korea healthy living guide

12-PAGE PULLOUT

AUGUST 2018

Korea Healthy Living Guide• 5 healthy BBQ foods to enjoy

• Overcoming the fear of the water

• Food First! sets wellness initiative at Osan

• Army unveils new 6-event fitness test

• Break a sweat in a group fitness class

• Counting the ways to beat insomnia

KOREA AUGUST, 20182 STRIPES KOREA Healthy Living Guide

A hhhhh, summer. Those lazy days that seem to last forever and go by in the blink of an eye at the same time. Endless sum-mer nights, sunshine, and the delicious smell of barbecue

permanently in the air. What better time to throw together a party?The setting is created for you through the gorgeous weather; now

all that is left is for you to decide what to serve at your party. You want it to be healthy, yet delicious and able to satisfy even the picki-est palate. But is that possible? Oh, yes, yes it is!

Here are five healthy BBQ foods for your guests to enjoy at your next summer BBQ party!

BY JACK THOMPSON,STRIPES KOREA

You can cook just about any vegetable on the grill and make it taste excellent, or serve them

raw, steamed, or cooked. You can’t lose. Grilled corn on the cob, asparagus, and cauliflower are crowd favorites, and you can always find recipes to kick them up and make them loaded (more flavor, but not always healthier).

Pork is quite popular, but it is one of the fattier meats that you can serve. Instead, go for choices that are lower in cholesterol and fat, like chicken or turkey.

With these meats, you get the tender flavor of the grill without the necessary addition of barbecue sauce, which brings extra calories and sugar. Take the skin off if possible, since that helps save you from the unhealthy aspects of the meat. If you must go the pork or steak route, though, that’s fine – just remember to keep your portions smaller. Find the right grill to cook on with BroBBQ: brobbq.com/best-gas-grill-reviews/.

Protein is great – but make sure it’s lean

Veggies, veggies,and more veggies!

5 healthy BBQ foods to enjoy

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STRIPES KOREA 3AUGUST, 2018 KOREAHealthy Living Guide

Grilled kebabs are also party pleasers, but pairing the right meats and vegetables can make or break the meal. You can mix and match cubed, ground, and sliced meats and veggies. Beef can be difficult to cook on

a kebab, but it can be done if you are careful. Chicken, seafood, and pork are commonly done relatively easy. The magic is in the marinade, so plan ahead.

The right veggie mixed with the right meat can increase the flavor to a chef’s masterpiece. Many people use veggies like zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, and onions. You can also substitute fruits like mango, peaches, and pineapples.

Chop them up and serve them fresh, or grill them for a culinary experience, but fruits are a must-have for your summer BBQ. Grillable fruits like apricots, avocados, bananas, cantaloupe, peaches, and pineapples have lots of healthy recipes that you can

use to provide a little panache to your party menu. Use fruits that are in season for your area to make sure they are extra

flavorful and juicy, but try not to pair them with added sugar in your recipe, since fruits are full of natural sugars themselves.

Many people shy away from these yummy foods because they are high in carbs, but don’t turn your nose down just yet. Potatoes are actually packed with potassium and fiber, as well as

other nutritional musts, so they actually make the healthy list. Bake them, grill them, steam them, but be careful what you load them

with. The toppings can make the difference between a healthy meal and junk. If you must include sour cream, butter, and cheese (think: protein and calcium) then offer these options in small serving sizes on the side.

Whatever your recipes are, and however you choose to cook the food, make sure these five ingredients are on your list for an epic summer BBQ that your guests will rave about for years.

Mix them together and make kebabs

Speaking of fruits, serve them up, too!

To potato, or not to potato?

File photo

Photo by Hari Nandakumar on Unsplash


OSAN AIR BASE – In an effort to pro-mote a healthier lifestyle, multiple Osan units partnered up and began a new wellness initiative for active duty mem-bers Aug. 16.

The new program, Food First!, started by the 51st Fighter Wing Drug Demand Reduction program, 51st Force Support Squadron din-ing facilities and the 51st Medical Group Health Promotion pro-

gram, will educate active duty members about nutrition and safe supplement use.

To help promote the initia-tive, visual information cam-paigns will be set up at the din-ing facilities across base.

“The program highlights the importance of good nu-trition, hydration, rest and recovery, and physical ac-

tivity in the development and maintenance of good health as op-posed to relying on supplements such as multivitamins and protein

shakes,” said Lisa Roof, 51st MDG Health Promotion coordinator. “We want to get active duty members to have half of their plates be fruits

“We believe that awareness and pre-vention are key to the health of Airmen,” said Orlando Jones, 51st FW DDRP direc-tor. “Nutrition is a big part of that.”

Here, less than 10 percent of active duty Airmen eat the recommended mini-mums of five servings of fruits and veggies each day. The daily consumption of them reduces risk ofdis-ease, improves skin

health and can help improve body com-position, Roof said.

“That’s why we are starting Food First! in the dining facilities,” added Roof. “We want to promote a healthier lifestyle. With many active duty mem-bers eating here, they always have an abundance of fruits and vegetables. Our initial message at the dining facilities is ‘Every day. Every plate. Half fruits and veggies.’”

For more information on vitamin and mineral supplements visit https://www.opss.org/

and vegetables every day, at every meal.”

After learning about the new initia-tive and receiving feedback from din-ing facility users for healthier and more nutritious meal op-tions, Tech. Sgt. James Tarone, 51st FSS Pacific House dining facility man-ager, worked with Roof to train his staff on nutritional facts in order to provide a better selection for guests.

“Our staff get asked a lot questions by customers on the line while serving or cooking,” said Tarone. “The training provided them with a stronger healthy and nutritional knowledge base. That is why we partnered together to accom-plish our goals of making base custom-ers more aware of food options avail-able.”

Fifty-one percent of Air Force per-sonnel took vitamin and mineral supple-ments to promote health according to a 2016 study of 1,750 U.S. Air Force per-sonnel across eight installations.

BY STAFF SGT. SERGIO A. GAMBOA, 51ST FIGHTER WING

sets wellness initiativeFood First!

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Francis Attipoe, 51st Force Support Squadron food shift leader, gets a healthy and nutritious meal from the House dining facility at Osan Air Base on Aug. 16. U.S. Air Force graphics by Staff Sgt. Alexander Karnafel

Webpage: www.ypcskorea.com Email: [email protected]

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EXCLUSIVE NEWS FROM:

In with the new, out with the old

Army unveils new6-event fitness test

the same base scores, however. Among the aspects that the Army will begin to study in October is whether certain military occupa-tional specialties – such as infan-trymen or cannon crew members – should have higher test score standards than others or whether certain units require higher stan-dards, he said.

That does mean that senior leaders in brigades or battalions will be held to the exact same standards as their much-younger soldiers, Frost said. To command at any level, leaders will have to pass the ACFT standards set for their unit or job.

Feedback from some soldiers on the new test submitted through official channels has been “over-whelmingly posi-tive,” according to the Army.

“As we all know, physical fit-ness training can become rather monotonous if people train the same way,” said Michael McGurk, the director of research and analysis at the Ar-my’s Center for Initial Military Training. “So, a lot of them saw this as a great change and how it required them to use different muscles.”

But privately and on social

media, some soldiers expressed mixed reactions to the new test. Many of them who said they were in favor of the updated fit-ness assessment agreed with Dailey’s and Frost’s assertions that it would better prepare sol-diers to fight, rather than simply to pass a test.

But some others raised con-cerns, including the need for specific equipment to train for the test, risk of injury if some of the tasks are not performed with proper form and whether the current test needs replacing at all.

Army Maj. Rick Montcalm, the deputy director of the Army’s Modern War Institute at West Point, outlined several of those common concerns expressed privately by soldiers about the Army Combat Fitness Test in a recent essay published on the institute’s website before the ser-vice officially approved the new test.

Montcalm described the new test as “much more intensive” and agreed the ACFT would bet-ter assess soldiers’ abilities to fight. Among his chief concerns, however, is the cost to outfit units with the equipment needed for the tests.

Frost said the Army intends to supply each Army battalion with 15 sets of the gear needed, including the medicine balls, the bar and weights for deadlifts, the pull-up bars, weight sleds and kettlebells. In total, the gear is

expected initially to cost the Army about $30 million, he said.

“That’s a big budget pill to swallow after al-

most four decades of a nearly cost-free physical fitness assess-ment,” Montcalm wrote. “That also doesn’t address associated costs of equipment replacement over time or potentially reconfig-uring on-base fitness facilities to allow soldiers to train for these news tasks.”

hand-release push-ups as possi-ble in two minutes. In a hand-re-lease push-up, soldiers lift their hands and arms from the ground at the bottom of the push-up.

Sprint, drag, carry: Soldiers will twice sprint up and down a 25-meter lane, drag a 90-pound sled up and down the lane, and carry two 40-pound kettlebell weights up and down the lane. The exercises are meant to simu-late pulling a soldier to safety, moving quickly to cover or car-rying gear.

Leg tuck: Hanging from a pull-up bar, soldiers will lift their legs up and down touching their knees or thighs to their elbows as many times as possible during two min-utes. The exercise strengthens core muscles, requiring more strength than traditional sit-ups

Two-mile run: Soldiers will complete the test with a two-mile run, as they must in the APFT. However, Frost said, soldiers will have only five minutes of rest be-tween the leg tuck and the run, which will likely slow their times by 45 seconds to two minutes compared to the current test.

The new fitness test will be designed to be gender and age neutral, Frost said. That does not mean every soldier in the Army will be required to achieve

across the service in October to take the test in a year-long study to determine its ultimate event standards.

“We don’t need to rush into this and we’re not going to,” said Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dan Dailey, the service’s top enlisted soldier. “We’re going to take about year to do a lot of assessment of this… because we don’t have all the an-swers yet.”

The events chosen are de-signed to mimic actions that sol-diers regularly perform in com-bat situations or evaluate specific aspects of physical fitness, Dailey and Frost said.

The events are:Strength deadlift: Soldiers

will perform three repetitions of deadlift at the heaviest weight they are capable of between 120 and 420 pounds. The deadlift rep-licates picking up heavy equip-ment or a wounded comrade in combat.

Standing power throw: Sol-diers will throw a 10-pound med-icine ball backward as far as they can. The exercise tests muscular explosive power, replicating aid-ing a fellow soldier over an ob-stacle or moving rapidly across uneven terrain.

Hand-release push-up: Sol-diers will perform as many

WASHINGTON – The Army will roll out its long-planned update to its physical fitness test dur-ing the next two years, with a new six-event assessment that will dramatically improve the service’s ability to predict how a soldier will perform in combat, senior officials said.

By October 2020, the new test, dubbed the Army Combat Fitness Test, will replace the three-event Army Physical Fit-ness Test, which was used for nearly four decades, said Maj. Gen. Malcolm Frost, the chief of the Army’s Center for Initial Military Training at Fort Eustis in Virginia. By that time, soldiers across the force will have to pass the new test twice a year to re-main in the service.

But the test itself still needs some tweaking, Frost said Mon-day at the Pentagon.

While the service’s top officials have finalized the events that the ACFT will include, they have yet to determine what requirements soldiers must meet in those ex-ercises to pass the test, the gen-eral said. The Army will begin training soldiers in 60 battalions

BY COREY DICKSTEIN,STARS AND STRIPESPublished: July 10, 2018

Soldiers from the 1st Armored Combat Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division pull sleds during a demo of the new Army Combat Fitness Test at Camp Humphreys on July 31.

A soldier from the 1st Armored Combat Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division completes a leg tuck during a demo of the new Army Combat Fitness Test at Camp Humphreys on July 31.. Photos by Marcus Fichtl, Stars and Stripes

I can see in their faces that several of them are thinking, “if only I can get this swim over with, I’ll be fine for the rest of the race.”

– A TRIATHLETE’S TALE –


I still remember my first triathlon race as if it was yesterday. Hun-dreds of people stood around me getting ready for the 1500m swim

in Ulsan’s ocean. Starting right at the back with all the first timers, there are butterflies in my stomach even though I’m a strong swimmer. I have no idea what to expect. We’re the last wave to get going. I make sure I stand way on the outside of the group where I won’t be part of all the people trying to fight for some space – accidently hitting and swimming over each other. The gun goes off and a hundred people charge toward the sea. I’m into the ocean with one thing in mind, “I’m gonna give it my all.” After 2 minutes swimming as fast as I can, I realize it is not as hard as I thought it would be. I completed the leg only 30 seconds after the fastest swimmer.

That was the race that kick started my journey with this fun sport of triathlon.

I have since realized that many peo-ple are scared of this part of triathlons. At the start of a race I can see in their faces that several of them are thinking, “if only I can get this swim over with, I’ll be fine for the rest of the race.” Although the swim might be a big challenge and can up the anxiety levels, it isn’t scary with proper training and mental prepa-ration.

Preparing for the swimSwimming for triathlon is far

different to swimming competitively. In triathlons, because of the later events, you have to swim so as not to consume too much energy. It might sound very simple, but can easily be forgotten. This need to save energy is why technique is very important to having an effective swim. Having a good technique leads to moving forward further with every stroke you take using the same amount of energy. It’s the small things that I focused on in my training which led to usually being out of the water in the top 3 and ready for the bike. Spending time practicing your technique leads to good rhythm and therefore an effective swim. Here are some of the features I focused on which boosted my swimming im-mensely.

