The Importance of Rest in a Healthy Weight Loss Program


by Malton Schexneider - Date: 2006-12-05 - Word Count: 418 Share This!

Perhaps the most important component of any healthy weight loss program is rest. Unfortunately, in our world of deadlines, long work hours, and poor time management, rest seems to be a commodity that is easily sacrificed.

By now, you have learned the importance of diet and exercise for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and promoting healthy weight loss. Effective rest patterns are essential to feeling your best, being less stressed, and living longer.

The importance of restorative rest cannot be over emphasized. Restorative rest refers to the state of deep relaxation and sleep where the bodily processes of identifying, neutralizing, and eliminating toxins occur. In addition, the processes of cell regeneration and tissue healing occur during periods of restorative rest.

The quality and quantity of your rest patterns can make all the difference in the world in how you feel and function. Here are ten tips to a good night's rest: Make sleep a priority. Unwind by dealing with distractions early in the evening. Develop a sleep ritual. Synchronize your biological clock by going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning. Create a restful place to sleep. Use a comfortable and supportive mattress. Exercise regularly. Avoid caffeine in the evenings. Don't smoke. Reduce alcohol intake.

Depriving yourself of sleep night after night can result in sleep debt, a destructive force in a healthy weight loss program. Signs of sleep debt may include: falling asleep in the middle of the day, falling asleep while watching TV, falling asleep while reading, or falling asleep while sitting tin traffic.

Scientific research has linked sleep debt to the following conditions: Impaired glucose tolerance Decreased production of growth hormone and leptin leading to obesity and altered appetite suppression. Diminished immune response and white blood cell production leading to increased possibility of infection. Increases cancer risk Diminished reaction time

To reduce sleep debt, you must get the required amount of sleep your body needs. For most adults, 7-8 hours is recommended, while individual needs may range from 5 - 10 hours daily.

Living Longer, Looking Better Healthy Lifestyle & Weight Loss Program Rest Recommendations 6 - 8 hours of daily rest. Any less amount of time must be made up the next day.

According to David Dinges, chief of the Division of Sleep and Chronobiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, adequate rest resettles us emotionally, helps us think clearly, and enhances our health and longevity.

Get a good night's rest tonight and experience the vitality and joy life brings you tomorrow.


Related Tags: healthy weight loss, helathy weight loss tips

For more information on healthy weight loss programs go to www.livinglongerlookingbetter.com.

Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

© The article above is copyrighted by it's author. You're allowed to distribute this work according to the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs license.
 

Recent articles in this category:



Most viewed articles in this category: