Fat Loss Lifestyle Blog

It is amazing how much more effective many exercises become when I incorporate the Val Slide

This one legged dumbbell squat is a good leg exercise. Do it with the Val Slide and it takes it from a good exercise to an excellent exercise. I will not do legs without doing this technique. It is that good.

Exercising your legs is not just about making your legs bigger or stronger. Doing legs will help you grow your upper body and see your abs as well. As I said in the video, exercising your legs will make your upper body muscles bigger because of the increase in your anabolic hormones. And it will make you leaner because when you carry more muscle (over 1/2 your muscle is below your hips) your body burns more calories 24/7. So you will burn fat even when you sleep. Bottom line, skip your legs and you skip your ability to have your “Best Body”.

Go to Val Slide to check out the Val Slide.
Please hit the “Tweet This” or the “Share This” button below to send to a friend!

Your Healthy Lifestyle Coach,

Darin Steen

“An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.”

~ Buddha, philosopher

Many of you most likely know why you are not gaining muscle and losing fat.
Not getting in your work outs, not eating small meals often, not going to bed early, not having a precise goal or deadline. What I want to touch on is some “not so obvious” obstacles.

1. You are too smart for your own good.

There are those people out there that think they have read everything out

In fact, maybe some of you, or you know someone who radically changed their body and life in 12 weeks without having a masters in kinesiology and nutrition. Why? Because they can follow basic instructions and they won’t over-think. They simply and methodically just do the simple program.
In my 28 years of training I have heard all the facts, all the fiction, all the supplement ad bs. And trust me, it’s all the same.

It has been since I started lifting weights back in 1981. It took me about a decade to figure out that guys and gals who had great physiques had a few thing is common; a positive attitude, a strong will, a good work ethic, the ability to be single minded and focus on each rep, the work out, and the goal/prize.

I am telling you that the plan that I follow, and that every one of my personal training clients and on-line clients (over 800) follow is very simple. If you read my Fatloss Lifestyle System most likely you would say, “I have heard that before”. Yes there are a lot of exercises, work out cheat sheets, food recipies, before and after pictures, inspiration and motivation. I do put a unique spin on the work out by having you do circuit style work outs hitting non competing body parts. I do get a lot of people emailing me saying “I have heard this before. And my response to them is, “Are You Doing It”?

Yes the plan is simple. Stop looking for some new fangled formula for nutrition and weight training and cardio.

2. You overestimate the need for variety in eating. Don’t like the
idea of eating the same foods every day, day in and day out? Sorry,
but suck it up.

Pretty much everyone I know who has tried to create a varied fat loss nutrition plan where they were constantly changing meals each day ends up quitting. On the other-hand, most of those I know who have been successful in building muscle (and losing fat for that matter)
end up eating the same boring things each day to achieve that success.

Tip- You can make the same old foods taste different with condiments (low in sugar) like mustard, tobascco or Louisianna Hot Sauce, salsa, pepper, cayenne and some salt (use unproccessed Himalayan Sea Salt
It’s great to have a fancy meal plan with tasty recipes and
complicated meals, but a huge part of your success hinges on you
actually being able to follow your program.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for switching out foods such as
eating fish instead of chicken or trading steak for turkey. Nice
and simple. But if you are wanting to cook some long drawn out
recipes on a daily basis, it just won’t happen unless you have a
personal chef.

3. You do not change up your work outs.

The body is very smart and it will get immune to the same exercises performed the same way. Your body does not want to gain muscle and lose fat. You can do the best exercises, performed 100% perfect and get good results for about 3 weeks.

Then the muscles will not get sore, they won’t respond, and they won’t budge. So what you must do is change up some aspect of your work outs. Some aspects of your work outs you can change are: exercises, angles (incline, flat, or decline, order of exercises, rep tempo, negatives, drop sets, isometrics (posing and squeezing muscle) and stretching.

A good rule of thumb is if the muscles are not sore after the work outs, change up at least two of the above choices. Make sure to change at least every 3 or 4 weeks.

4. You only use the scale to check progress.
This is a “BIG” one. The reason why this is a mistake is because when you follow a good plan you should be gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. On average a client who follows my Fatloss Lifestyle System will lose 12 lbs. of fat and gain 6 lbs. of muscle every six weeks.

I have had some clients even gain 10 lbs. of muscle in 6 weeks while losing 10 lbs fat. When they get on the scale on retest day, their initial reaction will be, “oh no, I did not lose any weight”. The get emotional (especially the ladies) and believe that the program did not work. But I immediately put the tape measure on their tummy. And it will be 3, 4, or 5 inches less.

So I ask you, would you be happy if the scale did not budge, but your waistline was 5 inches less? Of course you would. You would be ecstatic. The scale may stay the same but you would take up a lot less space in the room. And your clothes would hang on you and look fashionable.
So the take away is; use the scale and a tape measure together (once a week is plenty. Make sure that you put the tape in the exact same spot every time (through the navel and parallel to the floor). And pull it the same tightness every time.

5. Lack of confidence in yourself and overconfidence in strangers.

I used to do this and I see a lot of people do it. Do not doubt yourself, your plan of action, or your ability to carry it through. Even if this is the first time you have ever been athletic or taken on a big goal or challenge. Faith it till you make it. Believe in yourself. See the body and feel the sweet emotion of having “that dream body”. Believe in yourself.
See it and feel it for 5 minutes before you go to bed, and right when you wake up. Every day, for 12 weeks, I dare you.

