Are you getting enough?

Based on the following symptoms, I’m not sure that I am.  Ask yourself, do you:

• Yawn constantly?
• Tend to doze off when not active for a while (like while watching television)?
• Feel groggy when you first wake up?
• Feel groggy during the day?
• Have poor concentration and mood changes?

If so, you may be suffering from sleep deprivation. Sleep is as important to the human body as food and water, but most of us don’t get enough sleep.  A fatigued person is accident prone, judgement impaired and more likely to make mistakes and bad decisions. Staying awake for 24 hours leads to a reduced hand-to-eye coordination that is similar to having a blood alcohol content of 0.1. This is why sleep deprivation contributes to road accidents and work injuries.

We can all list causes of sleep deprivation like long work hours and sick children.  One thing we often don’t consider though is our own personal choice.  Do you find instead of regularly going to bed at a reasonable hour you stay up to socialise, watch television or read a book?

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco discovered that some people have a gene that enables them to do well on 6 hours of sleep a night. But the gene is very rare, appearing in less than 3% of the population. For the other 97% of us, six hours doesn’t come close to cutting it.

So are you getting enough?  If you’re still not sure and after a laugh, test your sleepiness here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/sheep/

(From:  Better Health Channel – www.betterhealth.viv.gov.au)

Kristyna

The Sunday Night Syndrome

I was talking to a friend the other day about the small knot I get in my stomach on the occasional Sunday night. Thinking I was alone, I was surprised to hear that she too gets this ‘knot’ and anxious feeling on a Sunday night. Intrigued by this, I did a bit of research and discovered a phenomenon called The Sunday Night Syndrome – mostly affecting 9-5 workers and students. For some people, me included, by the time they wake up or arrive at work this feeling has quickly dissolved. For some, however, this small ‘knot’ can turn into severe anxiety and panic and can even begin as early as Friday evening!

So, to avoid The Sunday Night Syndrome and the inevitable Mondayitis….here’s a few tips to make Sundays and the beginning of your work week more enjoyable:

-   Straighten up your work area as you leave on Fridays to remove the stress of Monday morning catch up.
-   If you must take work home, take only what you really must do – not what you might get around to doing, but realistically won’t. 
-   Set the alarm for the same time everyday including Saturday and Sunday. People who sleep later on weekends frequently experience The Sunday Night Syndrome when they cannot fall asleep on a Sunday night.
-   Schedule your errands, work and fun activities without leaving all the stressful ones for Sunday. Get the difficult things done on Saturday and leave Sunday for fun.
-   Savoir Sundays by planning an enjoyable activity for yourself and your friends/family.

Holly

Good food vs good food?
As the TMS team embarks on a 12 week challenge, the objectives of each and every one of us are unique and tailored to our personal goals.  However, a common theme of shedding a few winter kilos seems to underpin what most of us would like to achieve.  In a bid to try and unravel some of the food myths around so called good foods, here are my top three picks which can sometimes be confusing to us all.

Strawberries vs blueberries
Both are health all-stars, but a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reported that blueberries (particularly wild ones) showed the most antioxidant activity of all the fruits tested.
Healthy choice: Mix blueberries into lean ground beef for burgers. The juicy fruit will help keep the meat moist.

Chicken breast vs turkey breast
Both breast meats are free of saturated fat, but turkey has three additional grams of protein per 50gram serving, plus more iron which helps deliver oxygen to muscles.
Healthy choice: Make your own lunch meat to avoid the excess sodium in manufactured deli meats. Bake turkey breasts, slice them thinly, and add to sandwiches.

Cow’s milk vs goat’s milk
Both milks contain the same amount of essential amino acids needed to repair and build muscle, however goat's milk contains a larger percentage of omega-3 fats, as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and conjugated linoleic acid (or CLA).
Healthy choice: Use tangy, slightly sweet goat's milk (found at health-food stores) the same way as cow's milk - on cereal, in smoothies  and when baking.

In our 12 week challenge, at work and in life making the right choices is about debunking the myths, knowing your own path and what you want to achieve and making the choice that works for you – stay the course and your choices will deliver the outcome you seek!

Samantha

TO DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM ...

... to reach the unreachable star. The lyrics from the ‘Man of La Mancha musical are absolutely inspirational and are what guides me through each day.

While it is sometimes difficult not to get drawn into considering the lowest common denominator as being the norm, the lyrics from ‘To Dream the Impossible Dream’ remind me always not just to do my best but to keep aiming for as high as I can ... it can be really surprising what happens as a result.

Personally I feel inspired when I hear these words.

Margaret

From 'Man of La Mancha'
Lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh