This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.
I am so exhausted. Yesterday wasn’t any better for me sleep-wise. In fact, it was worse, and with 8 a.m. classes, I didn’t have time exercise in the morning or the evening either. Total bummer. It’s just with three projects due at the beginning of the week, family coming to visit and applications due for post-grad positions, who has time to sleep let alone exercise? I’m hoping to make up for it this weekend, but I definitely feel like something is missing in my day now when I don’t get at least a little bit of a workout in.
But did you know that not the not exercising part isn’t the only thing that could affect weight loss goals? Turns out stress and lack of sleep can have a huge impact too.
According to presentations at SLEEP 2009 at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, a study with overweight adults trying to lose weight proved that sleep had a significant effect on theier weight loss results. Dieters ate the same foods, but did not have similar results when sleeping restrictions were in place. One group slept for 5.5 hours while the other slept for 8.5 in a 14 day trial. While individuals in both groups roughly lost around 6 pounds each, the weight they lost was different.
Those who got around my usual amount of sleep, a meager 5.5 hours, lost more LEAN body mass and only a little bit of fat– 26 percent compared to 57 percent of fat lost in the 8.5 hour sleeping group.
Um, I’ve been working hard to get more lean and tone. I’m pretty sure I’d like to keep my lean body mass. It’s the pudge that I want to go away.
Also, the Jump Start Diet’s Tip-a-Day email informed me that meditation is not only relaxing, but a way to minimize stress. Jillian Michael’s recommends sitting in a quiet, comfy spot for 10 minutes with your eyes closed. Focus only on your breathing and end the 10 minutes with a “good intention” like being a better you.
Goodness knows I need some more relaxation in my life.
What do you do to keep stress down and to ensure you get enough hours of sleep? Email me at NikkiRoberti@HerCampus.com or tweet me anytime @Nikki_Roberti.