Period 3 Weight Training Blog 2.4 Sleep

In our approach to health and fitness we focus on three key factors, movement, nutrition, and recovery. We have already talked about movement and nutrition and we will return to both of those soon, but this week we are talking about recovery and more specifically, sleep.

How much are you getting and what is the quality of the sleep you are getting? If you are like most teenagers, 5 hours seems to be the norm and it is looked upon like a merit badge if you can function on less. But the truth is the price you are paying for this is high and the time that is saved by cutting sleep is often paid back in the form of disease. Several studies have shown how quickly sleep deprivation effects just about every bodily system and can contribute to stress, inflammation, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Other studies have shown the symptoms of sleep deprivation mirror those of ADD/ADHD and can lead to a misdiagnosis in teens.

Most people know this and somehow on their cost/benefit analysis still think it's worth it. Let me add one more component that may sway the scale. Lack of sleep has a strong link to an individuals ability to lose body fat. More specifically ongoing sleep deprivation has been linked to increased body fat retention and obesity. I found the following scale in an article on the web site Mercola.

The recommended amount of sleep per night is seven to nine hours; however, most Americans average somewhere around six. Researchers found that the further away one is from getting the recommended hours of sleep, the higher their risk of obesity is.
Lack of Sleep and the Obesity Connection
Less than four hours: 73 percent risk
Five hours of sleep: 50 percent risk
Six hours of sleep: 23 percent risk

A quick google search will provide you with study after study showing that lack of sleep leads to insulin resistance, decreased leptin levels (leptin is a blood protein that suppresses the appetite and helps the brain sense when you are full) and increased cortisol levels (an ugly stress hormone that among other bad things increases blood sugar). All of these processes combine to lock fat into your cells and prevent you from shedding fat and using it as an energy source.

What can you do about it? Treat sleep the same way you treat your diet. It is almost as important. Set a time to get into bed that will allow for, at the very least, 7 hours of sleep, preferably more. Make your bedroom a cool dark sanctuary. There should be only one thing going on in your bed, sleep. Watching TV, in bed, is a huge hindrance to deep sleep. Get all electrical and lighted devices away from your bed. When the lights are off, you should not be able to see your hand in front of your face. Try to standardize your schedule. If you have to get up at 5am during the week, try to make your wake-up time during the weekend not stray too far from that. Sleeping in late on the weekends will reset your circadian rhythms and have you playing catch up till Wednesday of the next week. The last few tips most of you probably already know. No coffee or any caffeinated drinks late in the day. Alcohol really screws with the sleep cycle, and again late night TV stimulates the brain and makes it harder to get to sleep.


It's a long post with a lot to think about, but for your blog this week I want you to answer 2 questions.

1. On average, how much sleep are you currently getting?

2. What are circadian rhythms?

Period 5 P.E. Blog 2.4 Sleep

In our approach to health and fitness we focus on three key factors, movement, nutrition, and recovery. We have already talked about movement and nutrition and we will return to both of those soon, but this week we are talking about recovery and more specifically, sleep.

How much are you getting and what is the quality of the sleep you are getting? If you are like most teenagers, 5 hours seems to be the norm and it is looked upon like a merit badge if you can function on less. But the truth is the price you are paying for this is high and the time that is saved by cutting sleep is often paid back in the form of disease. Several studies have shown how quickly sleep deprivation effects just about every bodily system and can contribute to stress, inflammation, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Other studies have shown the symptoms of sleep deprivation mirror those of ADD/ADHD and can lead to a misdiagnosis in teens.

Most people know this and somehow on their cost/benefit analysis still think it's worth it. Let me add one more component that may sway the scale. Lack of sleep has a strong link to an individuals ability to lose body fat. More specifically ongoing sleep deprivation has been linked to increased body fat retention and obesity. I found the following scale in an article on the web site Mercola.