To learn more about my Fatloss Lifestyle 12 Week Body Transformation System go here Fatloss Lifestyle It is a one time fee of $47 and has a no hassle money back promise

Your Healthy Lifestyle Coach,

Darin L Steen
Make it a Great Day, Make it a Great Week, Make it a Great Life!!

PS – This blog post was inspired by my fitness friend Anthony Ellis

Four of My Top Mentors who have helped me are:
Bill Phillips
MERCOLA
Tony Robbins
Joel OSteen

I feel so fortunate to have a personal relationship with Dr. Joe Mercola.
I have trained him for a year now. I also train his mom and dad, ceo, and upper management staff every Wed. at our facility in Shaumburg, Il. I see that he is a real person (albeit more lean and muscular now) and that he is flying all over the world to search out the best quality products for us to consume. Purple defense and Tumeric (anti-inflammatory herb) are two products I have been on for 2 years and I will never be without.

This article was posted by Dr. Mercola MERCOLA

Some Harvard-educated researchers believe they’ve discovered a proverbial ‘fountain of youth’.

They’re talking about resveratrol, calling it a miracle ingredient, and the greatest discovery since antibiotics.*

Resveratrol is a compound found in the skin and seeds of grapes.

Researchers have been mystified for years about how the French can smoke cigarettes and eat high-fat foods, yet still have extremely low rates of cancer and heart disease. They call it the French paradox.

Harvard researchers Dr. Christoph Westphal and David Sinclair conducted genetic research to investigate the French paradox.

Until now, scientists believed drinking red wine had health benefits*… but couldn’t put their finger on exactly why.

Now they believe the resveratrol in wine activates cells into behaving more youth-like in a number of ways.*

The biggest hurdle with resveratrol is finding a way to consume the large concentrations required to provide you with a benefit. You’d need several bottles of wine per day to get the anticipated benefit from resveratrol. Drinking large amounts of wine or other alcoholic beverages will increase your insulin levels, which will eventually have a negative impact on your health in a number of ways.

I’ll tell you in a minute how you can get your highly-concentrated resveratrol without the alcohol, sugars and calories of red wine.

But first, let’s discuss how to control your free radical levels…

Neutralizing the Free Radical Threat
Every day of your life you face exposure to dangerous free radicals. No matter how healthy a lifestyle you lead or how healthy your diet is, this is simply a fact of life.

Fortunately this is not all bad – as your normal bodily functions (breathing, metabolism, and physical activity) naturally generate free radicals. Your immune system also generates free radicals to help neutralize viruses and bacteria.

But some free radicals are the result of environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, pesticides, and cigarette smoking.

The problem starts when these free radicals attack your healthy cells and cause them to weaken and become more susceptible to health disorders. Plus, this can also have a profound effect on how you age.

An All Natural Source of Resveratrol

Purple Defense contains 50 mg of Resveratrol per serving.

With an overall 3,500 ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value per capsule, Purple Defense capsules provide a powerful natural antioxidant blend.

But as part of normal functioning, your body is capable of keeping free radicals in check and naturally neutralizing them, unless you…

Eat a diet consisting mostly of processed junk food

Cut corners on getting enough sleep on a daily basis

Ignore your need for regular exercise

Find yourself under a great deal of stress

Expose yourself to a high number of environmental free radicals

Exposing your body to these types of conditions may overwhelm it with free radicals and cause damage.

Plus, free radical damage accumulates with age. So, the longer your lifestyle and environment expose you to this damage, the greater your consequences as you age… the greater potential consequences to your overall aging process.

So what can you do?

Well, first of all, it would be helpful to address the unhealthy habits listed above.

Additionally, consider going the next step and find ways to fortify your healthy diet with antioxidant rich food.

I’m sure you’re well aware of the benefits of antioxidants from all the discussion on my site. I’ve spent literally decades researching this topic and cannot stress their importance to you enough.

Antioxidants provide your body with natural protection against free radicals and help you neutralize and keep them under control.

Why Organic Food is Your Best Choice
for Natural Free Radical Protection

There are many sources of antioxidants available to help boost your health.

Most of these sources come directly from consumption of high quality, fresh, organic and preferably locally grown vegetables and fruits. But there is a catch.

The catch is that, to get the most potent antioxidant content from the fruits and vegetables – they need to be organically grown and processed.

Here’s why.

Research shows that certain organically grown fruits and vegetables have significantly higher levels of potent antioxidants than traditionally grown foods.

The key to all this is a large family of natural antioxidant compounds called polyphenols.

Polyphenols exist in plant floods and their contribution to the antioxidant capacity of the human diet is much larger than even that of vitamins.

And a subclass of this antioxidant-rich family found in fruits and vegetables is flavonoids.

In response to environmental stressors like insects and other competing plants, plants produce flavonoids with potent antioxidant activity.

Unfortunately, conventional growing methods that use pesticides and herbicides hamper the production of flavonoids.

Plants exposed to pesticides and herbicides have less of a need to produce such compounds. And therefore, these plants produce fewer antioxidants than organically grown food.

You don’t want to miss out on polyphenol flavonoids because they can:

Improve your memory and concentration

Boost the effectiveness of vitamin C in your antioxidant network

Regulate nitric oxide – a potent free radical that regulates your blood flow

Help promote your healthy heart

Bolster your immune system

So, to take advantage of the highest potency flavonoids and rich antioxidants, always choose organically grown fruits and vegetables.

Fresh organic foods are important not only for what they give you, higher levels of antioxidants and nutrients, but also for what they don’t give you… exposure to pesticides, herbicides, and non-organic fertilizers.

