The power of ZZZ’s

I’ll be honest, my life is crazy!  I run a successful business six days a week and I take care of my three children (ages 5, 3, and 11 months) for seven hours a day, everyday, all while my wife is at work.  Needless to say, my days are FULL.  Somehow, between all of this I find the time to work out, eat right, and have some free time too.  There is absolutely no way I could do this without one very important thing…sleep!

We have all heard just how important sleep is but I don’t think people really know the consequences of failing to go to bed at a good time. I am often asked:  “what are the real secrets to true health and weight loss”.  While there is not one secret, sleep is at the very top of the list of things you MUST do to be healthy, look great and feel great!

If you are in my boot camp then you know that I often talk about Synergy.  Synergy is a must if fat loss is your goal.  Synergy is the triad of fitness success (supportive nutrition, moderate cardio, and resistance training).  While these three things are extremely important, sleep could easily be the fourth element of fitness.

It is really hard to achieve any sort of health and fitness when you are sleep deprived.  In fact, take a look at the list of things that a lack of sleep can cause:

1.    Insulin resistance
2.    An increase in stress hormones
3.    The break down of muscle tissue
4.    Impairment of muscle building
5.    A decrease in testosterone
6.    ACCELERATED AGING (that should be motivating enough : )
7.    Increase daytime fatigue
8.    Increase sugar and carb cravings
9.    Puts you at a higher risk for obesity

Re-read this list again…it’s both amazing and alarming.  Failure to get adequate sleep wreaks havoc on your body and on your health.

Are you getting enough sleep?  Most people have no idea if they are getting the proper quantity and quality of sleep on a nightly basis.  Most experts agree that getting “proper” sleep is defined as;

Falling asleep within 15 minutes of your head hitting the pillow, waking refreshed without the need of an alarm, sleeping throughout the night without getting up, and getting 8-9 hour of sleep every night.

I know what you’re thinking…”Yeah right, there is no way I can do that”.  Well, you’re not alone.  Most people will have a hard time doing this every single night but the goal should be to do it as often as possible.  Again, reference the list above.  That should be motivation enough to try your very best.

Like most of you, I have a hectic life.  I recognize how hard it can be to get the right amount of sleep on a regular basis.   While it may be hard to increase the amount of sleep you are getting (although you should still try), there are things you can do, and not do, to increase the quality of your sleep.

•    Try not to exercise too soon before bed
•    Do not drink more than one alcoholic beverage before bed
•    Do not eat dinner too late
•    Try to avoid napping during the day
•    Do not consume caffeinated drinks after noon
•    Avoid stimulating/stressful activities before bed (i.e. answering emails, doing house work, arguing, watching the news, etc)

My advice would be to incorporate a “wind down” hour every night.  That means one hour before bed try to do things that relax you.  Going to bed relaxed will help you get to sleep much quicker.  Here are some suggestions:

•    Read a good book (make it fiction)
•    Shut down the computer
•    Dim the lights
•    Take a bath
•    Have your special someone give you a massage

There many other things you can do to relax yourself, those are just a few.  Find the ones that work for you…the bags under your eyes will thank you!

Now you know the power of sleep and you have some suggestions on how to improve your sleep.  Make this a priority.  It will enhance your life in so many ways.  Sleep tight!

To register for your FREE BodyBack! Boot Camp session, click the link below and register now:

www.BodyBackBootCamps.com

Come and join us for a fat burnin’, calorie churnin’ workout with other people who have the same goals as you! It’s fast, it’s fun, and it works!

If you would like more fitness and weight loss tips click the “Free Report” link to the right of this article and get my latest reports “Finally…The Truth About Weight Loss” and “10 Ways to Lose Weight…FAST!” They will be emailed to you immediately!

To your success,

Jason