Weekend Challenge

Run 400 Meters
20 Squats
Run 400 Meters
20 Push Ups
Run 400 Meters
20 Sit Ups
Run 400 Meters
20 Lunges

More Sleep Equals Less Weight -- An Opportunity Lost?

Stuart F. Quan, M.D. for HuffingtonPost.com

There is an epidemic of obesity in this country affecting all ages, both genders and all ethnic groups. Thus, the report "Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation" from the prestigious Institute of Medicine, adds to the decibel of beating drums calling for national action. However, close examination of the document raises a significant concern. Importantly, the report promotes the roles of increased physical activity and better nutrition as cornerstones of a strategy to combat obesity, but what about sleep?

A search of the document finds the word "sleep" written only four times, and all of these are in reference to sleep apnea. Did the authors of this report ignore the accumulating data implicating sleep deficiency as an important contributing factor to development of obesity? Moreover, did the Institute of Medicine ignore their own previous report, "Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem," in which they cite evidence linking sleep loss to obesity? Unfortunately, the answer appears to be "yes."

What are the lines of evidence linking insufficient sleep to obesity? First, there is general agreement that time spent sleeping has declined over the past 30 years. This roughly approximates the rise in obesity. Second, a number of general population studies demonstrate that obesity is more common among those who sleep fewer than six hours per night. Furthermore, short sleep durations also are predictive of future weight gain. Third, basic research shows that short sleep durations increase levels of a hormone that stimulates appetite and simultaneously reduces the levels of a hormone that reduces appetite. Fourth, night shift workers generally sleep less than day shift workers but on average weigh more. Finally, on a personal level, have you felt hungry after staying up all night? I have, and my guess is that many of you have as well. Perhaps this is the best evidence of all linking inadequate sleep to obesity.  Keep reading at huffingtonpost.com.  

A New Taste for Collard Greens

By Tara Parker-Pope from nytimes.com

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

When most people hear of collard greens, they think of the soul-food version prepared by generations of Southern cooks — stewed greens flavored with ham hock or bacon.

But as Martha Rose Shulman discovers in this week’s Recipes for Health, the large, sturdy leaves of collard greens hold up so well to heat that they can be used in a variety of creative dishes that are much lighter but still have plenty of soul. Collard greens can be braised and added to pasta, substituted for long flat noodles in a lasagna dish or rolled and stuffed with rice and vegetables.

Collards don’t have the cachet of popular greens like black kale and rainbow chard. This is probably because collards have a stronger flavor and tougher leaf than many other greens. They do stand up to longer cooking, but they don’t require it. This week I used them in a stir-fry — they stood in for more traditional greens like Chinese broccoli or bok choy — cooking them for only a few minutes until they wilted, and I enjoyed the crunchy texture. But I also loved the stuffed collard greens that I filled with a Greek-inspired rice stuffing and simmered for an hour.

Here are five new ways to enjoy collard greens.

Click here to go to nytimes.com and see the new ways to enjoy! 

Weekend Challenge

3 rounds for time:
Run 1/2 mile
25 air squats

Sugar Might Affect The Brain, UCLA Rat Study Reveals 

Read the whole story or just get the end result below quoted from the original article from huffingtonpost.com 

The two researchers devised an experiment in which they trained a group of rats on a complicated maze twice a day for five days. After that, they split the rats into two groups. They gave both groups of rats a high-fructose corn syrup solution in place of water, but one of the groups was additionally given flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (known more commonly as DHA) -- two high-quality sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to protect against neural damage.

After six weeks of the sugary diet, the researchers reintroduced the maze. They found that the sugar-only group had a much harder time recalling the maze and were slower in their problem solving. The sugar-and-omega-3 group fared better. Gomez-Pinilla theorizes that the high-sugar diet is bad for the brain for the same reason it's harmful to the body: too much fructose disrupts production of the hormone insulin, which is used by the body to regulate blood sugar. Steady blood sugar levels are essential to provide energy for things like walking and running -- but also for recalling and problem-solving.

"Because insulin can penetrate the blood–brain barrier, the hormone may signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning and cause memory loss," Gomez-Pinilla said in a press release.

15 Healthiest Grilled Main Dishes

Sum, sum, summmatiiiime.  It's almost here and with the warm weather out comes the grill.  Check out this awesome compilation of grilling recipes from foodnetwork.com:

If you’ve been grilling the same recipes each season, it’s time to shake things up. We’re giving you plenty of deliciously healthy main dish recipes to choose from—meat, chicken, fish and vegetarian—all for less than 400 calories per serving.

Meats
Beef, pork and lamb can all be healthy choices for the grill. Be sure to choose lean cuts of meat, keep portions around 3-4 ounces per serving and limit the amount of fatty ingredients like butter and oil.

• Grilled Pork With Arugula and Grape Salad
• Argentinean Skewers With Sherry Vinegar Steak Sauce and Grilled Scallions
• Grilled Lamb Chops With Mint
• Garlic-Mustard Grilled Beef Skewers

Click HERE for the rest.  

Weekend Challenge

21-15-9 reps of 
Squats
Push ups