It kills the small stuff, but it's fine for us! Right?

Agricultural pesticide use has been on the rise, and in light of what the function is, I can’t help to think that if pesticides kill little organisms quickly, what do pesticides do do big organisms long term? It may be negligible in small amounts, but with the steady increases in use since the 90′s due to Genetically Engineered crops, we have to question what effect these chemicals are having on our physiologies.

Some reports suggest that regular exposure to pesticides may cause a long list of  health concerns from endocrine system disorders all the way up to certain cancers. Some people in the pesticide business say these claims aren’t proven, I say I’d rather err on the side of caution and reduce, if not eliminate  all exposure if possible.

Buying certified organic drastically reduces your exposure to potentially harmful chemical pesticides. Buying all of your produce organic however, is cost prohibitive to many American families. Some particular items of produce have more pesticide exposure than others, so to help you choose wisely, we put together 2 lists to take with you the next time you go shopping to reduce your exposure to pesticides, and shop healthier for your family.

The “Dirty Dozen (highest pesticide exposure, buy organic everytime):

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines
7. Grapes
8. Sweet Bell Peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/Collard Greens

The "Golden Goose"? Get your sleep...

In Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he talks about the P/PC Balance, shorthand for Production vs. Production Capability. We all must have balance to succeed in fitness and other areas of our lives. To illustrate his point he tells the fable of the goose that laid golden eggs. In the fable, a farmer has a goose that suddenly begins laying golden eggs–a resource with obvious benefit to the farmer. But like so many of us, the farmer got greedy. One golden egg a day wasn’t good enough. The farmer asked himself: what if I cut open the goose and get all the eggs at once? You know the rest: the farmer killed the goose, AND lost his source of golden eggs for good.

So what does this have to do with sleep?

Simple: you might liken your ability to produce muscle and burn fat to the goose’s ability to lay golden eggs–get greedy, expect too much all at once, or over train–and you won’t be able to produce any more muscle or burn any more fat.

Think of it this way: Muscle building and fat-burning represent production. Taking care of yourself by getting enough sleep (as well as eating right, and keeping a positive attitude) represents production capability. It takes both!

So how much sleep should you get? Well, this is largely an individual thing, but here are some observations:

1) Doctors recommend at least 8 hours per night for the average individual.
2) Athletes at the top of their game often sleep 10 hours per night.
3) Some people claim that they get by on much less just fine–as low as 5 hours per night.
4) Just because you can get by on less sleep doesn’t mean it’s the best thing for you.
5) Finally, sleep is absolutely NECESSARY for muscles to repair from a workout. If you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t make much progress.

It’s a simple tip, but getting enough sleep will keep you on the path of progress.

Chad smith is a Hagerstown personal trainer, columnist, radio personality, and co-owner of Home Team Fitness Training. Visit http://www.hometeamfitness.net or find him on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hometeamfitness.

Kids are off to school…finally!

Finally those little boogers are off to school and it’s time to reclaim your time. You’ve been meaning to get back into shape all summer, but the same excuses kept getting in the way. Well you see that big yellow bus pulling away from the corner? Yeah, that was your last excuse pulling into traffic. Now that your entire day is free, are you going to get your butt back into shape, or meet your friends fora 550 calorie latte and complain how “fluffy” you feel?

Fun times with Dad…

I was raised by a single mother who did the best she could to raise me to be a man of good moral character, and respected social standing. My dad and her were never an item, so I spent most of my life without a regular male figure in my life as she wasn’t in a hurry to replace him. Throughout my life, I had a few “father figures” like older male relatives, friends fathers, coaches, etc that I gained bits and pieces of information on how a man should move in this world. Often these bits of information weren’t the best, but it was really all I had.