YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

I recently read an excellent nutrition article by Amanda Carlson MS, RD, CSSD in the NSCA Performance Training Journal. The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. Everything we eat is either bringing nutrients or toxins to our cells. The average human being has 300 billions cells that need nutrition to function properly and to be repaired - Carlson's ten points will help keep those 300 billion cells healthy and happy.

Come Back to Earth 

This one is simple ... the less processed the better! Our bodies were designed to eat food, and when foods are processed they are no longer foods. They become chemical compounds working in isolation. Whole foods work in an integrated fashion which our bodies were designed to absorb and use for energy, repair, and growth. Another way to think about "come back to earth" is: if you could hunt it or gather it ... eat it!

Eat A Rainbow 

For years, "5 a day" has been the mantra and there is nothing wrong with that. But we need to take it another step. We need to eat as many colors of vegetables and fruits as we can a day. Five a day of different colors - green, red, yellow, orange, blue, and purple - is a great starting point. The more color the more nutrients delivered to your 300 billion cells. Variety and diversity!!!

The Less Legs the Better

Generally when it comes to meats - which are a great source of protein - the less legs an animal, has the leaner the meat is. Therefore, fish, turkey and chicken are great choices as they tend to be very lean. However, grass-fed beef and pork can also be very good choices. Grass-fed animals and wild caught fish have much healthier levels of omega 3 fatty acids.

Fats that Give Back

Vegetable oils, nuts, and fish contain heart-healthy fats. Use vegetable fats like olive oil to cook, season and make dressings. Nuts are a great snack as they are filling and are a good source of protein. Fish is low in unhealthy fats, high in protein and high in omega 3s. Omega 3s fight off inflammation which is a major contributor to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and many other common diseases. Fish should be a part of one's diet 2-3 times per week.

Be 3 for 3

You have to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner! This is key to getting the nutrients your cells need and to maintaining level blood sugar which will keep your energy levels up as well as prevent unhealthy weight gain. Each meal should include a protein, starchy carbohydrate, and fibrous carbohydrate.

Don't Skip Breakfast! 

Breakfast is breaking the fast after 6-10 hours without fueling the body. Breakfast jump-starts the metabolism and is key to maintaining a healthy body composition.

Hydrate

Water, Water, Water!!! Water is key to every body system functioning properly. Start the day by drinking a couple of glasses of water. When one awakes they typically have been at rest and without water for 6-10 hours, sometimes even longer ... the body has to have this most essential nutrient!

Don't Waste Your Workout

After a great workout it is time to replenish the lost glycogen to the muscle cells. This can be done easily with a nut butter, hard boiled egg, cheese or yogurt. Whey protein is another healthy choice. This should be done within 45 minutes of completing the workout to speed recovery and protect the muscles from cell damage.

Wise Supplementing 

Remember: "supplementing" is just that, in addition to a healthy lifestyle of eating. However, it is an inexpensive health insurance. Choose at least a healthy multivitamin that carries the GMP symbol. Beyond a multivitamin, a fish oil and calcium may be a good choice as well for some people. Always consult your physician or a registered dietician to come up with the right plan for you.

Get Back in the Kitchen!

Coming from an Italian home, this is my personal favorite. Cooking is good for us on so many levels - from family time to healthier eating. Enjoy growing food, shopping at the market, preparing and sharing your meals!

Make these 10 tips a part of your lifestyle and you are on your way to better health and more enjoyment of life! Remember ... You are What You Eat!

To your health, 

JULIAN

TEN STRATEGIES FOR BETTER WEIGHT LOSS

Adapted from Dr. Janet Brill of Fitness Together, here are ten strategies for promoting healthy eating and safe, permanent weight loss:

Eat Healthy to Stay Healthy

Everyone knows that what you eat has a major impact on your health. Americans typically eat an unhealthy diet loaded with fast food, sugar-based drinks, snacks that are high in fat and sodium, with lots of sweets but few vegetables and fruits. This has led to the epidemic of heart-related diseases, diabetes and cancers. The best advice is to EAT REAL FOOD. Avoid refined, processed foods and choose whole foods instead. If you are not 100% that what you are about to eat is real food, then don't eat it! Choose lean, skinless meats, nuts, beans, whole grains and lots of veggies and fruits.

