Sleep Yourself Skinny with Eating and Exercise Changes: Episode 8

Sleep Yourself Skinny : The How and Why

Lack of sleep can be a key reason you’re not losing weight. Your best sleep starts with choices you make first thing in the morning. If you start right, you are more likely to finish right. Here’s my 10 Sleep-Enhancing Habits that will get you on track for a good night. 

1. Wake up at the same time every day. If you’re doing that and on the right schedule you’ll start waking naturally before too long.
2. As soon as you can, get some sunlight for at least 15 minutes. It helps melatonin production.
3. To work with your stress hormone cortisol, do your HIIT or weight training early in the day if possible.
4. Fuel your morning with a smoothie that includes 35+ grams of protein, which, according to a study at the University of Missouri is a simple weight management technique. Add fiber, fat (to reduce inflammation), and antioxidants. Follow the recipe suggestions in my Ultimate Smoothie Guide– it’s full of 60 delicious recipes!
5. At both lunch and dinner have another 30+ grams of protein each, minimum.
6. Drink plenty of water between meals so you don’t disrupt digestion during meals. A body that’s dehydrated can’t benefit as well from weight training or lose weight since it will respond to the stress of dehydration by storing fat.
7. At lunch have a little more carbohydrate than you did at breakfast, and at dinner have the most carbohydrate of all meals. This increase in carbohydrates as your cortisol levels start to dip down later in the day will keep you calm so you can carry on and wind down for a good night’s sleep. A sweet potato is a great carb option. 
8. Late in the day you can stretch or take a leisurely walk as long as you keep relaxation the primary goal.
9. About 90 minutes before bed, start your bedtime routine. Shut off screens. Take a bath, read, journal, or stretch. What works for you is individual, so experiment with what relaxes you and then create a ritual you do nightly.
10. Maintain a consistent bedtime every night. Start paying attention to when you start to yawn or your eyes get heavy. Honor it and go to sleep. 

Meals In Minutes

Start your day with this simple convenient solution and you’ll already be making sound sleep, that boosts your ability to lose fat and stay lean, easier. (Find more in the Smoothie guides!)

High Protein Breakfast Smoothie for All Day Energy and Fat Burning

• 1 Serving of Protein 
• 1 serving Fiber Boost
• ¾ cup frozen strawberries
• 1 T. cacao powder
• 1 T. nut butter
• 1 T chia seeds
• 3 T hemp hearts
• Optional, handful of spinach (but why not!?)
• Ice cubes, optional
• ¾ – 1 cup Almond or coconut milk, unsweetened

Blend it all and enjoy! Starting your day with 35+ grams of protein, in addition to fiber, healthy fats, and berries, can kill cravings as well as decrease inflammation and put you on the road to lean. This smoothie contains 35+ grams of protein and plenty of fiber to kill cravings all morning.

Sleep Deep

For your best sleep, schedule is everything. Getting the right kind of exercise at the right time of day and having a plan will help you stay consistent. Regular exercisers report better sleep. Put your intense exercise early in the day and calming exercise like yoga or walks outdoors late in the day.

Muscles in Minutes

This episode solved the problem of where to start… and how to progress. Check out the chart below to plan your own success story.

Basic Weight Training

Download my CALENDAR for Basic Weight Training here or click the image.

What’s your greatest challenge right now? How can I help you? Send me your question to Flipping 50 TV!