Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Sleep For Better Health

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Getting a good night’s sleep is vital to our health, but there are times when sleep just doesn’t come easy. If this happens more often than you like, you may be suffering from insomnia.
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is common among adults. It is defined as short and poor quality sleep that affects your ability to function normally during the day. Most women need between 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.

Some symptoms of insomnia include:
• Lying awake for a long time or having trouble falling asleep
• Waking up during the night and having trouble returning to sleep
• Waking up too early in the morning
• Feeling like you never fell asleep

Recently, researchers have begun to think about insomnia as a problem of your brain being unable to stop being awake. Most adults have had some trouble sleeping because they feel worried or nervous, but for some it’s a pattern that interferes with sleep on a regular basis.

Anxiety symptoms that can lead to insomnia include:
• Tension
• Guilt over past events
• Worrying about future events
• Feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities
• Overstimulation

To overcome anxiety, many people choose to use stimulants. However, these can be counterproductive, as many stimulants, including food, can disrupt sleep.

These include but are not limited to:
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Nicotine
• Heavy meals

There are many techniques to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. Your body needs rest and relaxation to function properly.

Instead of stimulants, try some natural ways to ensure better sleep:
• Eat early and eat often
• Exercise every day, but not before bedtime
• Keep a fitness journal and a diary
• Say affirmations
• Meditate daily
• Hide Your Clock
• Lower the temperature
• Darken the room
• Scent the room with lavender
• Use visualization to take you to your happy place
A healthy diet, regular exercise, and plenty of sleep are the fundamentals of a healthy lifestyle. Keeping a fitness journal not only ensures you stay on track for these three, it also allows you to write down your emotions, organize your thoughts and optimize your ability to focus on future events. This goes a long way in helping to reduce anxiety so you can get a better night’s sleep.

Arise and Shine

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Just because it’s no longer summertime doesn’t mean you need to sleep the day away. Early morning is one of the best times for affirmations. The quiet solitude of an early summer morning helps me to reflect on my many incredible blessings. With my household still asleep, I retreat to my place of meditation and allow myself this wonderful indulgence.
I repeat my affirmations daily, not the same ones, mind you. I have many. These beautiful words of hope are more like declarations of facts that I know to be true.

For me, saying my affirmations helps me to begin my day on a completely positive, self -directive path. Afterwards, my mind is clearer, my stress levels are reduced and I feel completely rejuvenated and refreshed. My affirmations help me to deal with life’s day-to-day challenges.

Affirmations in the morning are a lot like breakfast. Starting the day with these powerful words gives me guidance and instills a sense of confidence that sustains me for the day. Just as my body relies upon the food I eat for energy, my spirit draws upon the power of these affirmations to help me face the challenges of the day.

Arise each morning and be thankful for another day. You have an entire day to devote to all that you deem important. Whether that includes working outside the home or taking care of the household, how you spend your day can include a little time devoted just to you. In addition to your affirmations, you will want to set aside at least 30 minutes each and every day for exercise. You can take a day off each week to rest, just as long as you exercise at the very least, for 30 minutes on the other 6 days of the week.

Remember that affirmations should always be positive and without hesitation. Constant reminders of the goals that you want to achieve, your affirmations must be recited as a declaration of what you are doing and plan to do in the future. For instance, instead of saying, “I will get slimmer” use the words, “I am getting slimmer.” In the second affirmation the words “I am” indicate the action is already taking place, rather than a mere hope of something happening by chance.

It may take a little practice in the beginning but give affirmations a try. When I first started I couldn’t think of much to say, now I have so many it’s easy to say different ones each day.

Sleep Like A Baby – Look and Feel Fabulous

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Aw, to sleep like a baby…peacefully, without any worries. Although, babies don’t always sleep restfully, one thing is for certain, they are not worried about what the next day brings. For many women, shutting off the to-do list is difficult and a worry-free night’s rest is exactly what they need to look and feel fabulous.

Beauty sleep is not just a coined phrase for night creams and sleep aids. Getting adequate sleep will make you look younger and more attractive. Sleep helps to relax your face as it does your entire body. On the opposite side, lack of sleep can make you feel on edge, anxious or tense. Sleep deprivation can mean unsightly bags and dark circles under your eyes and could cause fine lines and wrinkles to become more pronounced and noticeable.
But beauty aside, not getting enough sleep can be bad for your health.

If tomorrow’s worries are keeping you up at night, there may be a simple solution to help you manage those concerns. Try keeping a journal of all of your responsibilities. Many times we worry about the same things over and over. Writing all of your worries down on paper may help you to manage the amount of time you spend contemplating the results. Write it down, reflect on it and move on. Leave the worries for another day. Your health is more important.

I have said many times that time invested in your body is time well spent. You will never regret the time you spend on your body, whether that is time spent exercising, dieting, taking care of yourself or most importantly, sleeping.

A good night’s sleep can make you feel fabulous. There is nothing more refreshing to the body when it is in need, than sleep. So, if it’s so wonderful, why deprive yourself of this wonderful gift?

For many women it is a matter of time. Not enough time equates to not enough sleep. Women more than anyone else, will deprive themselves of sleep in order to complete all the tasks in their schedules. Ironically, women more so than men, compromise their health when they go without adequate sleep. Women need 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night, but getting that amount of rest can be a challenge.

Sleep therapists suggest making your bedroom a work-free zone, no televisions, computers or phones allowed–nothing to distract from sleep or intimacy. Lavender scents are another suggestion known to help you sleep. One thing they all agree on, no caffeine for 4 to 6 hours prior to bedtime. Just a little bit of caffeine can disrupt sleep.

Chamomile tea is a great substitution for caffeine-laden beverages and can actually help you fall asleep. You will rest well and in the morning awake feeling fabulous and looking absolutely beautiful!

Is Your Caffeine Addiction Robbing You of Sleep?

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For an effective women’s fitness program, every girl needs to get plenty of sleep. Rest and relaxation are crucial to overall health and the lack of sleep can actually prevent you from losing weight. If you are drinking too much caffeine throughout the day or especially close to bedtime, your coffee, power drink or soda may be the culprit that is robbing you of sleep.

Although, experts consider moderate caffeine intake to be safe, if you aren’t getting the rest you need, it may be time to cut back on some of the caffeinated foods and beverages that you ingest. Caffeine blocks the sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain and increases adrenaline production. It’s interesting to note, that caffeine has no nutritional value for the body, and therefore is not necessary for optimum health.

Now, I am not saying that you have to give up your morning cup of Joe, but if you are loading that cup of coffee up with cream and sugar, you could be ingesting a whole lot more calories than you imagine. I suggest a fitness journal as the best way to monitor what you eat and drink. Not only for weight loss but also for tracking fat, sodium, cholesterol, sugar and even caffeine.

Most women need at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. If you feel groggy and fatigued during the day, perhaps it is a lack of sleep that is keeping you from feeling your very best. Apart from caffeine in the diet, lack of exercise can keep you from getting enough rest. Exercise increases circulation and will actually help to promote sleep, as long as you finish exercising at least 3 hours before retiring to bed.

Just remember that a good night’s sleep is essential for women’s fitness and will add significant benefits to your overall health. When we rest, we allow our bodies to build new cells and repair existing ones, we give our minds time to process information and encourage emotional balance. Reasons enough to make sure you are getting the rest you need.