Now let’s take a closer look at some common and not so common food sources of antioxidants – keeping in mind that for you to receive the highest antioxidant potential, organic is best.

Consumer Alert: Berries are a Great Source of
Antioxidants, but Watch Out for the Sugar

A specific polyphenol flavonoid compound called quercetin is a potent dietary antioxidant found in certain berries: lingonberries, cranberries, bilberries, and black currants.

Not only do berries contain many flavonoids like quercetin, but also fiber… vitamin C… and other nutritious antioxidant-rich polyphenol compounds.

Ideally, berries should be eaten raw and as you already know – organic is best.

Another great source of antioxidants in berries is from blueberries. In fact, Europeans recognize their bilberries as blueberries.

Only a few years ago, the USDA Human Nutrition Center (HNRCA) ranked blueberries #1 in antioxidant activity. This research compared 40 other fresh vegetables and fruits.

This is all great but there is a red flag I have to raise – watch out for too much sugar.

If you overdo your fruit consumption, even berries, you risk releasing too much sugar into your system. This could cause your insulin levels to rise and eventually your health could worsen instead of improving.

So, moderation is the key when eating fruit. Choosing fruit relatively low in sugar, like blueberries, should not only boost your antioxidant intake but help keep your insulin levels in check as well.

Eat Your Veggies for Healthy Antioxidants – but Which Ones?
Broccoli, greens, beans, artichokes, and onions, to name a few, are good sources of polyphenol flavonoids. And of course, raw organic vegetables help you maximize the antioxidant benefits.

However, just like you need to be careful on how much and the types of fruit you eat, the same holds true with vegetables.

For example, from the USDA Human Nutrition Center research, potatoes ranked high on the list of vegetables with potent antioxidant content. But they are not necessarily your best choice because they may cause increased insulin levels.

In order to determine the amount of fruits and vegetables your body requires, I recommend you first determine your Nutritional Type™ (NT).

You see, foods and individual nutrients do not behave the same way in two people with different Nutritional Types. Your Nutritional Type determines your individual nutritional requirements and dictates your individual responses to what you eat and drink.

Please check my site for more details on how to determine your NT. It’s well worth your time.

Here’s a great table showing examples of fruits and vegetables along with their polyphenol content. Remember, polyphenols are natural antioxidant compounds that help you neutralize free radical damage.

This table also shows another beneficial subclass of polyphenols called phenolic acids.

Polyphenol Content in Selected Vegetables and Fruits
Polyphenol Polyphenol Content Range
Source (serving size) Subclass per Serving size (mg/serving)
Vegetables:
Yellow onion (100g) Flavonoids 35-120
Broccoli (200g) Flavonoids 8-20
Leek (200g) Flavonoids 6-45
Artichoke (100g) Phenolic acids 45
Potato (200g) Phenolic acids 20-38
Fruits
Blueberry (100g) Flavonoids 25-500
Black Currant (100g) Flavonoids 130-400
Blackberry (100g) Flavonoids 100-400
Strawberry (200g) Flavonoids 30-150
Plum (200g) Phenolic acids 28-230
Note: Table adapted from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
To find out more or to order click here; PURPLE DEFENSE

Why Not Add a Little Spice to Your Life and Health?
A bountiful source of antioxidants that many people don’t know about is herbs and spices.

Researchers within the U.S. Department of Agriculture discovered that herbs are an abundant source of antioxidants – not to mention how they make your food tastier.

According to the research, on a per gram fresh weight basis, oregano and other herbs ranked even higher in antioxidant activity than certain fruits and vegetables.

In comparing antioxidant activity against a few selected fruits and vegetables, oregano came out on top with:

42 times more antioxidant activity than apples…

30 times more than potatoes…

12 times more than oranges

And there are other herbs and spices that pack an antioxidant punch as well: cloves… turmeric… cinnamon… garlic… basil… and curcumin… to name a few.

Herbs and spices have emerged as a quick and convenient way for you to get a concentrated source of antioxidants – without all the extra calories of many foods.

Now, your key to taking advantage of the antioxidant activity from herbs and spices is to find an organic source and consume them fresh and raw. For example, the antioxidant activity of fresh garlic is 1.5 times higher than dry garlic powder.

Just as consuming too much of any food product can carry health risks, herbs should be used with moderation… and only as a complement to your healthy diet.

So, add a little seasoning and spice to your life and feel good about the antioxidant benefits they provide you.

Maybe All You Have to do is Drink a Glass of Red Wine Every Day?
Many folks believe that a good way to promote your health is to drink a glass of red wine on a regular basis.

Certainly there’s the “French Paradox” theory… the observation that French people with poor diets who drink wine have better cardiovascular health than you might expect.

This opinion happens to be based on a potent polyphenol found in red wine and grape skins called resveratrol.

This powerful antioxidant potentially:

Helps improve the overall health of your cells as a component of your cardio and neuro protection*

Aids you in protection against age-related health disorders*

Provides therapeutic support for your immune system against abnormal cell activity*

Researchers also believe that resveratrol helps keep your cholesterol within its normal range while promoting your healthy heart.*
.
However many experts are now questioning the value of drinking wine for health reasons and believe much of the evidence supporting this was based on very weak epidemiological observations.

You of course know that wine contains alcohol. And too much alcohol isn’t a healthy choice for anyone and it may outweigh the benefits of the resveratrol content

But, with all this said, resveratrol is such a powerful antioxidant that there must be a way you can benefit from it without taking undo risks.

