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Sleep
Performance Wellness Research: February
Movement
REFERENCE: Supervised exercise versus non-supervised exercise for reducing weight in obese adults. Nicolai SP et al. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2009 Mar;49(1):85-90. This research study looked at the effects of training with supervision/instruction (i.e. a qualified trainer) versus “advice.”
Group one met a trainer twice a week for 4 months (as a group).
Group two received basic advice to increase physical activity and were given access to a fully equipped gym (any exercise they did was unsupervised).
The group with supervision lost on average 362% more fat over a 4-month period. (Total fat loss of 13.4lbs in the coached group – and only 3.7lbs in the advice-only group).
Interesting Side Note: They made these improvements without ANY dietary advice given.
This is not a new finding, nor is it that surprising as a good coach or training partner/team can really help with your results. The fact that the group exercised together only served to improve those results further (as social support is one of the key variables in fat loss success) so I’m not sure that the supervision and instruction alone was entirely responsible for the enhanced results – or the social support was part of it. However, it’s clear that together it’s an unbeatable combination. And perhaps that’s one of the reasons why small group training seems to get better results than one-on-one training.
Sleep It Off
Written by Natalia Kielcz
Do you ever think that there are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done? Do you sacrifice sleep in order to have “more” hours of productivity, but you still feel like you are just scraping by? If you do, stop now! Sleep is just a high a priority as anything else in your life, and sleeping less negatively effects how you function inside and out!
Studies on sleep have repeatedly shown that getting quality snooze time in plays a vital role in promoting physical health, longevity, and emotional well-being. The Institute of Medicine recently estimated in its report, Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem, that “hundreds of billions of dollars a year are spent on direct medical costs related to sleep disorders such as doctor visits, hospital services, prescriptions, and over-the-counter medications.” Sleep problems and lack of sleep can affect everything from personal and work productivity to behavioral and relationship problems. Over time, chronic sleep deprivation may lead to an array of serious medical conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even early death. Who would have thought that something as simple as hitting the sheets could cut medical costs and improve your quality of life overal.
In our fast paced, achievement oriented society, we often push sleep aside to get as much as we can done in our waking hours…but without adequate sleep, judgment, mood, and ability to learn and retain information are greatly reduced. This explains… [ read more ]
Napping is Natural
Napping is Natural by: Natalia Kielcz
Many people have the misconception that napping is something for the lazy and a waste of time. In fact, did you know that most mammals sleep for short periods throughout the day? Our bodies are actually programmed for two periods of severe tiredness: from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and our reaction time, alertness, coordination, memory, and mood and profoundly effected. Many studies have come out in the last few years showing that taking a midday nap increases alertness, mood, and productivity for later hours in the day. That’s not all – naps have also shown health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and excessive weight gain.
In order to reap the benefits of taking a midday snooze, you need to understand your body first to find out when, and how long your nap needs to be, you need to understand your body. If you are the type of person that ideally prefers to get up early and go to sleep early, you are going to feel that need for a nap around 1/1:30 p.m. If you like to stay up late and sleep in a bit, your need for a nap will be more around 2/2:30 p.m. If you need to get more accomplished after your midday snooze, limit your nap to 20-45 minutes. You will stay in a light Stage 2 sleep and when you… [ read more ]
8 Ways Your Sleep Habits Could Be Holding You Back
Mike Michalowicz Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
Sleep. It’s one of the most important things that your body needs in order to be healthy. It’s also essential to having a sharp mind, being able to learn, be in a good mood, and even to stay safe and maintain a healthy weight. It is an important part of just about every corner of your life. Problem is, if you are like most entrepreneurs, you have no hesitation about sacrificing it for your work.
What you don’t realize is that all those nights you stay up putting in hours may be doing more harm than good. Here are 8 ways your sleep habits could actually be destroying your productivity:
1. Trimming an hour off. Every person has their own basal sleep need, which is the amount that your body needs for optimal performance. Adults usually fall somewhere between 7 and 9 hours per night. So if your body has a basal need of 8 hours per night and you trim an hour off each day, your setting yourself up to not be at your peak performance capabilities. To determine what you body needs, pay attention to how you feel after various amounts of sleep. When you consistently feel your best at a particular amount, that’s your basal sleep need.
2. Believing it is easy to adjust to sleep schedules. It can take a couple of weeks for your body to adjust to a new sleep schedule. This is important to keep… [ read more ]