Have you been working out and dieting but still not losing weight as fast as you think you should? Maybe you are not getting a good night’s sleep. If you are not getting enough sleep you could be sabotaging your efforts to lose weight and get in shape.

The other morning at my 6am work out session with my personal trainer, Zach, I was complaining about how tired I was and how hard it was to get up so early to work out. He asked a simple question, “How much sleep are you getting?”

That got me thinking about the connection between sleep and weight loss. The first obvious link is that when I am not getting enough sleep I am too tired to get up and go work out; which, in turn, derails my weight loss efforts.

What about the less obvious connection between getting a good night’s sleep and losing weight in Spokane WA? I decided to dig deeper.

How important is it to get a good night’s sleep? I found out, it is very important.

Researching the Link Between Sleep and Weight Loss In Spokane WA

As it turns out there is a significant link to the amount of sleep a person gets and their weight. Several studies done at the University of Chicago in Illinois, Stanford University in California and other universities across the US show that people who get less sleep gain more weight and have higher percentages of body fat.

Why? What could sleep possibly have to do with what I weigh? Well it comes down to hormones; leptin, ghrelin and cortisol.

• Ghrelin hormones are your appetite indicators; they tell you when you are hungry. Lack of sleep causes an increase in ghrelin levels. If you don’t get enough sleep you have more of these hunger hormones telling you that you are hungry.

• Leptin hormones tell you when you are full. Lack of sleep causes leptin levels to drop. If you do not have enough leptin your body doesn’t recognize that you are full and you over eat.

• Lack of sleep can increase the production of the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol is best known for increasing belly fat. So it turns all that extra food into belly fat!

Voila you gain weight or if you are trying to lose weight In Spokane WA your efforts are thwarted. What a cycle.

Who knew that sleep is that important?

How Much Sleep Should You Get In Spokane?

According to a 16 year study presented in 2006 at the American Thoracic Society International Conference women who slept 7 hours or more per night weigh less than women who slept 5 hours or less.

• Women who slept 6 hours per night were 6% more likely to be obese and 12% more likely to gain at least 33lbs or more.

• Women who slept 5 hours per night were 15% more likely to be obese and 32% more likely to gain at least 33lbs or more.

That seems pretty significant to me. There are also a whole slew of other effects that lack of sleep has on the body and its health. So for optimum health experts say we should get at least 7 or more hours of sleep a night.

Getting enough sleep is even more important if you are working out or stressing the body. When you work out it tears down the muscles so they can rebuild themselves bigger and stronger. Sleep is the time that the body does that. If you don’t give the body enough time to properly heal itself you eventually wear out.

So I guess mom was right, the key to a healthy life is to eat right, exercise and get a good night’s sleep.

Getting more sleep is a relatively simple task but sometimes all of us need help with the other two, eating right and exercising. Zach Hunt, personal trainer and owner of Phyzique Personal Fitness, can help you with those other two keys, diet and exercise, so you can achieve optimum fitness.

Well, here we are again and if you’ve been following my progress, I am going to reveal the weight loss recipe.  No, it isn’t a recipe in the traditional sense, you know, cup of flour, dash of salt, etc.  This recipe has a whole different connotation, but if you follow it, I promise you’ll see results.

The REAL Weight Loss Recipe In Spokane:

• Intense workouts at least 3 times a week
• Drinking plenty of water
• Eating healthy balanced meals and snacks
• Some form of exercise every day
• Making yourself a priority

Healthy Exercise In Spokane

Do I hear moans and groans? I’m sure I do!  The truth is though, if you’re really serious about getting rid of that weight you aren’t so fond of, you have to do it.  Let me ask you a question. Is your health important to you? If not, then here’s another question. Is your health important to your loved ones?

If your answer to either of those questions was yes, then do yourself a favor.  Get out of your chair…seriously!

Right now!  Get up out of your chair or off the couch or wherever you are (we all know not too many people read articles standing up, now do they?)  Find a mirror nearby…the bathroom maybe? A compact in your purse if you’re a woman?  Look yourself in the eye, and repeat after me:

I am important.  My health is important. I can do this!  Every day, in every way I am getting better and stronger!

Don’t ignore me, I am totally serious.  If you can’t do this for yourself, then think about the people who love you and need you to be healthy.

You don’t think those pounds crawled into your lap uninvited, do you?  Whether you like it or not, you made the choices that put them there.

Is is hard to face that? You bet it is!  How do I know?  If you remember my first article, I am on my way to losing 80 pounds, one step at a time.

Maybe you have more than 80 pounds to lose. Maybe you have less, but either way, it starts with making a concious decision to do something about it.

Healthy Eating In Spokane

No more moans and groans…please!  Eating healthy can still taste good, I swear!  You don’t have to go Vegan or take sudden drastic measures to make a noticable difference in your weight.

You do however, have to think about what you are putting in your mouth and why.

Here’s an example.  I am a stress eater, I freely admit it.  When I get stressed out or overwhelmed, upset, or don’t want to deal with something, I reach for food.  Not good food either, I pick the high calorie sugary stuff.

We have a saying in our family: A moment on the lips, forever on the hips.  We mean it jokingly, but let me tell you, that saying becomes truer every year.

You really have to come to a point, where you realize what you are eating and why. The sooner you identify that, the easier it becomes.  (Mind you, I said “easier” not “easy”.)  Once you come to terms with what your food issue is, if you have one, you have to start making concious decisions.

For me, that means when I am craving something sugary I have to ask myself:  “Am I really hungry, or am I not dealing with something I need to face?”

I find a good way to deal with those sudden cravings is fresh air in the form of a short walk, some water or time in prayer.  Journaling is another great way to deal with what you’re feeling. If you aren’t a praying person, maybe some quiet or meditation will help you.

Just remember that you really can accomplish the goals you set for yourself.

Make them achievable, write your own weight loss recipe and I would recommend finding a good personal trainer who can motivate you and encourage you.  I found mine in Zach at Physzique in Spokane.  He is an amazing trainer as well as a great inspiration because he had his own Spokane weight loss recipe too.

Spokane Weight Control Success Secrets

I have a favorite story I like to tell people. It’s about when I went on vacation with my family about 3 years back. During this vacation I decided to do something extraordinary. I wanted to see just how much weight I could gain in 1 week. In the end I had consumed an extra 130,000 calories to help me pack on 37 additional pounds to my body. Going from 222 to 259 in just 7 days.

Now let me say, that wasn’t on accident. That was fully purposeful. This is exactly like the holiday season, from Thanksgiving through New Years. If you gain any weight over the next month it will not be “on accident”. I don’t ever recall accidentally eating a plate of cookies =) Nor do I remember accidentally eating a head of broccoli.

You can decide right now what will happen. This is not a one month hiatus from exercise and eating right. Even if you do go to a holiday eating festival every week, that doesn’t mean you have to eat excess amounts. It’s just like any other month. Just control your portions! Stay strong and expect success.—Zach

The Ultimate Secret to Spokane Weight Control

See here: Spokane Weight Control Success