This potent antioxidant is somewhat different from the rest. It not only helps you neutralize free radicals, it can cross the blood-brain barrier to help protect your brain and nervous system as well.

Studies show that resveratrol may increase the lifespan in human cells.* So, it could be a determining factor in extending your longevity.*

Resveratrol helps reduce oxidative stress damage to your cardiovascular system by neutralizing free radicals.* And it helps support your body’s natural defense system.*

Plus, resveratrol benefits you by how it…

Protects your cells from free radical damage*

Helps you keep your blood pressure within the normal range*

Keeps your heart healthy and helps improve blood vessel elasticity*

Boosts your protection against the spread of abnormal cell activity*

Helps you better control the aging process*

Why Eating Grapes May Not Your Best Approach
Now that I’ve clearly identified resveratrol as one of your best antioxidant sources, there’s still an open issue… what’s the best way to make sure you consume enough of this antioxidant?

To me, one of your best sources of resveratrol is from grapes themselves.

But, just like there are issues with other fruits, vegetables, nuts, and red wine, such is the case with grapes.

See, the skin and seeds of the grapes provide you with the most potent supplies of resveratrol… not the fruit itself. The meat of the fruit contains sugary fructose which could raise your insulin levels.

There’s not really an issue with eating the skin – as you consume it when eating the fruit.

But the seeds are another issue.

Most people don’t like to eat the seeds as they tend to be tough and have a somewhat bitter taste. And some grape processing actually removes the seeds prior to distribution at your local store.

So, now what can you do?

Well, if you cannot find a good source of grapes with the seeds still intact, or even if you do locate a source but you don’t want to eat the seeds, I have another alternative for you.

It’s called Purple Defense.

To find out more or to order click here; PURPLE DEFENSE

Major Advantages to You from This Grape Seed Formula
Even if you find a raw source of grapes, there are major advantages in store for you when using Purple Defense grape seed.

See, it’s almost impossible for you to chew the seeds enough to get the equivalent benefit you can from the pulverized seeds in Purple Defense.

Why? Pulverizing the seeds makes them more digestible.* This process increases the surface area while leaving the product nutrients intact.

Plus, here are additional reasons why Purple Defense should be your #1 antioxidant source:

Available all year round – Long after fresh grapes have disappeared from local fruit stands and produce departments, Purple Defense grape seed is available.

Longer shelf life – Since this grape seed lasts a full 12 months from the date you receive it, you’ll cut back on the amount of fruit you waste. No refrigeration required for Purple Defense.

Avoid chewing bad-tasting seeds – Remember, it’s the pulverized seeds that provide you the greatest antioxidant benefit.* So, using this convenient grape seed powder in capsule form provides you a great solution.* Plus, it means you don’t have to chew any bad-tasting and tough seeds.

Higher concentration of polyphenols – Purple Defense grape seed powder delivers you a potentially higher concentration than the fruit itself.*

Smarter than drinking red wine – Although some people drink wine to get the grape-related benefits, there are many downsides I mentioned above. You can avoid these downsides… such as over-consumption… sugar content… and other alcohol-related issues by simply using Purple Defense grape seed.*

So, now you see some of the reasons why I highly recommend Purple Defense as one of your best antioxidant sources.

And of course, as I continually stress on my site, no supplement replaces a healthy diet of wholesome, unprocessed foods. But this grape seed powder is an excellent complement to your healthy diet in providing you free radical protection.

Whole Food Complex
Each capsule of Purple Defense contains the amount of resveratrol that is in thirty nine 8oz glasses of wine. But more importantly it is there as a whole food complex along with other fruit complexes that allow the synergistic combination of all the micronutrients to give you the full benefit that the food would give you if you ate it naturally.

You see I am somewhat skeptical of scientists that isolate single nutrients with the belief that the isolated nutrients are providing all the benefits. In my mind the whole food complex is nearly always superior.

How the Power of Purple Takes Your
Antioxidant Benefits to Another Level

Purple Defense is
A Natural Whole-Food Product

Purple Defense is rigorously tested for quality, potency and purity.

Purple Defense grape seed does not require refrigeration. When stored properly, you’ll find it will last up to one year.

No known drug interactions (however, those allergic to grapes should not take grape seed).

Believe it or not – you have quite a few choices for grape seed out there today.

So, what makes the Purple Defense grape seed formula stand out from the rest?

First of all, I chose a formula with a proprietary process called OxyPhyte®. This unique process concentrates the antioxidant power of specific compounds. It does this by extracting the phytonutrients responsible to provide you maximum antioxidant activity.

The bottom line – the OxyPhyte process used to formulate Purple Defense helps provide you with very high potency antioxidants from the grapes. Not all grape seed formulas use this process.

And this formula even goes beyond grapes. Take a look at why this grape seed formula is so unique.

OxyPhyte grape seed extract – The nutrient potency of the seeds cannot be stressed enough. And with the advanced OxyPhyte process, you’ll get help maximizing their potential benefits. This grape seed extract comes with a potent 90% polyphenol formula for amazing antioxidant potential.*

OxyPhyte grape skin extract – Along with the grape seed, combines to deliver a potent formula of 10% resveratrol… the one polyphenol I insisted needed to be in the formula.

Organic black currant – This organic powder provides added healthy nutrients and quercetin, a polyphenol compound with potent antioxidant activity* (mentioned above).

