The New Year is here and many of us have made resolutions to lose weight, be healthier and have more energy. The good news is that there is one resolution that can help you achieve all these goals- and that is to sleep more!
According to personal trainer Andrea Metcalf,“sleep helps rejuvenate the body and balances your hormones to use energy from fat. Inadequate amount of sleep has been linked to weight gain.”
When you get a good night’s rest you are also more likely to have the energy you will need to get in a good workout!
Most of us will now agree that sleep is important to achieving our new year’s resolutions, but sometimes it just seems impossible to fall asleep. Andrea Metcalf suggests the following restorative exercises that will trigger the parasympathetic nervous system to activate the relaxation response.
Step 1: Butterfly
Take two large towels and fold them in half, then roll them into a cylinder. Lie on the ground with one towel between your shoulder blades and supporting your heart and the other towel just below your belt line.
Bring the bottom of your feet together with knees to the sides and arms open. Take 10 deep breaths and relax the body.
Step 2: Crossover
Start by lying on the floor or a firm surface with your legs extended and arms open to the side. Bring one knee up toward the hips and cross over your body.
Breathe deeply as you extend the leg on an angle. Inhale as you bend the knee back to center and exhale as you straighten it to the floor.
Alternate sides for a series of 10 repetitions.
Step 3: Spine Roll
Start in a seated position with your knees tucked into your chest. Slowly roll back until your shoulder blades touch the ground, then roll back upward.
Repeat for 10 repetitions.
Lose fat, gain strength and to live younger longer are the promises given by Dr. Natasha Turner, author of The Hormone Diet.
Turner promises that you’ll experience good sleep, great sex and less headaches, stress, fatigue and weight gain once you successfully get your hormones in balance. These are some promises I couldn’t pass up, so as of last Monday I’m officially on the hormone diet.
Step one, of the three step program is to set-up your home, mind and goals. I had to “detox” my kitchen, (goodbye ice cream and coffee!) prepare my bedroom and figure out wmy weaknesses by answering a few questions from Turner’s book.
Step 2 was the official detox. After a week of being on the detox I have become a mini Martha Stewart. I am so use to microwaving a bag of popcorn for dinner that I have never used my kitchen. This detox forced me to use my virgin kitchen and to plan ahead. The first couple of days I had a horrible headache due to my addiction to caffeine, but now I can easily attend my morning meetings without wanting to sneak a sip from my coworkers cup. I have yet to be hungry since healthy food really does keep you full.
Eliminating all potentially problematic foods from your diet, including wheat, corn, peanuts, oranges, dairy foods, meats, sugars, as well as caffeine is so that we can better understand how they affect our body when we reintroduce them later. I will begin by reintroducing rye on Thursday morning!
Step 3 is to “restore your strength, vigour and radiance.” Turner provides three weight training programs that definitely provide a full body workout. She also recommends a healthy and regular sex life- with or without a partner. I have been working out less than I am use to, but feel that I am seeing better results because I’m finally eating to help my muscles and resting enough to give them the chance to recuperate.
I’ve only been following the hormone diet for a week now and am definitely reaping the benefits! I have more energy, feel better, stronger and have developed the cooking skills to impress any man!
Dr Natasha Turner has kindly agreed to answer questions for WatchMojo.com. Let us know what you want answered and we’ll be sure to get the answer.
Check back in a week to see how week two goes- or you can just start the detox on your own.
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- Your Mom Had You Young
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- You’d Rather Walk
- You Skip Soda (Even Diet)
- You Have Strong Legs
- You Eat Purple Food
- You Were a Healthy-Weight Teen
- You Don’t Like Burgers
- You’ve Been a College Freshman
- You Really Like Your Friends …
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