Sometimes the best thing you can do on a Sunday is just be a little lazy. There is a reason we call Sunday a day of rest. After a long week of work and business and then a Saturday of working around the house, taking a day to relax is needed. We had an awesome morning at church, followed by a steak lunch (with sirloin and green beans grilled by yours truly). I find it interesting that after the steaks cook, we let them rest for a while. This allows the juices to redistribute through the meat and let it finish cooking. It's the same with us as humans. While we may not need to bake and then finish cooking, we do need to break from the whirlwind of the week. We work all week, and typically work or do projects around the house on Saturdays, so we need to relax and let ourselves "rejuice" so to speak.
I'm nearly six weeks into my journey and I can attest that the concept of rest is absolutely necessary for weight loss. This comes in two factors. The first is that sleep really does help us in the effort to lose weight. Lack of sleep prompts people to seek caffeine, and they usually find it in sugar-filled latte's and colas. WebMD (which I know has a bad rap for self-diagnosis, but does have well-researched articles on health) has an article titled "Sleep More, Weigh Less" that says:
Sleep is like nutrition for the brain. Most people need between 7 and 9 hours each night. Get less than that, and your body will react in ways that lead even the most determined dieter straight to Ben & Jerry’s.
Why? Because insufficient sleep impacts your hunger and fullness hormones, including two called ghrelin and leptin.
Ghrelin signals your brain that it’s time to eat. When you’re sleep-deprived, your body makes more ghrelin.
Leptin, on the other hand, cues your brain to put the fork down. When you’re not getting enough sleep, leptin levels plummet, signaling your brain to eat more food.
Put the two together, and it’s no wonder sleep deprivation leads to overeating and extra pounds.
Then there’s the cortisol spike that comes from too little sleep. This stress hormone signals your body to conserve energy to fuel your waking hours.
Translation: You’re more apt to hang on to fat.
The second factor is that in all journeys we need to take a break to rest. Now that does not mean that you stop the practices that have carried you this far. Rather you can allow yourself a break from the rigid journey and have something you might have craved in moderation. Have a desert or a slice of pizza (Man I want pizza right now... I guess I need sleep to fight this carb craving). Maybe for you it is a soft drink (I swore those off two months ago and I'll tell you about that soon) or candy bar. Just make sure you follow the practices of moderation and self-control. Make sure it's still tracked in your daily calorie tracker, and any time you allow yourself a break, make sure to exercise that day. Whatever you do, make sure to rest. Get sleep (unlike me blogging at 11:00 PM) and continue towards your goal. I'm off to sleep so I can avoid the effects of not sleeping enough. I will rest so I can lose my butter half.
Calories today were in check. I definitely had way too much steak and popcorn, but I did try to balance with fruits and vegetables. Another successful time on the bike for exercise!
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