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Top Tips For A Better Nights Sleep…

March 6, 2019realadmin_adminEducation

Top Tips For A Great Nights Sleep…

Sleep. We all need it. Without enough of it our body can’t possibly function at optimal levels, let alone conquer any heath and fitness goals. It is severely underestimated in the effect it can have on a persons health, and we often times become accustomed to the feeling of life on inadequate sleep so, therefore, we can tend to believe that looking and feeling tired, sluggish and moody is just normal. 

For years I had fallen into this trap myself. Waking up on 5-6 hours of sleep, which was often broken, and pushing through day after day and trying to ‘catch up’ on the weekends. Sounds ok in theory but as my body began to tell me, was clearly unsustainable. It was so counterproductive to my goals! Loss of weight (not what I want), loss of appetite, poor concentration and focus, less desire to train, were all side effects of not getting enough hours of quality sleep.

The following are 7 important things that happen to our body while we are asleep:

  1. Your brain sorts and processes the days information 
  2. Hormones flood your body
  3. Your sympathetic nervous system ‘chills out’
  4. Cortisol levels lower
  5. Your muscles temporarily paralyse during REM sleep (some scientists believe that is so you don’t act out your dreams during sleep) 
  6. Anti-Diuretic Hormone (ADH) helps you not have to pee during the night
  7. Your immune system releases inflammation fighting cytokines  

As I delve into my top tips for a good nights sleep, I wanted to highlight the latest two methods I use. Both new to me, and yet probably have given me the most success at not only drifting off, but also sleeping longer through the night. 

The first is an app called Brainwave. This was introduced to me by coach Vicky after a discussion about how I found myself being more alert after trying guided meditation apps. There was something about hearing a soft, gentle voice guide me that I couldn’t get out of my head when it finished and was time to sleep. I was kind of replaying it over in my head to myself. So I was definitely curious when Vicks mentioned that maybe i’ll respond better to Brainwave. It’s a great app that can be used without wifi so there’s no chance of wifi activity disturbing you. In a nutshell, Brainwave is an app that uses advanced Binaural Brainwave Entertainment to stimulate frequencies associated with different states of mind. For example, at night, lying in bed, I set mine for deep sleep. I choose a background sound (I love the rain and thunder one), and while that is playing, you’ll hear a wave type frequency in the background designed to induce deep sleep. Some nights I find myself falling asleep with the ear phones still in. Its been awesome!

The second method I have begun using is drawing. You’ve probably heard how journalling and writing down any thoughts that come into your head before bed is beneficial for a better nights sleep, well same goes for drawing. Im a bit of an over-thinker so writing stuff down randomly on paper would probably cause me stress as Id second guess everything, (weird, i know). However, after having Luke Leaman from Muscle Nerds talk at Real Fitness, I learned that drawing can be just as effective. Now I’m certainly no Vincent Van Gogh, but just doodling and drawing shapes, patterns etc, had such a calming effect. I found myself yawning and ready to sleep after just 10 mins. The best part is that I didn’t wake until 5.10am, 10 mins before my alarm! This was quite a revelation as there had been a few nights per week where I found myself waking at 2-3am and taking a while to drift off again. 

I highly recommend giving both or one of these methods a go if you are serious about getting better quality sleep, however, there are plenty of other little tricks one can utilise such as:

  • Increase bright light exposure during the day
  • Reduce blue light exposure (phone/tv/laptop screens) in the evening
  • Don’t consume caffeine late in the day
  • Try to sleep and wake at consistent times
  • Take a magnesium supplement
  • Don’t drink alcohol
  • Try not to eat late in the evening
  • Take a relaxing bath with Epsom salts and lavender oil
  • Exercise regularly

So if lack of sleep or lack of good QUALITY sleep is an issue for you, it may well be time to reassess your day/night time habits if you’re serious about achieving your health and fitness goals. Whether its fat loss, muscle gain, recovery or general health, I believe sleep should be priority number one! Good quality sleep is giving your body every chance of success!

