5 Foods That Can Improve Sleep

If you have trouble sleeping, Michael Ravensthorpe lists five foods that can treat insomnia and improve sleep.

According to the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, nearly 1 in 10 adults in the United States suffers from insomnia. Though most of these people suffer from short-term insomnia, many of them also suffer from chronic insomnia (i.e. difficulty falling or staying asleep for more than six months). Such sleep deprivation can significantly decrease the quality of one’s life.

While stress related to work and family remains the number one cause of insomnia, eating the wrong foods – such as those rich in sugar, caffeine, gluten or polyunsaturated fat – can also contribute to it. Therefore, improving one’s diet is an important first step toward ending insomnia, especially if one favors foods that are known to improve sleep. Read more

8 Superfoods That Can Heal Your Entire Body

The saying, Let food be your medicine," certainly applies to these eight supeerfoods that can heal your entire body.

The grocery aisles have displayed foods for decades that are nutritionally deficient. Poor soil conditions combined with seed engineering and processing have left people with poor choices. Consider these eight superfoods to get the required nutrients for optimal body function. Read more

Bodyweight Exercise for Size and Strength

As a longtime advocate of bodyweight exercise, the most common question I am asked is if it's really possible to build muscle and strength without lifting weights. My answer is always a definite "Yes!" Unfortunately, this response is often met with skepticism. To many people, building muscle without lifting weights sounds too simple to work. In fact, it can be simple. Bodyweight exercise also has the advantages of being safer and more convenient than lifting weights.

Trainees can take two approaches to building size and strength with bodyweight training. One is the high-volume approach in my post Bodyweight Exercise Program to Build Muscle and Lose Fat. High-volume is the approach generally used in military physical training. The other is a lower-volume workout that works by increasing the difficulty of the exercises - the bodyweight exercise equivalent of adding weight - rather than increasing repetitions.

The lower-volume approach employs a standard bodybuilding template structured around basic calisthenics. The three most essential movements for building strength and muscle with bodyweight training are pull-ups, push-ups, and squats. Use variations of each exercise that will cause you to fatigue at around 10-15 repetitions and perform 3 or 4 sets of each exercise. Perform two pulling movements, two pushing movements, and two squatting movements in each full-body workout.

Here's a sample full-body program that could work for an beginner-level trainee: Perform the workout on three, non-consecutive days weekly.

1) Pull-ups - 3 x to failure (All the way up and all the way down with arms extended at bottom)
2) Chin-ups - 3 x to failure (All the way up and all the way down with arms extended at bottom)
3) Push-ups - 3 x 10-15 (All the way up and all the way down with chest touching the floor)
4) Bench dips - 3 x 10-15
5) Squats - 3 x 10-15 (Go below parallel - "ass to the grass")
6) Lunges - 3 x 10-15 each leg (Rear knee to floor)

It is essential that you use full range of motion for each exercise. Partial or "cheating" repetitions only give partial results because they cheat your muscles out of the challenge they need to grow and becomee stronger. Remmeber that the point is not to accumulate repetitions, but to exercise your muscles. Repetitions are only a way to measure progress.

It may take time to increase your repetitions on these basic exercises. With consistent practice, you can work toward adding more repetitions for each exercise and eventually start moving on to more difficult variations, such as one-armed pull-ups and push-ups and full pistol squats. Of course, if you are already strong enough to do more difficult variations of any or all the exercises, you can start with those.

You can add an abdominal exercise  after the workout or on alternate days. You can also alternate a high-volume workout, such as the one I mentioned above, with this workout. If you decide to try that, do this workout on one training day, the other on the next, and then go back to this one, and so on.

No matter what program you follow, be patient and stay the course. Whether you lift weights or use your own body weight for resistance, you can't build muscle and get strong without hard work and perseverance. Enjoy the process and make every repetition count.

Did you know you can actually build muscle using ONLY bodyweight exercises? To find out about the revolutionary new program that allows average people to pack on muscle WITHOUT weights in the comfort of their own home, Click Here!

Good News! Red Wine Is Good for Your TEETH!

Good news! Red wine is good for your TEETH: A study found that it can help prevent cavities.

Few people need an incentive to tuck into a glass of wine with their dinner.

But, there is good news for anyone looking for an excuse to have a tipple.

New research has today revealed red wine could protect against cavities. Read more

How to Prevent Kidney Stones

Edward Group reveals how to prevent kidney stones and avoid the agony that goes with them.

