Getting fit with SwordsMaster

[SwordsMaster]

I was recovering from a training session a couple of weeks ago and my attention gravitated to the fact that the gym was unusually packed that day. And then I realized that summer was close and everyone rushed to the gym to get that sporty figure and look good in speedos ( ) or the diverse beach complements. Like it is going to happen in 3 weeks....

Anyway, I thought that I might somehow contribute to destroying some myths of fitness and become a myth myself, and maybe help people keep fit all year as opposed to the 3 weeks before summer and decided to post a big compilation of all the information I came across during my training career.

I'll try to update this thread as frequently and regularly as I can and of course I accept suggestions and comments.

Maybe this could be stickied for reference.

Today: Sleep

So what are the symptoms of sleep deprivation?

* Drowsiness
* Forgetfulness
* Weight gain
* Mood shifts ranging from depression to being irritable.
* Reduced immunity to disease
* Reduced ability to think logically and analyze new information
* Reduced vocabulary
* Reduced motor skills and coordination
* Decreased reaction time
* Decreased stamina and energy

- Now add all these up together and now imagine trying to break a plateau -

But what is the worst part about sleep deprivation?

After the first 3-4 hours of sleep your body releases 60-90% of your daily GH (Growth Hormone) amount. So short cutting sleep obviously spells your doom.

Growth Hormone is responsible for the growth of your bones and muscles. It also prepares fat for energy use and spares lean body mass. In regards to muscle growth it causes muscle cells to increase protein synthesis, decrease protein breakdown, increase amino acid uptake in muscular tissue, and divide. Basically it causes growth of muscle and bone tissue.

Is that it? No, decreased levels of GH indicate a drop in your body's ability to metabolize glucose, this means fat is not metabolized at it's peak rate; Your exercise capability is reduced as well as your muscle mass.

Another negative effect of decreased GH levels is a weakened immune system. GH stimulates bone marrow growth which boosts the immune system function. A lack of sleep will slow the growth and repair of this tissue; Studies have also indicated that a lack of sleep will reduce your white blood cell count down a good margin.

Finally sleep deprivation increases levels of cortisol in the body the next day. But what the hell is cortisol? It's the 'Stress Hormone', it's your opponent on the road to increased gains in your physical endeavors. Med definition is - The major adrenal glucocorticoid, stimulates conversion of proteins to carbohydrates, raises blood sugar levels and promotes glycogen storage in the liver. To make it simple for you cortisol causes hyper tension, stress, and synthesizes the amino acids in your muscles to fuel more vital organs (like lungs, heart, brain). In excessive amounts It can cause memory impairments, restrict tissue repair, and increase insulin resistance. It's nasty! Furthermore, elevated cortisol levels have been identified in patients with adrenal tumors. Cancer is not the sex.

More interesting facts I have stumbled upon -

* Athletes who only get 6-7 hours of sleep a night have to work twice as hard to process the same amount of fuel. This means less fat loss and less energy for your workouts.
* If you're not getting the right amount of sleep your body will be in a catabolic state all day long. How catabolic? Multiply it by two post workout
* We cannot adapt to less sleep, overtime a 'sleep debt' will start accumulating. Too little sleep will have a direct connection to a loss of intensity in your workouts
* 6 hours of un-broken sleep is better than getting 8 hours of broken sleep. The reason this is true is because if we cannot sleep without being awoken our bodies do not progress through the 5 cycles of sleep as it should.

There is always something you can be doing better, sleep is an easy one to start with. So how much sleep do you need? On average younger people between the ages of 12-25 need more than adults. We need between 8.5 and 9.25 hours of sleep per night. Harder working athletes will require more than that! It's easy to figure out exactly how much sleep you need. Go to bed, and wake up! Figure out how many hours passed while you were asleep and 'voila', you now know how much sleep you should be getting each night.

(Thanks to Jujimufu at www.trickstutorials.com)

I hope this has been useful.