Lose Weight at a Safe Rate

When it comes to losing weight and keeping it off, slow and steady wins the race. Weight that comes off too quickly with fad diets and gimmicks often returns, in greater amounts. The safest weight loss plans involve eating whole foods and exercise, which leads to 1-2 lbs. per week of weight loss. Those who take the slow and steady plan have higher rates maintaining a healthy weight for a lifetime.

Learn How to Control Emotional Eating

Nutrition experts suggest that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions. Understanding which emotions trigger your overeating is essential. Once you understand the "why" behind overeating, you can develop patterns and plans of healthful techniques.

Determine Caloric Need, then Count

There is a simple law of physics at work in weight loss. Consume more calories than you expend, and you will gain weight; burn more than you consume, and you will lose weight. This is true regardless of percentages of protein, fats, and carbohydrates that you eat. To determine your approximate goal weight, take 100 lbs and if you are female then add 5 lbs per inch; males add 6 lbs per inch. If you are larger framed, add 10%; if smaller framed, subtract 10%. Then take your goal weight and multiply it by 15.3 - this is your daily need for caloric maintenance. With exercise and caloric control, plan for a 500 calorie deficit per day, to lose a pound of fat per week!

Exercise Calories Count

As a general rule to record your exercise caloric expenditure, follow this: for light exercise, reward yourself 2.0, moderate exercise 3.0 and intense exercise 4.0. If you use an exercise caloric expenditure guide, simply move the count 2 decimal points and round up or down.

Journaling

Those who count calories for 12 weeks and record in a journal lose twice as much weight as those who do not. This is not a lifetime commitment - which would be insane! However, for a short time, equivalent to a semester of school, it will train you on how to eat for the future, making calorie counting unnecessary. If you use an online calorie counting service and your goal is 2,250 calories a day, then change this to 22.5 by moving the decimal point two places. Do the same for each food item you are recording, and round up or down - this will make your journaling faster, and just as effective.

Weigh Yourself Weekly

Those who weigh themselves weekly have more success losing weight. Make sure to weigh at the same time of day, and day of the week, each time - in similar clothes.It is typically best to weigh in the morning, before the day gets rolling. And remember, not everyone is going to lose weight immediately, because there are multiple factors such as the addition of lean muscle tissue, which weighs more than fat - so don't get discouraged! After 12 weeks, see where you are. If you've lost around 12 lbs, keep it up. If you have not, analyze your journal for how to make changes. If, however, you have done things the right way and are not losing weight, check with your physician to find other explanations, which could be hormonal in nature.

Get Support

If you struggle with maintaining a healthy weight, be sure to find support and accountability. This can be as simple as asking a friend or spouse to help you, joining an exercise group, and if necessary getting a trainer or registered dietician to help for a period of time. Spending a bit of money on these services for the equivalent of one school semester of your life could be the difference in your healthy and quality of life!

Reward Yourself

To reward yourself, create a caloric deficit beyond the 500 calorie per day goal by cutting a few more calories and/or through exercise. Then treat yourself to your favorite meal or restaurant.

Exercise the Right Way

Balancing cardio exercise with strength training is the best prescription for promoting health, fitness and weight control. Those who perform this combination 4 days a week lose the most weight. However, there is great value in exercising even 2-3 days per week. Strength training will increase your lean muscle tissue and speed your metabolism, as well as aid in preventing osteoporosis, arthritis, back pain, diabetes and depression. There are 168 hours in a week - make appointments with yourself, scheduling 2-4 hours of exercise every week.

To your health!

JULIAN

THE IMPORTANCE OF VARIETY IN EXERCISE AND EATING

It is often said that variety is the spice of life!  From an exercise and nutrition perspective variety is definitely an essential key.

Exercise should always be safe, effective and fun. One issue regarding safety in exercise is variety. Doing the same exercises the same way over months, years, and decades will cause overuse injuries. Often the disciplined exerciser performs the same exercises the same way for months, years and even decades. This may lead to a lean body but could be leading to some joint problems.

Think of it this way, if you had a sand pebble in your shoe it quickly becomes an annoyance. By the end of a whole day with that sand pebble you will have a blister. Change promotes safety and injury prevention. If someone exercises the same way continuing to expect new and better results, he or she will be disappointed. The

body will adapt; therefore, the chaos of variety is necessary to continue improving health by providing a continual and new challenge. Variety leads to better health related results.

Finally, variety provides the "spice" by keeping things interesting and fun and helping one avoid the doldrums of dreading the same old workout over and over again.

By now you are probably wondering, "So how do I get out of my 30 minutes on the treadmill routine?" Well think of your body in parts. The upper body pushes and pulls. The lower body squats, lunges, steps, runs, jumps and walks.

There are numerous full body and core exercises. Cardiovascular health does not have to be achieved simply by doing 30 minutes on the treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike three times a week. The key is simply to get the heart rate up for roughly 20 minutes 3 days per week, and this can be achieved in numerous ways.To determine if your heart rate is in the right range train at a pace that you cannot carry on a conversation but you

can continue to exercise. Intervals of time or distance, for example, jumping jacks for 90 seconds followed by 30 seconds rest or 800 meters on a bike followed by a 60 second rest, are excellent ways to develop cardiovascular health and add variety.

One may also use exercises like jumping jacks, mountain climbers, jumping rope, skipping, hiking, swimming truly almost any movement can be used to develop

cardiovascular health. Creating circuits of upper body, lower body, full body, core and cardio can keep it fun and different each time you exercise. There are many websites you can visit to find ideas for each category upper, lower, full, core and cardio. Just be creative!

Variety is also essential to eating healthfully. Anyone who has been reading my articles

understands that I promote a simple philosophy regarding nutrition: "Eat food!" This

simply means one should consume real whole foods that are not processed and / or refined.

As Americans we have access to so many different options to eat. However, just because you can eat it does not make it a food. When we consume processed foods or refined foods we deliver toxins, poisons to our 300 billion cells which promote disease, illness and death. Processed, refined foods are not foods at all. Real food promotes disease prevention, wellness and life.

As one consumes "real food" variety will insure a variety of nutrients and stimulate all your senses through the beauty of shape, color, texture, taste and aroma. For example, dark leafy greens are typically high in vitamin A and K, dark orange vegetables and fruits

high in beta carotene, citrus high in vitamin C, fish and nuts high in omega 3 fatty acids, beans are high protein, fiber and folic acid and it goes on and on. Just think of all the wonderful cultures and how they have discovered so many unique ways to prepare food.

Enjoy the "spice" of life in the diversity of foods and food cultures. You will have fun and be more healthy!

To your health!

JULIAN

CARDIO OR STRENGTH TRAINING?

I hate to pit one against the other. Both is certainly best. But if you only do one, it should be the strength training. Why?

Cardio training typically happens upright - walking, hiking, jogging, elliptical or on a bike non-weight bearing. These are good forms of exercise and we should do them. However, because most of these are performed upright they do not move the body through full ranges of movement and therefore do not develop truly functional strength & flexibility. Yes, you will develop good cardiovascular health, but we have to bend, squat, lunge, push, pull, get up, get down, and balance in real life.  

As we age we all want to maintain our quality of life - continuing to do the activities we have always enjoyed such as gardening, recreational sports, outdoor activities and the simple chores of life. We want to maintain our independence as long as we can. Losing our strength may be the single greatest factor in maintaining this independence. Nobody wants to feel trapped in his or her body.

Benefits of strength training:

• The Muscle-Fat Connection: Physical inactivity causes a loss of about 5-7 pounds of muscle per decade. This loss creates a 2-5% loss in metabolic rate per decade, which leads to gradual gains in fat. This weight gain and its connection to disease and loss of strength can destroy one's quality of life. A basic 3 month strength program can add 3 pounds of muscle, a loss of 4 pounds of fat while consuming 15% more calories in older populations (Campbell 1994).
• Osteoporosis Prevention: A Tufts University study found that strength training not only slows bone loss but even in our latter decades of life adds bone density.
• Arthritic Pain: The same study from Tufts University found that strength training decreased arthritic pain because it helps to lubricate and nourish the joint and develop strength around the joint to provide more stability and support.
• Glucose Metabolism: Glucose metabolism decreases with age making us more susceptible to diabetes. A four month strength training program has demonstrated an increase of 23% in glucose metabolism in older populations (Hurley).
• Functional Strength & Flexibility: Strength training develops balance which can help in preventing falls. It develops a body that can move in all ranges of movement.
• Cardiovascular Improvement: Strength training can be used in a circuit that keeps the heart rate up and kills two birds with one stone. 
• Confidence: Often, as we age, we lose confidence to move.  We stop moving. This creates a downward spiral in every measurable health index. If you don't use it you will lose it.  Very simply strength will give you more confidence to keep moving and the ability to. The end result is you will maintain and improve every measurable health index.

