Do you often feel tired during the day? Have you ever fallen asleep at an inopportune time? It could be that you aren’t getting the proper amount of sleep each night. If you are getting less than 7-8 hours of sleep each day, chances are you are suffering from sleep deprivation.

Not getting enough sleep can be dangerous for your health. Sleep deprivation can interfere in the ability to focus, keeping you from being alert when you need to be. This can be increasingly dangerous when driving a car or operating large machinery. But not getting adequate sleep, even by shaving off an hour or two each night can lead to serious health issues and may even keep you from being able to lose weight.

Sleep is important to a woman’s body in particular. When a woman doesn’t get enough sleep, she puts her face in jeopardy too. Lines and wrinkles can look more prominent on a face that is puffy or swollen from sleeplessness. A woman’s body needs sleep in order to reduce inflammation and to decrease stress. These factors can wreak havoc on the complexion.

But vanity aside, when we don’t get enough sleep, we feel tired. Feeling tired, especially day after day, can leave us feeling grumpy and unhappy too. When we feel tired all of the time, it deprives us of our creativity and critical thinking. We are just to tired to think and that can lead to unhappiness and a decrease in production both in our professional and personal lives.

I know many times there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. It’s easy to just delay bedtime by an hour or two to finish a project or clean the house, however, the following day you may feel so tired that you actually get less done than you would have if you had all your strength to go at full speed.

Make a point of getting into bed at a specific time each night. Come up with the same routines closer to bed to train your mind and body to wind down and relax at this time each day. Warm baths, reading, soothing music or sweet love making are all wonderful ways to get your body ready for bedtime.

Women’s health depends on all over fitness and that includes our mental health as well.
It takes brainpower to stick to a diet and exercise plan and we rely on the messages from our brain to tell us when we are hungry and when we are satisfied. It is the power of the mind that helps us to reach our goals. It is that quiet nagging from the brain that keeps us focused and committed to a certain task. The brain is so powerful that it can literally think to shrink.

Keeping the brain healthy means eating right and getting plenty of exercise. Brain cells like all of the other cells in our body rely on amino acids to grow and remain healthy. Food like Salmon and other coldwater fish, contain DHA, an essential omega-3 fatty acid found in the gray matter of the brain.

It is also important to stay well hydrated by drinking an adequate amount of water, especially during physical activity. The brain is about 80% water and suffers anytime the body becomes dehydrated. Remember to include green tea in your daily beverages, as it has certain relaxation properties that enhance brain function and emotional stability.

Along with a women’s fitness diet, exercise is important for healthy brain activity. Physical activity improves circulation and helps to rid the female body of toxins, both important to healthy brain activity. At least 30 minutes of exercise at least 6 days a week is recommended for every woman no matter what her age, weight or size.

To get the most from your mind, give it something challenging to work towards. The brain loves to focus on something new and will begin to go to work, figuring out the quickest way to bring about a goal. In your women’s fitness program, ignore the urge to do the same workout daily and instead work toward a higher level, more reps, more sets, or adding weights, plyometrics or circuit training. If you can only do a few in the beginning then that is perfectly fine. Just know that any improvement in physical activity does wonders for the brain.

The best way to challenge your mind for fitness success is to set goals with a diet and exercise journal. Write down your goals, and then record everything you eat, drink and all of the activity you do each day. Set long term and short term goals so there is always a time frame to work toward. Read your goals daily and empower your brain to think to shrink.

Water is essential to good health. It helps to rid the body of toxins while delivering essential nutrients to our cells. It helps us to digest our food and keeps us hydrated.

Eight glasses of water per day is the goal. Not only will this help to flushes contaminates from your body water will also fill you up without adding calories. Drinking water with your meals is a great way to cut down on extra calories and will help you to lose weight quicker.

If you don’t like to drink water or find it boring and tasteless, unsweetened tea is of course a healthy substitute. A squeeze of lemon to your water or to your tea, will add flavor without additional calories, too. Lemon is an alkalizing food, and thus could help you avoid acid reflux.

It is important, especially when you exercise to keep your body well hydrated. Drinking water while exercising helps to regulate the body’s temperature through the sweat glands. As we sweat our body cools down. By keeping ourselves properly hydrated, we keep this vital process working at its best.

You can usually tell if you have been drinking enough water by the color of your urine. Unless you are taking vitamins that are high in iron, your urine should be lightly colored. Iron tends to make the urine darker. When you are properly hydrated, the water leaving your body in the way of urine should be almost clear.

Drinking enough water each day will improve the function of your kidneys, too. By aiding in digestion, and speeding up the way your body processes food, an ample amount of water will actually speed up the metabolism, making weight loss easier and longer lasting.

Water stimulates the circulation of blood and regulates your skin’s natural balance. It helps to revitalize, detoxify and oxygenate the skin. Drinking plenty of water will help replace the moisture that your face loses through free radicals and other forms of stress in our everyday lives.

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1. Healthy living begins with what you put into your body; you really are what you eat! I suggest eating five to six small meals a day, rather than the traditional three-meal-a-day plan. Frequent meals served in smaller portions keeps your blood sugar stable and helps to avoid energy highs and lows. Before your blood sugar begins to drop, it’s time for another meal.

Eating frequent meals will help you to lose weight because you will have less chance of overeating. Since you won’t be starving before your meal-time, it will be easier for you to push away from your plate.

2. Get up and get moving! Regular exercise raises HDL (good cholesterol) and reduces triglycerides (fat) in your blood. It increases your heart and lung capacity, allowing you to move faster and go further. Thirty minutes of exercise a day is all it takes to improve your health. A brisk walk, fifteen minutes in one direction, turn around and walk back for fifteen minutes—can put you on the right track to healthy living.

3. Even if you eat a healthy diet, you might want to consider taking vitamin supplements. Women can benefit from iron magnesium and calcium, to help regulate blood sugar, and to promote sound sleep. Magnesium may also help reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and hypertension, and help prevent migraines in pregnant women. Be sure to include vitamin E for skin protection and improved elasticity. Vitamin B6 may help to boost your energy level if you feel fatigued.

4. Manage the stress in your life. Let’s face it—we all live with stress, but being able to handle your particular situation may mean the difference between a little annoyance and a nervous break down. Try to recognize life’s challenges for what they are and if you begin to feel overwhelmed, reach out and ask for help.

5. Speak words of encouragement to yourself. Allow your mind to be filled with positive thoughts and affirmations. Instead of telling yourself how tired you are, or how bad you feel, try telling yourself that you will feel better every day. Concentrate on all that you have and all that you are capable of doing. Begin each day with these affirmations to promote healthy living.

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