Nutrition & Exercise Under Control

Nutrition & Exercise Under Control but Still Not Losing Weight? by Kim Hynes, MBA CIHC, Nutritional Health Coach Wellspring Counseling and Health, LLC

ARE YOU WORKING OUT AND EATING WELL, BUT STILL not able to lose any weight or feel your best? Is it really all about exercise and food alone?

Let’s dig a little deeper.

When clients are cleaning up their nutrition and getting exercise, but still haven’t lost the weight or not feeling well, we look to other

Other components to a healthy lifestyle include stress management, self care, career, relationships and one of the most overlooked...sleep.

Without sleep, weight loss through just adjusting our food and exercise will only go so far. Without sleep, our bodies cannot recover

a stressful day when your body is running on empty.

Many of my clients are reporting not being able to stay asleep or get to sleep. Many people don’t go to bed until very late and have less than 7 hours of sleep. In fact, some people even brag about being

honor you don’t want. Lack of sleep can actually contribute to weight gain, depression and

food and exercising regularly. It can also contribute to an increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke, or heart attacks.

People who get less than 7-8 hours of sleep are at the highest risk. Most people report they don’t have deep sleep and don’t dream.

some, that seems very early, but the reality is we were meant to go to bed when it gets dark and meant to wake with the sun.

day which causes imbalance in our cortisol levels. We need cortisol to

energy drinks when we hit that late day slump. It can take up to 8 hours

with chemicals designed to preserve them and give them consistency which disrupts our hormones and our gut health.

Having too little sleep changes our decision making about all of our health choices. When we’re tired, we want a change of state. We

foods to do that. People who sleep less tend to eat more calories and have a higher appetite for sugar.

We may not handle stress well when tired and the body cannot recover. e main hormones that are a ected are insulin, ghrelin, leptin, cortisol and growth hormone. e change in these hormones can greatly a ect our fat storage, our hunger level, our ability to feel full, and our stress responses.

So the question is, how can we get better sleep?

Strategies to get a better night sleep.

• Get daylight EARLY in the day. so you can sleep at night and wake up when the sun comes up.

• Exercise. Exercise and movement can help relieve anxiety. Reducing stress can help you fall asleep and stay asleep.

• Be consistent. Try to get to bed at the same time every night even on the weekends.

• Eat early. Eat your last meal 3 hours before you go to sleep. Digestion takes a lot of work.

• Avoid too much alcohol. Alcohol helps you fall asleep quickly, but will disrupt your sleep later in the night.

be going down when we want to sleep. Your body needs

• Blue light from phones, iPads and computers contributes to melatonin suppres-

timer on and place your devices up at least an hour before bedtime.

• Take a cool shower before bed. perature and help you feel relaxed. A cool core and a dark and quiet room are essential.

• Cut out TV an hour before bed and read.

is an escape.

• sleep. Oils like vetiver and lavender can promote

Sleep tight and be well, my friends!

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