Sleep is when you recover, and Grow. Brain Gene Expression disrupted by just "one pulse" of light during sleep!

During sleep our body does a re-set. Our brain cells, the electro-chemicals that communicate between the cells, our immune system and our mental, emotional and physical "growth" all happen when we snooze.

Or, are completely messed up without our taking sleep seriously.

A study by the University of Haifa-Oranim Department of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology along with Prof. Charalambos P. Kyriacou of the University of Leicester, it was proven that just one pulse of artificial light at night disrupts circadian cell division.

In other words, your gene expression is damaged. This is what cancer is, with a broad definition. One pulse of light will disrupt your health.

Sleep should occur in total dark - and that includes the light from your electronics in the room. Make sure your clock has a dimmer, or block it with a book which you can move when checking if it's time for your morning to begin.

Certain smells can enhance gene expression, including lavender, citrus, rose - which boost immune cell expression and decreases stress.

Make your bedroom a part of your recovery / growth system - whether athlete or active living individual wishing to greet the morning awake and ready to meet your new day.

À votre) santé!

Starchy List

Cereals, grains, pasta, crackers, snacks, starchy vegetables, and cooked beans, peas and lentils are starches. In general, one starch is:


. 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, grain, or starchy vegetable
. 1/3 cup of cooked rice or pasta
. 1 oz of a bread product, such as 1 slice of bread
. 3/4 to 1 oz of most snack foods (Some snack foods may also have
added fat)

Tips:

1. Most starch choices are good sources of B vitamins.

2. Foods made from whole grains are good sources of fiber.

. A serving from the bread list, on average, has 1 gram of fiber.
. A serving from the cereals and grains list or the crackers and
snacks list On average, has 2 grams of fiber.
. A serving from the starchy vegetables list, on average list,
has 3 grams of Fiber.

3. Beans, peas, and lentils are good sources of protein and fiber.

. A serving from this food group, on average, has 6 grams of
fiber.

More Tips:

1. Choose starches made with little fat as often as you can.

2. Starchy vegetables prepared with fat count as one starch and one fat.

3. For many starchy foods (e.g., bagels, muffins, dinner rolls, buns), a general
rule of Thumb is 1 oz equals 1 carbohydrate serving. However, bagels or
muffins range widely in size. Check the size you eat. Also, use the Nutrition
Facts on food labels when available.

4. Beans, peas, and lentils are also found on the meat and meat substitutes list.

5. A waffle or pancake is about the size of a compact disc (CD) and about 1/4
inch thick

6. Because starches often swell in cooking, a small amount of uncooked starch
will become a much larger amount of cooked food.

7. Most of the serving sizes are measured or weighed after cooking.

8. For specific information, check Nutrition Facts on the food label

Study shows long term Depression leads to visceral fat accumulation in the belly area

A new study published June 14, 2010, by the University of Alabama at Birmingham confirms the relationship between depression and abdominal obesity, which has been linked to an increased risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease.

During a 15-year period, those who started out reporting high levels of depression gained weight at a faster rate than others in the study, but starting out overweight did not lead to changes in depression.

The University researchers further called for additional attention to the treating of depression, as a means of helping prevent unhealthy physical changes.

Check out my TEAM.

We all met up in Vegas to do the USA.
I think she should've won instead of 4th place.



























This is my best friend Tad, without him none of this would be possible. Great guy!!!

First National Show (USA Championships 2010) Place Top 14.

This July I was honored to be a qualifier in a National USA Body Buliding show. Any National show is fun because the contestants are from all over the country and are the top competitors from their states. It was definitely a challenge and I am looking forward to do it again next year and do better.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids KILL Cancer Cells!

Omega-3 fatty acid found in fatty, cold water fish like salmon, sardines, herring, char, trout and nuts like walnuts, Brazil and pistachio have been show to reduce the size of tumors and enhance the positive effects of some chemotherapy drugs - this the result of a study from Mansoura University in Egypt.

Omega-3 It is a major component of brain gray matter and of the retina in most mammalian species and is considered essential for normal neurological and cellular developments. The researchers found that DHA (a component of Omega-3's) acts by reducing leukocytosis (white blood cell accumulation), systemic inflammation, and oxidative stress - all processes that have been linked with tumor growth

Drink Soda - Age Fast and Die Early The Message is Clear.

New research that indicated that statistically, those who drank "two sugar drinks a week" (such as soda, or the many popular varieties of 'speed in a can' so-called 'energy drinks' on the market, you DOUBLED your chances of dieing of pancreatic cancer.

That's a brutal statistic.

Now, more reasons to rediscover how much fun water can be. A paper published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal has concluded that the phosphorous balance in our body, which is tipped WAY over the wrong way when we drink soda, or eat phosphate laden junk food, influences the aging process.

These researchers have found that high levels of phosphates accelerate signs of aging, and may also increase the prevalence and severity of age related disorders such as chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular calcification. It is also being implicated in sever muscle spasm and skin atrophy.

Isn't water looking so much more appealing? Add a little wedge of lime... or occasionally have some with bubbles in it. Make it fun, and give your body a chance to age gracefully and maintain it's strength and endurance.

First show of the year I participated took 4th. (2010 Atlantic States)

Me and Jay Cutlet, Mr. Olympia.

3 meals a day or 6 small meals? Does it really make a difference?

