Friday, July 19, 2013

Friday Fitness Tips: Sleep the Pounds Away

By Klaudia Szestowicka 

Sleep: You MUST get 6-8 hours every night if you want to lose fat! Sleep is the number one natural fat burner known to man! Sounds crazy doesn’t it? 

While we sleep, our body does many amazing processes such as repairing itself, rebuilding muscles, and replenishing many hormones and chemicals. All these processes are needed for your body to function properly while you are awake. But all this takes energy. The human stomach empties in two hours. If we go to bed two hours after eating, the body has nothing to use for energy but stored fat which is where the fat burning comes into play. It will also help you sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed.

We all sleep in stages that last approximately one and a half to two hours. These are very important for healthy sleep. If we miss out on a few hours of sleep one night, our sleep debt must be repaid the next night. Our body remembers! If you are stressed during the day, your body has an increase of a hormone called cortisol. This hormone lingers in your body and disrupts REM sleep, your deepest stage of sleep. So slow your days down! Do some deep breathing exercises or yoga to keep those cortisol levels from rising. 

So remember to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep every night! You will sleep your way to a skinnier you!

Klaudia is a certified Group Exercise Instructor. Her favorite exercise is R.I.P.P.E.D. 

This Friday Fitness Tip is sponsored by Being-Fit® Fitness Center in Clairemont Square.  Being Fit offers everything you need to meet your fitness goals in a supportive neighborhood gym atmosphere. Click here for a free three day pass!




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