We all want to be healthy, feel more amazing and look fabulous, right?
The truth is, it can be confusing to know where to begin. When we feel overwhelmed it’s easy to give up even before we’ve even started.
The top 3 goals I hear most often from my clients are:
- feeling better
- losing weight
- having more energy
If you felt better, had more energy and reached your ideal weight, you would probably feel more amazing, right?
I have put this series together to address all 3 of these issues with super simple tips you can implement right away. During the next 3 weeks, I’ll post a new blog once a week with one simple, but very effective way to feel better, look better and have more energy (even lose weight if that’s one of your goals too).
Let’s start with our #1 strategy:
Get enough sleep.
Have you ever considered that the amount of sleep you get can affect your health and your weight?
Let’s face it, when we’re tired we tend to make fewer healthy choices throughout the day, and we reach for the quick-fix energy boost we need, often in the form of sugar-filled options and processed snacks. When we’re tired, we also tend to skip the workout we had planned for the day. For many people this is an ongoing cycle that’s tough to break. Adequate sleep sets the stage for everything else.
“When it comes to body weight, it may be that if you snooze, you lose. Lack of sleep seems to be related to an increase in hunger and appetite, and possibly to obesity. According to a recent study, people who sleep less than six hours a day were almost 30 percent more likely to become obese than those who slept seven to nine hours.
Recent research has focused on the link between sleep and the peptides that regulate appetite. “Ghrelin stimulates hunger and leptin signals satiety to the brain and suppresses appetite. Shortened sleep time is associated with decreases in leptin and elevations in ghrelin.
Not only does sleep loss appear to stimulate appetite. It also stimulates cravings for high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods. Ongoing studies are considering whether adequate sleep should be a standard part of weight loss programs” – WebMD
Sleep can also affect your immune function, aging process, memory, learning and metabolism.
Yes, adequate sleep is a big deal!
To get more sleep, set a goal of what time you need to be in bed each night to get the 7-9 hours you need. Try it this week and see if you notice a difference with your energy level and your eating habits.
I’m committing to getting _______ hour of sleep each night this week.
How many hours a night are you committing to?
Live Inspired,
Sonja.