Organic plum extract – This powerful extract rounds out the formula with a great source of fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and other nutrients that help promote your healthy vision.*

So, the Purple Defense formula even goes beyond nutritious grapes in providing you additional sources of antioxidants and nutrients.

But, how do you know how well these antioxidants work against free radicals?

Comparing Antioxidant Capabilities
Over a 138-year timeframe, the U.S. Agricultural Research Service (in-house arm of the USDA), developed a method to determine free radical scavenging activity against the peroxyl radical for both water-soluble and lipid-soluble substances.

This methodology, called Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC), evolved over the years and today is a good indicator for measuring the antioxidant capacity of foods. The higher the ORAC value, the more antioxidant squelching capacity the food or supplement has.

For example, here’s a chart showing Purple Defense nutrients and their potent Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) values (on a per gram basis).

To find out more or to order click here; PURPLE DEFENSE
Purple Defense OxyPhyte Nutrients ORAC Values Compared to other Fruits and Vegetables
OxyPhyte® Grape Seed Extract
OxyPhyte® Apple Extract
OxyPhyte® White Tea Extract
Whole Blueberries (1 cup serving)
OxyPhyte® Green Tea Extract
OxyPhyte® Ultra Blend
OxyPhyte® Grapeskin 10% Resveratrol
OxyPhyte® Black Currant Extract
OxyPhyte® Guava Leaf Extract
OxyPhyte® Yerba Mate Polyphenol Extract
Fuji Apple (1 medium)
Spinach (1 cup serving)
Vitamin C (100% RDI – 60mg)

It should be clear from the above chart as to the antioxidant potency of the grape seed extract in Purple Defense… even more potent than whole blueberries.

And with the total combination of grape seed extract, grape skins, black currant extract, and plum extract, Purple Defense is certainly up to the task.

So, when choosing an antioxidant source, make sure to compare its ORAC values to determine just how well it scavenges free radicals.

There should be little doubt in your mind about how well Purple Defense does this!

Don’t Wait Until Free Radicals Rule Your Body and Your Health
You’ve discovered many choices when it comes to protecting yourself from free radical damage.

To find out more or to order click here; PURPLE DEFENSE
There are many foods that provide you very good sources of polyphenols and potent antioxidants to help you neutralize the damaging affects of free radicals.

So, I recommend you consume these foods in moderation due to the health risks described above. And your preference should always be for fresh, organic, and raw sources.

At the same time, complement your wholesome diet with Purple Defense, your #1 source for antioxidants.

And just so you know, my NEW and IMPROVED Purple Defense formula now provides higher levels of resveratrol content and ORAC value… you now get 20% more resveratrol and double the ORAC value.

So, don’t wait until free radicals rule your body and your health, order Purple Defense today.

To find out more or to order click here; PURPLE DEFENSE

I feel so fortunate to have a personal relationship with Dr. Joe Mercola. I train his mom and dad, ceo, and upper management staff every Wed. at our facility in Shaumburg, Il. I see that he is a real person (albeit more lean and muscular now) and that he is flying all over the world to search out the best quality products for us to consume. Purple defense and Tumeric (anti-inflammatory herb) are two products I have been on for 2 years and I will never be without.

Your Healthy Lifestyle Coach,

Darin L Steen
Make it a Great Day, Make it a Great Week, Make it a Great Life!!

Four of My Top Mentors who have helped me are:
Bill Phillips
MERCOLA
Tony Robbins
Joel OSteen

This article was posted by Dr. Mercola MERCOLA
Staying in bed on the weekends won’t make up for a weeks’ worth of sleep deprivation. A new study finds that going long periods without sleep can lead to a sort of “sleep debt” that cannot simply be undone with extra sleep later.

Such chronic sleep loss may eventually interfere with a person’s performance on tasks that require focus, becoming particularly noticeable at nighttime. This could be due to the effects of your natural sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm.

Your natural tendency to want to be awake during the day may mask signs of sleep debt when it’s light out. But this protective effect may go away as darkness arrives.

Further, just 10 percent of adolescents are getting the optimal hours of sleep each night.

Here’s how parents can help teens get the most possible sleep, despite the demands of school and work:

•Teenagers should stick to a consistent bedtime, preferably before 10 PM

•Keep sleep and wake times as consistent as possible from day to day; maintaining a more regular sleep schedule makes it easier to fall asleep

•Don’t sleep in — strive to wake up no more than two to three hours later on weekends to keep biological clocks on cycle

According to a 2007 survey of 12 to 16 year-olds, 25 percent fell asleep with the TV, computer, stereo, iPod headphones or other electronic gadgets on. The same survey revealed these teens only received four to seven hours of sleep each night.

Other studies show that adolescents actually have a different circadian rhythm than children or adults. Teenagers experience a temporary resetting of their body clocks which prompts them to fall asleep and wake up later.

The hormone melatonin is produced later at night for teens, which can make it hard for them to fall asleep at an earlier hour. This temporary adjustment in their body clocks is one of the reasons young adults don’t get the amount of sleep they require.

In addition to a shortage of rest, the quality of sleep these kids get can be very poor.

In order to get the highest quality sleep, you need to be in a room that is dark as possible. Even the slightest bit of light can disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm and production of melatonin and serotonin, two hormones vital to your health.

Many people are not aware that exposure to the smallest amount of light at night will cause your, your body tol shut down further

Artificial Light and Your Wake/Sleep Cycle

The invention of electrical lighting has been both a boon and a bust. The benefits of artificial light are obvious, but what about the drawbacks?

One of them has to do with how long and how well people sleep these days.