What should you do? Two days a week push and pull, squat and lunge. Do three sets of 10-15 per exercise and piece the workout together as a circuit and keep your heart rate up!  If you need some more specific ideas... let me know.       

To your health,

Julian

HOW TO PUT A PLATE TOGETHER

The basic daily habit of putting together a healthy plate is vital to good health. With so many Americans suffering from poor health, exercise is a the forefront of many people's minds - but even more important is making poor food choices.

Think of your plate in thirds. One third is protein: fish, poultry, pork, beef, eggs, dairy, nuts and beans. A simple way to remember this rule is any animal product + nuts and beans. The second third should consist of starchy carbohydrates: beans, sweet potatoes, beets, butternut squash, quinoa, whole grain rice, pasta, bread, and cereal. The final third includes vegetables and fruits.  

How much of each should you eat? First of all, serve your meals on a salad plate - you will eat less. For each third of your plate, serve about a handful, palm or fist size of food. No seconds. Now you are thinking, "But what if I am still hungry?" No problem - eat a salad, fruit salad or fruit and even all three if you like. The salad and/ or fruit is water- and fiber-dense and will satiate you and continue to nourish you. Salad and fruit also serve as necessary ruffage to clean your digestive tract and prevent colon cancer.

When possible, purchase products that are local, organic, antibiotic-free and in season. This is best for your health and for the environment. In season, local produce is more nutrient dense and tastes better. Don't forget to consume a variety from each group. The more variety and color, the more overall nutrients you will deliver to your 300 billion cells.  

Make your home a sanctuary of healthy foods! No processed junk foods in the house. And when it comes to Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays and other parties. Enjoy these festive times! There are 365 days in a year and the 20 or so holidays and parties are not the cause of our health problems. So take these simple tips, enjoy a great plate of food and improve your health.

To your health!
JULIAN

5 TIPS FROM HARVARD’S SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Stay Active 

The body simply needs regular physical activity. Thirty minutes of walking 5 days a week can be enough. It does not even need to be all at once. Ten minutes before work, ten minutes at lunch and ten minutes after work! 

Go With Plants

Eating a plant-based diet is healthiest. Make at least half of the food on your plate vegetables and fruits. Steam vegetables and add healthy oils afterward for flavor. Get most of your protein from beans, nuts and seeds.  

Pick Healthy Protein Sources

Beans and nuts are the best choices followed by fish and chicken. Avoid processed meats - bacon, cold cuts, and hot dogs which have a strong link to an increased risk of heart disease and colon cancer. Limit red meat - beef, pork, lamb - to twice a week. 

Make Your Grains Whole Grains

Grains are not essential for good health. What is essential is to make any grains you eat whole. Eating whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat breads, whole grain cereals, whole grain pastas) in place of refined grains (white rice, white breads, processed cereals, white pasta) makes it easier to control weight, lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes.  

Drink Water, Coffee, or Tea

What you drink is as important as what you eat. Water is the best choice. Both tea and coffee have health benefits. Avoid drinking your calories. Sugary drinks are the worst choice because they add calories devoid of nutrients. Sugary drinks lead to weight gain and increase the risk of both diabetes and heart disease. Limit both dairy and juice. Moderate alcohol consumption may have health benefits but it is not for everyone and there is no need to start.  

To your health,

Julian

REAL FOOD IS SELF-CORRECTING

You have a diet, whether you choose to follow it it consciously or not, simply because you choose which foods to eat.  A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined two different diets. 

Diet number one simply instructed people to choose foods only from the following groups baked/grilled meats, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and olive oil. Diet number two gave specific percentages and calorie amounts to follow regarding fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. 

In order to follow this diet, group one simply chose foods from the list provided.  Group two spent their time thinking, dividing, measuring, calculating, and recording.  

In the end, the group one ate fewer calories, lost inches, and dropped pounds. Why did this happen?  Because "real food" is self correcting.  When we eat whole foods our hunger drives are healthy and appropriate and naturally keep us satiated because we are getting the right amounts of protein, fats, carbohydrates, fiber and water.  Even more important is the fact that you are delivering the nutrients our 3 billion cells crave and we need to have a healthy life.

