Health Benefits to a Good Night's Sleep

Every night before I go to bed I check on each of my kids while they are sleeping.  Sometimes they're curled up completely under the covers and other times they're all the way out with their heads at the foot of their beds.  My oldest sometimes talks and walks in his sleep and my daughter usually falls asleep with all the lights on and multiple books open on her lap.  They are deep sleepers and at their age they usually get about 10-12 hours of sleep (WebMed-How much should kids sleep) and I have to say, I'm a little jealous.

I used to be able to sleep in with no problem.  Getting up after 9am was a normal habit for me for a lot of years.  Then, I had my kids, and the whole sleep thing went completely haywire.   I thought when my kids were sleep trained that I would be able to sleep in again, but no, that didn't work.  So now I'm training myself to have a better sleep regimen.

Getting enough sleep as an adult is a simple task that can really improve your overall health, but not everyone makes it a priority.  Watching TV late at night or being on the computer through the night can really impact your overall sleep patterns and lead you to minimal amounts of good sleep; and if it continues will lead to weight gain, crankiness and other health issues.

According to Precision Nutrition: "The average adult gets about 7 hrs of sleep/night.  33% of the population gets fewer than 6.5 hrs/night.  Women sleep a bit more than men.  Those who carry high amounts of body fat tend to sleep less than those with a normal body fat. Studies suggest that people who sleep fewer than 6 hrs/night gain almost twice as much weight as people who sleep 7-8 hrs/night.  Excessive sleep isn't any better: those who sleep more than 9 hrs/night have similar body composition outcomes as those who sleep less than 6 hrs." (All About Sleep from Precision Nutrition).

So try to get your "Z's," that is 7-8 hrs of them every night.  Turn off the TV, put away your phone and have a cup of herbal tea and a hot bath instead.  Although it's tough to do this every night, try to make it your priority, you'll feel better during the day and give your body and your mind the rest it needs.  Then during the day if you feel energized and ready for a workout, you know where to find me.  ;-)

Have a great day!

Barb


Core Drop In Session This Week:
Friday, October 25th 9am: 5 people min to run.  Email me if you're interested in joining.

3 Week Intensive:
I'm trying to squeeze in another Intensive before the week of Thanksgiving.  Let me know if you are interested.  We will meet Wednesday and Friday at 9am and will need 5 people min to run the session,

6:30am Intensive:
Ok you early birds, I have a few folks asking about a 6:30am intensive. Email me if there are more of you out there who would like a workout at the crack of dawn.  Times and days TBD.

1-1 Training:
Get ahead of that New Year's resolution and treat yourself to a series of Personal Training Sessions.  What better gift to yourself than the gift of health and fitness?!?  Email me for more info and to schedule your first training session.



Don't forget to check out barbfit.blogspot.com for past posts on Health & Fitness