Where In The World Should I Go For Vacation?

July 2, 2014June 28, 2014drstaceynaito 3 Comments

I have been chomping at the bit to take a much-needed vacation. I have not had a bona fide vacation since 2007 and long to spend a week somewhere that offers relaxation, adventure, culture, and which finally gives me a chance to catch my breath from the hustle and bustle of a life that is full of activity and responsibility. Everyone needs this kind of break!

I think because I have waited so long to give myself permission to go anywhere for fun, my brain is getting flooded with all the places I have longed to visit. One criterion which I have established in my determination of where to go is that it must be a place I have not yet visited, and it must be outside of the United States. Out of habit I have included the IFBB Tijuana Pro as part of my travel plans despite the fact that this is a competition and thus not a vacation destination on my list.

My desire to go somewhere I have not yet been rules out the following countries: England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece and Turkey. But that’s only eight countries out of a relatively long list of countries I would love to visit. One question I have entertained is, do I visit a country of my origin? That is relatively easy since my heritage stems from only two countries: Japan and Hungary. However, my knowledge of the Japanese language is quite limited now, and I feel somewhat ashamed even though as a Eurasian half-Japanese mutt, I am considered “gaijin”. And with Hungary, I only know a couple of Hungarian words. I know that the other language which is spoken in Hungary is German, and sadly, my knowledge of German is quite limited as well.

I just looked up a list of all the countries in the world and this is the list of countries I have not yet been to that I would like to visit:

Argentina
Aruba
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Brazil
Canada
Cayman Islands
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Egypt
Fiji
Hungary
Jamaica
Japan
Monaco
New Zealand
Peru
Portugal
Spain
Venezuela
Virgin Islands

I am thinking of going somewhere at the end of July or the beginning of August before my contest prep for November gets too restrictive. I welcome suggestions on what locales are the best to visit, especially on a shoestring budget.

Melatonin Article For RxGirl.com

June 30, 2014June 27, 2014drstaceynaito Leave a comment

Original post can be found here:

http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/11102-melatonin.html

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain which regulates the wake-sleep cycle. Production is turned on later in the evening when lights are turned off for bedtime. However, there are a number of poor habits which people commonly engage in which interfere with the body’s production of melatonin, with harmful results such as impaired immune response, increased rate of cellular aging, and increasing the risk of cancer formation. Basically, those late nights you spend watching T.V. or reading are interfering with optimal health. As soon as a light is turned on at night, you send a signal to your brain that is daytime, and production of melatonin ceases, and does not resume when you turn the light off either.
Shorter wavelengths (red, orange, yellow) of light are less detrimental than white or blue light and should be used in the evening. I love the salt lamp I have in my bedroom and try to use that light as my sole illumination in the bedroom as much as possible at night. Why is it so important to preserve the body’s natural production of melatonin? Because melatonin is a potent antioxidant and excellent for reducing inflammation throughout the body, including the brain.

Implement the following guidelines to optimize the body’s production of melatonin:

1. Try to get daily bright sun exposure. Production of melatonin approximates the contrast between bright sun exposure during the day and complete darkness in the evening.

2. Turn off your computer and T.V. at least one hour before going to bed. Both computers and T.V.’s emit blue light which interferes with the body’s normal production of melatonin.

3. Sleep without any lights on. The darker your room is while you sleep, the better chance you have of allowing your body to produce melatonin without interruption.

4. Drop the thermostat to 60 to 70 degrees.

If you think your melatonin levels are low or you have labwork demonstrating low melatonin, and you also suffer from insomnia, you might want to supplement with melatonin tablets. Beware of the dosage, and keep it at 0.5 to 3 milligrams maximum dosage each night. At higher doses, melatonin can have hypnotic effects on some individuals, and on others, a paradoxical hyperaware state may manifest. On a personal note, I had labwork early this year which demonstrated low melatonin, but I wasn’t suffering from insomnia. A colleague insisted I supplement with 3 milligrams of melatonin per night, which resulted in anxiety and a completely sleepless night for all of the nights I took melatonin. Another caution is if you are trying to get pregnant, you must avoid taking melatonin supplements, because they interfere with fertility.

Bleeding Money

June 8, 2014May 21, 2014drstaceynaito Leave a comment

Do you ever find yourself in a vicious cycle in which any influx of money leaves your hands almost immediately because a bunch of bills come at once, or unexpected expenses pile up? I have been going through a pretty consistent “money bleed” for the last few weeks, and it is extremely frustrating because I just cannot catch up. I take one step forward, only to take two steps back.It This has been happening when extra funds have come in, almost like clockwork. It’s just random and weird and it needs to end!

