You may consider yourself to be in better than average shape (after all you are a Mountain Trek Veteran). Now at home as part of your integration plan you’ve been hiking 3 times a week in close by local parks. Some friends come into town for the holidays and you decide to go biking. No problem, you're in great shape, right? Wrong. After a day on the bike you feel like you've been run over by Santa's sleigh and all his reindeer. What's going on?

Joanne Holden of the USDA’s Nutrient Data Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., reported to the Chicago Tribune that the USDA has the world’s largest database with information on 100 nutrients for over 7500 foods.  The lab’s main purpose is to manage databases, including the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, the “gold standard” for nutritionists and the food industry.   The USDA database of 100 nutrients is remarkably small compared to the thousands of nutrients, like antioxidants and phytochemicals, that we now know exist.

If Insomnia is plaguing your sleep, you are probably one of the 75% suffering from too little, or frequently interupted rest, that is triggered by a current stressor. Most studies show that poor sleepers tend to have higher levels of Cortisol and related stress hormones in their bloodstream. Cortisol affects our sleep depth, continuim, and state, and the long term lack, will affect our memory, cellular repair and energy management.