Sleep-deprived people eat more snacks. Inadequate sleep is linked to obesity, but scientists aren’t sure why. Arlet Nedeltcheva and co-workers from the University of Chicago found that appetite and food intake from snacks increased more following sleep deprivation (5.5 hours of sleep per night) than normal sleep (8.5 hours). Eleven middle-aged adults lived in a sleep laboratory for 14 days and had free access to goodtasting food. During their stay, they were allowed long and short sleeps.

Sleep duration did not affect caloric intake during meals. However, people ate 221 more calories and 4 percent more carbohydrates per day from snacks following sleep deprivation. Energy expenditure (metabolism plus physical activity) was the same on long and short sleep days.

People eat more snacks when they don’t get enough sleep, which promotes obesity. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 89: 126-133, 2009)

Energy metabolism works through a series of coupled reactions. This means that energy released by breaking down fats, carbohydrates and proteins is captured in other reactions such as making ATP (a high energy chemical) or storing fats and carbohydrates.

Uncoupling occurs when the energy from food breakdown is released as heat instead of being captured as ATP. The cell mitochondria (cell energy centers) contain uncoupling proteins such as UCP1, which convert energy directly into heat. All mitochondria contain UCP1, but they are particularly concentrated in brown fat. The body has evolved to store energy (fat) efficiently, but developed the ability to generate heat through uncoupling to protect itself from cold and hypothermia (drop in body temperature).

Fat surrounding the organs, particularly in the abdomen, decreases metabolic health, which can lead to heart attack, diabetes and stroke. Heart fat (epicardial fat) restricts movement of the heart and increases blood pressure. Abdominal fat promotes insulin resistance, which interferes with important chemicals that regulate blood flow and blood pressure.

A Japanese study found that 12 weeks of endurance training (three times a week for 60 minutes) decreased abdominal and epicardial fat. Blood pressure decreased in direct proportion to decreases in heart fat. Exercise is an effective technique for decreasing abdominal and heart fat and improving metabolic health. (Journal of Applied Physiology, 106: 5-11, 2009)

Caffeine Works Faster In Men Than In Women

Ninety percent of Americans consume caffeine every day in one form or another. Most people drink coffee, tea or other caffeinated beverages as pick-me-ups to increase alertness, or consume them as weight-loss supplements to lose body fat. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that improves wakefulness, alertness and some types of athletic performance. It affects some people more than others, depending on tolerance, body size and gender.

A University of Barcelona (Spain) study showed that caffeine had a greater, faster effect in men than women. The scientists measured the short-term (first 30 minutes) and long-term (rest of the day) effects of caffeine ingestion in nearly 700 college students. Coffee increased alertness within 45 minutes, but the effects were greater in men than women. Decaffeinated coffee also increased alertness, although the effects were less than regular coffee.

In most people, the effects of caffeine last for 2-3 hours, but can last as long as 10-12 hours in pregnant women and in people with liver disease. (Progress in Neuro- Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 32: 1698 DO, 2008)

Green Tea Decreases Abdominal Fat

Green tea is a popular weight-loss supplement that also improves blood sugar regulation and influences fat cell turnover. While it is not a magic bullet that instantly improves metabolic health, it helps. Kevin Maki from the Provident Clinical Research, in Bloomington, Indiana showed decreases in total abdominal fat, subcutaneous abdominal fat (under the skin), and blood triglycerides (blood fats) in people consuming a green tea beverage containing 625 mg of atechins and 39 mg of caffeine for 12 weeks, compared to a placebo (green tea without catechins or caffeine). The people also did 180 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise.

Caffeine and catechins–particularly epigallocatechin-3-gallate– speed metabolism and fight fat. Other studies found that green tea extract increased the conversion of testosterone to estrogen in fat cells, which might have negative effects in guys who are trying to get huge and ultraripped. Green tea is an effective fat fighter that complements the effects of exercise. However, some people should use it with caution. (Journal of Nutrition, 139: 264-270, 2009; Journal of Nutrition, 138: 2156-2163, 2008)

Meltdown is a weight-loss supplement that includes synephrine, caffeine, phenylethylamine, yohimbine, and hordenine. Each of these substances is thermogenic (increases caloric expenditure). A study by Jay Hoffman and co-workers showed that Meltdown increased resting caloric expenditure by 20 percent for several hours.

