I'm broadening to scope to include all healthy lifestyle topics!!! Being a positive person, I want to honor those who may have felt offended by the word 'obesity'. Just to clariy, to me, the word ‘obesity’ is NOT about being 'fat' or a person’s outward appearance. I've been taught that it is what's inside that counts, and this is especially true for this topic. Obesity is about what is going on INSIDE, meaning the silent disease processes that we can't see with the naked eye (ex. the clogging of arteries, adiposity accumulating around vital organs) that are taking place within the body as a result of unhealthy lifestyle choices. Without lifestyle changes, these silent diseases progress to symptomatic diseases (ex. heart attacks, strokes, diabetes) and conditions that endanger one’s health, quality of life and existence.







Sunday, February 5, 2012

Week #6 of 2012 CHALLENGE!

Gear up for this week's challenge - it's hard! Many of the people that have mentioned that they follow the blog are parents (and some brand new parents! - congrats!), so for this challenge the key is to do the BEST YOU CAN. Nap when the kids nap, etc. Prioritize what's important - if the dishes need to be done, but you were up all night and will function better and be more productive after a nap, do so! No feeling bad for trying to stay healthy!

Week #6 of 2012 Challenge
  • Sleep 8 hours each night
Short and sweet, yet SO important for good health, overall wellness and longevity. Here are just a few of the ways sleep impacts your day to day functioning:
  • Keeps your heart healthy
  • Proven to be associated with a decreased risk of developing cancers
  • Reduces inflammation and stress hormones
  • Decreased risk of diabetes
  • Increases your memory and brain function
  • Decreased risk of depression
  • There is a strong connection between sleep and overweight/obesity!!! If you want to lose weight and you aren't sleeping, there is a good chance it won't happen or it will take a lot longer than you want.
Some ways to get better sleep:
  • Set a 'regular' bedtime and attempt to get up at the same time every day. Our bodies actually crave routine and function best when you can achieve this.
  • Increase your exposure to daylight during the day and limit the use of television and any electronic screen use (including your cell phone!) an hour before you go to sleep.
  • Limit naps to 30 minutes to avoid feeling drowsy afterward
  • Keep your room cool and make your bed as comfortable as possible
  • We are all adults here - so use your bed for sleep and sex only. Keep a TV out of your bedroom (should improve that love life!)
  • Have a bedtime ritual (short is fine) - listen to music, take a warm bath, etc. and try to do the same thing every night
  • Avoid alcohol, caffeine and big meals before bedtime
  • Exercise regularly, but avoid it in the hour before you go to bed.
Have a great day and enjoy the Super Bowl!! Keep the snacks healthy or TASTE the not-so-healthy stuff :) See you next week for Challenge #7!

Lauren
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