Holiday fitness tips.

I recently learned about a brand new web site
that has both naturalists and naturalists wanna-be's
clapping their hands: Mamaherb.com. Being
someone who was raised with parents who
were in the medical field AND who wholeheartedly believed in the power of herbs, I knew this was a site I had to pass along to you!

Mamaherb.com enables members to find natural treatments that can really help, explore treatments for conditions that interest them from all over the world, view ratings, votes and comments people share and even send treatments to help family and friends. Visitors can check survey results to see what actually works, add their own treatments, comment and vote for treatments from personal experience and knowledge. This website will bring people with the same health interests and concerns together in one online community.

Unlike other websites, Mamaherb.com is quickly becoming a new virtual 'hot' spot for the health conscious consumer, and a convenient and supportive place to ask questions and get answers about all things health related. Mamaherb.com's mission is to share "mama's" wisdom with the world and to help people find out what really works in natural health.

But a lack of sleep may make weight loss and weight control more difficult by altering your metabolism. It may also be changing your eating and exercise patterns.

In a Japanese study, children sleeping less than eight hours a night were almost three times as likely to be overweight.

Lack of sleep may change hormone levels and thus influence weight gain. Higher levels of the hormone insulin have been linked to a shortage of sleep.

Because insulin promotes fat storage and controls blood sugar, extra insulin could make weight loss more difficult.

Studies also show that a lack of sleep leads to lower levels of the hormone leptin, which can cause an increased appetite. Sound familiar?A third hormone affected by too little sleep is cortisol, linked by research to stress. When people feel threatened or stressed, their cortisol levels rise in a "fight or flight" reaction. In one study, people whose cortisol levels rose highest in response to stress had more waistline fat - and fat at the waist is related to the greatest number of risks for heart disease and other ailments.

If you were wondering where this is all going here it is. Results from a Stanford University study show exercise, particularly aerobic exercise in the late afternoon or right after work can turn this all around.

The physical stress of aerobic exercise produces fatigue and a rise in body temperature. A few hours later, your body temperature drops. That coupled with the fatigue from your exercise triggers your brain to induce a deeper, longer sleep.

What time of day you do is as important as doing it. If you exercise too close to bedtime you may be up for hours climbing the walls. Getting a half hour brisk walk is all it takes.

If you belong to a Gym, get there and mix it up on the cardio machines.
Or get yourself a good cardio dance video by a certified instructor.
In any case quality zzzzzs equals quality of life and may even increase longevity.

Here is a good resource book called Sleep to Save Your Life: The Complete Guide to Living Longer and Healthier Through Restorative Sleep by Gerard T. Lombardo MD, available at www.amazon.com

Send your Moving Free® with Mirabai questions to: exercise@movingfree.com

How to Improve Sleep
Without Sleeping Pills

Insomnia is usually treatable whether it is a symptom of a disease or a condition itself. Strategies to improve sleep:

* Establish a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends, even if you didn't get enough sleep. This will help train your body to sleep at night.

* Develop sleep rituals. Follow the same bedtime routine, such as having a warm drink or a light snack, reading something soothing or listening to relaxing music. Let your body know you're getting ready to sleep.

* Don't spend too much time in bed. Once you wake, get out of bed. An excess of time in bed rather than sleep time may cause poor sleep in the future.

* Don't eat a heavy meal late in the day. If you eat a heavy meal before bedtime, it can interfere with sleep.

* Bedtime snacks. Have a light snack before bed. If your stomach is too empty, that can interfere with sleep. Dairy products and turkey contain tryptophan, which acts as a natural sleep inducer. Tryptophan is probably why a warm glass of milk is sometimes recommended.

* Avoid or limit caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol late in the day. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and can keep you from falling asleep. Although alcohol can make you relax and fall asleep, the relaxed feeling wears off, making you wake up in the early hours of the morning, feeling alert. Alcohol can also cause snoring which can disturb your sleep and that of others.

* Don't drink fluids just before bedtime.

* Gradually decrease mental and physical activity before going to bed.

* Sleep environment. Proper sleep environment can contribute to a good night's sleep. Keep the bedroom cool, well ventilated, quiet, and dark. An ideal environment for sleep is free of computers, fax machines and work projects.

* Associate your bed and bedroom with sleep. Don't watch TV or read in bed. Although these things help some people sleep, they can also give your brain the idea that bed isn't just for sleeping - and this can keep you awake.

* Don't go to bed until you are sleepy. If you can't sleep, get up, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy. If you can't fall asleep for more than 15-20 minutes get up and read or do something that is not overly stimulating until you feel sleepy.

* Light. Keep lights low before bedtime. To feel sleepy your brain needs to produce a chemical called melatonin, a natural sedative. Being in a brightly lit room or in front of the computer makes it harder for your brain to produce melatonin, and this delays the drowsy feeling that helps you sleep.

* Naps. Try not to nap, especially in the evening, because naps may make you less sleepy at night.

* Do not look at the alarm clock or watch during the night.

* Get regular exercise. Exercising during the day encourages drowsiness at bedtime. The best time to exercise is in the daytime - particularly late afternoon or early evening. Exercising later than this may disturb your sleep.

* Relax before going to bed. Follow a routine to help relax and wind down before sleep, such as reading a book, listening to music, or taking a bath.

About the Author
Yury Bayarski is the author of OriginalDrugs.com - website which offers health patches and natural health products. Please follow this link if you would like to read about natural insomnia herbal remedy.

Could You Have
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)?

Their faces say it all. Or maybe it's their legs. Perhaps it's both. The real life stories and testimonials featured on a new interactive Web site offer insight into the lives and experiences of just a few of the 12 million Americans who suffer from the often unpleasant and sometimes debilitating symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS).

It has been called everything from the heebie-jeebies to the fidgets and is often described by sufferers as burning, creeping, and sometimes even painful sensations shooting through their legs. Even worse, these sensations intensify when they try to lie down and rest, making for sleepless nights.

Despite increased research, this neurological condition continues to affect people regardless of age, sex, or ethnicity. It is important that doctors and the public better understand the symptoms and are aware of the impact of RLS, so people with this condition can get appropriate treatment and relief.

In an effort to increase recognition and awareness of RLS, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is educating doctors and the public about RLS, including its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options. The online component of this initiative, www.rlsrest.com, provides educational information and tools and includes personal testimonials from RLS sufferers, which further highlight the seriousness of this condition.

The company has also developed an RLS Simulator to allow doctors to experience a typical "day in the life" of an RLS sufferer, including feeling some of the uncomfortable leg sensations associated with the condition, through a high-tech boot that mimics those feelings, and a virtual reality headset and video. The RLS Simulator was developed to specifically help doctors better understand this complicated condition.

To learn more about restless legs syndrome or to share your own personal experience with RLS, visit www.rlsrest.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent