Your body needs sleep!

Who doesn’t need sleep? Sleep was designed for our bodies to recover and rejuvenate from a day of stress. Our bodies need sleep to survive. We don’t completely know why our bodies need sleep but research has shown that without enough sleep, our bodies start malfunctioning, our stress levels increase and all of a sudden, and our risk of health problems increases dramatically.

Make sure your body is getting the rest it needs. On average, you need about 8 hours of sleep a night. If you’re not getting that then you seriously need to look at your lifestyle – what are you doing that is keeping you up so late?

Try to change any bad habits you may have and work out a good, regular routine that you can keep to most nights. Ideally, your body should go through the same motions, preparing you for a good nights rest. Here are some tips to help you sleep:

• Switch off the TV
• Have a cup of peppermint or chamomile tea
• Read a book
• Listen to some calming music

Keep up the same routine for a while and you’ll start to notice that your body has been conditioned to sleep while you go through this routine.

Tossing and turning in bed? Try taking a daily calcium supplement during the day to give your body time to absorb it. Calcium is a natural muscle relaxant and also helps you to handle stress. It’s one of the best used sleep aids around!

Remember drinking that glass of warm milk before bed to help you sleep? The true hero of that story is calcium. Calcium helps your brain to release melatonin which helps you relax and in turn helps you to sleep.

You might think you’re getting enough sleep, but try keeping a good routine and an optimal level of calcium and you may experience a renewed sense of energy that you haven’t felt in a long time. Try it and tell us what you think…

67 minutes...

There’s probably not much significance for people like us, sitting on the other side of world but Sunday 18 July was Nelson Mandela’s 92nd birthday. Even if his birthday has no significance for us, what he’s done in the world definitely has some resonance within our lives. Mandela spent 67 years of his life helping the South African people and in his honour, global leaders have pledged 67 minutes of their time helping another life.

67 minutes! That’s nothing, on average you blink about 900 times in 60 minutes; you could run 10km in 60 minutes; you likely spend 60 minutes watching your favourite TV show. But have you ever changed somebody’s life in 67 minutes?

We’re not asking for anything drastic, just that you think about it. If one man can spend 67 years of his life helping others…how much does it cost you to give 67 minutes?

It can be as simple as making time for someone; sharing facts about living a healthy lifestyle; engaging in community service or volunteer work; giving to a charity in need; spending more time with your family; cooking that healthy meal for your family and friends; caring about the way they live their lives and how you can be there to help make it even better. Is there something that you know that you could share with another to help them change their life?

67 minutes, 67 years. What are you going to do in 67 minutes?

Good fats you need to know about

Good news! There are some good fats our body needs. Omega-3 is alone such far - it’s even been called the “miracle food of the 21st century”.

It’s winter, we’re stocking up on fats trying to keep warm and the last thing you want to hear is a about another “fat” that you should be putting into your body. But have no fear; saturated fats like Omega-3 (and fats found in meat, milk and cheese) are actually good for you. So trade some of those bad fats for some health Omega-3 fish oil.

You might be thinking that Omega-3 is just another fad that we’re going through but research has shown that fatty acids can help maintain normal, health cardiovascular function and helps maintain good joint health.

To put it simply, Omega-3 is great because it makes blood platelets less sticky. Less sticky means it’s harder for them to clump together and less clumping leads to less heart attacks and better blood flow. Sound like good news right now?

It’s not just great for your heart function, it’s great for insulating your organs, maintaining good joint health, reducing inflammation, and lowering cholesterol. It’s even said to be great for pregnant and breast-feeding mother’s and the baby’s growing brain.

So how can you get enough Omega-3 this winter? Change your diet a little to include more fish like salmon and tuna, flax seeds, walnuts, tofu and brussel sprouts.

But if the mention of brussel sprouts turns you off your meal then we’ve got a great alternative for you. Take two capsules a day of USANA’s BiOmega III to boost your Omega-3 intake and enjoy this winter with a little good fat running through your system.

Tips for winter

Brrr – it’s getting cold! Winter has definitely set in. Not only is it getting harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning, it seems to be getting harder to keep colds and flu’s away. Are you starting to notice yourself sniffling on your way to work and more and more people staying at home sick? Well take these simple tips and look after your family and yourself this winter.

1.Eat the proper foods
Get the recommended servings of fruit, vegetables and dairy for the day. Three servings of vegetables a day and two serves of fresh fruit and dairy should help you on your way to staying healthy.

2. Wash your hands
Did you get off the bus this morning and think “wow – they’re a lot of germs going around”. Make sure you wash your hands with warm water and a good antibacterial soap for at least 60 seconds. Try using hand sanitiser to keep those germs at bay.

3 .Get enough sleep
Everybody needs a different amount of sleep – sleep is so important for your body to recover and rejuvenate from an exhausting day. Getting run down is one of the easiest ways for viruses to have the strength to attack your body so try to start a routine; go to bed at the same time every night and try to get at least 7 – 9 hours sleep so you’re ready to hit the ground running the next morning.

4.Exercise
It’s hard to exercise in winter – all you want to do is to curl up under a blanket with a nice hot cup of tea but try to do a little bit every day. It’s recommended to do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Why not a brisk walk to stay warm? Try a class at your local gym, even a boxing or a pump class to get the heart rate up.

5.Take supplements
Make sure your body is getting the right amounts of essential vitamins and minerals to keep it in its best shape. Look for a qood quality multi-mineral and mega antioxidant like USANA’s Essentials. Fish oil is also beneficial for everyone! Omega-3 fatty acids support a healthy heart, joints, eyes and brain.

6.Get some sunshine
All the winter chills are probably decreasing the amount of sun you get a day – so make sure you’re getting enough Vitamin D this winter with some natural sunlight. Like most people, you may be deficient so think about supplementing with Vitamin D. Check your vitamin D levels with your health professional.

Hopefully, these hints will help you to keep those germs at bay. Rug up and make sure you stay warm. Have a great winter!