My friend, Gail, has been a restless sleeper since childhood. “It’s rare that I get a goodnight’s sleep,” she confided in me several years ago. Her weight has been a problem as well, spiraling upwards of 60 lbs within the past 20 years. Like most of us, her exercise and diet plans begin with enthusiasm but fizzle out within the first month. “Just too tired to keep them going” is her excuse. It wasn’t until her doctor referred her to the Sleep Specialist that things began to change. Within 6 months, she lost 25 lbs. She began exercising and now she feels much more optimistic about her future. “I’ll get down to where I want to be,” she said. “But the great thing is I can sleep like a baby at night.”

Gail’s situation points to a distinct connection between sleep and weight. Recently, sleep deprivation has been identified as one of the major problems of our internet culture. Not coincidentally, obesity (despite the many diets that are around) is at its highest level. The connection between sleep deprivation and weight gain is no longer in the realm of conjecture. Several studies show a direct correlation between sleep and weight.

Research shows that sleep directly affects hunger. At the New York Obesity Research Center of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, scientists have identified a direct correlation between the amount of sleep you get and your body’s secretion of hormones related to satiation and hunger. Leptin is the hormone that is released when your body feels satiated and full. It’s the hormone that makes you push your plate away from you at the dinner table. Ghrelin is the hormone that is secreted when your body needs nourishment; it’s the hormone that makes you say “Feed me! I want more!” While leptin suppresses appetite, ghrelin stimulates it. Lack of sleep decreases the body’s production of leptin by 18% and increases the body’s production of ghrelin by 15%.

In essence, sleep deprivation puts the body in starvation mode, stimulating the cells to ask for more food. The result is you eat more. Does feeling hungry at 3 am sound familiar?

How then can you enlist sleep to be one of your weight loss allies?

First of all, make sure that you are on a healthy eating plan. Having the best sleep every night and the worst diet in the world at the same time will not make you lose weight. Make sure that your daily food intake includes 25-30% protein, 45-55% complex carbohydrates, 15-20% essential fatty acids.

Secondly, make sure you are on an effective exercise program 4-5 times a week. The best workout includes both weight training and aerobics. Exercise PLUS protein is the most effective way to sculpt your body.

Now—we can talk sleep. Just having enough sleep will not make you lose weight, but it will surely help you stick to your weight loss plans. Here are some suggestions for enhancing your sleep experience.

1.Limit your consumption of alcohol and caffeine especially in the evening. Alcohol will give you unnecessary calories; so eliminating it entirely while you are trying to lose weight might not be a bad idea. Caffeine (especially from green tea) taken during the day can enhance your metabolism and burn fat. But caffeine in the evening can bring about a restless night.

2.Develop a personal sense of sleep hygiene. This means cultivating a regular wake and sleep schedule so that you can program your body to a routine. Find a sleep ritual that works best for you. For me, it’s reading in bed. For Gail, it’s listening to a sleep enhancing CD. Find a ritual that helps your body understand that you are ready for sleep.

3.Don’t go to bed hungry. While this does not mean that you should have a heavy snack at bedtime, it does suggest that a light snack,rich in sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan, can help. Warm low-fat milk is best. You can add a few( no more than 2-3) lean slices of lean turkey( also rich in tryptophan) if you wish.

4.Exercise at least 3 hours before bedtime. Physical activity contributes to the body’s need for sleep. But exercising too close to bedtime can actually prevent sleep because exercise raises the body’s metabolism and alertness level.

5.Take a warm bath an hour before bedtime. Your body temperature will slowly drop after you get out of the tub making you feel tired.

6.Create a Bed Sanctuary. If you want to sleep well, make your bedroom sleep- conducive. Get the best mattress you can afford, the most comfortable pillows, the best blackout shades. Keep your bedroom cool and dark. Eliminate noise by using earplugs.

7.Eliminate distractions like a humming TV, computer or phone.

8.Keep your days active. Resist the temptation of nap so that your body will be ready for a restful sleep at night.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

A fitness and weight consultant, Mary is helping people reclaim their bodies through nutrition, exercise, positive vision and creative engagement. Visit her atGreatBodyat50 or at ProteinPower

My friend, Gail, has been a restless sleeper since childhood. “It’s rare that I get a goodnight’s sleep,” she confided in me several years ago. Her weight has been a problem as well, spiraling upwards of 60 lbs within the past 20 years. Like most of us, her exercise and diet plans begin with enthusiasm but fizzle out within the first month. “Just too tired to keep them going” is her excuse. It wasn’t until her doctor referred her to the Sleep Specialist that things began to change. Within 6 months, she lost 25 lbs. She began exercising and now she feels much more optimistic about her future. “I’ll get down to where I want to be,” she said. “But the great thing is I can sleep like a baby at night.”

Gail’s situation points to a distinct connection between sleep and weight. Recently, sleep deprivation has been identified as one of the major problems of our internet culture. Not coincidentally, obesity (despite the many diets that are around) is at its highest level. The connection between sleep deprivation and weight gain is no longer in the realm of conjecture. Several studies show a direct correlation between sleep and weight.

Research shows that sleep directly affects hunger. At the New York Obesity Research Center of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, scientists have identified a direct correlation between the amount of sleep you get and your body’s secretion of hormones related to satiation and hunger. Leptin is the hormone that is released when your body feels satiated and full. It’s the hormone that makes you push your plate away from you at the dinner table. Ghrelin is the hormone that is secreted when your body needs nourishment; it’s the hormone that makes you say “Feed me! I want more!” While leptin suppresses appetite, ghrelin stimulates it. Lack of sleep decreases the body’s production of leptin by 18% and increases the body’s production of ghrelin by 15%.

