
Lots of recovery time in the form of sleep is also essential. Speaking of sleep and fitness, meet "sleep dieting," a low impact weight loss strategy that works with just about any exercise and diet regimen.
Go To Bed, Wake Up Refreshed And Svelte
Sleep dieting entails several components that can enhance many diet and fitness scenarios. It is a form of:
- Brief, intermittent fasting
- Physical recovery
- Stress reduction
Sleep dieting isn't some new fad. The idea of fasting now and again, resting, and reducing stress is an old dieting strategy that fitness enthusiasts have used for decades.
These days intermittent fasting is pretty standard in the Paleo and CrossFit communities. With sleep dieting, you abstain from food after supper and don't eat again until breakfast. Ideally, you should sleep for the better part of the time between supper and breakfast.
Fasting, Sleep, Stress And Cortisol
The practice of intermittent fasting is as old as cavemen. In the past, hunter-gatherer humans inadvertently fasted for want of food. Your body remembers this practice. As a result, your body knows how to burn fat for energy and spare muscle during brief periods of starvation. Random fasts of eight to 12 hours help burn extra calories and improve your body's sensitivity to insulin.
Poor or erratic sleeping patterns place stress on your body. Your body responds by churning out stress hormones, such as cortisol. Stress hormones disrupt your body's ability to metabolize sugar and burn fat effectively. They also cause you to crave comfort food and typical drive-thru cuisine.
On other hand, when you sleep well, your body goes into repair mode. Sleep helps your body rebuild muscle and eliminate toxins and stress hormones. This is the science behind sleep dieting, which is a time-tested strategy for losing weight without feeling deprived.
Leap Tall Buildings In A Single Bound
Another time-tested cure for stress is exercise. Exercise, diet and sleep go hand in hand, since downtime and recovery are essential to overall fitness success, health and longevity.
Note that sleep dieting is a tool, not a means to permanent weight loss and long-term health. Equally essential are the types of nutrition advice, exercise, support and guidance you'll find at a full-service fitness club, like Downtown Athletic Club.
Call or stop by, and speak with a staff member about DAC's professional, upscale and exclusive services. Explore personal training options or group fitness, such as Bikini Bootcamp or Zumba.