Lose weight whilst you sleep

Apparently it is true - sort of. Research has shown that two hormones have been linked to appetite and those same two hormones are also affected by the amount of sleep that we get. The study showed that when we get less sleep the hormones react to this leading to feeling less satisfied after eating and also showed that if the quality of sleep is poor even if there is eight hours of sleep this will also have the same effect.

So what makes for a good night's sleep?

It seems that sharing your bed with your furry friends can affect sleep...

Apart from late night feet attacks your pets also have different sleep patterns, so their restlessness may affect your sleep patterns without you even noticing it.


Coffee and Alcohol

We all know that caffeine has a detrimental effect on sleep but so does alcohol - while initially you may feel sleepy after a drink but as your blood levels drop later on this can cause you to wake up again.

What can you do to get a better night's sleep?

Banish all your electronic gadgets from the bedroom - and yes that does include your TV, Ipad and smartphone as the artifical light can supress the melatonin needed for a good night's sleep.

Go to bed at the same time each night and try and get up at the same time each day.

Keep your bedroom cool and clutter free.

RELAX

The Plank Challenge

So I need a bit of a challenge to get me going so today I decided to embark on the plank challenge.

No it has nothing to do with a plank of wood, but it is a seemingly innocuous exercise designed to strengthen you core abs and back. The perfect exercise for someone like me who has a very weak core resulting in a weak back.

So this is the plank - looks easy doesn't it, well it does until you have to stay like that for more than 10 seconds without your butt creeping into the air!

I timed myself today on my first attempt and it was, a massive,

wait for it ...

35 seconds!!!  How embarrassing but not surprising as I knew my core was weak.  My challenge is to get to 2 minutes - it is not much but I need to break myself in gently, I have no idea how long it will take me to reach 2 minutes but I am going to try and do this every day and hope to reach two minutes in two weeks.  I will keep you posted!  In the meantime please take up the challenge yourself and let me know how you get on.

This week i'll be mostly.....eating!

So we all know that weight loss is simply calories in - calories out.  Using this equation it follows that if you reduce your calories in then you will lose weight. 

Well not quite, the body being the amazing machine it is notices if the calorie intake drops too quickly or by too much and then your wonderful endocrine system slows down your metabolism to compensate thus burning less fat, not quite what you were hoping to achieve huh!  So this week I will be eating plenty but trying to eat well so nuts, fruit, veggies etc in a bid to eat myself thin!