Sleep is Underrated

Gone are the days of bragging about living on little sleep.  Instead, we now know that quality sleep, as in uninterrupted sleep, for six plus hours per night is essential to good health.  Important recovery takes place on a cellular level when we sleep.  The mind has a chance to unravel and stop processing in a cognitive way.  The dream state takes over.  The body also needs a break.  Stress and fatigue are stored in the body.  Time to reset.  

So, what gets in the way of a good night?  Or, might I rephrase--what are things that we allow to get in the way of a good night?  I am not referring to parents of new babies who live through those wakeful nights.  There isn't a choice there.  You just survive it the best you can and grab a nap whenever you can.  I am talking about the rest of us with stress, jobs, interests, commitments, responsibilities, worries, etc.  I am talking about those of us who remain stimulated by screens or plugged in to work until far too late in the evening, or those who watch Netflix instead of going to bed, or those who eat too late at night to digest properly and then can't sleep, or those who haven't managed stress throughout the day so that the tension starts screaming the minute the lights go out.  

Living a healthy life means that we look at all that contributes or detracts from that life.  This includes what is known as "sleep hygiene."  How well do you set yourself for quality sleep?  Establishing a routine, a curfew for screens, quiet activity with low lighting and reduced noise can be a big help.  Keeping the bedroom free of work and signs of work so that the bed chamber is a place to relax and restore, signals to the body that there is nothing to do here but sleep.  Piles of laundry, dry cleaning and bill pay will make much harder to let go.  Black out shades or curtains send the body the message that nothing is going on here, so close your eyes and go to sleep.  Keeping the temperature in the room on the cooler side with comfortable blankets and pillows makes being in bed restorative and inviting.  

Hormones do not work correctly when we do not sleep well.  Our bodies crave more sweets and don't get satisfied with healthy foods when we are sleep deprived to say nothing of poor attention span, irritability and bad temper.  Face it, we all need our rest.  Take a page from the plant and animal world, restore at night.

This week, with daylight saving time coming to end, rethink your sleep.  Take a look at what you can do to improve.  Consider what you can do to manage stress throughout the day so that it doesn't keep you from falling asleep or keep you awake long after you do get to sleep.  

We need energy to keep our day powered.  We get that from sunlight, from healthy foods, staying hydrated, exercising and good, quality sleep.  

Night night.

Emotional Eating--Transforming Negative Energy into Positive

We are all guilty of emotional eating.  Whether we get caught up in the stress of every-day life or we get carried away in the excitement of the moment.  With our steady stream of food opportunities, snacks, samples and workplace treats, this is a real problem.  So much of these "extras" are high fat and high sugar, which is where real weight gain comes from.  These foods are also easy to overeat.  Furthermore, these high calorie foods "make us feel better" for the moment so that makes us turn to them even more.

We know we aren't supposed to sit down with a jumbo bag of chips after a long day, but that is not enough to keep us from doing it.  So, what else can we do to become more aware of ourselves in the moment and make small changes to manage the emotions?  It depends on the situation.  If you are going to a happy occasion like a wedding, Octoberfest party or holiday gathering, you know you will be socializing with friends and family waiting to see you.  Focusing on the friends, the camaraderie and the fun while steering clear of the buffet could help.  What about the afternoon slump at work or a lull in activities at home on evenings and weekends?  Again, slowing down long enough to ask yourself what is really happening?  Are you bored, frustrated, in transition, procrastinating, lonely, stressed out?  Those are feelings that no amount of food can manage.  This is where we purposefully stay away from high calorie treats and think about an appropriate response to the problem.  If you are bored, you need an activity.  Eating doesn't count as an activity.  If you are lonely, you need more than Ben and Jerry to keep you company.  You need to reach out to friends and reconnect.  If you are stressed from work, you need to manage that stress by dumping it out through exercise or meditation or something much more fulfilling.

I have been studying chi gong in order to get my 200 hour certification.  Chi gong is a mind/body exercise where the breath links the mind with the body, as in yoga.  First the mind thinks something, and then the body does something.  In my training, Master Lee Holden talks about the power of transforming negative energy into positive energy.  We can use this to help with weight loss and weight maintenance.

What kind of energy are you living in?  What is swirling around you?  Are you in a good mood, feeling positive and clear?  Are you in a negative mood, feeling defeated or frustrated and distracted?  Are you in a place of nothing too good or too bad, but you can't quite put a finger on it?  Whatever quality of energy in you and around you speaks to you.  For example, when you are on top of the world, things are organized and going well, you smile more, pay compliments to others and speak in a positive way about things.  Your own energy is bursting, and you are using it for the good.  On the other hand, when you are depleted and not getting quality sleep and nursing a sick child, you are running on empty.  Your body says--slow down and take a nap.  Your mind says--you can't keep this up.  Your stress says--eat junky food.

Seeking a more balanced lifestyle where we are aware of how we are feeling, what we are doing, where we want to be going is a worthy pursuit.  Seeking helpful ways to transform negative energy into positive energy puts us in the driver's seat.  We then feel calmer and more in control.

