Dear Subscriber,
I’ve got a question for you
that’s important to your fitness goals…
(drum roll)
Do you feel you get enough sleep?
I ask because about 28 percent of adults
these days report getting six or LESS
hours of sleep – every night!
That’s not nearly enough to let your body
“do its thing” – so you can wake up feeling
refreshed and revitalised, ready to face the day.
What’s more, in today’s article you’ll find out why
recent research (from the Australian Heart Association!)
suggests that this lack of sleep can be detrimental to
your waistline…
Yours For Health,
Shane Shiels
Shashido Enterprises
Adelaide’s Premier Health & Fitness Expert
Lose Weight… In Your Sleep?
There’s no doubt about it…
Most of us lead BUSY lives. But is that a good thing?
Not if you’re so busy that you have to sacrifice getting
enough sleep…
New findings reported at the recent Australian Heart
Association Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical
Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions, suggest
that if you plan on successfully getting fit… you better get
some sleep! [1]
This research was sponsored by the National Institutes of
Health – and set out to see how lack of sleep affects
an individual’s eating patterns.
Virend Somers, M.D., Ph.D. one of the study’s authors explains,
“We tested whether lack of sleep altered the levels of the hormones
leptin and ghrelin, increased the amount of food people ate, and
affected energy burned through activity.”
For the study, researchers recruited 17 healthy young men
and women, and divided them into two groups.
Group one slept as normal.
Group two slept only two-thirds of their normal sleeping time
(so if they normally slept for nine hours a night, while under
observation they slept only six).
The study lasted eight nights and other than the length of sleep,
the participants were told to go about their days as normal…
eating whatever they would normally eat.
Here’s what the researchers found…
Even though the folks in group two ended up sleeping just
1 hour and 20 minutes less than the control group (group one),
they ate an average of 549 more calories each day!
Another finding was that the amount of energy used for activity
didn’t change between the two groups, which suggests that sleeping
less doesn’t burn more calories (due to being awake longer).
Bottom line: Even sleeping just 90 minutes less than what
your body needs can cause you to overeat.
So if you want a quick and easy tool to use in the battle of
the bulge – get enough sleep… chances are it will cause you to
eat less, and burn some fat as a result!
More larger-scale studies need to be done to fully explore the
effects of sleep on obesity and metabolism, but this study
gives us a good idea of what happens when you don’t let
your body fully rest.
If you don’t sleep enough due to your work schedule,
maybe find some time to take a few quick “cat” naps.
But if you’re not getting enough sleep due to insomnia
(a lot more common), then here are some quick tips you
can start using right away that can help you fall asleep
faster, and get some much needed rest:
1. Limit caffeine to morning hours. Stop drinking caffeine
at least four to six hours before bedtime. Or if you think
caffeine is really interfering with your sleep, keep your
coffee drinking to just the morning hours. And don’t forget
that certain sodas and teas contain caffeine, so avoid those
in the afternoon as well.
2. Have a glass of milk. Drink a glass of warm milk before
bed. It will help you feel sleepy, since it contains high amounts
of tryptophan, a sleep-promoting amino acid.
3. Breathe. Wind down before going to bed by doing some
deep breathing. Breathe in for a count of 4… hold it for at
least a count of 2… then exhale again for a count of 4.
Repeat 5 – 10 times and you’ll instantly start to feel the
relaxation response in your body.
4. Keep the room cool. Temperatures above 24 degrees and
below 12 degrees Celcius can disrupt sleep. So make
sure you keep the room at a temperature in that middle
range that feels right to you.
So there you have it. Make sure you get enough sleep
every night. And remember that getting enough sleep is
just one piece of the weight loss puzzle. To truly transform
your body, you need to combine all the elements of proper
nutrition, exercise and rest.
Which is why if you’re serious about taking your health
and fitness to the next level before the year ends, why
not take advantage of your FREE Fitness Consultation?
(an $87 value)
During this consult, you’ll receive detailed information
on how to get fit and trim that’s tailored to YOUR body.
There’s no obligation and it’s totally and completely
free. To sign up, use the link below
References:
1. http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/lack-of-sleep-may-increase-calorie-230068.aspx
Quote Corner
“Toughness is in the soul and spirit,
not in muscles.” – Alex Karras
Eat Yourself Thin
Grilled Steak Wraps
(Serves Six)
230 gms sirloin steak or top loin steak
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 plums
Olive oil to brush
1 (230 gms) package Spinach Salad
1 Red onion, sliced thinly into crescents
6 (25 cms) multi-grain wraps or tortillas
1. Season steak with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill
steak to desired doneness. Cover; let stand 10 minutes.
Thinly slice steak.
2. Cut plums in half, remove seed. Slice horizontally into
3 slices. Brush with oil and grill on each side until tender.
Cool slightly, cut into chunks.
3. Combine all ingredients in salad except White Balsamic
Vinaigrette, in large bowl. Add plums and onion, toss well.
Toss with dressing.
4. Microwave wraps for 35 to 40 seconds, to soften.
Divide salad mixture and sliced steak among wraps and
roll up.
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Ready: 20 mins
Amount Per Serving – Calories: 301 / Total Fat: 10.7g /
Cholesterol: 18mg / Sodium: 556mg / Total Carbs: 49.2g /
Dietary Fibre: 5.4g / Protein: 14.3g
Recipe from AllRecipes.com.
Shashido Enterprises
Adelaide, S.A.
Phone: 0420 347 550
(c) Shashido Enterprises 2012 (All Rights Reserved)
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