Week 5 Challenge

We are half way there! Great Job!! This week our challenge is going to be to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night!

In an article I found in Shape Magazine it says: Most of us are burning the candle at both ends. Between getting up early for a workout and staying up late to put the finishing touches on that project for work, many times our sleep takes the backseat. But sleep is so important for health — and weight-loss.

In fact, a 2010 study found that if you're trying to lose a few pounds, you may want to cut back on calories but you definitely don't want to skimp on sleep. Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that getting enough sleep helps your body to regulate hunger and lose more weight from fat (instead of muscle).

In the study, when dieters got adequate sleep (about 7 to 8 hours), more than half of the weight they lost was fat. When dieters got less sleep (only about 5 to 6 hours), only one-fourth of their weight loss came from fat and they produced higher levels of ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger and reduces energy expenditure.

I know this can be difficult with small children, but make sure you are going to bed at a decent hour is helpful. Remember the adage, "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man HEALTHY, wealthy and wise.