Insomnia and not getting enough beauty sleep is a common problem among many Americans. One way to fight those toss and turns is to be more conscience of what you consume before you go to sleep. Indulging on chocolate and desserts and intaking alcohol and nicotine make you more prone to be lying in bed, awake, staring at the ceiling. Also, if you do wake up in the middle of the night drink a glass of water. The water will fill you up and keep you hydrated during those (hopefully) eight hours of sleep.

Do you want buns of steel? Do squats! Squats work like magic. If you do them often and correctly you well have a new and improved toosh.

The main muscles targeted by a squat are: quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors and lower back. If you are rusty on performing squats then you will mostly feel it in your quadriceps and upper thighs. As you become stronger, you will feel the different muscles in your lower body working.

Here is my usual squat routine:

Singles for the count of 8
Pulse on the 8th for 12 seconds
Shoot back up and repeat 3 times

Down for 2 up for 2 (4x’s)
Down for 4 up for 1 (4x’s)
Down for 1 up for 4 (4x’s)
Down for 6 up for 1 (4x’s)
Down for 1 up for 6 (4x’s)
Singles for 8
Pulse on 8th

To Target Inner Thighs:
Point your toes out to the sides of the room and keep your legs shoulder width apart.

Begin with singles for the count of 8
Pulse on the 8th for 12 seconds
Lift your right heel
Singles for 8
Pulse for 12 seconds
Drop your left heel and lift your right heel
Singles for 8 pulse on the 8th for 12 seconds
Lift both heels up
Singles for 8 pulse on 8th for 12 seconds
Repeat 3 times

Squating Tips:
To make your exercise a little more challenging add dumbbells at your sides or hold a body bar behind your head, supported by your shoulders.

Make sure your knees DO NOT go pass your feet.
Keep your back straight and your core tight
Don’t forget to breathe

Good flexibility in the joints can help prevent injuries through all stages of life. If you want to improve your flexibility, try activities that lengthen the muscles such as swimming or basic stretching.

The clock is ticking and you didn’t even eat your breakfast (the most important meal of the day)! If you pressed the snooze button one too many times, breakfast shouldn’t be your morning sacrifice. I’m not saying you have to sit down and have a continental breakfast but, at least eat something nutritious to get your metabolism going.

You should eat a food high in fiber so you stay full longer. Such as: whole wheat toast, bagel or english muffin. A granola bar, a handful of almonds or oatmeal. I would suggest to eat a banana as well. Bananas are filling and full of sugars and fiber which will give immediate and slightly prolonged source of energy.

If you aren’t worried about a few crumbs in the car, grab your replacement breakfast eat up! Your body will thank you in the end.

Repetitiveness at the gym can lead to boredom. Here are five ways to make your gym experience worth while.

1. Download new and up beat music to your ipod, mp3 player, discman, etc. By listening to the same music over and over again you will end up tuning it out. Check out for the latest music hits on MTV.
2. Buy new gym apparel. Everyone loves getting new clothes and showing them off. So drop a few bucks and strut your stuff. Who knows you might catch a significant others attention!
3. Mix up your workout routine. While doing cardio, try alternating between the various machines, weight, time, resistance and incline.
4. Leave your comfort zone and try new activities. Try yoga, pilates, kick boxing, salsa dancing or even jujitsu.
5. Go out to the recreational fields in your town with your friends and family and play some competitive sports. Try playing basketball, tennis, soccer, baseball, etc. (your inner competitiveness will push you a little harder–you know you don’t want to lose)

Strength training is important for cardiac health because the risk of heart disease is lower when the body is leaner.