The recommended amount of sleep per night is seven to nine hours; however, most Americans average somewhere around six. Researchers found that the further away one is from getting the recommended hours of sleep, the higher their risk of obesity is.
Lack of Sleep and the Obesity Connection
Less than four hours: 73 percent risk
Five hours of sleep: 50 percent risk
Six hours of sleep: 23 percent risk

A quick google search will provide you with study after study showing that lack of sleep leads to insulin resistance, decreased leptin levels (leptin is a blood protein that suppresses the appetite and helps the brain sense when you are full) and increased cortisol levels (an ugly stress hormone that among other bad things increases blood sugar). All of these processes combine to lock fat into your cells and prevent you from shedding fat and using it as an energy source.

What can you do about it? Treat sleep the same way you treat your diet. It is almost as important. Set a time to get into bed that will allow for, at the very least, 7 hours of sleep, preferably more. Make your bedroom a cool dark sanctuary. There should be only one thing going on in your bed, sleep. Watching TV, in bed, is a huge hindrance to deep sleep. Get all electrical and lighted devices away from your bed. When the lights are off, you should not be able to see your hand in front of your face. Try to standardize your schedule. If you have to get up at 5am during the week, try to make your wake-up time during the weekend not stray too far from that. Sleeping in late on the weekends will reset your circadian rhythms and have you playing catch up till Wednesday of the next week. The last few tips most of you probably already know. No coffee or any caffeinated drinks late in the day. Alcohol really screws with the sleep cycle, and again late night TV stimulates the brain and makes it harder to get to sleep.


It's a long post with a lot to think about, but for your blog this week I want you to answer 2 questions.

1. On average, how much sleep are you currently getting?

2. What are circadian rhythms?

Period 7 Weight Training Blog 2.4 Sleep

In our approach to health and fitness we focus on three key factors, movement, nutrition, and recovery. We have already talked about movement and nutrition and we will return to both of those soon, but this week we are talking about recovery and more specifically, sleep.

How much are you getting and what is the quality of the sleep you are getting? If you are like most teenagers, 5 hours seems to be the norm and it is looked upon like a merit badge if you can function on less. But the truth is the price you are paying for this is high and the time that is saved by cutting sleep is often paid back in the form of disease. Several studies have shown how quickly sleep deprivation effects just about every bodily system and can contribute to stress, inflammation, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Other studies have shown the symptoms of sleep deprivation mirror those of ADD/ADHD and can lead to a misdiagnosis in teens.

Most people know this and somehow on their cost/benefit analysis still think it's worth it. Let me add one more component that may sway the scale. Lack of sleep has a strong link to an individuals ability to lose body fat. More specifically ongoing sleep deprivation has been linked to increased body fat retention and obesity. I found the following scale in an article on the web site Mercola.

The recommended amount of sleep per night is seven to nine hours; however, most Americans average somewhere around six. Researchers found that the further away one is from getting the recommended hours of sleep, the higher their risk of obesity is.
Lack of Sleep and the Obesity Connection
Less than four hours: 73 percent risk
Five hours of sleep: 50 percent risk
Six hours of sleep: 23 percent risk

A quick google search will provide you with study after study showing that lack of sleep leads to insulin resistance, decreased leptin levels (leptin is a blood protein that suppresses the appetite and helps the brain sense when you are full) and increased cortisol levels (an ugly stress hormone that among other bad things increases blood sugar). All of these processes combine to lock fat into your cells and prevent you from shedding fat and using it as an energy source.

What can you do about it? Treat sleep the same way you treat your diet. It is almost as important. Set a time to get into bed that will allow for, at the very least, 7 hours of sleep, preferably more. Make your bedroom a cool dark sanctuary. There should be only one thing going on in your bed, sleep. Watching TV, in bed, is a huge hindrance to deep sleep. Get all electrical and lighted devices away from your bed. When the lights are off, you should not be able to see your hand in front of your face. Try to standardize your schedule. If you have to get up at 5am during the week, try to make your wake-up time during the weekend not stray too far from that. Sleeping in late on the weekends will reset your circadian rhythms and have you playing catch up till Wednesday of the next week. The last few tips most of you probably already know. No coffee or any caffeinated drinks late in the day. Alcohol really screws with the sleep cycle, and again late night TV stimulates the brain and makes it harder to get to sleep.


