Whether you have tried every diet in the book to lose weight or just want to modify your food choices to improve your health, making change isn’t always easy. Experts say it can take 3-4 weeks for a new behavior to become a habit and I have seen…
Did you ever think after your vacation you’d come back a transformed person?
When my husband and I returned home from our vacation last month, I noticed, other than the obvious feelings of content and relaxation, my clothes felt looser and I felt recharged. No challenge was too big. A bit grandiose, I know. However, it was short-lived, except I kept the weight off, and refrained from consuming caffeine and sugar. Around the time I had finished three loads of wash, I felt practically back to normal. Time fades. I still felt reinvigorated, but the shift towards normalcy was advancing.
Vacations are supposed to be about creating balance in our lives. Who am I, what is my purpose and why do I do what I do? I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but at 61, I have more than I did at 16. I know that a timeout and real rest is healthy for the soul. It is not so important whether you take a trip or not, as long as there is some form of escape.
In the meantime, I plan to seek some form of meditation I can stay committed to (no luck so far). I have returned to work, continue to read my business journals, and create fun and educational videos for my friends and clients. I am doing the best job I can. So for now, since none of my favorite TV shows are on, I may even pick up another novel to read.
Prepare yourself for the things that matter and have fun when you can.
Reprinted with permission from Lori Michiel. Read more from Lori at her website, lorimichielfitness.com
Lori Michiel NASM-CPT is the owner of Lori Michiel Fitness. She is a trainer, teacher and passionate advocate for fitness. I specialize in helping active adults and seniors fulfill their physical potential and experience the joy of being healthier and more active in their lives.
Global Employee Health and Fitness Month (GEHFM) is an international and national observance of health and fitness in the workplace, created by 501c3 non-profit organization, the National Association for Health and Fitness. The goal of GEHFM is to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to employers and their employees through worksite health promotion activities and environments.
Formerly titled National Employee Health and Fitness Day, GEHFM has been extended to a month-long initiative in an effort to generate sustainability for a healthy lifestyle and initiate healthy activities on an ongoing global basis with a reach into South America, Europe and Asia.
Employers everywhere are invited to participate. The website and toolkit are available to participants, healthandfitnessmonth.org
Employers will challenge their employees to create Healthy Moments, form Healthy Groups and develop a Culminating Project. Participants will be able to log these activities on the website through the month, allowing employer and employees to track, share and promote their individual and group activities. GEHFM is structured very simply for ease of use and primarily targeted on companies with 500 employees or less.
Healthy Moments are occasions of healthy eating, physical activity or personal/environmental health. (e.g., cooking a healthy meal or scheduling a dental/doctor visit.)
Healthy Groups are formed to create a sustainable activity continuing even beyond the month. (e.g., healthy lunch groups; company sports team; walking club.)
Culminating Project is an event that promotes health throughout the whole company or community. (e.g., planting a community garden; company/family fitness event.)
GEHFM is held during the month of May every year (traditionally physical activity month). Health Moments occur daily, even multiple times a day and are created by individuals and groups. Healthy Groups implement activities to be performed several times throughout the month. Finally, the Culminating Project is developed during GEHFM and is executed at the end of May.
Why should employers/employees participate? GEHFM is a great way to kickoff wellness and fitness programs and bring excitement and can complement existing programs. Workforce wellness programs have been shown to benefit the employer through enhanced employee productivity; reduced health care costs; reduced employee absenteeism and decreased rates of illness and injury. These programs benefit employees by lowering stress levels, increasing well-being, self-image and self-esteem, improving physical fitness, increasing stamina, increasing job satisfaction and controlling BMI and blood pressure.
NAHF was founded in 1979 by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and has as its vision that America shares in the social economic, health and environmental benefits that come from living an active lifestyle. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for all individuals in the United States by promoting physical fitness, sports and healthy lifestyles. We also champion environmental and policy support for active living and encourage and share innovation in the States. NAHF values active living (integrating physical activity into daily lives) community involvement and leadership development for all societal sectors; promoting quality physical education in our schools; developing workforce health promotion programs and active-aging programs. With our focus on the States, NAHF “bridges the gap” between federal and local action and unites researcher and community practitioner.