When artificial lighting was introduced, it increased the amount of daytime hours and decreased the number of hours of an average night’s sleep down to seven.

Circadian rhythms are no longer able to adjust to a predictable pattern of daytime and darkness, which has created a chronic modern day sleep deficit and potentially devastating health consequences.

The Dangers of Underestimating Your Sleep Requirements

Sleep deprivation is such a chronic condition these days you might not even realize you suffer from it. You might assume, since you rise when the alarm clock rings and feel reasonably alert once you’re up and moving, that the sleep you’re getting is adequate.

If you’ve shorted yourself on hours and your quality of sleep for any length of time, it’s likely your state of sleep deprivation feels normal to you.

Researchers, however, will tell you that a sleep deficit can have serious, far-reaching effects on your health. Among them:

•A single night of sleeping only four to six hours can impact your ability to think clearly the next day.

•Good sleepers and poor sleepers experience about the same number of daily minor stressful events, but good sleepers are less disturbed by them. Poor sleepers experience life events as being more negative than do those who sleep well.

•Sleep deprivation can cause changes in your brain activity similar to those experienced by people with psychiatric disorders.

•Sleep deprivation puts your body into a pre-diabetic state, and makes you feel hungry, even if you’ve already eaten.

•Interrupted sleep can dramatically weaken your immune system

•Tumors grow two to three times faster in laboratory animals with severe sleep dysfunctions.

How Lack of Sleep Damages Your Health

Melatonin is an antioxidant that helps to suppress harmful free radicals in your body and slows the production of estrogen, which can activate cancer. When your circadian rhythm is disrupted, your body may produce less melatonin and therefore may have less ability to fight cancer.

Exposure to light while your body is trying to sleep activates your stress response and weakens your immune system, which is why irregular sleep cycles can lead to stress-related disorders including:

•Constipation

•Stomach ulcers

•Depression

•Heart disease

A disrupted body clock can wreak havoc on your weight. Losing sleep raises levels of two hormones linked with appetite and eating behavior. Sleep deprivation reduces leptin, a hormone that tells your brain you’re satiated, and increases ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger.

Lack of sleep can destroy your memory. If your internal clock isn’t functioning properly, it causes the release of too much GABA, the brain inhibiting neurotransmitter. According to the results of the Stanford study, an excess of GABA inhibits the brain in a way that leads to short term memory problems and the inability to retain new information.

Sleep deprivation ages you. Lack of sleep interferes with metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging and the early stages of diabetes. Chronic sleep loss may speed the onset or increase the severity of age-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and memory loss.

More Ways to Disrupt Your Body Clock

Artificial lights aren’t the only way you can disturb your circadian rhythm. You can also confuse your body’s sleep/wake cycle by:

•Staying up late

•Working the night shift

•Using a night light

•Switching time zones (jet lag)

•Eating in the middle of the night or too close to bedtime

Many of your major organs and body systems have their own internal clocks. These clocks influence everything from your body temperature to hormone production to your heart rate. When these clocks are out of whack, all kinds of things can happen which impact your daily life and your overall health.

A Debt You Can’t Repay

For most people who don’t sleep well, it has become a pattern and not just an occasional night of restlessness.

A chronic lack of high-quality sleep simply cannot be recovered. You can’t stockpile a supply to use later, nor can you pay your body’s sleep debt back.

You may feel rested and sharper after sleeping in, but the benefit is temporary and can be compared to depositing money in your account then withdrawing it again a day or two later.

Lost sleep is lost forever, and persistent lack of sleep has a cumulative effect when it comes to the havoc it can wreak on your health.

How to Get the Amount of Sleep Your Body Needs

As a general rule, adults need between six and nine hours of sleep a night. Most adolescents and teens do best with at least nine hours a night.

There are, of course, exceptions – some people can function well on less than six hours and others need more than nine.

Other factors that can affect your sleep requirements include illness, emotional stress, and the time of year (some folks need more sleep during winter months). If you’re pregnant you might require more sleep, especially during your first trimester.

If you feel tired when you first wake up, you probably aren’t getting sufficient sleep. It’s best to observe how you feel immediately upon awakening rather than after you’re up and moving around.

Those first few moments of wakefulness, before your mind fully kicks into gear, are a better measure of how your body is feeling.

Some tips for getting good quality sleep include:

•Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. This will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back asleep.

•No TV right before bed. Even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even out of the house, completely. It is too stimulating to your brain and it will take longer to fall asleep.

•Wear socks to bed. Your feet will often feel cold before the rest of your body. A study has shown that wearing socks reduces night waking.

•Get to bed fairly early. Our systems, particularly our adrenals, do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the hours of 11PM and 1AM.

•Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F. Many people keep their homes and particularly the upstairs bedrooms too hot.

•Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This can provide the L-tryptophan need to produce melatonin and serotonin.

For a comprehensive list of practical solutions for sleep problems, be sure to read my 33 Secrets to a Good Night’s Sleep.

If you have trouble falling or staying asleep because your mind is racing or you’re emotionally overwhelmed, I recommend you use Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for insomnia.

Quality Sleep is One of the Pillars of Good Health

Sleep is one of your most precious resources. You undervalue its importance to your health, longevity and the quality of your life at your peril.

Just like exercise, the health benefits you receive every night from sleep depend on how long you spend at it and the quality of it.

Just as eating for your nutritional type provides your body with a solid foundation for health, so does good sleep.

