Sleep, Fat loss, and Muscle Building
May 24, 2020
I’m revoking your bragging rights.
If you want to to lose fat, ⚖️
build muscle, 💪
Improve your mood, ☺️
Increase cognitive performance, 🧠
Enhance productivity, ⏰
Or even improve your relationships ??
You need to SLEEP MORE, and sleep better.
I get it - it can be hard to make sleep a priority when it feels like wasted time.
But sleep is really anything but a state of inactivity.
As we sleep, our brains are busy.
This is when 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 is solidified.
Our bodies are busy too - sleep helps our bodies HEAL.
Sleep deprivation = raised inflammatory markers 👎 (and lots of other not-so-good stuff — see slides above)
Ok great.... but 𝘏𝘖𝘞𝘞𝘞 do we level up our sleep game? Here’s some ideas you can test out:
1️⃣ wake up and go to sleep around the same time everyday
2️⃣ use your bed for sleeping only (Aka don’t work in bed, don’t watch movies in bed, etc... though there may be one exception here 😉)
3️⃣ if you’re having a hard time sleeping or falling asleep - GET UP. Grab a glass of water. Don’t keep laying there as frustration rises.
4️⃣ And of course the usual: limit caffeine, keep your bedroom cool, dark & quiet, no electronics near bedtime, get regular exercise
ONE THING I NEVER SEE RECOMMENDED:
👉👉𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.
Instead of fighting your “to-do list” thoughts at bedtime, accept them.
Acknowledge the thoughts, 🙇♀️ knowing they are important but will still be there in the AM.
Be mindful of your breathing, bring awareness to that (try progressive muscle relaxation - I have an IGTV 📺 on this)
When other thoughts crop up... again, acknowledge, and then go back to focusing on your breath.
The research on mindfulness for insomnia is VERY compelling. So don’t *sleep* on this “woo woo” stuff, guys.