Some studies in the past have found small benefits to eating smaller meals throughout the day. But often the studies have involved "extremes" like comparing 3 meals to a dozen or more "snacks". Many have thought that 6 small meals would be more realistic, but to my surprise, aside from the "theory" that a small meal every 2 to 2 1/2 hours would keep insulin levels more "even". It is a theory that I've thought to be sound,

Now here comes a study in the British Journal of Nutrition involving groups of overweight men and women who were randomly picked and assigned to very strict low calorie diets and followed for 8 weeks.

Each group at the same calories. One ate 3 meals a day. The other ate six.

Both groups lost significant amounts of weight.

There was no difference between them in fat loss.

Both had similar challenges in appetite control (with surveys they were given to fill out).

The key hormones that trigger hunger, or make us feel "full" on blood tests were shown to be NO DIFFERENT in either group.

And it turns out this is not the only study with these findings!

In other words, it made no difference whether it was 3 or 6 meals, according to this study. Neither had more or less of an impact upon metabolism.

The researchers then suggested that the added element of exercise could make the difference in terms of the above changes being enhanced.



If you ask me:

I had experienced the 3 meals in the past and it worked for me to an extent. This study hit it right on the nail because I don’t believe in the “One Size Fits All Diet”. However, I do think everyone has a different metabolism. Exercise did play a role in this study. As a certified fitness nutrition specialist, I would definitely recommend more than 3 meals a day, just because when including activities and exercise together, may cause craving and eventually screwing up your meal design.

Over 1/3 of Fitness Related Injuries occur on the... TREADMILL!

An analysis of federal statistics demonstrates that TREADMILLS are the cause of more than 1/3 of injuries that send people who exercise to the hospital!

Overall, about 50,000 people a year end up in emergency rooms due to a mishap with exercise equipment, the commission estimates.

The Commission collected information from 100 hospitals in the country. Treadmill injuries were number one by far, followed by jumping rope, free weights being dropped on fingers and toes.

Although not an exercise, previous studies found that slips and falls because of wet floors in the locker room were also high on the list of injuries occurring in Gyms.

These sources are from “Dr. Jack Barnathan”

Did you know that regular exercise can play a key role in reducing your risk of medical problems!!!

• Allergies. Exercise is one of the body’s most efficient ways to control nasal congestion (and the accompanying discomfort of restricted nasal blood flow).
• Angina. Regular aerobic exercise dilates vessels, increasing blood flow____ thereby improving the body’s ability to extract oxygen from the bloodstream.
• Anxiety. Exercise triggers the release of mood-altering chemicals in the brain.
• Arthritis. By forcing a skeletal joint to move, exercise induces the manufacture of synovial fluid, helps to distribute it over the cartilage and forces it to circulate throughout the joint space.
• Back Pain. Exercise helps to both strengthen the abdominal muscles and the lower back extensor muscles and stretch the hamstring muscles.
• Bursitis and Tendonitis. Exercise can strengthen the tendons _____enabling them to handle greater loads without being injured.
• Cancer. Exercise helps maintain ideal bodyweight and helps keep body fat to a minimum.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Exercise helps build up the muscles in the wrists and forearms__ thereby reducing the stress on arms, elbows and hands.
• Cholesterol. Exercise helps to raise HDL (the “good” cholesterol) levels in the blood and lower LDL (the undesirable lipoprotein) levels.
• Constipation. Exercise helps strengthen the abdominal muscles, thereby making it easier to pass a stool.
• Depression. Exercise helps speed metabolism and deliver more oxygen to the brain; the improved level of circulation in the brain tends to enhance your mood.
• Diabetes. Exercise helps lower excess blood sugar levels, strengthen muscles and heart improve circulation, and reduce stress.
• Fatigue. Exercise can help alleviate the fatigue-causing effects of stress, poor circulation and blood oxygenation, bad posture, and breathing habits.
• Glaucoma. Exercise helps relieve intraocular hypertension __ the pressure buildup on the eyeball that heralds the onset of glaucoma.
• Headaches. Exercise helps force the brain to secrete more of the body’s opiate-like, pain-dampening chemicals (e.g., endorphins and enkephalins).
• High Blood Pressure. Exercise reduces the level of stress-related chemicals in the bloodstream that constrict arteries and veins, increase the release of endorphins, raises the level of HDL in the bloodstream, lowers resting heart rate (over time), improves the responsiveness of blood vessels (over time), and helps reduce blood pressure through bodyweight maintenance.
• Insomnia. Exercise helps reduce muscular tension and stress.
• Intermittent Claudication. Exercise helps improve peripheral circulation and increases pain tolerance.
• Knee Problems. Exercise helps strengthen the structures attendant to the knee__ muscles, tendons and ligaments__ thereby facilitating the ability of the knee to withstand stress.
• Lung Disease. Exercise helps strengthen the muscles associated with breathing and helps boost the oxygen level in the blood.
• Memory Problems. Exercise helps to improve cognitive ability by increasing the blood and oxygen flow to the brain.
• Menstrual Problems and PMS. Exercise helps to control the hormonal imbalances often associated with PMS by increasing the release of beta-endorphins.
• Osteoporosis. Exercise promotes bone density __ thereby lowering an individual’s risk of suffering a bone fracture.
• Overweight Problems. Exercise is an appetite suppressant. It also increases metabolic rate, burns fat, increases lean muscle mass and improves self-esteem.
• Varicose Veins. Exercise can help control the level of discomfort caused by existing varicose veins and help prevent getting any additional varicose veins.