When you are eating, "real food", you don't have to obsess about counting calories or measuring your servings.  Certainly counting calories and measuring servings can help one achieve one's healthiest body weight and it could be a good practice for a short period of time but it would be very difficult and not enjoyable for a lifestyle.  Further counting calories does not guarantee or necessarily motivate one to eat healthfully.  It simply helps one get the right amount of calories which is only a piece of the nutrition puzzle.  Remember real food is self correcting and truly healthy. 

• Group one consumed on average 32 grams of fiber a day compared to group number two at 17 grams per day. 
• Group one ate higher levels of healthy fats (nuts, olive oil) - these fats are high in Omega 3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation and disease as well as help one feel satiated - group two ate more refined carbohydrates and less fat which leads to over-eating.
• Group one ate more than two times the amount of vegetables and fruit as compared to group two.

So keep it simple and eat "real food" - vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and lean baked/grilled meats,poultry and fish.  "Real food" delivers nutrients to your cells, the basic unit of life, preventing disease and improving quality of life.

To your health,

Julian

AM I IN GOOD SHAPE?

In America we often equate fitness with appearance or a body weight. But true fitness is not a shape or a number on a scale. 

The American Council on Exercise has identified four tests that give a true indication of fitness - demonstrating whether your body is functional. A functional body is a key to maintaining a high quality of life, sustaining the ability to continue doing the daily tasks and recreational pleasures that you enjoy.  

A functional body can also move freely in all planes of human movement. Oftentimes, as people move decade by decade through life, daily tasks become more and more difficult. Unfortunately, that often translates into people not continuing to participate in many of the recreational activities often enjoyed in earlier decades.

So... what are the four tests??? 

Cardiovascular Endurance 
Cardiovascular endurance is a test of the ability of the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen throughout the body. You should be able to complete 1 mile in 12 minutes or less before the age of 60, and 14 minutes or less after the age of 60. 

Muscular Strength and Endurance 

The muscular strength / endurance test has two parts. First is a push-up test, which tests upper body strength and endurance. Males should be able to complete 2 sets of 15 push-ups with a moderate rest period of not more than a minute. Females should perform the same test, but with a modified push-up. 

The second part tests the lower body's strength and endurance. It involves 2 sets of 20 leg lunges on each leg with a moderate rest period of not more than one minute. 

Core Strength

Core strength involves the musculature of the midsection of the body which includes postural muscles, abdominal muscles, and oblique muscles. The body is a chain consisting of three parts - upper, middle and lower. The core being the middle link in the chain is the key two a functional body because when the middle link is weak the other links become less functional. 

The core test is called a plank.  In the plank position you assume the prone position, resting on your forearms, then push up onto your toes, so that your body is like a flat board.  You should be able to hold this position for 30 seconds, without allowing the hips to sag or rise above the shoulders. 

Flexibility 

Can you touch your toes?

Examine yourself and see if you are fit. Turn your mind set away from the cultures obsession with appearance and get in true shape. If you struggle with some or all of the tests do not get discouraged. The body is an amazingly designed machine that adapts quickly to challenges. 

So, get started by attempting these tests every other day for a total of 3 days a week. You will be amazed how quickly the body adapts. Ultimately, you will develop a body that is functional... and a body that is functional improves your quality of life!        

To your health,

Julian

THESE LUCKY 7 FOODS FIGHT CANCER

We know more about what not to eat than what to eat. We know to avoid processed meats, pre-packaged salty foods, sugar (especially sugar hidden in beverages), and too much meat (especially red meat). 

However, the research is clear a diet rich in plant foods lowers the risk of cancer.

According to WebMD these are our best seven cancer fighters.

1. Garlic - Really, it is all the allium family which includes onions, leeks, chives and scallions. Don't waste your money on supplements - the best way to get the cancer fighting sulfur compounds from the allium family is to eat them. It is a great addition to pesto - which can be made with basil, parsley or spinach, then tossed with whole grain rice or whole grain pasta. Look for ways to add other alliums to salads and soups. If you find garlic harsh, then its flavor can be toned down by mincing and allowing it to sit for 15 minutes.  

2. Broccoli - Broccoli is definitely a beast at fighting cancer, according to the World Cancer Research Foundation and the American Cancer Institute. Broccoli is a part of the cruciferous family which includes kale, cauliflower, and cabbages. Google cruciferous veggies to find many more examples to add to your meals. Again, it is a sulfur compound in these cruciferous veggies that is the real fighter against cancer. Try it and other cruciferous veggies steamed, stir-fried with olive oil and garlic, raw or slightly steamed and dipped into olive oil, salt, and garlic - or even in a smoothie or juice. 