It's a long post with a lot to think about, but for your blog this week I want you to answer 2 questions.

1. On average, how much sleep are you currently getting?

2. What are circadian rhythms?

Period 8 Blog 2.4 Sleep

In our approach to health and fitness we focus on three key factors, movement, nutrition, and recovery. We have already talked about movement and nutrition and we will return to both of those soon, but this week we are talking about recovery and more specifically, sleep.

How much are you getting and what is the quality of the sleep you are getting? If you are like most teenagers, 5 hours seems to be the norm and it is looked upon like a merit badge if you can function on less. But the truth is the price you are paying for this is high and the time that is saved by cutting sleep is often paid back in the form of disease. Several studies have shown how quickly sleep deprivation effects just about every bodily system and can contribute to stress, inflammation, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Other studies have shown the symptoms of sleep deprivation mirror those of ADD/ADHD and can lead to a misdiagnosis in teens.

Most people know this and somehow on their cost/benefit analysis still think it's worth it. Let me add one more component that may sway the scale. Lack of sleep has a strong link to an individuals ability to lose body fat. More specifically ongoing sleep deprivation has been linked to increased body fat retention and obesity. I found the following scale in an article on the web site Mercola.

The recommended amount of sleep per night is seven to nine hours; however, most Americans average somewhere around six. Researchers found that the further away one is from getting the recommended hours of sleep, the higher their risk of obesity is.
Lack of Sleep and the Obesity Connection
Less than four hours: 73 percent risk
Five hours of sleep: 50 percent risk
Six hours of sleep: 23 percent risk

A quick google search will provide you with study after study showing that lack of sleep leads to insulin resistance, decreased leptin levels (leptin is a blood protein that suppresses the appetite and helps the brain sense when you are full) and increased cortisol levels (an ugly stress hormone that among other bad things increases blood sugar). All of these processes combine to lock fat into your cells and prevent you from shedding fat and using it as an energy source.

What can you do about it? Treat sleep the same way you treat your diet. It is almost as important. Set a time to get into bed that will allow for, at the very least, 7 hours of sleep, preferably more. Make your bedroom a cool dark sanctuary. There should be only one thing going on in your bed, sleep. Watching TV, in bed, is a huge hindrance to deep sleep. Get all electrical and lighted devices away from your bed. When the lights are off, you should not be able to see your hand in front of your face. Try to standardize your schedule. If you have to get up at 5am during the week, try to make your wake-up time during the weekend not stray too far from that. Sleeping in late on the weekends will reset your circadian rhythms and have you playing catch up till Wednesday of the next week. The last few tips most of you probably already know. No coffee or any caffeinated drinks late in the day. Alcohol really screws with the sleep cycle, and again late night TV stimulates the brain and makes it harder to get to sleep.


It's a long post with a lot to think about, but for your blog this week I want you to answer 2 questions.

1. On average, how much sleep are you currently getting?

2. What are circadian rhythms?

Period 3 Blog 2.3 Putting it all Together

We have spent the past month looking at what happens when you eat. Now I want you to put what you have learned into practice. This blog will cover this week and next and will end our focus on nutrition. I want you to design a well balanced, healthy, Thanksgiving meal. Take into account what your family normally has on Thanksgiving and use that to set yourself up for success this Thanksgiving. For your blog, I want you to use what you have learned about macronutrients and the need for balance to describe for me what your, healthy, Thanksgiving meal will look like. Once you have your meal described go ahead and tell me what you are going to have for desert, because I know you are going to have it.


This is make believe, but feel free to put it into practice this year. Instead of lying on the couch in a carb induced coma after dinner, you will be bouncing around the house helping your parents with the dishes. They will wonder what happened to the "real you" and you can explain everything you learned about nutrition to them.

