3 Reasons You Need to Get It.

I bet you’re really busy. Whenever I ask someone how they’re doing they most often say “BUSY!!!”. And I get it. I’m busy too. I work. I teach fitness classes. I have two little kids that I adore. I cook food (real food – not reheating something pre-packaged) everyday. I grocery shop. I spend time with my friends. I stay connected with my family. I have an iPhone, iPad and iMac – needless to say I spend time on all of them. I read. I do research. I work out. Can you relate?

I do almost all of these things every day (except grocery shop). Needless to say finding time to myself or “alone time” is rare. So, at night, when the kids are asleep and the house has been tidied I treasure the quiet time. This is time when I could write in my journal, meditate, enjoy a cup of tea, connect with on old friend on the phone, take a nice long warm bath…you get the idea. And yes, there are many nights that I do some of these things but what happens the other nights?

The nights when I’m tired –

Well, I flop on the couch, turn on the TV and get sucked into watching (if I’m lucky) a show that I like and have PVR’d. But what’s worse is when I start the channel flipping – when nothing good is on and yet I keep searching and get sucked into something I don’t even like but stay up watching it anyways.

The nights I feel “behind” –

I’ll head into my office and work like a madwoman getting caught up on all of the things that I didn’t have time to do that day, or that week, or even the month before. Sometimes I get so engrossed in what I’m doing (because I seriously LOVE what I do) I don’t even realize what time it is and before I know it, it’s midnight. I really need to go to bed because I’m up at 6 am the next morning.

The result –

Both of these situations have me staying up waayyyy later than I actually want to and is a form of health and lifestyle sabotage. Why? Because when you wake up tired you’re simply not starting your day off on your best foot.

Here are 3 reasons it’s absolutely essential to get your beauty sleep.

1. You will eat healthier! You make bad food choices when you’re sleep deprived. Being tired affects your decision-making abilities and ultimately your willpower. It’s far easier to say “yes” to that extra latte in the afternoon for a pick-me-up or to reach for a chocolate bar or bag of chips during that 3 o’clock slump. It’s very easy to justify that you “deserve” this because…well, you’re tired – you “need it”. No you don’t. You simply need to turn off the TV earlier and go to bed
2. You will stick to your workout plan and train harder. If you’re tired from going to bed too late it’s easy to blow off your morning workout with the excuse that you’ll “do it later.” Have you ever done that? Then “later” comes along and you’re still tired so now you say “that’s okay, I’m tired, I’ll do it tomorrow.” If you’re tired you’re less likely to do your workout and if you do workout, you’ll make it a lighter workout because…well, you’re tired. So, power down your iPhone, iPad, iMac and let your brain calm down and get the rest it needs.
3. You’ll be happier. Sleep affects our mood. The less sleep we get the grumpier we feel. Simple situations or challenges that would normally be easy for you to handle now make you irritated. You’re snapping at your kids, short with your partner and that little inner critic is unleashing its very worst inside your head. So eliminate the chance for crazy and get your beauty rest. It helps you feel calmer, happier and in control.

Creating a healthy lifestyle means looking at all of the things we can do to support ourselves in making the best decisions – that includes our sleep, too. Who knows – going to bed 30 minutes or an hour earlier could be the simple little tweak in your routine that could change everything! Make a commitment to give this a try. Instead of defaulting to the TV to relax, take a shower, grab a book that you’ve been wanting to read and hop into bed. If you need to, set a timer to remind yourself to shut everything off earlier than you normally do.

Here’s to change cause change is good!

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