Inadequate sleep lowers your resistance

This important antioxidant plays a crucial role in stress management and in maintaining a healthy immune system. And yes, proper vitamin C levels are key to slowing down aging caused by free radicals that are present all around us. Some studies have shown that increasing your vitamin C intake before a workout can increase your calorie burn. So why start out depleted?

Are Your Sleep Habits Making You Fat? The Fragile Link Between Sleep and Weight Gain

Going to bed at the same time every nigh is the best way to get the rest you need.

I was eating right, drinking about 3 liters of water a day and exercising regularly. Yet I could not get rid of that sneaky little bulge around my mid-section.

In the words of my personal trainer, Hollywood physique expert, Eric the Trainer, 'When you exercise, you put in the request for transformation but the transformation does not happen until you sleep."

When I shared my concerns with my personal trainer he asked a simple question: "How much sleep are you getting these days?"

Bedtime Routine

When you're tired you tend to reach for foods which will give you a quick boost. Those tend to be foods with a high sugar content. The boost you get will be short lived and you'll quickly find yourself needing another boost.

Yet sleep is indeed one of THE most powerful health and weight loss boosters around, right up there with water and exercise.

I am a pretty strong willed woman but when I don't get enough sleep I am powerless to resist the foods I normally avoid during the day.

In other words, you can eat all the right things, drink ample amounts of water, and exercise daily, but unless you get your needed sleep you will not fully benefit from your efforts.

Lack of sleep severely depletes your Vitamin C levels!

I love to drink a cup of warm herbal tea such as verbena or chamomile. This is a ritual that I shared with my mom while I was still living at home. It fills me with warmth and serenity.

And guess what!

Years ago, my family doctor, who is a sleep expert, told me to keep my bedroom for two things only: sex and sleep.

Lack of sleep wreaks havoc on your metabolism

For this transformation to happen it is imperative to get a minimum of seven hours of uninterrupted sleep!

I envy my friends who routinely sleep 8 or 9 hours a night.

If you compromise on your sleep, the repair work remains unfinished. If that happens once in a while, your body will make up for lost time the following night. But if you routinely get less sleep than you need, then you are consistently creating a deficit and that is a recipe for disaster.

Establish a nightly routine that relaxes you and stick to it. This is the best signal you can give your body that it is time to wind down.

Ah yes, sleep!

Your bedroom is a sanctuary

A study conducted at the University of Chicago suggests that lack of sleep reduces weight loss efforts by 55%. In addition, only 25% of weight loss by people who sleep less than 7 hours a night comes from fat. The rest comes from loss of muscle and water, which is not what you want if you plan on being healthy.

Sleep regulates your hunger hormone

Ultimately you need to find what works for you but make sure your routine helps you unwind properly. Whatever you need to do to make sure you get your beauty sleep, do it!When you sleep your body goes to work, repairing, rebuilding and bringing every one of your systems back into balance. For the average person this process requires a minimum of 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. For some more but never less. For teens and pre-teens, studies show that 9 hours and 15 minutes is the magic number.

So do yourself and your family a favor and sleep the night away!

This is largely due to a slowing down of your metabolism in an effort to conserve energy to execute the repair work it needs to do at night.

Listen to your body as it will let you know when the best time to hit the pillow is. Your body temperature will drop and you will feel pleasantly tired.

Sleep, that illusive thing we Moms never seem to get enough of turns out to be a crucial ingredient that has a profound impact on our health and overall well being. Yet most moms I know, myself included, find it hard to get the minimum amount required every single night.

Regular bedtime

If like me you struggle with sleep, here are a few things you can do to get your much needed rest:

Here are a few reasons why:

Your zinc levels will also be impacted negatively from lack of sleep, further compromising your immune system.

Have you ever found yourself ravenous at midnight, raiding the cupboard for anything to eat?

Lack of adequate sleep leads to a higher production of gherkin, the hormone that triggers hunger. Simultaneously, lower levels of the hormone leptin are produced, the hormone which signals your body to STOP eating when you are full.

Television or reading can be distracting and interfere with proper sleep. I must admit I do like to read in bed. I find that curling up with a good book and a cup of tea is just the right combination for unwinding after a busy day.

Lack of sleep depletes your body of vitamins and minerals

As your energy level drops, your body will naturally try to replenish, and you'll feel hungry.

It becomes a vicious cycle that does not complement your health or your curves!

A few months ago I was feeling a little frustrated about having reached a plateau in my fitness goals.

I don't usually stack chips or other empty carbs in the house. But chocolate or anything sweet is fair game when the midnight hour strikes and I will scarf it down like a mad woman! Only to regret it minutes latter. But once the damage is done, it's done.

We know how valuable a bedtime routine is for our little ones, but it is equally valuable for us moms.

Did you get that? Even if you're doing everything else right - going to the gym 5x per week, eating healthy, reducing stress, you're still going to be slowing down your metabolism (and ultimately gaining fat) if you don't sleep properly.

Vitamin C also boost your mood. So if you want to be happy in the morning, get your beauty sleep! Your family will thank you for it! I know my does.

But you only have a small window of time, about a half hour, before your body wakes up again. Ignore that window and you will have a hard time falling asleep despite your best efforts for another 90 minutes.

A brief warm shower can be soothing. Don't linger too long, however, as you will end up waking up instead of winding down.

I've struggled with sleep most of my life. But getting a minimum of 7 hours of sleep every night has become one of my top priorities, and one that my family understands. Sleep deprivation not only contributes to excess weight but it ages you prematurely. I have a five year old and I want to be dancing my heart out on her wedding day!