Getting your Z'ssssss

Scott Schwab:

How important is getting your rest? I pose this question as I am sitting in a potato plant at midnight eleven. I wanted to do some quick thoughts about the value of getting some rest and how it effects the next day of performance. I think many times we think that sleep is something that we can make up or that we do not need that much. The fact is that sleep cannot be made up and part of the refreshing stages in reference to spirit, body, and mind deal with refreshing your body. As we go through the sleep cycles we are bound to go through a couple of stages that do make a difference for your day. Check it out.

Stage 1

Is the light sleep where we are drifting in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. This stage is characterized by slowing muscle activity and the eyes move slowly. At times the body will experience sudden muscle contractions.

Stage 2

Eye movement stops and brain activity becomes slower, with only an occasional burst of rapid brain waves.

Stage 3

Extremely slow brain waves called delta waves are interspersed with smaller, faster waves.\

Stage 4

The brain produces exclusive delta waves. This stage along with stage 3 is the deep sleep stage and a mode that is difficult to wake people.

There is a lot of talk about articles referring to the importance of REM. However, unless an individual goes through each stage and completes the sleep cycle, the body is left tired and left unrefreshed. The key is to prepare yourself before you go to bed so that there are little to no interruptions. That is difficult as a parent, however it is possible. There is a great book for any parents out there dealing with children who are having difficulty sleeping. It is called the baby whisperer and is something that you should read. Knowing that you cannot make up that time, may also help us make better decisions with t.v. watching and activities that take us away from those things. Here is an article for your reading.

http://www.apa.org/

Chew on this

Scott Schwab:

After a long vacancy from the blog, I wanted to do a post to let you know the count down is on and we are almost back in the saddle. We are gearing up for a lot of fun with the blog and have introduced twitter as part of our exciting changes. Essentially we would like to have easy access to following the blog and the information that is posted. Health is always changing and our goal is to deliver it effectively. Any ideas or thoughts please let us know. However we would like to welcome you back and have you welcome us back.

Today I wanted to do a little blurb about oral health. It is proven that chewing trident after meals is healthier for your mouth then chewing other gum or nothing at all. The reason for this, is the ingredient called Xylitol. It prevents cavities and promotes a healthy environment for your mouth. I think all of us have had a cavity before and know of its discomfort. Untreated cavities become root canals. Root canals cause abscessed teeth, and well that's when life is miserable. So starting any new health goal; should include a goal to have better oral health. You probably brush, but how many times in a day? How often do we floss and get our regular treatments? These are the things that can make life a lot easier.

Additionally, having a clean mouth often times prevents people from wanting to eat sweet foods, salty foods, and even drinks high in sugar and calories. The trick is to start with a clean mouth and keep it clean throughout the day so we can avoid some of the urges that come. It can also help with anyone looking to quit smoking. Combined with some other ingredients it is a great way to eliminate the need for nicotine. It is a process known as pallet cleaning. I have seen it work for multiple individuals, so I know it is possible.

Update

People have been asking if we are still alive. Sorry for the lack of posts, we are away for the summer and don't have internet access so it is hard to keep it going for now, but please stay tuned because we will start back up the end of August.

8 week challenge update

Chandi Schwab

Alright all you 8 week challenge contestants the challenge is coming to an end and we are all anxious and ready to hear about how it went. This has been a crazy 8 week challenge for us because we have moved to Vancouver foe the summer and have not had Internet access. So, we apologize for not being on top of it as we would have liked. Hopefully that ha not stopped you from pushing onward and working hard toward your goals. After this challenge we are planning on putting challenges on hold until after Labor Day when things slow down a bit so gear up for that one. Especially those of you that have not done it yet. We will start posting the challengers results next week so gear up and stay tuned!