I wanted to talk about a topic that I have discussed in the past – the importance of sleep. With the holidays upon us, many will be eating on the run, experiencing the stress of being able to finish the many errands of the season and having to attend more frequent parties at night. It is extremely important, however, to not compromise your sleep patterns.

I wanted to recommend an article I read in the December issue of Muscle & Body Magazine. They feature an inside look at what it takes to be a member of the military's elite Special Forces. My dad was a war hero in World War II, and I understand the demands and toll war places on the human body. The soldiers who make it into the Special Forces undergo a series of training that tests them physically and emotionally. After they transition from training to part of an active team, they constantly keep themselves in peak shape so they can be ready for deployment on a moment's notice.

The November issue of Muscle & Body Magazine has a really informative piece on a topic that many may find confusing – sports nutrition bars. The author is correct to point out that when sports bars first started to hit the workout world, they were pretty tasteless and sometimes hard to stomach. Lately, however, as the industry has evolved, not only do they taste great, they can pack quite a nutritional punch.

Last week on my segment on WWL-TV, I discussed how the female athlete is more at risk of suffering a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (A.C.L.) than the male athlete. I spoke about how female athletes in particular should focus on balance, core strength in the trunk and building up strength in the thigh muscles. By doing this, the athlete can be better able to handle start and stop motions as well as the lateral movements when they are cutting to run in a new direction.