Period 5 Blog 2.3 Putting it all Together

We have spent the past month looking at what happens when you eat. Now I want you to put what you have learned into practice. This blog will cover this week and next and will end our focus on nutrition. I want you to design a well balanced, healthy, Thanksgiving meal. Take into account what your family normally has on Thanksgiving and use that to set yourself up for success this Thanksgiving. For your blog, I want you to use what you have learned about macronutrients and the need for balance to describe for me what your, healthy, Thanksgiving meal will look like. Once you have your meal described go ahead and tell me what you are going to have for desert, because I know you are going to have it.


This is make believe, but feel free to put it into practice this year. Instead of lying on the couch in a carb induced coma after dinner, you will be bouncing around the house helping your parents with the dishes. They will wonder what happened to the "real you" and you can explain everything you learned about nutrition to them.

Period 7 Blog 2.3 Putting it all Together

We have spent the past month looking at what happens when you eat. Now I want you to put what you have learned into practice. This blog will cover this week and next and will end our focus on nutrition. I want you to design a well balanced, healthy, Thanksgiving meal. Take into account what your family normally has on Thanksgiving and use that to set yourself up for success this Thanksgiving. For your blog, I want you to use what you have learned about macronutrients and the need for balance to describe for me what your, healthy, Thanksgiving meal will look like. Once you have your meal described go ahead and tell me what you are going to have for desert, because I know you are going to have it.


This is make believe, but feel free to put it into practice this year. Instead of lying on the couch in a carb induced coma after dinner, you will be bouncing around the house helping your parents with the dishes. They will wonder what happened to the "real you" and you can explain everything you learned about nutrition to them.

Period 8 Blog 2.3 Putting it into Practice: Thanksgiving

We have spent the past month looking at what happens when you eat. Now I want you to put what you have learned into practice. This blog will cover this week and next and will end our focus on nutrition. I want you to design a well balanced, healthy, Thanksgiving meal. Take into account what your family normally has on Thanksgiving and use that to set yourself up for success this Thanksgiving. For your blog, I want you to use what you have learned about macronutrients and the need for balance to describe for me what your, healthy, Thanksgiving meal will look like. Once you have your meal described go ahead and tell me what you are going to have for desert, because I know you are going to have it.


This is make believe, but feel free to put it into practice this year. Instead of lying on the couch in a carb induced coma after dinner, you will be bouncing around the house helping your parents with the dishes. They will wonder what happened to the "real you" and you can explain everything you learned about nutrition to them.

Period 5 Blog 2.2 Sugar and Swine

Most of you seem to get that high glycemic, and processed carbohydrates are bad for you. In the short term they cause crazy energy fluctuations and long term a host of issues like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. This all happens because the body breaks down these foods so rapidly into blood sugar. What happens when you eat straight sugar? I'm talking about all that Halloween candy you are still working your way through?

Research has shown that rapid ingestion of sugar impairs the function of immunity related phagocytes(white-blood cells that fight germs and infection) for up to 5 hours after a sugar binge.

For this weeks blog, I want you to tell me what you can cut out of your diet this flu season to help keep your immune system running at it's best.

Period 3 Blog 2.2 Sugar and Swine

Most of you seem to get that high glycemic, and processed carbohydrates are bad for you. In the short term they cause crazy energy fluctuations and long term a host of issues like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. This all happens because the body breaks down these foods so rapidly into blood sugar. What happens when you eat straight sugar? I'm talking about all that Halloween candy you are still working your way through?

Research has shown that rapid ingestion of sugar impairs the function of immunity related phagocytes(white-blood cells that fight germs and infection) for up to 5 hours after a sugar binge.

For this weeks blog, I want you to tell me what you can cut out of your diet this flu season to help keep your immune system running at it's best.

Period 7 Bolg 2.2 Sugar & Swine

Most of you seem to get that high glycemic, and processed carbohydrates are bad for you. In the short term they cause crazy energy fluctuations and long term a host of issues like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. This all happens because the body breaks down these foods so rapidly into blood sugar. What happens when you eat straight sugar? I'm talking about all that Halloween candy you are still working your way through?