Global Employee Health and Fitness Month website: healthandfitnessmonth.org
Diane Hart, Owner of Hart to Heart Fitness, is a Nationally Certified Fitness Professional, Personal Trainer, Health Educator and is current President of the National Association for Health and Fitness founded in 1979 by the U.S. President’s Council on Sports and Fitness. She is also Chair and one of the original architects of Global Employee Health and Fitness Month, which strives to make healthy the norm in the workplace.
Watch as Dan Ritchie, co-founder and president of the Functional Aging Institute, discusses why price is less of a concern for boomers and seniors and what is of more value to them than the price itself.
Exercise is key to maintaining muscle mass that enables performance of the activities of daily living.
US Census projections suggest that the majority of baby boomers will turn 65 between 2010 and 2030, reflecting the impending need for increasing medical care within this demographic.(1-3)
“Baby boomers are now senior boomers, and just as this group has influenced everything in the past, they will impact tomorrow’s health care services as well,” says Patrick Kearns, MD, a geriatrician at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California.
The health and function within this group will range from those who are extremely fit and healthy to those who are physically dependent. How an individual ages is, to some extent, determined by the cards (genes) they were dealt and, to a larger extent, how they’ve played those cards. Research confirms the relationship between living a healthful, active lifestyle and both quantity and quality of life. Proactive steps taken throughout a person’s lifetime may prevent or delay the advent of frailty.(3-5)
The medical profession continues to make significant strides in treating conditions that would have caused death years ago. And while the average life expectancy has increased dramatically since the 1900s, this increase in longevity comes with the possibility of living more years with physical limitations and reduced functional ability.(3,5)
Some studies have discovered that a sizable number of adults over the age of 65 cannot lift a 10-lb bag of groceries, walk a mile, or easily get up from a chair. One study suggests a significantly increased risk of falling for individuals who cannot lift themselves out of a chair at least eight times in 30 seconds.1 But how can frailty be prevented or even reversed?
Anyone, young or old, can experience frailty, which is the loss of some physical function and can result from various causes. Among the most common are a chronic medical condition; loss of a sensory system; changes in medical, mental/emotional, or functional fitness status; age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia); falls; or a sedentary lifestyle.(1,3,5)
Many times a combination of these factors results in a person’s inability to function independently, leading to the classification of frailty. The term “frail elder” often refers to the role age plays in the above conditions. Most of us can visually identify a physically frail person, but currently no definitive criteria exist for defining frailty. However, some professionals are attempting to develop a universal objective definition of elder frailty traits.(3,6)
Often family members, in concert with health care professionals, are the first to recognize an elder’s decline in strength and level of independence. Assessment of diminished balance and muscle strength suggest the need to initiate a comprehensive general conditioning program.(1)
A recent study published in the Journal of Aging and Health showed that a group of octogenarians involved in a 16-week program of walking or resistance training could improve significantly in strength, flexibility, agility, and balance.(1,7) Of course, prevention is cheaper than treatment, so the intervention of a well-rounded fitness program should begin long before frailty concerns emerge. Some older adults admit that if they had known they’d live so long, they would have taken better care of themselves when they were younger.
Sarcopenia plays a major role in what many believe advances functional loss and contributes to becoming frail. Studies have shown that without the intervention of progressive resistance training, lean muscle tissue loss can begin as early as the age of 30.(1,3,5) These small changes go unnoticed or are even accepted as part of normal aging until a person finds difficulty in completing simple tasks. While the outward circumference of a limb may remain the same, the interior integrity of the muscle mass is decreasing. We can visualize the muscle loss as analogous to a lean steak’s transformation to one with marbled fat. So it is with humans: A muscle biopsy shows intermuscular fat within the muscle.
Why is less muscle detrimental? One reason is that muscle tissue is the furnace that revs the metabolism, thus assisting an individual to better control body weight, which in many cases decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and other metabolic diseases. An increase of only 7.7% in resting metabolic rate derived from strength training would result in an increase of 50,000 extra calories expended in one year, which could result in a loss of 14 lbs of fat (in a 180-lb person).(1,5,7)
Strong leg muscles lead to improved balance.1 Strong functional muscles enable a more active and independent lifestyle. Being involved in a sensible strength conditioning program can foster improved bone density. Wolf’s Law says the strength of the bones is in direct proportion to the forces applied to them. If a person sits during most of the day, then he or she will have bones made for that kind of lifestyle. “Use it or lose it” applies to muscle strength as well as bone strength.