Another study by Darryn Willoughby from Baylor University and colleagues found that Meltdown increased caloric expenditure and fat burning before and after a short, maximal bout of exercise in college-age men. They rested one hour, took three Meltdown capsules (500 mg) or a placebo (fake Meltdown), rested another hour, took a maximal treadmill test (approximately 12 minutes of exercise to exhaustion) and then rested another hour. Meltdown increased caloric expenditure by 10 percent during the 2-hour experimental period (rest + exercise + rest) and increased estimated fat use by 6 percent. Blood pressure and heart rate were similar between Meltdown and placebo.

Meltdown increases metabolic rate at rest and during recovery from exercise without imposing additional loads on the cardiovascular system. (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 5: 23, 2008)

Many people do exercises such as squats and lunges on unstable platforms such as BOSU balls, wobble boards and Swiss balls. The theory behind instability training is that the body must activate more muscle fibers to maintain balance during the exercises. People exert less force when doing large-muscle exercises on unstable surfaces. However, the method would be useful if it improved balance and stability during sports movements, which would improve performance and prevent injuries. Researchers from the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada found that many instability-training devices did not cause additional muscle activation in experienced weight-trained athletes. They measured muscle activity in the calf, thigh, abdomen and spine while the athletes stood or squatted on a Dyna Disc, BOSU ball, wobble board, Swiss ball or a stable floor. They also measured muscle activation during standard lower body exercises performed on the floor or unstable Dyna Disc and during static wall-sits on the floor or BOSU ball. They only showed increased muscle activation on Swiss balls and wobble boards, which provided the most instability. The study showed that trained athletes need highly unstable surfaces to recruit additional muscle groups during standard exercises. (Journal Strength Conditioning Research, 22: 1360-1370, 2008)

Recently, I notice an interesting poll when I was browsing through Men’s Health. The most common breakup reasons why women dumped men are as follows:

- He cheated on me

- We weren’t compatible

- He changed

When women end relationship, we always want a reason or two. We want to know what is the cause that make the break up. So, here are to name a few:

I am bored: Maybe you don’t make her feel the ride, so she doesn’t feel any spark between you two. Not adventurous enough I guess.

One of Us Was Too Serious: This could be as simple as she wanted to see me three times a week, and I only wanted to see him once a week. If he's flirting with other women, flighty, or not as into it as I am, then I'm too serious for him.

Burnout: I'm a big believer in pacing and rhythm in dating. A relationship can suffer burnout if certain milestones occur too fast: Being exclusive, sex, meeting parents. When that happens, I get that feeling the colonists must have gotten after they won the Revolutionary War: "Ok, we did it...so now what?"

I Was Tempted To Cheat: I do my best not to cheat, so when I have recurring urges to cheat on my boyfriend, I figure it's time to break up with him. I don't need to go through with cheating; the constant urge is enough for me to end things.

Coaches and athletes use continuous, over-distance training and interval training to build aerobic capacity– the ability to transport and use oxygen. Continuous over-distance training is running a specific distance without stopping, while interval training is repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise interrupted by short rest periods. Australian scientists, in a study comparing interval and over-distance workouts with the same average metabolic load, found that interval training produced the highest levels of peak oxygen consumption. They concluded that interval training was a more powerful stimulus for increasing aerobic fitness. Canadian studies found that short bouts of maximal intensity exercise built high levels of fitness quickly. Six sessions of high intensity interval training on a stationary bike increased muscle oxidative capacity (citrate synthase) by almost 50 percent, muscle glycogen by 20 percent and cycling endurance capacity by 100 percent.