Sleeping Helps You Lose Weight

Good news. Sleeping can help you lose weight! Recent research in the US has found how sleep can influence your appetite. Sleep should be seen by all of us as an important aspect of our health and fitness programmes/lifestyle and this article highlights just one important reason as to why.

Sleep Off Excess Weight

"Okay maybe it’s not so simple, you still have to control calories and exercise to stay in shape. But now, medical evidence suggests that getting a good night’s sleep can also ward off those extra pounds.
A recent study discovered that a lack of sleep alters the levels of these hormones that affect the appetite:
Ghrelin: produced in the gastrointestinal tract, triggers hunger
Leptin: produced in fat cells, sends a signal to the brain when you’re full
Researchers at the University of Chicago found that when sleep is restricted, leptin levels go down (the brain doesn’t get the signal that you’re full) and ghrelin levels go up (appetite is increased). Not only do appetites increase, the desire for high-carb, calorie-dense foods increases by 45 percent.
“The study provides biochemical evidence connecting the trend toward chronic sleep curtailment to obesity and its consequences,” said Eve Van Cauter, Ph.D. and professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.
Another study, this one at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, showed a relationship between the same hormones (leptin and ghrelin) and weight gain. The analysis concluded that people who slept for shorter periods had reduced levels of leptin and elevated levels of ghrelin.
These findings help explain what many have already observed: people who habitually sleep less than eight hours per night have higher body mass indices (BMI) than those who sleep more. BMI is the ratio between weight and height. In general, except for people who are extremely muscular, a high BMI is an indicator of excess weight and susceptibility to certain diseases such as cardiovascular disease and adult-onset diabetes.

How much sleep do we need?
Unfortunately, sleep deprivation is now a way of life. According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep duration among American adults has decreased by up to two hours a night since the 1960’s. In 2002 more than 37 percent of young adults said they slept less than seven hours per night, compared to about 16 percent in 1960.
Besides the effect of sleep on hormones, which in turn can make you gain weight, a lack of sleep can weaken the motivation to select nutritious foods. And when you’re barely getting by on a few hours of sleep, you’re less likely to exercise!
Many experts say adults need a minimum of seven to nine hours of sleep a night. To get more sleep, the American Academy of Family Physicians suggests the following:
Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends
Develop a bedtime routine, such as taking a warm bath or reading for ten minutes
Don’t use your bedroom for balancing your checkbook or watching television
Make sure that your bedroom is quiet and dark
When you set your weight loss or fitness goals, don’t forget to factor in a good night’s sleep!

I hope you enjoyed this article and remember - have a good nights sleep.

Steve

Exercise Duration for Maximum Fat Burning

I often have the question asked - "How much cardio work do I need to do to burn fat?"

The answer is - "As much as you can." (Within safety and injury/overuse boundaries, of course.)

The table below depicts the percentage of fat used as an energy source (compared to carbohydrates) over time.





Note that at 30 minutes of exercise about 60% of your energy is sourced from carbohydrates while fat supplies about 40%. At the 2-hour mark, energy is sourced at a ratio of 50%-50% and as exercise time increases fat is used more and more as the primary source of energy.

So, the longer you can exercise at a moderate intensity, the more fat you are going to burn. Of course extended periods of exercise (greater than 2-hours) is going to be difficult for most people to undertake. However, the important thing to note is that even at 30 minutes you are sourcing about 40% of your energy from fat. So, get moving (for at least 30 minutes) for as long as you can to maximise your fat burning.

Enjoy your exercising!

Steve

Happiness Enhances Health

I came across this interesting article from Dr Mercola's website today (see Interesting Health & Fitness Links). Even though winter is over in the southern hemisphere, the usual rounds of spring/summer colds are becoming evident. Perhaps this article may offer some sufferers another weapon in their fight against the dreaded, and very annoying, summer cold.


"A new study finds that happiness and other positive emotions play an even more important role in health than previously reported. Researchers found that when happy people contract a virus, or “catch a cold”, they report fewer symptoms and in fact, are less likely to contract the virus at all.
This recent study confirms an earlier finding by Carnegie Mellon University Psychology Professor,Sheldon Cohen, in which he found people who are happy, lively, calm or exhibit other positive emotions are less likely to become ill when they are exposed to a cold virus than those who report few of these emotions.
In that study, Cohen found that when they do come down with a cold, happy people report fewer symptoms than would be expected from objective measures of their illness. In contrast, reporting more negative emotions such as depression, anxiety and anger was not associated with catching colds.
That study, however, left open the possibility that the greater resistance to infectious illness among happier people may not have been due to happiness, but rather to other characteristics that are often associated with reporting positive emotions such as optimism, extraversion, feelings of purpose in life and self-esteem.
Cohen’s recent study controls for those variables, with the same result: The people who report positive emotions are less likely to catch colds and also less likely to report symptoms when they do get sick. This held true regardless of their levels of optimism, extraversion, purpose and self-esteem, and of their age, race, gender, education, body mass or prestudy immunity to the virus.
“We need to take more seriously the possibility that positive emotional style is a major player in disease risk,” said Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon.
The researchers interviewed volunteers over several weeks to assess their moods and emotional styles, and then infected them with either a rhinovirus or an influenza virus. The volunteers were quarantined and examined to see if they came down with a cold. This was the same method Cohen applied in his previous study, but with the addition of the influenza virus.
The study will be published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine and is available online at www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/"

I hope this article helps

Steve

Christmas eating

Several of my clients have expressed concern about the upcoming binge eating season we call Christmas. The December e-newsletter, due out in the first week of December, will address this issue (both the what not to do and the what to do). If you do not receive the Peregrine News but would like to, please send me an email containing your email address and I'll add your details to the mailing list.

As this blog site continues to evolve, please check back often as more and more links, lists, advice, education and information will be continually added. In the meantime, remember - consistency equals success.

Steve

Welcome...

Welcome to the blog/website of Peregrine Health & Fitness.

My name is Steve Raymond. I'm a Personal Trainer working in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, and Peregrine Health & Fitness is the vehicle through which I hope to assist people to reach their goals in health, fitness and life. This blog will provide my clients, and any others, with support, ideas and education to aid in their journey to health and wholeness.

Feel free to add comments and ask questions as each of us can help each other in many ways. Check back often as more and more items and entries will be added regularly.

Remember: Carpe diem, carpe punctum - seize the day, seize the moment - your journey has already begun.

Keep strong

Steve