The hallmark study done by Maria Fiatarone, MD, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, placed 100 frail nursing home residents aged 72 to 98 into several experimental groups.(1,3,5-7) Her research found that those participating in progressive resistance exercises improved their strength significantly vs. those who were given nutritional supplements. The strength-training group increased their overall strength by 113%; gait velocity improved significantly as well stair-climbing ability over the nonexercising groups.
The take-home message was that resistance training is superior to nutritional supplementation and is far more cost-effective.
A review of the literature appears to prove that proper physical activity has broad and positive influences over many of the characteristics associated with normal aging. It could be said that everything that physically declines with age can be positively influenced with proper exercise.(4,8,9)
We’re all familiar with normal aging, but healthful aging often is determined by the activity or lack of activity that precedes old age. An inexpensive strategy to improve the prospects of living long and well includes a regular dose of sensible physical activity. Some commonly acknowledged benefits of a well-rounded exercise program include improved self-efficacy, metabolism, sleep patterns, cardiovascular capacity, balance, muscular strength, endurance, and movement along with reduced fatigue, depression, anxiety, and arthritic and low back pain.(1,8,9)
Designing a Fitness ProgramWhile it’s never too late to feel great, it’s best to start early. While this article attempts to show ways to intervene with a patient experiencing some level of frailty, the best solution is to encourage patients to engage in activities that help prevent it. It’s better to do a little bit of anything than a lot of nothing. Remind patients to start slow and progress cautiously. All of the exercises suggested below can be done simply with a chair. It’s even possible to perform some of the exercises in bed.(4,8,9)
Providing motivation to embark on an exercise regimen and stick with it presents a challenge, though. Suggesting participation in activities patients don’t want to do requires patience and skill. Focus on ways to make the activities appealing while preventing injury. Matching the exercise routine to a person’s personality and physical abilities often is more of an art than a science. A good coach/teacher can motivate a patient to do something he or she doesn’t want to do—and thank the coach for it later.(4,8,9)
It’s wise for health care professionals to provide patients with guidelines of indications and contraindications related to exercise. If possible, try to match patients with suitable options within the community that match their physical abilities, personalities, and social and economic issues. Some long term care facilities offer in-house and/or programs available to local older adults.(4,6,7)
An exercise program for patients at risk of becoming frail should aim to improve functional activities of daily living. An assessment by an occupational therapist, physical therapist, or nurse should provide some direction on the major areas to be addressed. While the aim of the intervention is to improve function, make sure the person leading the session keeps some fun in functional. This may require some socializing and interacting with patients. If patients are unmotivated to perform activities or exercise, even the best program will have low compliance rates and not produce the desired outcomes. All programs should follow some type of evidence-based guidelines.(8,9)
Improving muscular strength and endurance helps enhance patients’ functional muscular endurance and strength to perform daily activities without becoming fatigued. The basic concept of progressive resistance training, commonly called strength training, weight training, or weight lifting, is to begin with a resistance that can be comfortably performed six to eight times and then continue increasing the number of times (reps) until he or she can perform the movement easily between 10 and 15 times.(6)
Once that level is attained, patients can add small amounts of resistance to again challenge the muscles. As an individual advances, another set (a grouping of reps) can be added. The number of reps and sets varies depending on the objective. Matching activities to the functional tasks a person needs to perform can involve lifting a milk jug, opening jars, getting up from the toilet, or walking outside to get the mail, for example. The goal should be to build up a reserve of strength so patients can engage in any necessary activities.(4)
Strength training can include the use of resistance bands that come in varying levels of resistance. Light water bottles, hand weights, or attachable wrist/ankle weights work well. For patients who are particularly weak, simply using the weight of their limbs is a fine starting point.(4)
Aerobic simply means with oxygen. Most exercise physiologists use the example of anything you could do while holding your breath as anaerobic while the opposite characterizes aerobic exercise. Running a 100-yard dash could be called anaerobic and walking a mile aerobic. The goal of aerobic exercise is to improve the ability to move freely without becoming winded or to execute activities that facilitate locomotion, whether it’s propelling a wheelchair farther or safely walking unassisted to the dining room. This addresses breathing function as well as aerobic exercise to assist in reducing cardiovascular diseases and burning calories. Seated aerobics, peddling a stationary bike, and even walking exercise can be suitable options.
Balance and posture exercises should aim to improve the muscles that influence posture, such as the core muscles and muscles that retract the scapula as well as muscles that promote proper neck alignment. There is evidence that improved posture translates into standing erect and improved balance.
