I have done a lot of research on both pomegranate and acai berries and have found many very interesting facts. While some people are skeptical about the benefits of either (or both), they really do exist. There are supplements for each, but they are also both real foods. The one thing I love about supplements is this: You can try the product and get the benefits before buying it. That way you can tell if you really do want to spend your money on something. Here is a little outline of the products and then an explanation of which I think is better, and why.

Acai Berries - Purple and Powerful

Acai berries are great. They have been mentioned on more shows, websites, and news stations than I can even begin to list. Most notably, however, is the article that Dr. Perricone wrote/spoke about on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Dr. Perricone explains how acai is actually his #1 ranked superfood. He went on to explain the following benefits in acai berries:

1. Acai Berries contain 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and 10 to 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine. These are very effective to help combat premature aging.
2. They contain monounsaturated (healthy) fats, dietary fiber, and phytosterols to help promote cardiovascular and digestive health.
3. An almost perfect essential amino acid complex in conjunction with valuable trace minerals, vital to proper muscle contraction and regeneration.

I’d say there are definitely some benefits to consuming acai berries. However, there are a few reasons why pomegranates are better than acai berries, at least in terms of antioxidants.

Pomegranates - Red and Robust

Pomegranate health benefits include many of the same things that acai berries do. In a study done by one of the premier pomegranate juice companies, it was actually proven that pomegranate juice outranked the antioxidant power of acai berries. With that, pomegranates must contain at least 10 times the antioxidants of red grapes and upwards of 30 or more times the anthocyanins of red wine.

My Rating

Pomegranate > Acai Berries

Not only the antioxidants, but the fact that pomegranate is more well known for its disease fighting and prevention, it’s hard to overlook. While the benefits are definitely there, the pomegranate health benefits definitely outweight those of the acai berry.

Personally, after a day of life, an hour of exercise, or just to freshen up, there is no greater feeling than a nice, warm, relaxing shower. However, there are times when a cold shower does the trick as well. Who would have thought there would be a “better” temperature to cleanse yourself at? While warm is soothing and relaxing, cold showers can help with energy and reduce pain.

How I Normally Shower

Typically, I shower after I exercise which means I am warm and sweaty. I usually get in and the temperature is mild-warm. I wash and periodically (every minute or so) I will turn the temperature of the water down (cooler). Eventually, after about 5 minutes or so, the water is rather cool and I am feeling more refreshed already. Sometimes, I even turn the water “ice cold” for about 1 minute or so at the end of the shower and that really jolts me. I feel very awake and ready to go about my activities afterwards.

Sometimes, after intense workouts, I don’t even turn the shower on warm. I get in cold and make it colder. Here are some benefits from taking a cold shower:

- Helps circulate blood

- Cleans the circulatory system

- Reduces blood pressure on internal organs

- Contracts the muscles to eliminate toxins and wastes

- Provides new blood to the organs, helping recovery

Most athletes take ice baths or showers after workouts because of these tremendous benefits. If you are a healthy individual, give a cold shower a try. You will feel more energetic and fresh than from taking a warm shower, I know I do!

NOTE: Consult your doctor if you have *any* health or cardiovascular problems, because the sudden chill can cause a spike in blood pressure.

I have been doing a lot of research on flexibility and the importance of it lately because I thought I had a torn hamstring. However, some of the symptoms just didn’t add up so I did further research. The first diagnosis I gave myself was then sciatica. Again, some of those symptoms didn’t fit so I looked further. Finally, I decided it had to be piriformis syndrome. Directly from Wikipedia:

Piriformis syndrome is a neuromuscular disorder that occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed or otherwise irritated by the piriformis muscle. This causes pain, tingling and numbness in the buttocks and along the course of the sciatic nerve. The syndrome may result from anatomical variations in the muscle-nerve relationship, or from overuse or strain.

I haven’t been doing much lower body exercise for the past few months because anytime I do it just irritates my leg even more. One of the reasons why I finally ruled out hamstring injury (I hope) is that I cannot pinpoint what happened to cause it. Normally, with muscle injuries, there is one instance when you can say “yep - I remember tweaking it and that’s when it happened” - However, no such thing happened with my leg.

Anyways, the point is that regardless of the issue, whether it be a muscle strain/tear, sciatica, or piriformis syndrome the treatment is the same: stretch! There are definitely times when this can be detrimental though. You should NEVER cold stretch. That is how further injury occurs and there is nothing that you will gain from cold stretching aside from further pain.

