IN Chartiers Valley Winter 2016 | Page 28

INDUSTRY INSIGHT FITNESS SPONSORED CONTENT Improve Your Sleep & Lose Weight By Lisa Troyer • POWER OFF: Electronics keep the brain busy. Shut everything down! esearch that was conducted at the • LIMIT CAFFEINE/AVOID ALCOHOL: Caffeine University of Michigan concluded that after a certain time of day can keep you awake sleeping an extra hour a night could help for hours. And alcohol disrupts everything to you drop 14 pounds in one year. That’s right, no do with a good night’s sleep. crazy dieting or caloric limitations – just sleep. • CREATE A BEDTIME ROUTINE: This is And don’t we all love to sleep? actually #1 for me. Going to bed and waking The problem is that most of us (1/3 of up at the same time is optimal for physical and Americans) are not getting enough of it on a psychological recovery. If I miss my bedtime regular basis. Yet experts agree that sleep is as window, I cannot fall asleep; otherwise I am important to your health , well-being, and weight sleeping within 10 minutes. as diet and exercise. • EXERCISE: For so many more reasons than While you aren’t sleeping, your body is sleep! But a good workout will absolutely help cooking up a perfect storm for weight gain. After you fall asleep faster. a restless night, it’s easy to lean on a large latte to get moving. Exercise becomes a problem because you are just too tired to hit the gym in the early morning hours and way too tired to go after work. You are also too exhausted to cook a healthy meal so you rely on takeout. It’s a snowball effect. Let’s face it, skimping on sleep sets your brain up to make bad decisions. Research has told the same story over and over again. When people were starved of sleep, late-night snacking increased and high-carb, high-fat snacks were the food of choice. It’s like the brain’s reward centers kick in, looking for something to make you feel good. It makes sense that if you are sleep-deprived, your body will crave energy-dense, high-carbohydrate foods, sugary snacks and comfort foods. Insufficient sleep impacts your hunger and fullness hormones. Trust me, there are proven physiological, psychological and biological facts that back this up. But the real question here is, “How can we achieve more quality sleep hours?” R This Industry Insight was written by Lisa Troyer. Lisa Troyer has been in the fitness industry for more than 24 years and is the owner of Fitness Fanatics in the Great Southern Shopping Center. She currently holds four nationally recognized fitness and personal training certifications and can be reached at 412.220.4190, ext. 3 or at [email protected]. Check out www.fitnessfanaticsinc.com for more great fitness tips. 26 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Chartiers Valley • COOL DOWN: Lower your thermostat before bed. There is nothing like breathing in cool air to help you sleep longer and more soundly. • AVOID HEAVY MEALS OR EATING AFTER 8:00 P.M.: Is there anything worse than crawling into bed with a full stomach and heartburn? If all else fails, consult with your doctor. Sleep deprivation is no joke. Sleep debt is cumulative. There is no such thing as catching up on your sleep. Improved sleep habits will equate to feeling better, and when you feel better you will be better positioned to lose weight.