Balance activities should include both static and dynamic movements. Physical therapists can offer recommendations on exercises to enhance balance. Experts suggest patients can begin balance work in a chair, similar to activities for spinal cord-injured and post-stroke patients, as a safe exercise method.
Attempting to include all of the aspects listed above would be ideal; no one element supersedes another. However, it’s often advisable to establish a baseline of patient stamina. A comprehensive exercise class can easily include each element. An example of such a class could include five to 10 minutes of warm-up moves, five to 10 minutes of upper and lower body strength training, and five to 15 minutes of light aerobic exercise followed by some light flexibility moves. All of these can be done safely if the activities match a patient’s ability. Individualization is the key even for a group exercise class.(4)
Ideally, providers can perform individual patient assessment. Utilizing a group assessment method such as the Senior Fitness Test also can provide information on fitness levels and achievable goals.
The bottom line is that exercises and activities should be adapted to a patient’s abilities and should never exacerbate an existing condition, as patient safety is more important than any exercise. If an instructor cannot appropriately adapt the movements, then he or she is not qualified to be teaching this segment of the population.
A sample exercise program to prevent and improve the status of frailty should include the following:
• Range of motion/flexibility: Motion is lotion to stiff joints. A warm-up that addresses the major joints and helps prepare the body for physical activity should last between five and 15 minutes. Include gentle range-of-motion/flexibility activities that foster functional movements, such as putting on socks and shoes or getting dressed. In the early stages, this may be the limit of a patient’s capability, so stopping here is fine.
• Muscular strength and endurance: The focus is to improve functional muscular endurance and strength to enable a patient to perform daily activities without becoming fatigued. The activities should be matched to the tasks an individual needs to perform, such as lifting, dressing, and walking.
Plan of ActionThere are not enough physical and occupational therapists nor insurance dollars available to provide all the functional fitness needs of this burgeoning group of older adults. We need to have a stable of well-trained fitness professionals prepared to serve the fitness requirements of today’s elders. The medical community needs to have confidence that when they refer someone to a fitness class, the instructor will do no harm. The fitness trainers of the future should understand the diversity within this group and understand how to assess and train older adults with varying degrees of ability and fitness. It’s essential to adapt fitness methods to a patient’s abilities and conditions and focus goals on improving functional wellness.
Ideally, this article will serve as a wake-up call, not only to the fitness industry but also to health care professionals to work toward establishing national standards for trainers who work with older adults. A great opportunity will be lost if there are not enough trained fitness professionals available to serve this burgeoning demographic.
The field of gerontology promotes aging in place as a viable option. If early and comprehensive frailty prevention programs can be conducted in senior centers, hospital settings, or assisted-living communities, it could possibly delay the onset of frailty along with the associated costs.
The evidence is convincing that elders’ chronic illness is a powerful driver of medical costs. Research shows that a proactive lifestyle can lessen the challenges often seen in old age. Think of prevention as wholesale and treatment as retail in helping patients understand physical maintenance of their bodies. The goal is to inspire patients to be internally motivated to take positive steps toward becoming the best they can be, no matter what their age or disability.
Originally published in Today’s Geriatric Medicine. Reprinted with permission from Karl Knopf.
Karl Knopf, Ed.D, was the Director of The Fitness Therapy Program at Foothill College for almost 40 years. He has worked in almost every aspect of the industry from personal trainer and therapist to consultant to major Universities such as Stanford, Univ. of North Carolina, and the Univ. of California well as the State of California and numerous professional organizations. Dr. Knopf was the President and Founder of Fitness Educators Of Older Adults for 15 years. Currently, he is the director of ISSA’s Fitness Therapy and Senior Fitness Programs and writer. Dr. Knopf has authored numerous articles, and written more than 17 books including topics on Water Exercise, Weights for 50 Plus to Fitness Therapy.
References
1. Rose DJ. Fallproof! A Comprehensive Balance and Mobility Training Program. 1st ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2003.
2. Durstine JL, Moore G, Painter P, Roberts S. ACSM’s Exercise Management for Persons With Chronic Diseases and Disabilities. 3rd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2009.
3. National Institute on Aging. Exercise & Physical Activity. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health; 2009. NIH Publication No. 09-4258.
4. Knopf K. Total Sports Conditioning for Athletes 50+: Workouts for Staying at the Top of Your Game. Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press; 2008.
