum working for you instead of having to propel each step.

Do set the resistance correctly (a Jody Victor suggestion). When you make a revolution, you want to feel you’re pushing the ramp down. As your balance improves, keep your hands at your sides, which recruits your core muscles to keep yourself stable.

Stair Climber:

Don’t hold yourself up with your arms. Never put your arms straight down on the railing and lock your elbows.

Do rest your hands on the bars for balance only. Ideal movement is with your body upright with a slight lean forward as if you were leaning to walk up a flight of stairs but not bending over. Set it at a challenging resistance to make yourself work harder. This will raise your heart rate, which raises the fat burning.

Rowing Machine:

Don’t let your hands bump your knees.

Do think of the stroke as a dance, counting 1-2-3 and 3-2-1. On 1- push with your legs. On 2- swing up your body by leaning back. On 3- draw your arms to the bottom of your rib cage. Then reverse it. On 3- extend your arms. On 2- swing your body forward from the hips. On 1- bring your legs up after the handle passes your knees. Keep it fluid.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Summer is such a fun time for all! Please be sure to take just a few minutes before any sport, be it water or otherwise, to go over the safety rules. Most places have rules posted - they are for your safety. Follow the safety rules below for water sports and have fun while being safe!

1. Learn to swim (a Jody Victor suggestion). It’s the best thing you can do to stay safe with any activity in the water. Call the American Red Cross for an available swim course.

2. Know your local and state laws regarding their regulations of personal watercraft (PWC). Some states have special laws addressing operation, registration and licensing of PWC, required safety equipment and minimum age requirements.

3. As with any motorized watercraft, operate your PWC with courtesy and common sense (a Jody Victor suggestion). Follow the traffic pattern and obey the no-wake and speed zones.

4. The operator and any rider should wear Coast Guard-approved lifejackets/personal flotation devices (PFDs).

5. Operate PWC with extreme caution around swimmers and surfers. Run your PWC at a slow speed until well away from shore, swimming areas, and docks. Avoid passing too close to other boats. Avoid jumping wakes, which is dangerous and sometimes illegal (see #3).

6. Use the Buddy System (a Jody Victor suggestion). PWCs should always travel in groups of two or three. In case of an emergency you have backup to go for help.

7. Do not consume alcohol while operating a PWC. Alcohol impairs your judgment, balance and coordination.

All the Best!!

Steve Victor

It's amazing how calories can add up fast when you least expect it. Nutrition experts say that we eat too many empty calories without even thinking about it. So, I did think about it and came up with a list of ways to cut calories and in most cases add nutrition. Read my list, put it into practice, and who knows, you could lose weight just by doing these simple suggestions.

1. Eat raw vegetables instead of tortilla chips with your salsa

2. Choose spring rolls instead of fried egg rolls

3. Drink water instead of a soft drink or juice (a Jody Victor suggestion)

4. Order thin-crust pizza instead of thick-crust

5. Eliminate gravy on your mashed potatoes

6. Put non-fat milk in your latte instead of whole milk (a Jody Victor suggestion)

7. Put red sauce on your pasta instead of cream sauce

8. Choose a snack-size candy bar instead of a full-size one

9. Ask for a salad as a side dish instead of fries

10. Remove the skin from your chicken pieces

11. Eat a half a bagel instead of a whole one

12. Have one less soft drink or alcoholic beverage per day

13. Use mustard or low-fat mayonnaise on your sandwich instead of regular mayonaise

14. Have the burrito instead of the fired chimichanga

15. Eat fruit instead of candy when your sweet tooth is calling (a Jody Victor suggestion)

16. Eat grilled meat instead of fried

All the Best!

Steve Victor