A simple routine for stretching is as follows:

Warm-up (5-10 minutes): walk/light jog, jumping jacks, etc.
Exercise (Personal duration): Lifting, cardio, sports, etc.
Cool-down (5-10 minutes): walk/light jog - Bring your heart rate down
Stretching (15-30 minutes): Stretch your major muscle groups 2-4 times each, 15-30seconds per rep.

That is a very basic layout of how you could go about exercising and effectively implementing a stretching program. You should be stretching for flexibility after exercise and upwards of 5-7 times per week, multiple times per day if you choose. Be sure to back off on stretches when you feel pain.

As always, check with a professional before performing any exercise or implementing an exercise program or changes into your daily routine.

As with anything, too much is not always good. Whether it be eating, working out, or sleeping. You ever notice how if you get 6-10 hours of sleep you feel well rested, but if you get 12+ you still feel tired? Oversleeping can have the same effects that undersleeping can! Due to busy schedules, many people (like myself) are only getting 4-7 hours of sleep per night. This is NOT healthy! I do everything I can to get more sleep, but since I have to wake up early, I don’t always find myself ready to sleep before 10PM.

What Can You Do?

Powernaps. A powernap is essentially that; a quick nap (15-20 minutes) that powers you up. You should take caffeine (pills, coffee, soft drink) before your nap, and then rest for 15-20 minutes. After sleeping, the caffeine will kick in and you will have a little rest - you will feel like a new person, I can personally attest to this. It is such a great feeling, and even better than a regular nap. CAUTION: Don’t take 400mg of caffeine and then do this if you normally only drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day. You will be jittery and uncomfortable.

That is a quick and easy way to “catch up” on lost sleep.

Overtraining

In some cases, working out too much is worse for you than working out at all. Your body needs rest. Especially if you are on an intense workout regime, I would suggest only exercising 3-4 times per week to start. Once you build up you can work out 5-6 (I would suggest only 5), but NEVER work out each day of the week. Use at least one day as a “lazy” day. Sunday is usually a person’s day of choice. Whether you like to sit around and watch football, lay in bed most of the day, or lounge on the computer, try to keep one day a week to do literally as little physical labor as possible. NOTE: This is when your workout days are extremely intense and you will probably be sore and working to recover still. If you are on a normal training program, this still applies, but not as intensely.

If you overtrain, you should notice that you are not making strength, muscle, or size gains that you think you should be making. You will also be worn down and more prone to get sick, as you are continuously breaking down your immune system.

Double overtraining with lack of sleep, and you have a very sad panda when it comes to your health.

Eat moderately, train moderately, and sleep moderately. Moderation is key. Keep a balance in your life, and your body, brain, and friends will thank you.

Many people are looking for ways that do not take a lot of time or effort to increase quality of life and/or work on losing weight. Many people don’t realize how many small changes can be made that, when combined, can make for a big difference. Although proper diet and an exercise program would be ideal, bringing in these various changes will definitely augment your weight loss or healthy lifestyle goals.

1. Park at the end of the parking lot and walk - Not only will this cause you to walk more on the way in, but when you push your cart out at the end of your trip you are doing even more work. Also, you don’t have to sit there and wait for 5 minutes to get a close spot. In fact, you will probably notice that you will get into the store before those people sitting waiting for a spot. Also, if you don’t want people to park by your car, this is an idea that I see people with nice cars using every day. Don’t be lazy!

2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator - I used to live on the 12th floor and would sometimes take the stairs (run or walk) to my room. Aside from a quick and easy workout, if you live on floors 1-5 I would recommend doing this all the time. The people going to 12+ are usually annoyed when there are lazy people stopping at the 3rd floor because they do not want to walk it.

3. Find reasons to be active - If you have breaks at work, take a walk around your work complex instead of sitting in the break room. You can probably find a friend who would walk with you, and you can walk and talk at the same time!

4. Log your activities - If you write down the exercise you did the previous day, and understand how you did it, you can work on improving or continuing your success. Then you can set goals and really work on creating a healthy lifestyle!

5. Get into a habit - If you make it a habit to walk up the stairs, eventually you will notice that you don’t even think about taking the elevator. Granted, if you have bags of groceries or are carrying something you might use the elevator, but even then you can try the stairs!

As you can see, it really is easy to increase your exercise every day. You can work on each and every one of the steps every single day, and before you know it, you will want to walk to the store instead of drive! Well, maybe not, but you will notice that you feel healthier, feel more active, and will soon question how you used to live such a “lazy” lifestyle.

Is there anything else you do to work on daily exercise that doesn’t include a workout program?