How Sleep Effects Weight Loss

If you're like most people in today's modern life, sleep is not really something that you think about often, and you  likely do not get enough.  Despite the obvious effects of too little sleep; diminished strength, impaired reflexes, faulty decision making and broken spirit, studies show that nearly 3/4 of adults in the U.S. get less than 6 hours of sleep a night.  (Katherine Harmon, "How Slight Sleep Deprivation Could Add Extra Pounds," Scientific American, October 24, 2012)

For years I've tried to force myself to bed earlier, but with the busy lifestyle and lack of family time available, I tend to always fall back on the old habit of staying up later than I should just to squeeze in a few more minutes with family and friends all at the expense of my health.  Burning the candle at both ends and using work and responsibility as my excuse to reboot with sugary snacks and caffeine only served to exacerbate the problems with excessive weight gain and continual exhaustion.  So what exactly are the benefits of getting enough sleep and how can we use that to our advantage when it comes to our weight loss goals?

A good night's sleep means a stronger ego with greater powers of concentration and self-control.  These are exactly the traits needed to follow through on any kind of behavioral change.  Any self-improvement goal will be much easier to achieve if we get a good night's rest.  Trying to lose weight while cheating on sleep is nearly impossible because starting your day already energy deficient only leads you to compensate your lack of energy with food cravings in the absence of hunger.  We mistake it for hunger, but what's really happening is you're not hungry, your tired.  

Two recent studies published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition studied the caloric intake of participants after 8 hour and 5.5 hour sleeps.  Both studies found that after reduced sleep the participants consumed a significantly higher caloric amount (almost 500 more in men).  The worst part was that they were mostly snacks and carbohydrates.  An additional study by Stanford University showed that people who get less than 8 hours of sleep per night have a significantly higher Body Mass Index than those who slept 8 or more hours per night.  Additionally, the study found that sleeping less than 7.7 hours per night caused a hormonal imbalance that led to increased appetite and reduced satisfaction.  Yikes, that's a pretty lethal combination for anyone wishing to decrease their weight.

So what are some things we can do to help us get more sleep?

1.  Plan Ahead.  One of the biggest things that I was able to change was my nightly routine.  I noticed that falling asleep on the couch had a huge effect on my sleep levels because it was easier than facing the daunting tasks I needed to do prior to going to bed.  Once I got up off the couch and finalized everything that needed to be done like brushing my teeth, cleaning the last bit of supper from the kitchen and getting the dogs settled I was wide awake again and struggle getting to sleep when my head actually hit the pillow.  By preparing all of those things in advance and getting things done prior to sitting down for my nightly glass of wine and TV time I was able to be more disciplined in getting up and going straight to bed when I began to feel drowsy.

2.  Know the difference between hunger and fatigue.  Often times I would feel myself craving a nightly snack loaded with sugary carbs.  After I became aware of this I was able to measure based on the absence of hunger pangs that my cravings were based more on wanting something to give my body energy to stay awake rather than true hunger.  By choosing to turn off the lights and go to sleep instead of eating to stay awake I was able to significantly increase my sleep time by almost and hour and a half per night and reduce my caloric intake a great deal.  This added up to a huge amount of extra sleep over the week and savings on weekly calories.

3.  Think ahead for the next day.  Often times I caught myself having to wake up extra early to get prepared for my day.  By choosing to prepare my clothes for the next day, preparing lunches and other items needed in advance, I was able to give myself some additional sleep time in the mornings and an additional advantage was that my mornings were much less stressful which led to better moods and a more productive feeling of accomplishment.  Being empowered by these benefits gave me a better ability to face the temptations throughout the day when it came to food choices.

Sleep is so undervalued in our workaholic culture, but it can be a true secret weapon for those of us who appreciate it's advantages.  Sleep is the the main ingredient to productive waking hours and it is obviously one of the most important parts of any weight loss program.  I mean who wakes up rested and breaks a resolution?  No one.  It's only when we get tired and our defenses are low that we tend to lose our willpower over temptations so remember to rest up because life is waiting.

Until next time, keep reaching for that healthy, happy life you deserve.



NEED A HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE FOR BETTER SLEEP?  IDLife's Sleep is your solution.  Get yours at  www.coachellen.idlife.com

Why Do We Fail At Our Goals?

Why is it so hard to complete our goals?  We are motivated and full of determination but yet it always seems that we eventually falter and fall short of the mark.  The really bad part is that every time we fail we feel more powerless that we will actually ever accomplish what we want to do.  We begin to believe that we will never find success in reaching our goals.  Sound familiar?

Even highly successful, disciplined people fail at self-improvement goals.  I consider myself to be pretty determined and I’ve accomplished a lot in my life.  I’ve authored a book that took 10 years for me to write, I built a successful gym from the ground floor that is still going after 25 years, I’ve spoken before congress and successfully convinced the Governor of Texas to veto a bill that was against his best interest politically, I’ve raised a beautiful daughter that is now hugely successful and I’ve had a loving and successful marriage for 24 years.  I really don’t know how to fail.  Everything I do in my life is a commitment I make to be ALL IN, but yet I fall short of my goals for self-improvement all the time.  I try as hard as I can and I use all the willpower I can muster up to accomplish what I told myself I was going to do, and yet I eventually fall short. 