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The 3 most effective stress management strategies The 3 most effective stress management strategies

Stress is not just emotional but it can also be physical. There comes a point where your physical body can be just stressed and tired. So here are 3 of the most effective ways to manage emotional stress as well as physical stress anyone can use. 

1. MEDITATION. At first meditation seems daunting and pointless to some. However it can be an awesome way to give your body both a mental and physical reset from day to day life. Having a crazy day at work just to get home to an even busier family life can be strenuous on the body and mind. So taking 5-10 minutes to just find a quite place where you can just sit relax and breathe. You don’t have to be an expert at MEDITATION to give it a go and feel real benefits just from a few minutes. 
2. SLEEP. Getting a good nights rest sounds so simple but it could be the difference between you being or not being stressed. In the world today we are always go go go and sometimes it’s hard for people to stop their day early to get to bed at a reasonable hour, but SLEEP is an integral part of stress management for everyone. So to put it simply focusing on getting a good 7-8 hours of straight sleep can help anyone manage their levels of both physical and emotional stress. 
3. WALKING OUTSIDE. Just the act of being OUTSIDE during the day or even at night can calm a persons stress. Add in the benefits of WALKING and you have the ultimate stress reliever. Having a long stressful day? Head OUTSIDE and get some fresh air.

Finding time in your day for at least one of these strategies might just change your attitude for the rest of the day. Becoming less stressed is always a positive and their is no harm in trying 1 if not all 3 of these strategies during your day. 

Coach Kyle 😁💪🏽
Wednesday night with Kyle is pumping tonight! Love Wednesday night with Kyle is pumping tonight! Love seeing the community getting stuck in mid week 💪🏼🏋🏻‍♀️
🍇The importance of adding plant matter to your 🍇The importance of adding plant matter to your meals🥬

Fruits and vegetables pose many health benefits and play a crucial role to living a healthy lifestyle. It is essential that we are adding plant matter to all of our meals because;

🍆They provide colour and texture and make the food we are eating more appealing.
🥦Fruits and vegetables are convenient and are quick and easy to eat.
🍉Plant matter contains high amounts of fibre which helps keep us fuller for longer and keeps our digestive system happy.
🍌Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories which is of more benefit to us as they are nutritionally rich but low in calories.
🌱Plant matter foods contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals which help us stay energised and feel good.
✅Eating the right amount of fruits and vegetables can help to reduce your risk of lifestyle diseases.

So start of by adding some greens first to your meals with some fruits in between should help in increasing your plant matter intake and watch you start reaping the benefits.

COACH DAMON 🤟🏻
LEGEND OF THE WEEK Congratulations to this super LEGEND OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to this super star 🌟 Joanna B! 
Joanna joined our community a little under 3 months ago, armed with some big strength goals; including performing a bodyweight chin up. This has been the jumping off point for her training plan in which she completes:
3x PT 🏋🏻‍♀️
2-3x Sweat 🏃🏻‍♀️
Having never lifted a weight before coming to RFT, in the last week Joanna performed a:
• 50kg back squat for 8 reps
• 60kg deadlift for 6 reps
In under 3 months! This is largely due to her get in and get after it mentality; her determination and curiosity about what her body can do is unmatched and makes her a genuine delight to train.

Aside from that, Joanna brings such a warm and kind energy into the gym that is appreciated by all the staff and members, and makes us proud to have you as part of our gym, so thank you Joanna!
And congratulations to this Legend! 🌟🏋🏼‍♀️🤩
Coach P 💁🏻‍♀️
BEST MORNING EVER 😍 I love this CORE class an BEST MORNING EVER 😍 

I love this CORE class and the fun/burn we share. Thankyou all for coming everyone. You’ve done amazing things this morning, now go and share the love. 

Morning’s at RFT 🙌🏼
Coach B xx
Awesome 6:45 team smashing the classes tonight. On Awesome 6:45 team smashing the classes tonight. On fire ! 🔥🔥

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