Growing Up, I Thought My Mom Was Wonder Woman…
A Greek version of Linda Carter AND she could cook…like nobody’s business. She was mother and father, and started her day at 6am. She would go-go-go, non-stop, all day long. “I only need five hours of sleep”, she would say as she ran her home business, cared for my disabled Grandmother, swept the floor, got us ready for school and prepared dinner before she’d even had her own breakfast. Did you know that only 1% of the population can operate optimally on 5 hours sleep? My Mom didn’t know that. Neither did I.
I too was overworked, overwhelmed and always on the brink of burn out. Although my mom was–and still is–my superhero, this lifestyle was not sustainable for me. So, I decided to stop people pleasing, working long hours, doing things I didn’t enjoy, and feeling stressed. I finally decided to choose happiness over trying to do everything.
If you always feel stressed and are sleep-deprived, ask yourself, “What kind of life do I want?” If the answer is that you fantasize about having a less stressful job where you do meaningful work and add value to people, and a personal life you are truly happy about, then it’s time to re-evaluate your top values. What matters most? What do you need that you aren’t getting? Getting clear on this is the first step to falling asleep peacefully, not from complete exhaustion, when you hit the pillow each night.
As a health, fitness and life coach, I can confirm that clients who are chronically stressed and sleep deprived show the effects of secreting more cortisol—a stress hormone that leads to carrying extra weight around their waistline (even if they eat less, do more crunches, or run on the treadmill until their legs drop off). They have less energy for our workouts and don’t recover as well, which speeds up the aging process and increases the chance of injury. Not a good situation…I hate to see good people get frustrated and feel hopeless about not getting results they want, despite their best efforts. Which is why I now insist on a customized stress and sleep protocol to ensure my clients’ success.
Study after study (like the one in the Journal Of Nature Communications*) proves that depriving yourself of sleep for just one night, increases cravings for unhealthy food and decreases your ability to make good food choices in the frontal cortex. So, after a single poor night’s sleep, notice if you get the urge to grab for a muffin or bagel instead of your morning collagen protein smoothie. Notice how quickly your energy crashes. Notice how you crave more sugar and carbs throughout your day.
“It’s time we stop accepting sleep deprivation as a “normal” part of life and collectively make choices that honor our health and well-being. The days of thrashing our bodies with stimulants and white-knuckling it just to make it through the day, are over.”
Need more convincing? Okay. Fat-regulating hormones actually stop doing their job when you are sleep-deprived and/or chronically stressed. This makes it harder, if not impossible, to burn fat. No matter how long, how hard or how frequently you workout. It turns out that a healthy sleep schedule and eliminating unnecessary stress helps us burn fat. Who knew you could burn fat by sleeping or meditating? Pretty amazing. Now, here’s why the body hangs onto fat when you don’t sleep enough or when you’re stressed out:
When These 7 Hormones Are Out Of Balance, You Will Store Fat Rather Than Burn It:
1. Leptin (tells your brain you’re full).
2. Ghrelin (tells your brain you’re hungry).
3. Insulin (stores fat rather than releases it).
4. Glucagon (releases fat from your fat cells to use as energy)
5. Adiponectin (an anti-inflammatory hormone which regulates the breakdown of fat).
6. Cortisol (when chronically elevated, stores fat, breaks down metabolically active fat burning tissue).
7. Growth hormone (is created by our body during sleep, muscle tissue repair, increases fat metabolism and energy, slows down aging).
Work on getting these 7 hormones in balance with a trusted integrative doctor/practitioner (like my colleagues Doctor DeMello and Dr. Maggie Ney From The Akasha Center For Integrative Medicine in Santa Monica, CA) and a trusted health and fitness professional to get lean, fit, energized and strong–check out my 8 Days To Vitality Program.
