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Energy boosters for a fresh day
When is your daily low point that moment when you feel your spirits
and energy flagging. Don't tell us, we know. We sifted through the very
latest research on sleep, metabolism, stress, and chronobiology to
identify the times when you are most vulnerable to fatigue and, with
expert help, devised a foolproof plan to help you combat it.
These eight strategies ensure you will wake up refreshed and
recharged, remain alert throughout the day, and wind down just in time
for a good night's sleep.
Brighten your morning
Old Science: Let your body sleep for as long as it needs.
New Science: Get up at the same time, and bathe yourself in light. It
enables your circadian rhythms, which are governed by your body's
"master clock" in the hypothalamus gland, to stay in synch with the
24-hour day.
In the absence of light, your body's sleep-wake cycle wants to delay
by an average of 12 minutes every day and work on a 24.2-hour rhythm.
(Scientists don't understand why, but think it may relate to the sun's
seasonal shifts.) "That means your body wants to keep pushing your
bedtime to later," says Mariana Figueiro, PhD, program director of
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center. "But if you
let that happen and still have to get up at the same time every day,
you're going to be tired."
To keep your circadian rhythms in time with the 24-hour day (when
they get out of whack, you feel like you're jet-lagged), head to the
light as soon as you get up, even on a Saturday when you've decided to
sleep in.
Try this: You need 30 minutes of exposure to light first thing. An
easy way to get it is to go for a half-hour stroll outdoors while
sipping your coffee. Or have your breakfast by a sunny window. If your
schedule requires you to rise when it's dark outside, consider investing
in a light therapy box ($174; Light Therapy Products) with 20 times the
intensity of average indoor lighting, which people use to treat seasonal
affective disorder (SAD). No light box? Crank up the lights every little
bit may help.
More protein
Old Science: To sustain energy, load up on carbs.
New science: Limit them. Although they can provide a burst of "quick
burn" fuel, carbohydrates are an energy drain if you consume too many.
Women who reduced the amount of carbohydrates in their diets and raised
the amount of protein reported feeling more energetic, in recent
research done by Donald K. Layman, PhD, a professor of nutrition at the
University of Illinois. "That's been absolutely consistent in all our
studies," he says.
Try this: Keep your daily intake of healthy carbs below 150 g, best
apportioned like this: five servings of vegetables; two servings of
fruit; and three or four servings of starchy (preferably whole grain)
carbohydrates, such as bread, rice, pasta, or cereal. You might, for
instance, start your day with a breakfast of one slice of bread or
one-half of an English muffin, one egg, a slice each of ham and cheese,
and a glass of milk.
Lunch could be an open-faced sandwich of one slice of bread, 2 to 3
ounces of meat, and 1 ounce of cheese; two servings of vegetables; and
an apple. Dinner should consist of 6 ounces of lean meat, three servings
of vegetables, one serving of fruit, and one or two servings of starchy
carbs.
Postpone Your Pick-Me-Up
Old Science: Perk yourself up with a midmorning coffee break.
New science: Have your latte later. That's when you'll really need
it. Caffeine keeps you operating at a high level by blocking the effects
of adenosine, a sleep-inducing brain chemical that accumulates as the
day wears on. By the time adenosine builds up to the point where you
start feeling sleepy generally, late in the afternoon the effects of
your morning caffeine will have worn off, says James K. Wyatt, PhD,
director of the Sleep Disorders Service and Research Center at Rush
University Medical Center.
Try this: You can stay alert by drinking about 2 ounces of coffee
(equal to a large shot glass) several times throughout the day, Wyatt
found in a recent study. But you don't have to go to all that trouble.
"Having 1/2 to 1 cup of coffee or its caffeine equivalent during the
late afternoon, when the pressure to sleep is high, will keep you
energized," he says.
If you're highly sensitive to caffeine's effects, you should push
your break back to early afternoon so you don't have difficulty falling
asleep at night, he advises.
Enjoy meal
Old Science: "Grazing" eating several small meals a day when you feel
hungry keeps your energy levels high.
New Science: Eat your meals at the same time every day. Your body's
caloric needs are closely tied to its other daily rhythms, including
when you get up and go to bed and when you expend the most energy
(during your late-day fitness walk, for example).
