You might not believe it now but being short on sleep can really affect your weight! Yes I know we all live such busy lives and sometime you need to make sacrifices to complete all your jobs but this is something that should become a priority!!
Do you find yourself reaching for a large latte or two to get you through the day?! Or have you been tempted to skip a workout because you're too tired and get take away for dinner? Well this can not only explain the reason why are you are struggling to lose weight but may cause you to be less motivated to get moving!
Ensuring you get enough shut-eye is as important to your health, well-being and your weight as are diet and exercise! Achieving less than seven hours of sleep per night can reduce and undo some of benefits from weight loss. As when you have a “sleepy” brain it ultimately sets your brain up to make poor decisions, therefore dulling the activity into the brain's frontal lobe that is in charge of decision-making and impulse control! (TIP: Don’t do your weekly grocery shopping on little sleep!!)
Other than the effect on your brain function, insufficient sleep can affect your levels of insulin. Insulin regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and protein by promoting the absorption of, especially, glucose from the blood into fat, liver and skeletal muscle cells. So when insulin is functional well, the fat cells remove fatty acids and lipids from your bloodstream and prevent storage. BUT if you consistently don’t allow yourself enough sleep you will become more insulin resistant eventually leading to excess insulin which ends up as stored fat in all the wrong places!!
Enough of the fact and onto some tips to help you ensure you get at least 7 hours of sleep!
Shutdown your computer, mobile, and TV at least an hour before you head to bed
Keep your bedroom for only sleep and sex! Think relaxation and release, rather than work or entertainment. So try and avoid having a desk or computer in your room, save that for the office or kitchen bench!
Create a bedtime ritual. Instead, take a warm bath, meditate, or read.
Stick to a schedule, waking up and winding down out at the same times every day, even on weekends.
Watch what and when you eat. Avoid eating heavy meals and alcohol close to bedtime. And steer clear of soda, tea, coffee, and chocolate after 2 p.m. (Keep in mind this is different for everyone!)
Ensure your room is dark as darkness cues your body to release the natural sleep hormone melatonin, while light suppresses it!
These tips are pretty basic but trust me they you will see the results!
Many of my clients are busy career people who have jobs that involve quite a lot of travel. So as you can imagine the question I get asked a lot is 'What do I eat when I am travelling?' This spurred me on to write this article which was recently published in Whole Life Challenge Magazine. Here I list the worst to best places to eat and what they have to offer, ranging from gas stations to restaurants at the airport. For those who travel, this is really informative. You can read the whole article here:
I wrote this next article also published in Whole Life Challenge Magazine because many of my clients do not know how to make healthy choices when eating out. I was finding that during the work week their diets were good since they stuck to their programs. But during the weekends while eating out, they blew their diets because of a plethora of bad choices such as too much alcohol, breads, dips and and other starters loaded with calories. Then there was the mains, and of course desserts. And then there was also the factor of portion control.
This article is pretty much a step by step guide as to eating out with a list of food to avoid and food to enjoy. You can read the whole article here:
Have you been trying to lose weight and only seeing minimal maybe even no changes? There are a few simple things that you maybe doing wrong! All it takes is a few simple adjustments to your diet, exercise regime and you will be seeing results again!
Skipping Breakfast
It may seem like a great idea to save calories but skipping breakfast almost guarantees that it will leave you consuming unnecessary amounts of calories later in the day to make up for it which can actually have an negative effect on your metabolism. Breakfast doesn’t need to be complex, it can be as simple as making a quick protein smoothie with banana and berries or scrambled eggs! All you need is a simple healthy calorie hit to jump-start your metabolism.
You are slogging out hours on the treadmill!
Increased muscle = increased fat burning! Swap the hour you spend pounding the pavement with a 30 minute weight training session. Not only does lifting weights prevent injury by strengthening the joints but it also builds lean muscle which leads to an increase metabolic rate meaning you will keep burning calories long after you have left the gym!
Not eating carbs!
Eliminating carbs can actually do the opposite! It can put your body into a state of ketosis which I think is not so good for women. Plus if you are a performance athlete you will find that your energy levels are lower and you can’t get through your training sessions well! Your body DOES need carbohydrates in order to fuel it throughout the day and to help metabolise fat. When talking about carbs, the type of carbs are very important. Starchy carbs such as pasta and potatoes will lead to weight gain but choosing healthier carbohydrates that are unrefined and unprocessed such as brown rice or quinoa or root veggies are a much healthier option! Key point: Eat them in moderation and eat them around your workouts!
No drinking enough water!
A glass a day won’t suffice but ensuring your drink 2 -3 litres per day, according to recent studies, can aid with weight loss. Filling up on water before a meal can help ensure you don’t over eat therefore helping with portion control! Also eating foods that contain a lot of water such as fruits and veggies, will help fill you up faster! And what does that mean? You eat less! If you struggle with your daily water intake, I suggest adding a few slices of lemon or some fresh berries to add a little “zing” to your water!
You don’t leave yourself time to have fun!
I know what you may be thinking, what does fun have to do with why you aren’t losing weight! Well stress is shown to cause weight gain as it triggers the body to eat more of especially the foods high in sugar and fat! Make sure you allow yourself at least 15 minutes everyday to relax and unwind. Meditation is a really great stress relief since it calms your nervous system. If you have more time take the opportunity to catch up with friends, go on a hike, a yoga class or a relaxing walk in nature.
I have been travelling to teach so it's been a few days since I have trained. Making the right food choices while I am on the road, at the airport eating out etc is what keeps me in check. The secret is to ALWAYS have healthy food handy. I never head off to an airport without my hard boiled eggs and a banana. While I am on the road I will grab a salad and a KIND bar with no added sugar.
When eating out I make sure to have a salad of some fish and vegetables. Easy of the dressings and sauces and I stop eating when I am feeling full.
There are so many ways to spruce up a salad. Make your staple greens, whether it be kale or various sorts of lettuce but you can add so much flavour to salads by adding some blue cheese, or goats cheese, cranberries, onion, shallots, nuts and in this case some dried apple chips. This gives the salads some texture too.
Serve with a piece of fruit or some baked sweet potato and this is a perfect meal with protein from the chicken, greens, good fats from nuts and an olive oil/balsamic dressing and carbs from the fruit or sweet potato.
I am here to guide you and share my knowledge. But I can't physically be there to stop you from putting that slice of pizza in your mouth. Peeps, with my personalized diets, the guidance and encouragement comes from me but the drive, will power, motivation and discipline comes from you. I have very limited openings for Feb. Hit me up if you would like some info about my personalized plans. Sophia@sophiaFIT.com
I had a blast at my seminars in North Carolina. And one of the highlights was being a guest on a podcast run by Jeff called Cageside ConcussionCast. He asked some really interesting questions.. not just the usual about my training background and we discussed all sorts of topics since as being a women in this field, and cutting weight safely. We talked about the ethical issues of eating meat and even about some Aussies slang. It was fun. Have a listen if you have some time! https://whupfm.org/episode/the-cageside-concussioncast-92516-permanent-archive/
These days I spend half my life traveling to teach, which is awesome. But that means I can't train as much as I would like. I am living proof though, that eating right keeps your body on track even if you miss a few training sessions. Next time peeps don't despair if you can't get to the gym, just make sure you eat right! #eatclean#sixpack#travel#bikinibody#weightloss#diet#nutrition#fitnessmotivation
