What if I told you that your day to day habits were causing your lack of energy, your lack of focus, why you can’t remember what you wanted to grab when you walked into the room…yep, you know what I”m talking about!
Would you want to change your daily routine?
What if I told you that your day to day habits were causing you to catch every cold that went around in the winter, your body creaks and pains, your hot flashes, and why you need a blanket handy at all times like your grandma. (Remember Eddie Murphy’s “Is it cold in here??”)
Would you want to change your habits?
What if I told you that your day to day habits were causing more stress in your life, why you felt weak when you did manage to get to the gym, your continual soreness after a workout, and your gradual weight gain over the years.
Would you want to change your lifestyle?
What if I told you that you could turn all that around IN AN INSTANT? Would you do it?
For FREE and EASY?
DAMN SKIPPY, you would!
Is it rocket science? Nope. Is it all things that you already know? Yep. The magic ‘pills’?…sleep and water! Lack of either can impact you in detrimental ways, but compound the two and you are functioning way below your best!
So make a move now and LIVE LIFE AT FULL THROTTLE!
Drink More Water!
Dehydration at even 2% starts to affect your body in a few ways. You may struggle with temperature regulation, your aerobic endurance will start to dwindle, your concentration will begin to fizzle, and you won’t be alert for the things that matter.
At 3%, you’ll notice affects in your muscular endurance.
From 4-6%, you’ll have a decrease in strength, power, and your endurance will dip even further!
At 6%, things turn serious and you’re at risk for heat stroke or exhaustion.
The general rule of thumb for determining how much water you should drink is half your body weight in ounces. If you weigh 140 pounds, drink 70 ounces a day.
From there, drink more when you work out or sweat heavily. For every ounce of caffeinated beverage you drink, replace with an ounce of water.
I carry a Nalgene bottle everywhere I go. There are some days where I end up carrying it more than I drink it, but at least I have it when I am thirsty.
As silly as it seems, I also play “games” to get my water in. I’ll count to 20 while drinking. Or force myself to finish one bottle before lunch. I just know that I do feel better when I’m hydrated and don’t crave other things…like coffee or soda “to keep me going”.
Grab a bottle right now and take a big swig!
Get More Sleep!
I’ve talked about the importance of sleep in my blog post 3 Overlooked Areas Where You NEED to be Selfish and I can’t stress it enough. Lack of sleep can not only cause issues for you, but it’s a problem that is much more difficult to recover from. If you only had 5 hours sleep last night, but get 8 hours tonight, you still won’t be caught up. You’re really 2-3 hours in the hole!
When you don’t get adequate shut eye, it affects your metabolism and hormone levels. Your body’s effectiveness to use glycogen for energy can decrease as much as 40%!
Research has shown that sleep deprivation increases levels of gherlin…the appetite inducing hormone. Ever crave a big burger or plate of pasta when you’re feeling lazy? Yep. Sleep is the answer! As you know, that can lead to obesity, diabetes and heart problems.
You’ll also have higher levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) which can cause memory issues, insulin resistance, and slower recovery from your workouts.
Less sleep can also impact your aerobic endurance and your workouts will feel more difficult.
Reaction times are much slower, so you have higher odds of being in a car accident. It can also lead to depression and substance abuse. The list goes on and on!
So what do you need? According to the National Sleep Foundation, average adults need 7-9 hours of sleep. Athletes should get an extra hour. The right amount of sleep can increase your resistance to colds, improve your energy and memory, help you lose weight and reduce pain.
Some tips for better quality sleep are to keep your room cool, dark, and NO TV! Yep, no Letterman for you! The blue light from the TV tricks your circadian rhythm to making your body think its time to be awake.
Take Action Now!
Find your favorite water jug (mine says “Life is Good” and has a pair of flip flops on it…how can you not be happy and reach for that?!), fill it up, and head up to your bedroom to make it inviting for a great night’s sleep! As always, tell me your tips and tricks!