Research has shown that rapid ingestion of sugar impairs the function of immunity related phagocytes(white-blood cells that fight germs and infection) for up to 5 hours after a sugar binge.

For this weeks blog, I want you to tell me what you can cut out of your diet this flu season to help keep your immune system running at it's best.

Period 8 Blog 2.2 Sugar & Swine

Most of you seem to get that high glycemic, and processed carbohydrates are bad for you. In the short term they cause crazy energy fluctuations and long term a host of issues like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. This all happens because the body breaks down these foods so rapidly into blood sugar. What happens when you eat straight sugar? I'm talking about all that Halloween candy you are still working your way through?

Research has shown that rapid ingestion of sugar impairs the function of immunity related phagocytes(white-blood cells that fight germs and infection) for up to 5 hours after a sugar binge.

For this weeks blog, I want you to tell me what you can cut out of your diet this flu season to help keep your immune system running at it's best.

Period 5 Blog 2.1 Carb Crazy!

It seems, from the last post, that most of us are going carb crazy. Many of you have thought about ways to fit protein and fats into your breakfast. This is a good thing. Now you need to look at the rest of your meals and see if you are balancing your meals throughout the day. What happens when we eat all carbohydrate meals?

Let’s look at the digestive process. Everything that you eat gets converted by the digestive system into blood glucose so that it can be used by the body as energy. Proteins and fats take longer to convert and raise the blood glucose levels at a slower rate (this is good). Carbohydrates are converted much more rapidly causing spikes in blood sugar levels. Simple and processed carbohydrates(most of the breakfast food you are eating) cause much more rapid spikes. Grains and sugar are what we are looking to avoid. Most of the carbohydrates you are consuming now are made from grains. Think pizza, pasta, bread, cereal, and any form of processed food. Most processed foods are made from refined grains, starches, and sugars. They are high-glycemic, meaning they cause large swings in blood sugar levels and are associated with greater risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic health problems. Consider this chain of events: A high glycemic food such as a sugary cereal, or wheat bread is consumed; this causes blood sugar levels to skyrocket, as a result, insulin levels are increased and blood sugar levels are decreased to levels lower than before you consumed the high glycemic carbohydrate (resulting in a feeling of sluggishness), because of this chain of events, the liver is forced to produce higher triglyceride levels which increase cholesterol, the kidneys retain sodium which causes fluid retention, the final result is an increase in blood pressure, Inflammation and hypertension. Vegetables and fruits are carbohydrates that are broken down more slowly by the digestive system and cause a slower rise in blood sugar.

I know this was a long one so I am checking for understanding. For this weeks blog, let me know, in your own words, why high glycemic carbohydrates are a bad food choice.

Period 3 Blog 2.1 Carb Crazy

It seems, from the last post, that most of us are going carb crazy. Many of you have thought about ways to fit protein and fats into your breakfast. This is a good thing. Now you need to look at the rest of your meals and see if you are balancing your meals throughout the day. What happens when we eat all carbohydrate meals?

Let’s look at the digestive process. Everything that you eat gets converted by the digestive system into blood glucose so that it can be used by the body as energy. Proteins and fats take longer to convert and raise the blood glucose levels at a slower rate (this is good). Carbohydrates are converted much more rapidly causing spikes in blood sugar levels. Simple and processed carbohydrates(most of the breakfast food you are eating) cause much more rapid spikes. Grains and sugar are what we are looking to avoid. Most of the carbohydrates you are consuming now are made from grains. Think pizza, pasta, bread, cereal, and any form of processed food. Most processed foods are made from refined grains, starches, and sugars. They are high-glycemic, meaning they cause large swings in blood sugar levels and are associated with greater risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic health problems. Consider this chain of events: A high glycemic food such as a sugary cereal, or wheat bread is consumed; this causes blood sugar levels to skyrocket, as a result, insulin levels are increased and blood sugar levels are decreased to levels lower than before you consumed the high glycemic carbohydrate (resulting in a feeling of sluggishness), because of this chain of events, the liver is forced to produce higher triglyceride levels which increase cholesterol, the kidneys retain sodium which causes fluid retention, the final result is an increase in blood pressure, Inflammation and hypertension. Vegetables and fruits are carbohydrates that are broken down more slowly by the digestive system and cause a slower rise in blood sugar.