Emotions are constantly shifting.  Whether we believe it or not, we are all emotional beings who feel things from the joy of a compliment to the negativity of criticism.   However, as people looking for more good living, more health, more vitality and more confidence, we need to slow down and rethink how we are going to manage our precious feelings and our unpleasant ones.  We need to consider how we can shift our mindset and then our behavior so that food doesn't seem like the answer to coping with stress or high emotions.  It's a lifelong pursuit because every day is different, posing its unique set of challenges.  However, the better we get at transforming negative energy into positive, the more weight loss we can create and maintain.  The more balanced living we can enjoy.

Get Back to Basics

When life becomes overwhelming, and it's hard to focus, that is precisely the time to return to the basics, to keep it simple and real.  When it comes to food, that means start with the food groups which are:  fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and protein substitutes, dairy and dairy substitutes and healthy oils. The single ingredient foods from these groups are the most nutrient dense, filling, healthy and low in calories, sugar, saturated fat and sodium.  A balance of the food groups creates satisfied eating, improves the chance for weight loss, reduces cravings for sugar and aids digestion.

Food has long been valued for its medicinal properties.  For example, in traditional Chinese medicine, depending on the ailment and the organ, there is a corresponding food to consume to create healing and balance.  Fast forward thousands of years, to my own childhood when my grandmother called chicken noodle soup "Jewish penicillin."  We aren't Jewish, but the soothing comfort of hot soup that is simple and satisfying no matter what religion you are can do the trick.  This is another version of going back to basics, i.e. what is simple is what will often work best.

Over the years, the science of weight loss and nutrition has evolved.  So has our eating.  We know things now that we had no clue about before.  My grandfather was a diabetic.  In the 70's, he was given a baked potato instead of french fries because that was thought to be healthier for a diabetic.  The fact is that while the baked potato wasn't fried, it had just as many carbs as the french fries and was not really any "healthier" for a diabetic.

More recently, there has been a major misunderstanding about cholesterol.  We all have good cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol in our system.  Certain foods are known to add to the "bad" cholesterol--namely saturated fats.  We now know that the overconsumption of saturated fat (and sugar) is the leading cause of obesity in the world not cholesterol.

Moderation in all things--including moderation itself is the key.  The sweet spot in our eating comes from choosing mostly healthy foods most of the time with a dash of extras thrown in to keep us interested and satisfied.  By filling up on the basic food groups, our bodies get what they want and need--fuel.  By adding in a few treats now and then, our minds get what they want--something more exciting.  By finding a balance, we enjoy life more fully.  This is the "sweetest" spot of all.

Where Does Time Go

We all have the same twenty-four hours in a day.  Some days it feels like the day is just flying by--in a good way.  Other days, it feels like the day is barely moving--in a bad way.  When we are engaged in activities that please us, with people we enjoy, our impression is that time is moving too fast.  When we are unhappy or dealing with difficult jobs or waiting in the emergency room with someone very ill, our impression is that time is crawling.  

How we value our time is another aspect of how we perceive its passing.  For some, time IS money.  

Those people are not "wasting" their time on things that aren't financially profitable.  On the other hand, there is a book titled "Your Money or Your Time" meaning what do you value more?   Perception is reality.  We get to decide.

As adults, we have so many responsibilities from work, family activities, house projects, financial obligations, self care--it leaves little time for sleep, fun, hobbies or entertainment.  However, we all benefit from seeking and creating a more balanced distribution of our time.  That means that more often than not, we find time to balance our responsibilities with a burst of "ME TIME" with no guilt attached. Even a ten minute walk without the pressure of answering the phone can refine the day. Going to bed, although there is laundry to do, might also serve to add balance.  Eliminating time wasters like too much social media can also help reclaim valuable "ME TIME."

Creating balance allows us to de-stress.   In the technology age, we suffer from chronic stress that keeps cortisol flowing.  Cortisol makes us crave junky foods, store fat around the middle and experience more ailments, viruses, depression and anxiety.  We owe it to ourselves to look at our priorities and make sure that we place high value on "ME TIME."  In doing so, we bring the powerful and restorative good energy back to where it belongs.  We feel better.  We become more positive.  We didn't gain more time, but we did redistribute it more effectively.  That counts.

Self improvement takes focus, desire, effort and precious time.  Make time so that you can succeed at what you prioritize this week.  

We All Need Reasons

When we hear self improvement advice, it often sounds great, and in fact, we can't really argue with it. Drink more water.  Go to bed earlier at night.  Take the stairs.  Eat half at restaurants. Call your mother. The list goes on.  The problem comes from the fact that we can't do everything all the time.  That's not reasonable.  We only have so much energy to give.  There is only so much time.  We have to concentrate our efforts towards the things that matter most.

Therein lies the issue.  What matters most?  What deserves our attention now?  What will really please us?  It comes down to our own personal desires.  With weight loss and behavior change, we need to keep digging deep to find reasons to keep going.  We need to find worthwhile reasons that really matter to NOT have two glasses of wine when everyone else seems to be.  We need to find compelling reasons to get up early to exercise or to stay late to exercise or to skip lunch with coworkers to exercise. It comes down to how we want to live.  These reasons don't have to be the same every day or even moment to moment.  In fact, sometimes when we feel really defeated, the only reason we can find to keep going is that we refuse to give up. That's a great reason.

Refuse to give up on yourself.  Refuse to settle for less than what you really want just because it might be taking a while to get there.  Refuse to be distracted by everyone else's needs instead of considering your own.

Refuse to give up.  That's your reason.