SPRINGFIED, Mo KY3’s Paul Adler visits with Pamela Hernandez of Thrive Personal Fitness about a key tool in the weight loss battle.
Here’s what Pamela told us:
Your fat loss X-factor: Sleep
If you’re moving more and eating better but your clothes don’t feel any looser you might want to check your sleep habits. When you don’t get enough sleep or get good quality sleep, your hormone cycles get disrupted. Your metabolism slows down and weight loss is harder.
Researchers from the University of Chicago call it being “metabolically groggy”. A recent study found that just four nights of
insufficient sleep dropped the sensitivity of insulin (a critical metabolism hormone) by 30%!
For weight loss and health, you must create a solid sleep ritual. Here’s how:
Surround yourself with scents proven to relax you, like lavender, before bed. You can put lavender oil in a diffuser or try a warm bath with lavender scented bath salts. I love a good lavender scented face mask, like the Flora-py Sweet Dreams Mask from Good Skin Day, at the end of the busy day. Not only will it make you look amazing and calm you
down, it will also force you to put down your phone.
Putting down your phone is part of the lights down and out strategy. The blue light of your devices disrupts the body’s ability to make critical sleep hormones and start “powering down”. Put your phone away and move away from the computer and television at least 30 minutes before bed. Use black out shades if you can in the bedroom or use a sleep mask to create a dark environment.
Finally, make sure your sleep environment is cool. According to Sleep.org the ideal sleeping environment is between 60 and 67 degrees. Turn down the heat or turn up the air at night and run a fan if necessary. Ladies, if you’re finding hot flashes to be problem you
need to visit Cool-jams.com. Cool-jams are amazing microfiber pajamas that feel just like regular cotton but wick away moisture and absorb heat! They could be a game changer if your power surges are making a good night’s sleep hard to come by. They also make
bedding too.
Now set an alarm to remind you to go to sleep because just like everything else, your body loves consistency at bed time too!