I am sure many of you can relate. Times are tough, and people continue to struggle to make ends meet. Salaries are not rising sufficiently to accommodate the rise of inflation, soaring credit card APR’s, and the mess that is the Obama Care Act. Sadly, many people are slowly trying to dig themselves out of financial holes, at times losing their ground and falling back. It’s enough to make one give up.

I have literally received payment in the mail for jobs I have completed, only to find 1,2 or more bills in the same stack of mail which equal or exceed the amount of the payment I received. Money in…money out! I have taken on more work to try to absorb expenses, only to find that such a tactic doesn’t work. It’s almost like I am meant to always scramble, that perhaps for the time being, that this is my karmic lesson. The strange thing is that I am NOT a spender, and I pretty much detest shopping. So it doesn’t make sense that the bottom always seems to drop out on me. I am a planner, a saver, and never gamble, qualities which I suppose have kept me afloat during especially rough times when others would have sunk.

The goal is to be one step ahead. I am determined to accomplish this, SOON!

Playing Hooky

April 17, 2014April 2, 2014drstaceynaito 1 Comment

I am starting to think that it might be an excellent idea to play hooky from the day to day routine on a fairly regular basis. Such a viewpoint flies directly in the face of my usual nose-to-the-grindstone attitude towards life. The shift in my thinking has something to do with my recent high level of physical and mental burnout from constantly running from one thing to another, like a sputtering vehicle which probably would warrant a ticket for exhaust emissions (no, this is not a reference to gaseous emissions, but a reference to loss of efficiency). r

Without balance in one’s life, efficiency and power dwindle to very low levels, making it next to impossible to keep up or catch up with tasks at hand. The “one step forward, two steps back” theory asserts itself here. The answer is not to keep pushing through in hopes that, by some miracle, you will suddenly catch up to everything on your to-do list and feel completely fulfilled, but to take a break from it all.

When you take a break from your to-do list and learn to truly enjoy life and your surroundings, you press the reset button and recharge your spiritual, mental and physical batteries, which in turn makes you more efficient at tackling mundane day-to-day tasks. Though you may panic at the thought of losing precious time in which you could keep treading along that hamster wheel, you will actually gain momentum by stepping away from the busywork and taking care of your spirit so that you are balanced. You will return to your tasks with more energy and focus.

When You Can’t Catch Up

April 12, 2014March 31, 2014drstaceynaito Leave a comment

Every day I have the best intentions. I have my schedule mapped out and tear into it like a beast. But all too frequently, one or more hiccups in the timeline mess up my perfect plans to get a plethora of things done. That being said, I move like a dynamo and get more done than the average person does, mainly because I don’t lead a normal life, and am extremely ambitious. But just when I think I am about to catch up in one area of my life, I get dumped on in another area. I suppose it’s just how life goes, but sometimes it is so maddening to see my to-do list for the day unravel despite all my efforts. It certainly doesn’t appeal to my sense of order and control.

I know many of you who are reading this can relate. Opportunities are blessed things, but when you can barely come up for air and you can’t attend to the most basic things like buying groceries, doing laundry, or catching enough sleep, you are teetering way off balance and need to pay attention. By no means am I suggesting that you abandon your responsibilities in favor of wanton playtime, but no one should be that busy all the time. The body and mind cannot endure such constant stress and will rebel eventually, usually through physical illness, depression or anxiety.

I have been travelling through my days at a frenetic pace lately, and can tell the stress has exerted a toll on me. So last Saturday, after I had completed my workouts and run a few errands, I just said, “SCREW IT”, and headed over to a local movie theater by myself to see “Grand Budapest Hotel”, despite the fact that I had work waiting for me at home. I happily turned off my phone and nestled into the fantasy world of the film for close to two hours. I felt no guilt whatsoever, and was completely refreshed by my little getaway.

Another thing I have just begun doing lately is sifting through all the contacts and opportunities before me, setting boundaries, and learning to say NO when appropriate. This has been huge for me, since I usually do everything in my power to please and take care of people. Though I am pretty good about putting the oxygen mask on my own face, I will often opt to make someone else more comfortable at my own expense. I have noticed that if my movement and freedom are compromised, I become extremely frustrated, yet I also understand that I often bring that upon myself. The most compelling thing about this situation is that it is one that I see over and over again with other people. It’s almost like a cosmic movement, a tendency towards losing control, taking on more than what is reasonable, and draining the body and spirit of resources instead of replenishing and supporting those resources.

My take-home message is to:

1. take a break every now and then to recharge your batteries
2. learn to say no when appropriate
3. honor yourself

The sooner you learn to achieve balance, the happier and more productive you will be.