You are just a click away (surfing the internet) from all necessary information on fitness, nutrition and training. But is it that simple!? Every fitness article, scientific study or a workout video offers great and easy ways to achieve your goals in training. However, there is no actual solution to your problem or if there is an explanation to the problem it is usually short term.
So, how to achieve the required result and stop failing? It’s said that small things make big things happen. Many people avoid the basic things that can push them straight forward to the goal. The small things we do every day can be a golden opportunity or the gutter in your everyday life and it is the same with the training.
To get the best results out of your workouts and nutrition plan you have to follow some simple rules that will lead you toward your expected goal and make your progress much easier.
Let’s go through these bad habits that can have a great influence in all areas of your health and everyday life.
Iregular Sleep – Do you sleep regularly?
Sleep quality is the key to success in many fields. Some people are not aware that they are getting poor sleep. Let’s discuss the sleep disturbances.
Having difficulties falling asleep?
The main reason, but not always, to not be able to fall asleep at night is high cortisol levels (the stress hormone). You can tell if your cortisol level increases by looking into your nighttime routine – of course you can always take a blood test to measure cortisol levels. Working late is the number one cortisol friend. Your cortisol levels are being increased before bedtime by the stress from working into the night.
Your brain needs time to prepare itself for a goodnight sleep. Have e period of at least one hour to relax your brain before sleep. Go to a darker room and shut down all the electronic devices like computers, mobile phones and tablets. Electronics emit blue spectrum light which restrains your body’s production of melatonin – the hormone that makes you sleepy.
Do you wake up during the night?
Waking up at night can be a sign of a food intolerance that increases the cortisol level during the night. The best advice in this case is to have a food journal and to look for patterns in your diet and disrupted sleep. Food like dairy, nuts, gluten and coffee can disrupt your sleep. When you consume coffee in large quantities during the day, the night sleep can be affected. If you suspect that some kind of food (in our case coffee) keeps you awake at night, stop taking it after 2 PM.
2. Late Night Munchies
Many bodybuilders are into the idea of “night catabolism” – losing muscle mass while you sleep. Late night snacking can just make your body organs work all night instead of resting and regenerating. It is recommended that easily digested and high quality foods are the best for pre-bedtime snacks.
People usually eat half of the needed daily calories close to bedtime and they say it’s due to the – having no time to eat during the day – stressful day or stressful life. A recent study in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, shows that blood sugar can be increased for a full 24 hours and put you on an eating spree the following day.
So, it all comes down to better food choices. Research supports the “if it fits your macros” model when choosing snacks, but everyone is different. So, some body organs need the rest for regeneration during the night while others will work fine with late foods. When bedtime approaches light snacks are good. But be careful on how your body reacts and if necessary get rid of them.
3.Eating Junk for Breakfast
Try to experiment which food best suits you for breakfast. For example eat bacon and eggs in the morning, the following morning try a bowl of cereals with two scoops of protein, the next morning a toast etc. The best way to learn is to try and do it. The mental alertness, focused energy and the sense of control over your hunger will be the most noticeable differences.
So, different kinds of food in the morning will produce different kinds of feelings over your body. Try and choose what is best for your body. Your body will thank you.