And just as processing your emotions and stressful events in a productive way helps you remove the barriers to achieving optimal health and fitness, adequate high quality sleep is also a core building block for a lifetime of wellness.

Hello fellow fitness friends,

If you want to live long & strong to 120 years young then please continue.

I am so xcited to bring to you interviews of successful centurians along with cutting edge holistic, execise, and destressing techniques and information from around the world.

Bottom line is we will turn into who we hang around. And I promise to bring to you some of the best living long and strong information out there. Interviews I am working on right now are a 104 year old guy that got killed by being hit by a car as he was doing his morning sprints. Another one is guy who just turned 108 and is doing great things in the Senate. He is the only guy alive that served in World War I.

I am so excited about this project. I am working side by side with world renowned holistic doctor Joe Mercola. MERCOLA

I am training him and am creating a web site with him. He is the first man that I ever met that is confident that he is doing everything withing his power to live to be 120 or older. I train him and brainstorm with him every wednesday.

It is a fact that the “average life span” has doubled in the last 100 years. Also, the number of centurians (people who live to be 100) has doubled since 2000.

Also, it is a fact that the average life expectancy increases by 5 hours each “DAY”!

Another cool thing is that you and I are not average people. We are proactive with our health & fitness and mindset. This means that you and I will smoke what the average person is doing out there (god willing).

So congrats on joining this group %$firstname$% and give me feedback so I can make this experience even better.

If you want me to keep you in the loop and fill you in on all I learn about living long and stong then sign up below;

If you know anyone else who would like to belong to this group please click on the “Share This and or the Tweet This Button below.

Be well,

Your healthy lifestyle, longevity coach,

darin

This is one of my favorite ab exercises. Do a couple sets of this one and a couple sets of a different ab exercise a couple times per week and you will notice a difference in you ab development in no time at all.

Yesterday is history, tommorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, thats why they call it “The Present”.
Learning how to be in the now is challenging. You see with the “fast pacedness” of today’s society and the high speed which information travels now it is very difficult to “be in the moment”.

You see, what I see around me and what I used to experience my self is that when I was at work, I thought about my family. And when I was at home, I thought about my work. I was not that effective with my time. Always in a hurry but not really accomplishing to much. Even though I thought I was working hard my “to do list” never shortened. My clients and my family seemed to only get 1/2 of me.

This is not good. When you learn to focus a 100% at your task you will start to get so much more accomplished.

Below is a little story that may help you get the most of each moment no matter if you are at work, or in a work out, or with family, or at play. It helped me.

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday & Sunday mornings. Perhaps its the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it’s the unbounded joy of not having to be at my fitness club at 5 a.m. Either way, the first few hours of a Sat. or Sun. morning are most enjoyable. I am sure you can relate.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the kitchen, with a steaming cup of green tea in one hand and my laptop in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.

Let me tell you about it. I turned the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding chap with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like
he should be in broadcasting himself.

He was talking about “a thousand marbles” to someone named “Tom”. I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say. “Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you’re busy with your job. I’m sure they pay you well but it’s a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a yourng fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hurs a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter’s dance recital. He continued, “Let me tell you semething Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own prioritities.” And that’s when he began to explain his theory of a “thousand marbles”.

“You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average life expectancy now for Americans is around 78 years old (depending on who you talk too). I know that some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about 78 years.” “Now then, I multiplied 78 time 52 and came up with 4056 which is sthe number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.

Now stick with me Tom. I’m getting to the important part. “It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail”, he went on, “and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. “I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy eight, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. “So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to go to three toy stores to round up the 1000 marbles. “I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear lastic container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marlbe out and thrown it away.

“I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on earth run out to help get your priorities straight. “Now let me tell you one last thing befire I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife and daughters out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble of of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then God has blessed me with a little extra time to be with my loved ones…. you can sure bet I am going to take advantage of every momement; “it was nice to talk to you Tom, I hpe you spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good morning!”

You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the show’s moderator didn’t have anything to say for a few moments. I guess he have us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some internet work that morning and right a few articles. Instead, I went into the bedroom and woke up my wife with a kiss and a caress.

“C’mon honey, I’m taking you to and the kids to breakfast.” “What brought this on”, with a smile she asked. “Oh, nothing special,” I said. “It has just been a long time since we spent Sat. morning together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we are out? I need to buy some marbles.

Since you are reading this blog and are proactive on standing up and taking control of your health, lifestyle, and life though making healthier fitness choices, and you do understand how powerful your mind is; and with all the advances the medical community has made and is going to make in the next 20 years; I am going to up the average life expectancy for “us” to 100.

This story could impact you enough to dramatically change your life. Or not. You could read it and get emotional and then forget about it tommorrow. I highly suggest that you print the story off and go out and buy your marbles and container and throw “your marble” out each week. I did.

You see, life is about a lot of things. But in the end, the cars, the money, the vacations, the houses all fade away. What matters most is the relationships you built. Whose life is better because of you?

What did you leave behind that will have a lasting impression?

We all have the ability to live a life of significance. But we have to be aware and we have to work at it. I hope this blog post helped you. If you want to please hit “tweet this” or “share this” below to share this with a friend or family member.

Please leave you comments below as well if you liked it and want more.

This is a follow up to my last post on goal setting. My clients and I have accomplished some incredible things through living the Fatloss Lifestyle.

Goal setting and visualization has always been a part of my athletic career and now my career as a fitness professional.

In fact I believe it to be so important; every client that hires me must utilize my goal setting and visualition exercise. I want you to use it too.