1. Body positionI swim at my local gym’s swimming

pool where I have come to know the reg-ulars well. I see how much they practice their swim strokes. I also see how much effort they put in while swimming and still going relatively slowly. The thing that almost all of them lack is body posi-tion. Their legs hang in the water like the anchor of a ship, thereby creating a lot of drag in their swim.

One of the first things you need to do is to get that body parallel with the wa-ter line. Below is an illustration which shows you how your body line should look and also how it should not look. In the “incorrect” picture, you’ll see how the swimmer’s legs are hanging in the water. This adds an immense amount of resistance and you’re also kicking much harder, wasting even more energy. Take

note where the swimmer’s head is fac-ing – more than half way out the water. Moving to the “correct” swimmer, you can see how straight his body is, creating the least amount of drag. Also his head is facing down. If you’re struggling to keep your legs up, try tilting your head down – this should have a domino effect on your legs. The best way to visualize your po-sition while swimming is to see yourself as a rocket that torpedo’s through the water. It can help a lot to have a friend or partner who can assist you in looking where your legs are hanging and give you some advice.

2. StrokesWhen it comes to the swim stroke,

think of it in three phases; entry, catch-pull and recovery.

Entering phase: This is where your hand enters the water in front of you. Most effective is to get a long stroke when entering the water. Then, imagine there are three straight vertical lines in front of you. One line out of the middle of your head and two others from your shoulders. With ev-ery stroke your hand enters the water in front of you, it should enter between the middle line and the line from your shoulder. Left hand between the middle line and left shoulder line. Right hand between the middle line and right shoul-derline.

Catch-pull phase: From entering the water with your hand until it leaves the water on your side, it’s about how far you can pull your body forward with the least amount of effort. See this as grabbing the most amount of water and explosive-ly pulling and pushing it back past your side. Think about it like this: your hand shouldn’t move much from grabbing the water until it leaves the water. It is your body that should move past your hand. Your fingers should always be gripped together and your fingertips pointing downward. This should give you the most amount of resistance against your hands. Then push backward as hard as you can until your hand leaves the water.

Recovery phase: This is the part where your hand leaves the water until it enters back in the water in front of you. For optimal efficiency, relax your hand and elbow as you bring it over your body until it enters the water again. Make sure to get a high swing of your arm over your body. When you’re in open-water, the water will be much choppier and it slows you down when hitting the water too early in recovery phase.

3. BreathingMany people ask if they should

breathe every 2nd or every 3rd stroke.

In my opinion, it’s all about what is most comfortable for you. When I go train-ing I would usually breathe every third stroke. This helps me with my body alignment. In a race however, I would breathe every second stroke. I do this to preserve my energy – since I still have a bike and a run leg after the swim– and I can see where I’m going following the course line in the water. When you breathe make sure to blow out all the air under the water, and only breathe in when you turn your head to the side.

4. SightingSince you don’t have any clear wa-

ter and lines guiding you in a triathlon race, it’s easy to go off course. Practicing sighting (or spotting) can avoid this. In a race you would pick your head up in front of you to watch where you’re go-ing and to see how far the next buoy is.

Do this as you go into the stroke to breathe, looking up right in front of you to spot direction and then

turning your head to breathe.

5. More tips on training– Go to the pool, do your sets, and get

out. Train in your training time. Social-ize in your social time.

– Too many people swimming ex-tremely slow in your lane? Get used to it, because there are going to be several people swimming in to and in front of you in a race.

Tips for race dayCome race day, everything is

different to when you trained in a pool. There are suddenly hundreds of people around you and you’re swimming in open water. As you see the course laid out, a 1500m swim looks a hundred times further than in a 25m pool. Getting ner-vous and feeling your heart pumping fast is all part of it. The best way to relax is to remember your training and stick with that.

When it’s your turn to start and you’re swimming with hundreds of people

BY JOHAN STOFBERG,GROOVE KOREA MAGAZINE

Overcoming the fear of the water

groovekorea.com

I can see in their faces that several of them are thinking, “if only I can get this swim over with, I’ll be fine for the rest of the race.”

– A TRIATHLETE’S TALE –


In my opinion, it’s all about what is most comfortable for you. When I go train-ing I would usually breathe every third stroke. This helps me with my body alignment. In a race however, I would breathe every second stroke. I do this to preserve my energy – since I still have a bike and a run leg after the swim– and I can see where I’m going following the course line in the water. When you breathe make sure to blow out all the air under the water, and only breathe in when you turn your head to the side.

4. SightingSince you don’t have any clear wa-

ter and lines guiding you in a triathlon race, it’s easy to go off course. Practicing sighting (or spotting) can avoid this. In a race you would pick your head up in front of you to watch where you’re go-ing and to see how far the next buoy is.

