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PHYSICALLY TWEAKED by Cat Smiley, ISSA
How often have you justified skipping workouts because you’re simply too
tired? We all know that sacrificing sleep sacrifices peak performance. Too much
to do, and too little time to do it in has become signature of today’s hectic
world. Sleep deprivation is often unnecessary, yet sleep debt is hitting us in
a way not even coffee can compensate for.
Finding energy for workouts is pretty darn difficult when we are feeling run down
- also making us more vulnerable to accidents, conflict, depression and irritability.
Modern lifestyles have resulted in almost 40 percent of the population sleeping
6.5 hours a night or less, according to the National Sleep Foundation. True enough,
most people compensate for lack of sleep during the week by sleeping in on the
weekends - however this switch is guaranteed to confuse your natural body clock.
Only you will know how much sleep is needed to perform the next day at your best.
However, don’t trick yourself into believing you are in the one or two percent
of the population who can get by on five hours sleep per night. Most people need
eight hours. Morning workouts kick start your day by boosting your energy and
fat-burning potential, with the added bonus of getting your workout done before
you have time to procrastinate.
Good workout intentions can come with a price if you are cheating your body of
sleep - compromising your moods, alertness, learning potential, co-ordination
and in some cases even making you gain weight. Sleep deprivation seriously impairs
the body’s ability to process blood sugar, impeding the action of insulin
much as in diabetes, which may correspond to obesity, and turn you into a stress
case through elevating the stress hormone cortical. Many underestimate the contributions
that sleeping well makes to their overall healthy living plan. The positive news
is that sleeping longer is not as optimal as sleeping more efficiently, according
to psychologist James B. Maas PhD, author of Power Sleep. His golden rules of
sleep include logical goals such as establishing a regular sleep schedule, getting
continuous sleep, making up for lost sleep as soon as possible and getting adequate
sleep for your individual needs every night.
Relaxing before you go to bed is key. For about an hour before you hit the hay,
avoid snacking (opt instead for a cup of herbal tea), studying, computer work
and using too much brainpower. Simply allow yourself to unwind...then enjoy your
morning breakfast. Far too often our first meal of the day is a frantic grab of
coffee-spilling rush, running out the door in the morning.
The past decade has seen a gigantic amount of controversy over these low fat but
high carbohydrate "perfect breakfasts." Many foods could mistakenly
be labeled healthy just because they are low in fat. The reality is, if your meal
fails to contain a balance of fat/carbohydrate and protein, you may hit hunger
overdrive and energy slumps far before you need to.
The main point is that there is nothing vastly different about breakfast than
any other meal. A balanced meal contains approximately 20-30 percent fat, 40-50
percent carbohydrate and 20-30 percent protein. For example, you probably would
not aim to eat potatoes alone for dinner, but would include meat and vegetables.
Eating a bagel with a slab of cream cheese with your coffee is pretty much equivalent,
nutritionally speaking, to eating potatoes alone for dinner.
The challenge is not about subtracting from your morning bagel or cereal, it is
about adding to it. Expand your dietary patterns - eat a whole-grain bagel instead
of white, with an apple instead of orange juice. Use low-fat nut butter or a small
handful of trail mix to balance your protein count. Experts suggest a breakfast
consisting of bread and cereal may be far too low in protein, fiber and good fat,
the ingredients needed to stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels.
You don’t have to eat a lot of food to make it work for you; you just have
to make the right choices. Fitness is all about keeping your body in balance,
and the power of the body and mind consolidating themselves overnight will fuel
your success. Sweet dreams.
Cat Smiley is a pro skier, journalist
and personal trainer living in Whistler. www.catsmiley.com 1 604 902-0698
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