With the spring and swimsuit season quickly approaching, we are receiving many questions on weight loss and tightening up those bodies. The topic of weight loss is a very simple one, but unfortunately many over complicate the process which leads most to failure.
To begin, YES, the swimsuit season is quickly approaching and to get your best results we must set some serious goals and make a plan. To start, we would like to discuss a component of weight loss that is overlooked and not taken serious when weight loss is the goal, which is sleep. Those who get the proper amount of sleep, the success rate of achieving a healthy and fit body increases dramatically. In the athletic world, sleep has been called the ‘athlete’s steroid’.
Most adults need 7-8 hours of healthy sleep per night and children need 9-11 hours.
Research has indicated that poor or lack of sleep will increase signals to the brain to eat and decrease signals to the brain that you have eaten enough. The guilty hormone is cortisol, which increases your appetite for high fat ‘comfort’ foods.
Most believe that people who sleep less have more time to exercise and improve their health. The reality is that lack of sleep has been connected to an increased risk of being overweight or obese.
So why is sleep so important? During sleep, our bodies release human growth hormone, which creates the healing and growth of muscle and bone, which is why it gets the name ‘athlete’s steroid.’ Proper sleep improves cognitive function, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination. The dramatic affect it has is it increases you recovery time from workouts which will give you the opportunity to be prepared for your next workout. Not to mention the improvement in your daily productivity, concentration, energy and mood.
If achieving your best beach body is your goal or just improving your overall health, sleep is a must.
Tips to help get better sleep….
•Limit caffeine in late afternoon and night
•Limit alcohol
•Don’t use computer or cell phone one hour prior to bed
•Lower temperature in the bedroom
•Use a sleep journal to track hours of sleep
Good luck on your journey to achieving your health and fitness goals. Please feel free to share this article or contact us at 973.862.1863. If you are in the Sparta, NJ area, stop in and take advantage of our FREE seven day trial in our world class fitness program. Keep Inspiring!!
hothne