Do this as you go into the stroke to breathe, looking up right in front of you to spot direction and then

turning your head to breathe.

5. More tips on training– Go to the pool, do your sets, and get

out. Train in your training time. Social-ize in your social time.

– Too many people swimming ex-tremely slow in your lane? Get used to it, because there are going to be several people swimming in to and in front of you in a race.

Tips for race dayCome race day, everything is

different to when you trained in a pool. There are suddenly hundreds of people around you and you’re swimming in open water. As you see the course laid out, a 1500m swim looks a hundred times further than in a 25m pool. Getting ner-vous and feeling your heart pumping fast is all part of it. The best way to relax is to remember your training and stick with that.

When it’s your turn to start and you’re swimming with hundreds of people

tussling around you, you might start to panic since this is a new experience. When that happens, turn around, swim back stroke and look at the sky. When you have calmed down, turn back and continue with your freestyle swim. If you’re getting tired, start swimming breaststroke. Most important is to get to that finish line (especially if this is your first triathlon).

To sidestep all the commotion of the people in the water, make sure not to start in the middle of the pack. Go to the side of the group or start right at the back with some space around you. This can also be the case when getting to a turning point or buoy in the water. About 20m before you reach the buoy, just give a quick sprint away from those around you to make sure you are there first and can make a hassle-free turn.

While swimming, it is easy to forget everything you have trained for. There-fore, when your stress levels have cooled down, get back to the basics with what you have done in practice. As Dori from Finding Nemo says, “Just keep swim-ming.”

Buying a wetsuitIt’s important to know that for

most of the triathlon swims, wearing a wetsuit is compulsory. Buying a wetsuit usually depends on how large a budget you have. The price range is wide, but going for the upper range of suits means better features concerning flexibility and ease of swimming. It is however im-portant to get a wetsuit that fits com-fortably. A well-fitted wetsuit should sit tight around your upper body and legs, but not squeeze all the air out of you. The best way to go before buying is to go to a shop to try different sizes. Then, make sure you put on the wetsuit cor-rectly – this is another thing which might sound straight forward, but not putting on the wetsuit correctly can impair your swim. Here is a great video clip to show you how to do it – www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXsblGWpvM0.

The brand that works great for me is Zone3, newly stationed in Incheon. They have a wide range of options and are one of the forefront British brands that are well known internationally for their in-novative wetsuits (www.zone3.co.kr). I swim in one of their Aspire wetsuits and it makes a big difference in the comfort and efficiency of my swimming strokes. You can also rent a wetsuit from them for your race which can help you get a good feel for their suits.

Now, the next thing you need to do is to get out in the pool and prepare for your swim.

Overcoming the fear of the water

Photos by Rianza Stofberg

correct

incorrect

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Does taking on the gym alone intimidate you? Or are you more inclined to

workout when you have someone to exercise with? Good news! The Ramstein and Vogelweh fitness centers offer a variety of group fitness classes for you and your spouse or friends to try! Group fitness classes are also a great way to make new friends! All fit-ness levels are welcome to attend any of the classes.

Body BlastUp both your strength

and endurance game with this intense full-body

workout. Different exercise equipment is used to get your entire body flowing with high en-ergy.

Indoor CyclingIf you’re looking for

a challenge then hop on the stationary bike! Your car-diovascular system and muscles will thank you for the rewarding workout.

StepThis workout is de-

signed for all the cardio lovers out there who enjoy a dance-style workout! You will be one “step” closer to a leaner body.

Yoga EssentialsAre you new to the

yoga scene? Then this class is for you! Yoga Essentials teaches you beginner flows and basic techniques. Start here to work your way up to the other yoga classes offered. This class is free to attend.

Vinyasa Flow YogaThe fast and slow tem-

pos allow you to focus on engaging and aligning every muscle properly with each move-ment. Vinyasa flow is wonderful for enhancing your strength, con-centration and flexibility.

Power Yoga Get your fast-paced

flows on while your heart

rate climbs higher with each minute. Break a sweat and con-nect with your mind and body.

Tabata20 seconds on and

10 seconds off is the se-quence for all Tabata workouts! This type of training skyrockets your metabolism, which helps to burn fat even after your workout!

ZumbaZumba is one of the

world’s most popular car-dio workouts! It combines Latin and pop music for a challeng-ing, yet fun dance-style work-out.

PoundStrengthen your mus-

cles along with getting your heart rate up. Pilates and yoga are both used in POUND to sculpt your entire body!

Turn, Burn and Sculpt

Sweat through 30 minutes of indoor cycling and 30 minutes of core focused ex-ercises. All together your en-durance, core, stability and strength will be put to the test!