What if instead of suffering a collapse of willpower after weeks of exhausting effort we could strategically plan small, measurable steps daily that could keep us on track without having to fight our obvious habits that are ingrained in our DNA?  Would that be something that you would consider?

Let’s look at how habits create our behaviors. 

British Researchers recently summarized in a study published in Health Psychology,  “[habit] automaticity may be broken down into a number of features:  lack of awareness, mental efficiency, lack of control and lack of conscious intent.”  In other words, we don’t think before we act.  We just do.  We are unaware that there is an autopilot of habits built in us from continuously repeating the same actions based on a specific mental or visual cue that prompts us to take a certain action.  Most of the time we aren’t even aware that is what we are doing, but it is still true, nonetheless.  For us to break this cycle of habitual behavior it takes real effort and most of the time causes serious mental stress that eventually cause our willpower to lose out to our habits and patterns.    It’s only natural that we are going to fail when it comes to vague goals that are really more like long-term projects rather than short goals that can be measured daily. 

“I am going to lose weight.”  Hmm, well lets see that requires you to change your exercise habits, eating habits and your vitamin regimen, which you may have had from childhood.  What if instead, we were able to choose one thing that we could do daily for 30 days that would actually make a dent in that long-term goal?  Suppose you examine your life and realize that for the past 10 years you have been skipping breakfast and then by 10am you are grabbing a donut out of the break room because your hunger pangs are just too much to resist.  What if you could, instead, commit to eating a healthy breakfast at home daily and forego the sugary donut.  Just that one change could potentially save you hundreds of daily calories.  It’s simple, it’s measurable and your success is guaranteed every day you get up and eat from home.  Yes, you will face some obstacles along the way, but with the right mental cue when you see the donut, you can create a habit that will last and over time make a huge impression on your goal to “lose weight.”

Today examine how your habits are creating you, and determine which ones are causing you to fall short of your goals.  Write them down because when you are aware of your habits you can actually begin to choose small, measurable daily goals to create change instead of feeling defeated by your huge project goal. 

Until next time, keep reaching for that healthy, happy life you deserve. 

For more information on health and happiness go to www.coachellen.idlife.com and take your FREE, HIPAA compliant health assessment and lifestyle report.

The Benefits of Creatine

Creatine has long been utilized by those serious about weightlifting, strength training and athletics as a supplement to maximize their performance. Many people erroneously believe that it is a muscle building supplement in the same vein as whey protein isolate. While studies show that creatine does exhibit traits that assist the building of muscle, it most directly increases athletic performance by providing skeletal muscles with additional energy in order to increase maximum power and performance in high-intensity anaerobic work.

Creatine is actually produced by the human body - it occurs naturally in vertebrates, helping to provide energy to cells especially in the muscle. It achieves this through a relatively simple reaction. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) transports chemical energy - however, when muscles are at rest, the concentration of ATP therein is only enough to provide a few seconds of contraction. When there are increased energy demands, however, phosphocreatine reacts with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to create additional ATP. These bonds are temporary, and the compounds eventually return to their normal state. 

As early as the beginning of the twentieth century, scientists discovered that ingesting creatine can greatly increase the body’s natural stores of the compound. Then, in the 1990s, successes in high-visibility events such as the Olympics by athletes that had begun using creatine proved that the supplement has a positive effect on athletic performance. Studies done since then have shown just how dramatic those benefits can be. One review of 22 studies showed an 8% gain in maximum strength and 14% increase in number of repetitions during resistance training with sub-maximal loads. Another review showed that 70% of creatine studies reported seeing a beneficial effect on high intensity training. In one case, creatine supplementation was seen to increase anaerobic power output by as much as 18%.

These impressive gains seem to be particular to the short, intense bursts of activity that anaerobic activity consists of. Weight lifting seems particularly well suited to reaping the benefits of creatine supplementation. In the steady and longer duration aerobic activities such as endurance sports and training, there is little evidence that creatine has an advantageous effect. This would make sense, as ATP production in the aerobic system occurs through a different process altogether.

In normal doses and in healthy adults, studies indicate that short term creatine supplementation is entirely safe. Side effects such as muscle cramps and upset stomach have been reported (mostly when too large a dose has been ingested) but are not the norm. And while studies show no evidence of creatine supplementation causing damage to healthy kidneys, studies suggest that the supplement may exacerbate the symptoms of particular kidney diseases such as polycystic kidney disease and kidney disorders characterized by tissue swelling. As a result, it is suggested that individuals with compromised kidneys refrain from using creatine supplements, as well as those with serious renal disorders.  By and large, however, it seems that creatine is a legitimate and safe method for increasing high intensity anaerobic performance. 

As with all supplements, locating high quality, well researched examples is a must. One such example is IDLife’s Pre Workout formula. As with many premium formulas, the creatine monohydrate within is combined with other ingredients to create an effective and well-balanced supplement. It is also included in formulas meant to be taken following athletic activity (e.g. IDLife Post Workout) to take advantage of its traits that promote muscle building. To get the most out of your workouts, seeing if creatine is right for you would be highly recommended. 

Until next time, keep reaching for that healthy, happy life you deserve!


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