Ask anyone who’s had a kidney stone what it’s like and they’ll tell you a horrific tale of pain and agony. Kidney stones, which are jagged mineral deposits, form in the kidneys and pass through the urinary tract. Sound awful? It is. While there’s no way to be immune to developing kidney stones, there are steps you can take to discourage their formation. Let’s take a look at what kidney stones are, why they form, and what you can do to reduce your chances for developing them. Read more

2 Big Meals Daily Better Than 6 Small Meals

Two hearty meals each day are better for you than six small meals: Eating a big breakfast and lunch helps control weight and blood sugar levels.

Struggling to lose that spare tyre around your waist? Tuck in, say scientists.

A big breakfast and a large lunch is better at controlling weight and blood sugar levels than six small meals a day, researchers claim.

A study found that two hearty meals rather than constant snacking is best for people with type 2 diabetes – but could also benefit anyone trying to slim. Read more

The Truth About Male Menopause

Edward Group reveals the truth about male menopause and what to do about it, without drugs.

Menopause isn’t a subject most guys are interested in. Hormonal imbalances, hot flashes, night sweats — that’s all woman stuff… right? Wrong! Sorry men, there is more than a mountain of evidence to show that the phase of life sometimes dubbed “puberty in reverse” affects both women AND men. Many men are finding out the hard way that a general decline in sexual, physical, and mental activity is more of a reality than they anticipated. Guys, take a knee — it’s time to set the record straight and have “the talk” about male menopause. Read more

Enzymes: Not Just for Digestion

Enzymes are not just for digestion. They stimulate the brain, provide cellular energy and repair all tissue, says Margaret Durst.

Enzymes are catalysts that run hundreds of thousands of biochemical reactions in our bodies. Also known as “sparks of life”, they are essential for digesting food, stimulating the brain, providing cellular energy and repairing all tissue.

There are two major types of enzymes, digestive enzymes that help us utilize the nutrition in our food, and metabolic enzymes that are responsible for the chemical reactions within our cells such as energy production and detoxification. Read more

Eating Fruits and Vegetables Cuts Stroke Risk

Eating just two and a half portions of fruit and vegetables a day cuts stroke risk by a third.

Munching just two and a half portions of fruit and vegetables daily may significantly reduce the risk of stroke, new research claims.

Stroke risk decreases by 32 per cent with every 200 grams of fruit consumed each day and 11 per cent with every 200 grams of vegetables consumed each day, according to a study.

The conclusion came from analysis of 20 studies about the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on risk of stroke published over the past 19 years. Read more

Want to Improve Your Love Life?

Dr. Joseph Mercola reveals seven strategies for men to improve their sex lives.

Healthy sex cannot be underestimated as a factor for reducing stress, bolstering self-esteem, and fostering feelings of intimacy and bonding between partners. This goes for both men and women, although men tend to be encouraged to use sexual-enhancement drugs like Viagra when their virility starts to peter out.

An estimated 30-40 percent of adults experience a lack of interest in sex for at least several months in any given year.1 The reasons for low libido are complex and run the gamut from stress and other emotional difficulties to physical problems, including erectile dysfunction.

Most men, however, really do not need drugs to address such issues. What they probably DO need is a lifestyle adjustment. Your sexual health has a lot to do with your lifestyle, and a variety of all-natural strategies can be helpful in this area. Read more

Want to Lose Weight Without Going Hungry? DON'T Snack

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Snacking between meals leads to increased abdominal fat storage, but eating larger portions at mealtimes does not, the researchers say.

Snacking is worse for your health than three big meals a day, warn researchers.

They found snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods increased abdominal fat and fatty liver, but eating larger portions did not. Read more

3 Jumps for a Bigger Butt

Plyometric exercises are a great way to get a bigger butt, says Caitlin MacKenna.

To get a bigger, shapelier butt, you'll have to train hard in a short duration. A great way to do that is with plyometric exercises. Plyometrics are basically jumps or hops, which athletes use to increase their speed and power. These dynamic exercises stimulate your glute muscles, the muscles you need to develop to get a bigger butt. Best of all, plyometric exercises are fun to do. Read more

Diabetic Drugs Can Kill You

Diabetes is a serious disease, but drugs prescribed for its treatment may be worse than the disease itself, says Dr. David Brownstein.

Why do Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetics have high blood sugar? Is it because they are lacking a prescription drug that lowers blood sugar levels? Of course not. Diabetics have elevated blood sugars because they have hormonal and nutritional imbalances often caused by eating an unhealthy diet. The conventional treatment for diabetes revolves around giving poor dietary advice–eat low-fat foods with lots of carbohydrates and use toxic artificial sweeteners– and the use of prescription medications that do not treat the underlying cause of diabetes. Read more