Functional Fitness Boot Camp

Mix high-intensity in-tervals and Tabata training for a total body workout. This class is free to attend.

Total Body Boot CampThis workout is ex-

actly how it sounds, a total body sweat session. You will be performing bodyweight exercises combined with some weight training to get your heart pumping and muscles growing! This class is free to attend.

For fitness center locations, class times, costs and cancella-tions visit the Ramstein and Vo-gelweh fitness center Facebook page. Now go out and get your sweat on!

BY ELIZABETH JONES,STRIPES KOREA

Break a sweat in a group fitness class

File photo

KOREA AUGUST, 201810 STRIPES KOREA Healthy Living GuideWHATSTHEBEST-MATTRESS.COM

COUNTING THE WAYS TO BEAT

INSOMNIA

Dump caffeine - Caf-feine is a stimulant that helps you feel alert and awake,

which is why millions o f us drink that cherished

cup of coffee each morning. There-fore, it should be of no surprise that caffeine hinders sleep. It blocks sleep-inducing chemicals that your body creates to help you fall asleep. We don’t want to block sleep – we want good sleep. Many have found that reducing the amount of caf-feine consumed has a great effect on sleep problems. You may need as many as 6 hours before bedtime after consuming any caffeine to ex-perience the difference.

Hops Extract - Tra-ditionally, hops have been used as an herb to help

those struggling with sleep because of their

calming and sedating effects. A chemical in hops, methylbutenol, is believed to be reason for the seda-tive effects of hops. Hops can be combined with valerian root and can be found as a tea, an oil or in capsule form.

1

Melatonin - Melato-nin is a hormone made by your very own body, which

helps control your in-ternal clock. Typically,

melatonin levels begin to rise in the evening, then will remain high for most of the night, and drop again in the early morning. There are many things that can disrupt the produc-tion of melatonin in our bodies – exposure to light, travel, keeping odd hours, etc. And as we age, the melatonin we produce decreases. Supplemental melatonin is used frequently for sleeping difficulties as it is believed to induce sleep. It is recommended to take the supple-ment approximately 30 minutes before bedtime to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. Tart cherry juice contains melatonin and can be taken to supply the body with the needed amount as well.

2

Chamomile Tea - Chamomile is a popular remedy to help you feel sleepy.

Made from the chamo-mile flower, it can be taken in tablet form, oil or most commonly as a tea. Chamomile is believed to relieve anxiety and many benefit from its effects. So why not brew up a cup of hot chamomile tea and enjoy as you read before bed?

3

Velarian Root - Va-lerian root is just that, the root of the valerian plant. It

has been used to treat anxiety and insomnia since ancient times. It’s available as an extract or tinctures as well as in capsule and tablet form, and as a tea. Valerian has a strong odor is often mixed with other herbs to remedy that. Valerian is known to help you fall asleep more quickly and sleep bet-ter, and who doesn’t want that?

4

L-Theanine - L-the-anine is an amino acid found mainly in teas, but also

available in supple-ment form. L-theanine

is believed that have many benefits to your health including its direct effect on brain activity, which re-duces stress and enables better sleep. Simply take a supplement about a half an hour before bedtime and enjoy the good sleep that will come as your stress diminishes.

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Lemon Balm - Lem-on balm, a type of mint plant, is a

calming herb and has been used for hundreds

of years to help reduce anxiety and promote sleep. Now, lemon balm is sometimes combined with other herbs, such as valerian, chamomile, and hops. You can find lemon balm as tea, in capsule form, as an ex-tract, tinctures, and, also as an oil.

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Catnip - Catnip prob-ably does not top your list of sleep helpers, but you surely have

heard of it for your fe-line friends. Catnip is an

herb that is known for its help with relaxation and digestive benefits. So, make up some catnip tea and get some sleep. It’s also available as a capsules, extract or essential oil.

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Pass on the sleep-ing pills - Often this is a go-to remedy to sleep problems.

You think, I will just take a sleeping pill, but

no, don’t. Sleeping pills do not help your body and mind learn to relax and sleep. Sleeping pills do not cure whatever is the underlying problem causing you to have sleep troubles. Get to the root cause and cure your-self. The quality of sleep when taking sleeping pills suffers greatly which can lead to further problems, not to mention the side effects of sleeping pills – addiction included. Sleeping pills are a quick fix that does not solve the problem. Researchers at Scrip Health in California have con-ducted studies that show connections between prescription sleeping aids and increased death rates.