"What will make you tired is if your body expects a 7 o'clock
breakfast and a 12 o'clock lunch and you skip one of those," says
Layman. "Chaotic eating leads to greater hunger and overeating."
Try this: Prepare your breakfast the night before so you're sure to
start the day with a boost even if you're running late. Pack a lunch to
take to work in case you can't get away from your desk midday. Make
several meals on the weekend that you can quickly heat up so that you
and your family eat dinner at the same time every night. That way,
you'll all have enough energy for an after-dinner badminton game.
Meditate in short bursts
Old Science: Meditate for at least 20 minutes to reduce stress.
New science: Get the same results with a very brief session. "Even in
the span of 3 minutes, meditation can decrease the stress hormones that
tense your muscles and constrict your blood vessels," says Judith Orloff,
MD, a psychiatrist at UCLA and author of Positive Energy. "It increases
endorphins, too."
Quick time-outs throughout your workday are also easier to fit into a
busy schedule than a longer one at the end.
Try this: Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. ("In a
busy office, that may even mean going into the bathroom," says Orloff.)
Sit down and close your eyes.
Listen to your breath as you slowly inhale and exhale, and when
thoughts intrude, imagine that they're like clouds floating by in the
sky. Then visualize something or someone who makes you happy. It could
be someplace you've been on vacation, someone you love, or something you
love doing (like lounging in a fragrant bath).
Step outside
Old Science: Afternoon droop? Take a power nap.
New Science: Illuminate yourself outdoors. Just as it does in the
early morning, light later in the day may blunt an afternoon energy dip,
which often comes on like clockwork. "Because of the way the homeostatic
and circadian systems interact, most people feel a lull 17 to 18 hours
after they went to bed the previous night," says Figueiro.
Try this: Step outside into revitalizing sunlight for a short walk.
Vary your routine by taking a different path every day, doing a short
errand, or catching up with a friend on your cell phone.
If you can't get outside, plant yourself next to a window, open the
shades wide, and look out. (One day your employer may even be able to
help: Philips Electronics is making a system for offices called Dynamic
Lighting that alters the light level throughout the day raising it in
the afternoon, for instance, to counteract the postlunch dip that many
workers experience.)
Start work with a song
Old Science: Get primed for your workout with a light snack.
New Science: Jazz yourself up with music instead. Exercise is a prime
energy booster, but what if you're too tired for an antifatigue workout?
Put in your earphones while you lace up your walking shoes: Music will
help you forget you're whipped.
Volunteers who worked out for 30 minutes while listening to tunes
felt they weren't exerting themselves as much as when they exercised
without music, Japanese researchers reported recently in the Journal of
Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness.
Old Science: Viewing TV before you go to bed will keep you awake.
New Science: Watching TV is okay, but looking at your computer is
not. "Studies show that very bright light the equivalent to outdoor
early morning light will increase brain activity," says Figueiro. "Our
work has shown that you can increase alertness with far less." Some
scientists believe that the light emitted by a computer monitor late at
night can do just that, confusing your body's sleep-wake cycle
particularly when combined with the stimulation of an engaging video
game.
Wind down by watching television instead. Most people sit far enough
away from a TV set (at least 15 feet) to be unaffected by its
brightness. Better yet, read a book or magazine. Just make sure the
light you use doesn't exceed 60 watts.
Source: The Web
Cardiovascular disease and healthy diet
by Dr.D. P. Atukorale
A healthy diet and lifestyle are the best weapons you have, to fight
cardiovascular disease. It is not so hard as you think. I am suggesting
a few simple steps below which will help your life for long-term
benefits to your health and your heart.
Use up at least as many calories as you take in: Start by knowing how
many calories you should be eating and drinking to maintain your weight.
Don't eat more calories than you know you can burn up everyday and
increase the amount and intensity of your physical activity to match the
number of calories than you know you can burn up each day.
Exercise: Aim for at least 30 to 45 minutes of moderate physical
activity for at least five days of the week. Regular exercise such as
cycling, brisk walking, swimming and other outdoor exercises can help
you to lose weight and help you to reach physical and cardiovascular
fitness.
Regular exercises help you to improve your good cholesterol (H.D.L.
cholesterol) level and decrease your bad cholesterol (L.D.L.) level,
control your hypertension (if you are a case of hypertension), help to
control your blood sugar level (if you are a case of diabetes) improve
your pulmonary function, increase your coronary collaterals and reduce
your stress (tension).