I know this was a long one so I am checking for understanding. For this weeks blog, let me know, in your own words, why high glycemic carbohydrates are a bad food choice.

Period 7 Blog 2.1 Carb Crazy!

It seems, from the last post, that most of us are going carb crazy. Many of you have thought about ways to fit protein and fats into your breakfast. This is a good thing. Now you need to look at the rest of your meals and see if you are balancing your meals throughout the day. What happens when we eat all carbohydrate meals?

Let’s look at the digestive process. Everything that you eat gets converted by the digestive system into blood glucose so that it can be used by the body as energy. Proteins and fats take longer to convert and raise the blood glucose levels at a slower rate (this is good). Carbohydrates are converted much more rapidly causing spikes in blood sugar levels. Simple and processed carbohydrates(most of the breakfast food you are eating) cause much more rapid spikes. Grains and sugar are what we are looking to avoid. Most of the carbohydrates you are consuming now are made from grains. Think pizza, pasta, bread, cereal, and any form of processed food. Most processed foods are made from refined grains, starches, and sugars. They are high-glycemic, meaning they cause large swings in blood sugar levels and are associated with greater risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic health problems. Consider this chain of events: A high glycemic food such as a sugary cereal, or wheat bread is consumed; this causes blood sugar levels to skyrocket, as a result, insulin levels are increased and blood sugar levels are decreased to levels lower than before you consumed the high glycemic carbohydrate (resulting in a feeling of sluggishness), because of this chain of events, the liver is forced to produce higher triglyceride levels which increase cholesterol, the kidneys retain sodium which causes fluid retention, the final result is an increase in blood pressure, Inflammation and hypertension. Vegetables and fruits are carbohydrates that are broken down more slowly by the digestive system and cause a slower rise in blood sugar.

I know this was a long one so I am checking for understanding. For this weeks blog, let me know, in your own words, why high glycemic carbohydrates are a bad food choice.

Period 8 Blog 2.1 Carb Crazy!

It seems, from the last post, that most of us are going carb crazy. Many of you have thought about ways to fit protein and fats into your breakfast. This is a good thing. Now you need to look at the rest of your meals and see if you are balancing your meals throughout the day. What happens when we eat all carbohydrate meals?

Let’s look at the digestive process. Everything that you eat gets converted by the digestive system into blood glucose so that it can be used by the body as energy. Proteins and fats take longer to convert and raise the blood glucose levels at a slower rate (this is good). Carbohydrates are converted much more rapidly causing spikes in blood sugar levels. Simple and processed carbohydrates(most of the breakfast food you are eating) cause much more rapid spikes. Grains and sugar are what we are looking to avoid. Most of the carbohydrates you are consuming now are made from grains. Think pizza, pasta, bread, cereal, and any form of processed food. Most processed foods are made from refined grains, starches, and sugars. They are high-glycemic, meaning they cause large swings in blood sugar levels and are associated with greater risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic health problems. Consider this chain of events: A high glycemic food such as a sugary cereal, or wheat bread is consumed; this causes blood sugar levels to skyrocket, as a result, insulin levels are increased and blood sugar levels are decreased to levels lower than before you consumed the high glycemic carbohydrate (resulting in a feeling of sluggishness), because of this chain of events, the liver is forced to produce higher triglyceride levels which increase cholesterol, the kidneys retain sodium which causes fluid retention, the final result is an increase in blood pressure, Inflammation and hypertension. Vegetables and fruits are carbohydrates that are broken down more slowly by the digestive system and cause a slower rise in blood sugar.

I know this was a long one so I am checking for understanding. For this weeks blog, let me know, in your own words, why high glycemic carbohydrates are a bad food choice.