Sleep during the night - This seems obvious, but is not always possible. Some of us work strange sched-

ules or keep odd hours because of life’s responsibilities. But as far as you can control, sleep at night. Your body clock knows when you should be sleeping. It’s also easy to get in a flip-flop schedule if you are struggling with insomnia. You are tired during the day, so you grab sleep when you can. This creates a vicious cycle that needs to be bro-ken now. Set a good sleep schedule and stick to it until you start sleeping during it.

Avoid naps - You are tired because you didn’t get a good night’s sleep or sleep at all last night, so

you want to nap. Avoid napping to get your body into a good sleep cycle. You need to be tired to fall asleep at night; napping might hinder this. Napping can mess with your body’s internal clock. Let’s get that fixed before you grab any cat-naps. The National Sleep Founda-tion recommends only taking a short twenty-minute nap early in the day if you need it to perform your daytime duties. Longer naps or naps taken late in the day can greatly affect you ability to sleep well at night. Will a quick nap be restorative to you or will it come back to punish you to-night as you lie awake in bed? Make a good choice!

7Consistent bed time -

A set bedtime is not only important for chil-

dren, it is important for us all. Our bodies have internal clocks. You may have experienced a second wind late at night, or worse missed your tod-dler’s bedtime to have him hit his sec-ond wind and all chances at a quick, easy bedtime are gone until the crash comes. Why? Because our bodies know when it’s bedtime, even if we ignore it. When do you finish up for the night? All the kids tucked in and settled, last minute chores around the house finished, your couch time watching your favorite program over, so now it’s bedtime. If you typi-cally stay up too late, start cutting back 15 minutes at time until you have a reasonable bedtime. You can figure out a good bedtime for your-self by starting at your wake up time and working backward. Your body needs 7-8 hours of sleep. Yep, not the 6 hours you aim for each night. What time does your alarm go off in the morning? Work back from there and figure in some relaxing time in bed to get your mind and body ready for some deep sleep tonight.

No smoking - There are many reasons you should stop

smoking. You know that, but did you know

that smoking hinders your ability to sleep? Yep, one more reason to get rid of those nasty cigarettes. A study at University of Roches-ter Medical Center indicates that smoking disrupts the body clock in the lungs and the brains. These disruptions may not only cause in-somnia but also reduce the hours of deep, restful sleep. Even when you get sleep, it will be light, disrupted sleep.

Wild Lettuce - Wild Let-tuce is a plant that has been used as an herb-al medicine to treat a number of ailments

for hundreds of years. It can be used to help those struggling with insomnia. Its ability to help re-lieve anxiety often helps those who have trouble sleeping. The extract has a calming, sedative effect. Wild lettuce is available as an extract, tincture, capsule or dried leaves.

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Magnesium/Calcium – Make sure you get enough magnesium and calcium togeth-

er in your diet. Eating a healthy diet helps us maintain a healthy lifestyle and it can also help us sleep well. We need to make sure we get the necessary vitamins and nutrients in our daily diet. If you do not get enough magnesium in your diet or as a supplement you may suf-fer from a sleep disorder. Many of us make sure to get enough calcium daily, but did you know that mag-nesium regulates calcium levels in body? Without the proper amount of magnesium your body is unable to process that calcium which may result in problems beyond a poor night’s sleep.

St. John’s Wort - St. Johns Wort, a flow-ering plant, is a popular supplement

today. It has been used for hundreds of years to help with depression, insomnia and anxiety, It’s believed to stimulate sleep-in-ducing chemicals in the brain. St. Johns Wort is available as capsules or pills, as a tea, or tincture.

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Darkness is your friend - Sounds like common sense, right? Turn off the lights when you

want to go to sleep. But often times, we don’t.

Did you know that the light causes your body to release chemicals that block sleep inducers? Studies in-dicate that sleeping with lights on may limit the production of mela-tonin, the major hormone that con-trols your body’s sleep and wake cycle. Yep, so it really is worth it to turn off those lights. If you need to have a lighted path to make it to the bathroom during the night, try us-ing a motion sensor nightlight.

No TV - How of-ten have you fallen asleep with the tele-vision still on? Not

the best idea, really, even though more than

half of us do it on a regular basis. You may think you are relaxing watching that last show before you fall asleep, but what are you doing to your mind and body? Studies show that expo-sure to light prevents your body from producing the hormone mela-tonin which regulates your sleep and wake cycle. The continual flickering of images on the television may also keep your brain more active than you want preventing you from a good night’s sleep. You fall asleep, but you may not be getting the REM sleep your body really needs.