5. National Institute on Aging. In Search of the Secrets of Aging. 2nd ed. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health; 1996. NIH Publication No. 93-2756.
6. Brody LT, Hall CM. Therapeutic Exercise: Moving Toward Function. 3rd ed. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2010:1-49.
7. Ehrman JK, Gordon PM, Visich PS, Keteyian SJ. Clinical Exercise Physiology. 2nd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2009:135-146.
8. Knopf K. Creating wellness. Paper presented at: Wellness Conference at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Annual Meeting; October 2012; Palo Alto, CA.
9. Knopf K. Grow well, not old. Paper presented at: El Camino Hospital Aging In-Service; May 2013; Mountain View, CA.
I can’t quite remember where I heard it, but somewhere I once heard someone say that their deepest desire in life is to not leave an ounce of potential behind when they’re gone.
It made me re-evaluate how I live in each major area of my life – health/fitness, relationships, business, finance, and much more. It still helps me focus on constant improvement in each area.
Also, it’s important to consider the legacy you will leave behind. Likewise, how do you want to be remembered?
If you get one body in this lifetime, do you want to give it the best care and the attention that it deserves? Or do you want to neglect it, to take it for granted?
I want you not only to leave an incredible legacy behind in every area of your life, but I also want you to feel the magic of tremendous self-care, much of which happens through fitness and the choices we make regarding our health every single day.
So, tell me, what do you want to be your full legacy? And how, specifically, do you want to care for this amazing human body you have?
In conclusion, are you giving your body the chance to live up to its full potential?
Originally printed on Move Well Fitness blog. Reprinted with permission.
Maurice D. Williams is a personal trainer and owner of Move Well Fitness in Bethesda, MD. With almost two decades in the industry, he’s worked with a wide range of clients, including those with health challenges like diabetes, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, coronary artery disease, lower back pain, pulmonary issues, and pregnancy. Maurice is also a fitness educator with Move Well Fit Academy and NASM.
I am a creature of habit. I have always struggled with change throughout my life. I fought it and rarely embraced it until I was forced to acknowledge I was on the wrong path and needed to make a change. In my personal life, I held onto my marriage long after it ended creating unnecessary pain and anguish for all of us. I have learned that to RESPOND to the changes in my life is a far less traumatic way to live than always REACTING to the “fluid” circumstances and uncertainties of life.
Comfort zones, habits, and fear – the “Big 3” of life’s impediments to lasting and positive change in our lives need to be embraced for what they are: “False Evidence Appearing Real” – FEAR. I see this today as I have seen it repeatedly over the past 2 decades with my clients. We seem to end up being FORCED to change our ways rather than willingly and knowingly taking the steps necessary to move us forward to a more fulfilling life. Let’s take a look at a model for change that has begun to work for me.
The principle behind change is that the universe is always in a state of flux. Nothing in this reality remains the same – especially as we age. One of my former teachers stated that “the only constant in the natural order is change” and yet we fight the changes in our lives and often label them “bad” or “good”. Even positive change brings new stresses into our lives – stresses that can fuel our creative “juices” and enable us and empower us to grow in ways that we could barely imagine. Being willing – and ready – to embrace change allows us to imagine with feeling what is possible. This can create new paths to a future that can embolden and encourage not only ourselves but others as well.
We all have to understand that we can’t control what is NOT ours to control and “let go” while embracing what it is that we DO have the power to influence. The next steps in my journey are being written RIGHT NOW as I type these words. The same holds true for each of us so let’s be BOLD and embrace change as a friend and see what can happen when we partner with change for a higher purpose.
Habits and comfort zones rely on each other to keep us from fulfilling our promise. I have lived for years with the notion that I didn’t possess the “right stuff” to leave a lasting mark on this world.
My daughter Lisa is a “big thinker” and strives for excellence in all aspects of her life even as she has had to struggle over the past three years with life’s inevitable challenges at a very crucial time in her life. I am proud to say that she is confident and hopeful and continues to trust her instincts making me feel very proud of her at this critical moment in time in her life. She has what I didn’t have at her age – an indomitable spirit that continues to believe in her own innate ability and talent. To her comfort zones are only “resting places” – not residences.
I have learned that my fears were of my own making and today I know that we can only improve our lot in life if we are willing to risk acting “in spite of our fears”. Remember that fear is nothing more than “false evidence appearing real” and our clients need that reassurance every day as they attempt to change something significant in their lives.