Variety
You may be eating plenty of food but your body may not be getting the
nutrients it needs to be healthy. Nutrient-rich foods have vitamins,
minerals, fibre, essential amino-acids, essential fatty acids and are
low in calories. To get all the nutrients select foods like fruits,
vegetables, wholegrain products and fat free or low fat dairy products
and small fish most often from the following groups of dietary items.
Vegetables and fruits
These are high in vitamins, minerals and fibre and low in calories.
Eat a variety of fruits such as 'mangoes', 'guava', 'avocado', 'veralu',
'anoda', 'gal-siyambala', 'sepadilla', 'jambu', 'duriyan', 'bananas,
'pineapple', 'apples' and 'grapes'. Eat legumes (such as 'beans',
'lima-beans', 'dambala', 'soya', 'lentils', and 'broad beans'), green
leaves ('Keera') such as 'gotukola', 'kankun', 'niwithi', 'thampala', 'mukunuwenna',
and these have plenty of vitamins, minerals (such as, iron, calcium and
magnesium), fibre, antioxidants, good quality proteins and good quality
fats.
Fruits and vegetables help you to control you weight and blood
pressure and improve you cardiovascular system without increasing your
blood cholesterol.
Unrefined whole grains
These contain fibre especially the soluble fibre (which helps you to
lower your cholesterol) and contain carbohydrates and are low in fat and
help you to manage your weight if you consume these in moderation.
Fish
Eat fish at least twice a week. It is advisable to eat small fish as
recent research has shown that large fish such as tuna contains
significant amounts of mercury which is injurious to the brain. Eating
tuna during pregnancy can affect the kidneys and brain of the foetus.
Eat fish which is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.
Meat
Choose lean meat and poultry without skin and prepare them without
added vegetable oils (which contain trans-fats). If you use vegetable
oil for frying don't use these more than once for frying, as dangerous
ketones and aldehydes are formed during deep frying.
Coconut oil is a very safe oil and can be used for repeated frying
without formation of trans-facts. Avoid consumption of red meat such as
beef, pork and mutton as these are full of saturated fats which are
converted to L.D.L. cholesterol in your liver. Select fat free or low
fat dairy products.
Cholesterol
Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol (such as liver, kidney
and brain) and aim should be to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol per
day.
Partially hydrogenated fats
Cut down consumption of food containing partially hydrogenated
vegetable oils such as cookies, crackers, cakes and French fries as the
amount of trans-fats in your diet should be reduced to the minimum as
trans-fats are injurious to your health and these artificial fats
decrease the level of H.D.L. increase your L.D.L. level and increase
your serum triglycerides.
Salt
Choose and prepare food with little or no salt especially if you are
a case of hypertension. Aim is to eat less than 2300 mg of sodium per
day. It is advisable to limit consumption of ham, bacon, dry fish,
sprats, lime pickle, various sauces, salted butter, cheese etc.
Alcohol
If you are used to taking alcohol in moderation (i.e. one drink per
day for females and two drinks per day for males) you can continue to
take alcohol in moderation under the supervision of your family
physician. If you have never consumed alcohol it is advisable for you to
be an abstainer as it is extremely difficult to know whether you possess
the gene for alcoholism.
Smoking
Smoking of cigarettes, cigars, pipes and beedis and chewing of
tobacco are injurious to your health and should be completely given up
for good.
Cigarette smoke contains more than 4000 injurious chemicals and
nicotine in the cigarette smoke increases your blood pressure and heart
rate, decreases the level of H.D.L. cholesterol, increases the level of
L.D.L. cholesterol, precipitates cardiac rhythm disturbances, and makes
your platelets more sticky causing thrombosis.
Passive smoking (second hand smoke) is well known to cause
cardiovascular disorders and should be avoided.n conclusion, stop
smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, reduce body weight if you are
overweight, reduce oil and fatty food, take regular exercises, reduce
salt intake, consume a healthy diet consisting of plenty of vegetables,
fruits, unrefined whole grains, small fish, lean meat and avoid
trans-fatty acids.
Regularly check up your blood pressure, relax yourself whenever
possible and take medication as directed by your doctor. |