Don’t lay in bed for hours trying to sleep - You can’t sleep. Do you stay

in bed? If you stay in bed, maybe you’ll fall

asleep soon, but does that happen? Typically, your mind starts in on how you can’t fall asleep, how this lack of sleep will effect your day to-morrow, and then the list of things you need to do, and on and on. In-stead, after twenty minutes or so of lying in bed trying to fall asleep, get up. Sleep studies indicate that it is better to get up out of bed and go do something else in another room quietly until you begin to feel drowsy and return to the bedroom to fall asleep.

Avoid blue light after dark - At night, light can alter the body’s circadian rhythm –

your body’s clock in-hibiting your ability to

fall asleep and to get a good night’s sleep. Recent studies reveal that blue light, the light emitted from electron-ics such as e-readers, tablets, smart phones and the like, may have an even greater effect on the body than other colors of light. Knowing this, it is best to avoid using your electron-ics in bed or really a couple hours before bed, if possible. If this sounds extreme to you, but you are suffering from insomnia, try limiting it. Start with no electronics once you lie down in bed. Then after a week or so, try stopping your exposure to blue light to 30 minutes before bed, then an hour. Sleep is so essential to a healthy life that the benefits will be worth it.

Listen to visualiza-tion exercises - You have set up a good environment for

sleep – the bedroom is dark and quiet, the

temperature is just right – now you need to get your mind set for sleep. Visualization exercises can help you unwind setting you up for a good night’s sleep. There are many different techniques to try as you focus your mind on something else – not the busy-ness of your day or life and not your insomnia. You can count sheep, you can imagine a place you have been that brought you peace and calm, or even listen to a guided visualization exercise readily available online.

Give aromatherapy a shot - Aromatherapy may help you fall asleep more quickly

as it provides a calm-ing environment. And

it’s easy. Simply spray some essential oil on a tissue and put it under a pil-low or soak a cotton ball with some essential oil and place it on your bed-side. You can also spray your sheets with a linen spray or use lotion on your skin. But you want to choose your scent wisely as some scents are energizing. Chamomile, marjoram, valerian and lavender are known for their calming effects while mints and rosemary have more stimulating ef-fects. A recent study indicates that the quality of sleep was greatly im-proved with the use of aromatherapy.

Meditation - When you have trouble falling asleep or get-

ting back to sleep after waking in the middle of

the night, mediation may be your key to falling asleep quickly. Does your mind race when you are expe-riencing sleeplessness? Do you think about how you are not sleeping and how that will take its toll tomorrow? Those thoughts are not going to help you get that good night sleep, so get your mind under control with some meditation. There are many guided meditative exercise available online for you to try. Meditation helps you be aware of your body and mind and calm down. Controlled deliber-ate breathing is a key component of meditation. As you control your breathing and become aware of your body’s tension, you relax and allow yourself to be ready to sleep.

Wear comfortable clothes - A comfort-able environment is essential for good

sleep. You have a good mattress, just the right pil-

low, nice sheets and a warm blanket. But what are you wearing to sleep? Are your pajamas comfortable for you to sleep in? Do they get twisted as you turn? Do you become too hot or too cold? Breathable pajamas that fit well – not too loose, not too tight – are a good option. Some people pre-fer to sleep in just underwear or na-ked as the day they were born. Your sleep troubles may be easy to solve. It might be a purchase of some nice, comfy jammies or folding them up and putting them back in the drawer to sleep au naturel. Switch up what you have been doing to see what pro-vides you with the most comfortable sleep. And, please keep a robe close by for late night emergencies.

Experiment with a noise maker - So your bedroom is dark and quiet and

you are ready to sleep, but you aren’t able to fall asleep. Each noise from the street, the house settling, someone else in the house doing something elsewhere keeps you from finding the rest you need. You may even fall asleep only to be jerked awake by a car door outside or your partner’s trip to the bath-room. Not everyone can sleep in si-lence. White noise may be your key to a good night’s sleep. You can use a fan, a noise machine, or even an app, though we don’t really recom-mend your device being that close to you when you sleep. A little noise can help you sleep like you have always dreamed of sleeping.

Try ear plugs - Limit-ing the noise around you when you are trying to sleep will

certainly help you get a better night’s sleep. Some-

times we have control of the noise around us, often we don’t. Sleep stud-ies indicate that the use of ear plugs helps create a better sleeping envi-ronment. You may be able to create a quiet environment in the bedroom, only to have your partner start snor-ing. Have you tried ear plugs? Com-fortable, effective ear plugs are read-ily available and can help reduce the noise pollution allowing your body and mind to relax and not only fall asleep, but get the good sleep your body really needs as a quiet environ-ment encourages your body to cre-ate the hormones it needs while you sleep.

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