One client dropped 11 inches off his waist in a year while gaining 20 lbs. of muscle. Another client stopped all symptoms of Myotonic Dystrophy dead in its tracks while taking 3 inches off his waist. Another client lost 7 inches off her waist and 5 off her hips (all from 3 hours of exercise per week) and went from fat to slim and sexy. She also started her own business and left her dead end job. You see, when you change your body, you also change your mind and your life.

I have achieved some pretty lofting goals because of goal setting and visualization.
I have:
Been a full time fitness professional for the last 9 years (after being a full time truck driver
for UPS for 18 years)

Been a professional “Drug Free For Life” competitive body builder in the WNBF for 12 years.
(and I have bad genetics for body building; thick joints, and a slow metabolism and I only
have one kidney).

5 Fitness Business’s that are profitable. 4 of them are on-line that make money while I sleep
(I was raised by a blue collar father and was a blue collar laborer for 18 years. I thought the
the only way to make a living was to put in hours (sweat) for money.

I am more balanced between business, relationships, and health & fitness than ever before at
the age of 44.
(At times in the past I was so out of balance that I almost went crazy. I actually went on an
anti-depressant med for a while)

I am now more in love with my wife than ever before. We have been married for 15 years.
I am now a better father than I have ever been to my two daughters Kiana and Lexi.
(I fell out of love with my wife and was not a very good father in the past)

I had a 14 year football career. One year of semi-pro and tried out for the 1988 Chicago
Bears. I still hold the All Time Tackle Record (532 tackles) for Olivet Nazarene Univ. and
I was inducted into the Olivet Sports Hall of Fame (22 years after I graduated.
(I am slower and less athletically inclined than most other athletes)

I am in the best fitness condition of my life and I have more real energy (no caffiene) than
I ever have before. And I look younger than I did 5 years ago.

I am more confident than ever that I am going to live long and strong to the age of 125

I tell you these things not to impress you, but to impress upon you that your mind is so much more powerful than you know.

One of the keys to having anything and everything that you want in life is to you believing that you can and do deserve it. Because when you believe something deep down in your core with an absoulute sense of certainty; then it will most likely become true for you. Even if it goes against the
laws of nature, God, or science.

Below is a simple form that I want you to fill out and personalize for you.

Commitment Sheet (This is a commitment to yourself)
A pact that you will do everything within your power to peak your health & fitness
So you will thus be able to peak in all the other areas of your life: Your mind body & soul are directly connected.

I _________; am very excited about my NEW, HEALTHY LIFESTYLE that Darin & I have created together.

On ___________ (6,5,4,3,2,1) weeks away from my retest and photo shoot I will have:
Goals
1. Lost _____ lbs. of fat
2. Gained ___ lbs. of muscle
3. Lost ____inches of my waist (at navel)
4. Gained ____ inches on each arm
5. Lost ____ inches off of buns
6. ____________ ( improve any physical issue that you may have with your body)

Emotional Reasons
So that: 1.) I can get off blood pressure medication
2.) I can attract a soul mate
3.) I can have more real energy and productivity
4.) I can improve my sex life
5.) I can increase my body and self image and hold my head up high

The emotinal reasons above are generic. Think of your own emotional reasons why you want to peak your fitness and your health. It is the why to the what. If you want to change your body and your life you must see what you want and fell the emotions of already having it in the theatre of your mind.

Cut out a physique of body out of a fitness magazine and tape your head on it. Keep it around. Put it on the fridge, put one on your work station. You need to be able to close your eyes and see the lean body as it is your body. See the body while you are reading your committment sheet outloud (with a strong positive voice).

You must do this exercise right before bed and first thing in the morning. These two times are most important because you are in the “alpha” wave state. Everything that you think of at these two times will be replayed 15-20 times in the middle of the night when your brain is “cleaning the files during REM”. Experiences outside the alpha wave state will be replayed only 3-5 times.

So when you focus on “What You Want” in the alpha wave state you will be using self hyptonsis or auto suggestion. Do not go to bed and focus on what you don’t want or being mad at someone or something. This is a big no no.

In summary, you do have the power to change. You do have the power to stand up and take control of your body, health, business, and life. No matter what age. I left UPS and took a 100% commision job as a personal trainer at the age of 36 with a stay at home housewife, 2 kids, living paycheck to paycheck. You can do anything that you want to do. But the mind is the first place to start exercising.
YOUR BODY CAN NOT GO WHERE YOUR MIND HAS NOT YET BEEN!

Use this commitment sheet. It works.

Your healthy lifestyle coach,

Darin Steen

IF YOU LIKE THIS PLEASE HIT THE “SHARE THIS & TWEET THIS” BUTTON BELOW & SEND TO A FRIEND WHO WOULD BENEFIT.

If you don’t have goals written down, YOU DON’T HAVE GOALS! I am telling you that goals, deadlines, pressure are very good. In fact, goals are the single biggest reason I and my over 500 clients have been able to peak their fitness and their lives.

We are 15 days into 2010. How many of you have goals written down that you look at every day? How many of you focus on the same goals for a full year? Not to many. You need to change that right now.

Their is magic in goal setting, visualizing, meditating, and then doing. If you want me to help you with your goals; simply comment in the section below that you want help. If I get 25 comments I will be back on this blog with my Committment Sheet Goal setting strategy. I will give it to everyone. But I need 25 comments below. It could change your fitness, lifestyle, and life.

Make it a great day, Make it a great week, Make it a great month, Make it a great LIFE!!

Your Healthy Lifestyle Coach,

darin