In essence, sleep deprivation puts the body in starvation mode, stimulating the cells to ask for more food. The result is you eat more. Does feeling hungry at 3 am sound familiar?

How then can you enlist sleep to be one of your weight loss allies?

First of all, make sure that you are on a healthy eating plan. Having the best sleep every night and the worst diet in the world at the same time will not make you lose weight. Make sure that your daily food intake includes 25-30% protein, 45-55% complex carbohydrates, 15-20% essential fatty acids.

Secondly, make sure you are on an effective exercise program 4-5 times a week. The best workout includes both weight training and aerobics. Exercise PLUS protein is the most effective way to sculpt your body.

Now—we can talk sleep. Just having enough sleep will not make you lose weight, but it will surely help you stick to your weight loss plans. Here are some suggestions for enhancing your sleep experience.

1.Limit your consumption of alcohol and caffeine especially in the evening. Alcohol will give you unnecessary calories; so eliminating it entirely while you are trying to lose weight might not be a bad idea. Caffeine (especially from green tea) taken during the day can enhance your metabolism and burn fat. But caffeine in the evening can bring about a restless night.

2.Develop a personal sense of sleep hygiene. This means cultivating a regular wake and sleep schedule so that you can program your body to a routine. Find a sleep ritual that works best for you. For me, it’s reading in bed. For Gail, it’s listening to a sleep enhancing CD. Find a ritual that helps your body understand that you are ready for sleep.

3.Don’t go to bed hungry. While this does not mean that you should have a heavy snack at bedtime, it does suggest that a light snack,rich in sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan, can help. Warm low-fat milk is best. You can add a few( no more than 2-3) lean slices of lean turkey( also rich in tryptophan) if you wish.

4.Exercise at least 3 hours before bedtime. Physical activity contributes to the body’s need for sleep. But exercising too close to bedtime can actually prevent sleep because exercise raises the body’s metabolism and alertness level.

5.Take a warm bath an hour before bedtime. Your body temperature will slowly drop after you get out of the tub making you feel tired.

6.Create a Bed Sanctuary. If you want to sleep well, make your bedroom sleep- conducive. Get the best mattress you can afford, the most comfortable pillows, the best blackout shades. Keep your bedroom cool and dark. Eliminate noise by using earplugs.

7.Eliminate distractions like a humming TV, computer or phone.

8.Keep your days active. Resist the temptation of nap so that your body will be ready for a restful sleep at night.

___________________________________

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

A runner for 27 years, retired schoolteacher and writer, Mary is now doing what she loves–running, writing, helping people reclaim their bodies. Nutrition, exercise, positive vision and purposeful engagement are the tools used to turn their bodies into creative selves. You can subscribe to Mary’s newsletter by contacting her at www.GreatBodyafter50secrets.com or visit her at www.greatbodyat50.com Learn about the power of protein at www.greatbodyproteinpower.com

When it comes to diet, weight control is the number one concern for people choosing to actively modify their meals for the sake of changing how much they weigh. No matter what your weight control goals are, understanding how the body processes nourishment can help you meet your weight control goals. These four simple principals should help you take control of your diet and meet your weight control needs.

First, your diet must be high in quality. Consider this: The standard American diet is high in sugar, high in fat, high in salt, highly processed and low in nutrition. Regardless of your goals for weight control, a healthier diet, from whole, unprocessed foods, will improve your health by eliminating toxins and help your body make the most of the nourishment in the food you eat. Would you choose the lowest quality gasoline, filled with impurities and additives that damage your car? Why then would you choose equivalent foods and put them in your body?

Second, nourishment in your diet must be complete. The facts show that the level of essential nutrients in a “good diet” is far lower compared to measurements from just 20 years ago. Because of this, you need to choose high-quality, food-based supplements to ensure that your body has the micronutrients it needs to support correct cell function.

Third, for optimal health, the amount of nourishment you receive from your diet must be appropriate for your needs. The diet of some movie star is not necessarily right, or even safe, for you. If your weight control desire is to loose weight, you should reduce your calories and favor low-glycemic foods which take longer to digest and slow your insulin response.

Fourth, your diet must be balanced. On average, you should receive twenty percent of your daily calories from protein, thirty percent from fat and fifty percent from carbohydrates. However, if we remember the first principal, a meal with fat from fried appetizers and carbohydrates from simple starches and refined sugars in not a high quality source of nourishment. Your protein should come from high quality sources such as fish, legumes and beans. Fat should also come from fish, and legumes, as well as flax seed, avocados, extra virgin olive oil and other high quality fat sources. The carbohydrates should come from whole produce and as much of it as possible should be raw. It’s very unlikely that you will find any of these things in the drive through or from the frozen section of the grocery store. It might be time to buy a cook book or two and learn how to prepare simple meals from real ingredients.

If your weight control goals are for weight gain, the four principals still apply. You simply need more calories from your diet. Instead of increasing portion sizes, add one or more extra meals a day. There are limits to how much the body can process from a single meal so adding an extra meal or two will allow your body to make the most of your additional intake.

Everyone should be able to enjoy the foods we include in our diet. Weight control is simply a matter of adjusting the intake of calories compared to how much is being consumed through exercise and basal metabolism. By following these four simple principals we can enjoy better health and help our bodies achieve our own, individual healthy weight.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Dave Saunders is a professional lecturer, and certified nutritional educator. He enjoys creating interconnections through his writings and lectures to help others create context and see new discoveries and technologies in more a practical light. You can find out more about new discoveries in health and nutrition at www.glycoboy.com.