3.  Tomatoes - The red color of tomatoes comes from a compound called lycopene. This chemical has been found to stop cancer cells from growing in the lab. It appears to target breast, lung, prostate, and endometrial cancers according to the American Institute of Cancer Research. Canned, cooked tomatoes are best so make some with whole grain pasta, whole grain rices, soups, and chili. Watermelon, pink grapefruit and red bell peppers are other sources of lycopene.  

4.  Berries - Strawberries and black raspberries have been found to slow colon cancer; strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries appear to fight lung, mouth, esophageal, and stomach cancers. Enjoy them all when they are in season, and buy them frozen for the rest of the year to make smoothies.  

5.  Carrots - Cooked carrots are best, but don't cook them too much. Steam or slightly boil them to get the best cancer fighting from this root vegetable. Carrots are believed to fight cervical cancer. Add them to soups, enjoy as a side, or steam several and put them in a mason jar with olive oil, vinegar, sea salt and garlic.   

6. Spinach - Cancer-fighting lutein is found in all dark leafy green plants, but spinach remains the star. Use spinach and other dark leafy greens for salads, stir fry with garlic, steam and add to smoothies. Try a banana, handful of frozen pineapple and a few handfuls of spinach. Blend with a glass of water and enjoy!  

7.  Legumes - Beans are simply a super food, thanks to their high fiber content. There are huge varieties, which include black, red kidney, cannellini, fava, lentils, black eye peas, garbanzo and on and on. They are very inexpensive canned or dried. They are also high in fiber. Beans are easy to use as a side, add to a soup, or blend and make dip with some garlic for some of the other veggies on this list.  

The best medicine we know to fight cancer is avoiding the toxic foods mentioned earlier and focus on including these seven each day or at least several times through the week. It is important to keep one's weight under control as cancer is more prevalent in those who are overweight. Therefore, eat these "Lucky 7" and exercise regularly it is truly your best medicine to fight cancer!  

To your health,

Julian

WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE A NAP?

We are Americans. We value hard work and when we stop working we feel guilty, we believe we are falling behind, others are getting ahead, we will be viewed as lazy or lacking drive and ambition.  

However, there are many benefits to a nap and it is truly part of our physio-logical make up. We have hormones that control whether we are awake or asleep. In general between 1 and 4 pm or 12 hours from the midpoint of night's sleep our sleep hormones are winning but we fight this physiological need in the name of productivity.  

Physiologically, sleep is an active restorative process. Research conducted by NASA, with astronauts, found that a nap of 26 minutes improved productivity by 34%. Southern Europeans in Italy, Spain and Greece have taken advantage of the nap for centuries. 

Sardinia, Italy is a Blue Zone - meaning that the people there have a centenarian rate 30% higher than the rest of the world. The Sardinian men are the longest living men on the planet. They are physically active. They eat a diet of 40%+ fat - good fat derived from olive oil, meat and dairy from free roaming sheep and cows that consume a diversity of grasses, producing a high level of omega three fatty acids which prevent disease. But among the factors that contribute to this long life is the Sardinians' habit of a daily nap! This restorative process is a stress reducer and the positive effect on stress levels is has a positive effect on length of life, compared to Americans and Northern Europeans.

Rules for the Nap:

• The duration of the nap should be 10 - 40 minutes
• The nap should be between the hours of 1 and 4 pm / or 12 hours from the midpoint of one's night sleep
• The temperature should not be too hot or cold in the room
• The room should be dark
• The room should be free from noise
• You should lie down
• Drink an espresso or some caffeine before the nap

Benefits of the Nap:

• Increased productivity
• Improved alertness
• Enhances performance
• Reduces mistakes
• Reduces accidents
• Has positive affects on those who suffer from night time insomnia
• Psychological benefits
• Reduction in negative stress hormone cortisol
• Improves learning and working memory
• Reverses information overload stress
• Prevents burnout
• Improves creativity
• Improves mood
• Saves money

Treat yourself to a nap daily or at least begin by trying to incorporate it several times a week. Plan it out and put it in your calendar. Consider your nap as important as eating healthfully and exercising regularly and as important as a scheduled meeting with your boss or client.

Take a lesson from the Sardinians: drink an espresso and take a siesta! 

To your health,

Julian