We need to KNOW deep inside ourselves that we indeed CAN make a difference and move our clients – and all those we want to serve – one step closer to their OWN new reality. May we each benefit from the changes that we are experiencing right NOW in our OWN lives so that we can help others achieve their own victories as well!
Article reprinted with permission from Nicholas Prukop.
Nicholas Prukop is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer & a Health Coach and fitness professional with over 25 years of experience. His passion for health and fitness comes from his boyhood in Hawaii, where he grew up a swimmer on Maui. He found his calling in writing his first book “Healthy Aging & You: Your Journey to Becoming Happy, Healthy & Fit” and since then he has dedicated himself to empowering, inspiring and enabling people of all ages to reach for the best that is within them and become who they are meant to be – happy, healthy and fit – and be a part of a world where each person can contribute their own unique gifts to life.
“MRI’s are just anatomic pictures of structures. They do NOT tell me if someone is having pain from MRI findings. I tell patients that it is similar to having your portrait taken. The picture just shows what you look like, not….
The more that time goes on, the more evidence there is that sleep is our friend – possibly one of the best! Do you find that drifting off into sound slumber among today’s full-on society is something that is slightly out of reach for you in your life?
If you’re nodding your head as you read this, and you want to find out how sleep can have a positive impact on your life, then you’ve come to the right place.
Over the course of this article, we’re going to elaborate on the health benefits of sleep and how it can make a difference in your life!
Did you know that the chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke are higher in the early morning hours? [1] It’s thought that this is because of the way sleep interacts with our blood vessels.
If you are experiencing a lack of sleep, then you are considered among those who are more likely to be associated with issues surrounding blood pressure and cholesterol. These are defined as high-risk factors for both stroke and heart disease.
You’ll benefit from a healthier heart if sleep between seven and nine hours every evening, as recommended by health professionals.
Sleep is your body’s time to be at its most relaxed. This is also the period in which the body busies itself repairing any damage developed from a range of factors, including stress.
When you’re asleep, notably deeper stages of sleep, [2] your body works to repair muscle, organs, and other cells. Chemicals that operate to strengthen your immune system begin to circulate in your blood.
Your body’s cells are able to produce more protein, and these protein molecules are at the root of the repairs your body needs to overcome daily stressors.
When you don’t receive adequate amounts of sleep, your body moves into a state of stress. This means that your body’s functions are put into ‘high alert mode’, with the effects of this ranging from high blood pressure to the increased production of stress-related hormones.
Avoiding high blood pressure is important, because high blood pressure can increase your heart attack and stroke risk. What’s more, when we factor in stress hormones and how they make it harder to fall asleep, it soon becomes clear that sleep is vital to stay for health.
High-quality rest gives will make you feel energized and more alert the following day. You’ll be more active and use up the energy you’ve rewarded yourself with, which subsequently opens the door for a good night’s sleep that evening, too.
This knock-on effect creates a healthy cycle that is hard to not enjoy, especially when you are waking up feeling refreshed and ‘full of beans’ to accomplish whatever lies ahead each day.
During sleep, as your body is resting and repairing itself, your brain is hard at work processing the things you have learned that day.
It’s like a filing process, whereby your brain is sorting all the things in their rightful place, creating connections between events, memories and feelings, for example.
The ability to move into a deep sleep is absolutely essential for your brain to form links and memories, and the better quality of sleep you experience, the better your memory will become.
Some experts believe people who sleep under seven hours each evening, are more likely to be classified as overweight or obese. Researchers believe that this is due to the balance of bodily hormones that affect the appetite of sleep-deprived individuals. [3]
The body’s hormones leptin and ghrelin are both responsible for the regulation of your appetite, and when sleep isn’t at a suitable level, these hormones become disrupted.
The result of the disruption with these hormones is that you will eat more than necessary, and when you eat more than you need to, losing weight – and even maintaining it – becomes a difficult task.
As you may have realized throughout this article, sleep has the ability to have a bearing on many of the chemicals and processes that help your body to function. This is what makes sleep such an important function in all of our lives.
Sarah Cummings writes for The Sleep Advisor (sleepadvisor.org), a site dedicated to helping people improve their sleep habits. Her love of exercise has always been a big part of how she leads her life, and finds that her keen approach to a healthy diet, daily yoga and dedication to high-quality sleep helps her offer sound advice to others all over the world!
References