Sleep Is Important

Although I have measured my exercise and nutrition, I haven't forgotten another important factor in pursuing a healthy lifestyle--sleep. Not getting enough sleep prevents your body from recovering adequately from hard training and also lowers hormones levels. This in turn increases your desire to eat and lowers your metabolism. So I am working on getting 8 hours of sleep a night. By going to bed and getting up at the same time each night, I am training my body rhythms to expect to sleep. I have also developed a bedtime ritual which prepares my body for sleep--no alcohol, brushing my teeth, and finally a small amount of stretching and I hit the sack. Additionally, I have tried to make my bedroom as dark and quiet as possible for the best quality sleep. I will monitor my strategy and see how it works. If you can't seem to get 8 hours work on going to bed 30 minutes earlier each week until your reach 8 hours and see what difference it will make.