My Motto Is Focus On Health, Not Just Fitness. Jumping right into a fitness routine without assessing and treating your overall health will lead to weight you can’t lose, and chronic illness. You will treat the symptoms of weight gain rather than getting to the root cause. I want you to get a high return on the investment of your precious time and energy, so you get the results you want, faster, and in a way that builds your health and boosts vitality.
I don’t know about you, but if I get just one or two nights of poor quality sleep (which for me means less than 7 hours, or waking-up during the night), the next day I am moody, I can’t think straight. I feel scattered and need an afternoon nap.
If I’m lucky, I get half of the things on my to-do list done that day. I also reach for carbs, sugar and coffee to force my eyelids to stay open until I finally crash. What’s worse, I gain a couple of pounds around my belly despite my otherwise successful fat loss efforts…. which is SO frustrating. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like waking up feeling groggy, then wasting the day away, only to repeat the vicious cycle, again the following day. Sound familiar? Probably, because research shows that millions of people are living life ’tired and wired.” It’s time we stop accepting sleep deprivation as a “normal” part of life and collectively make choices that honor our health and well-being. The days of thrashing our bodies with stimulants and white-knuckling it just to make it through the day, are over.”
Here Are 7 Health and Fitness Benefits When You Commit To Getting More ZZZ’s:
1. Increased vitality, energy and engagement in life
2. Increased performance (body and mind)
3. Increased muscle tone and shape
4. Increased strength
5. Decelerated aging
6. Increased tissue repair and workout recovery
7. Decreased chance of injury
So, now that you know you need more sleep and to eliminate the stress within your control, how do you do it when you’re wound up from your busy day?
Here Are Some Ideas On How To Unwind and Wind Down:
1. Create at least 5 minutes of stillness and silence in your day using a meditation practice that speaks to you, deep diaphragmatic breathing techniques, yoga, walking, journaling. Find an outlet to express yourself, and unwind.
2. Get fresh air…everyday.
3. Nourish your soul and do something you enjoy EACH day…it doesn’t have to take alot of time. It can be as simple as reading a few pages of a good book, a walk on the beach, a bike ride, arts, crafts.
4. Exercise in the morning or early afternoon. Exercising too late in the day can leave you wide-awake at bedtime, making it harder to fall asleep.
5. Find a sleep ritual that speaks to you and helps you relax.
I start getting ready for bed about 45 minutes before I fall asleep. When I get ready for bed I turn all electronics off, dim the lights, and do my deep breathing exercise (i.e. inhale slowly and deeply for 4 counts, I hold my breath for as long as I can and exhale slowly for about 4-7 counts, I repeat 6-10 times). When my mind starts to wander, I focus my attention back to my breath. I notice the air moving in and out of my nostrils and the rise and fall of my abdomen. Sometimes I incorporate a meditation practice which helps me feel centered and present, and calms my mind and body. I count my blessings and become aware of what I am grateful for from that day. I put aside all the things I didn’t get done and remind myself that I am healthy, whole and complete just as I am.
This may not be your thing, so try different approaches until you create a soothing bedtime ritual that works for you.
Your method may be to listen to relaxing music, take a hot bath or shower, read a novel, spiritual or self-growth book, a small glass of red wine with dinner (a small amount is ok, too much will disrupt your sleep). Also, avoid drinking all beverages at least an hour before bed, so you don’t disrupt your sleep by getting up in the middle of the night to use the restroom.
Whatever it is you do, don’t overlook the importance of eliminating stress daily and creating a sleep ritual that speaks to you (play around with different methods until you find one that suits YOU). For more about the importance of stress elimiantion and sleep rituals to your vitality, and different ways you can incorporate them into your daily life, sign up for my 8 Days To Vitality Program (includes my 8 “Fat Burning Plate” Guidelines and 8 Day Sleep To Slim Guide).
Live With Vitality!
*Greer, S.M, Goldstein, A.N. & Walker, M.P. (2013) The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Food Desire in the Human Brain (2013). Nature Communications 4, Article number:2259
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