Get Some Sleep, Improve Performance

I came across an interesting article in Sports Illustrated magazine, discussing the relationship between sleep and performance, and the importance of maintaining an appropriate sleep schedule, especially for athletes.

Our country, as a whole, suffers from a “staggering amount of sleep deficiency,” according to Dr. Charles Czeisler, director of the division of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School.  And athletes are especially affected, due to their exhaustive schedule of workouts, practices, and games.

According to Dr. Czeisler, the impact of inadequate sleep includes:

• Slower reaction time
• Decreased precision
• Poor balance and coordination
• Missed signals in your visual field
• Increased irritability
• Greater propensity to getting sick
• More inflammation; slower healing from injuries
• Duller memory
• Burnout, exhaustion, and depression

The doctor, who has worked as a consultant to the NBA (as well as NASA and the Secret Service), says athletes should sleep at least 8.2 to 8.4 hours per day.  Here are some of his sleep tips:

• Establish a routine.  Go to bed and wake up at about the same time every day.
• Unplug at night.  Get rid of distractions in the bedroom — especially electronics.
• Aim for 9 hours.  Athletes may need even more sleep than the average person.
• Nap in the afternoon.  If you sleep only five to six hours per night, an afternoon snooze can help (it works for LeBron and Kobe).
• Don’t overextend yourself.  You can’t compensate for lost sleep by one long night of sleep.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

What Are You Doing Outside the Gym?

OK, so you’ve hit the gym a few times this week, and you’re feeling pretty good about it (as well you should).  And, since the effects of your workout are both cumulative and residual (studies show that the metabolic impact of resistance training persists in your musculature for up to 48 hours), you’re getting a good return on your exercise investment.

Keep doing what you’re doing and, additionally, consider this:  There are 168 hours in a week.  If you’re working out 2-3 days a week, for an hour each day, that leaves a lot of time spent outside the gym or weight room.  Are your efforts outside the gym complementing your time spent exercising?

Diet & Nutrition

There’s no need to be extreme or fanatical about what you eat, but your diet may be the single-most important aspect of your strength and fitness regimen.  You can drive a Ferrari but it won’t perform optimally on crappy fuel.  Same goes for your body.  The quantity of your dietary intake is important — you need an adequate and appropriate number of calories to consistently be at your best.  The quality of the foods you eat is equally important.  Your meals and snacks should be well-balanced, each incorporating clean carbs, healthy fats, and lean protein.  Check out my blog posts on pre- and post-workout nutrition.

Rest & Sleep

If you’re working hard in the weight room, your muscles need time to adequately recover and regenerate.  Always allow a day of rest between workouts, especially if the workouts involve similar muscle groups and movements.  And get a good night’s sleep on a consistent basis.  For most of us, 7-8 hours a night should help to ensure that we are ready to face the challenges of the day — mentally and physically.

Stay Active

Engage in outside activities and interests that require you to move around.  Cut the grass, work in your garden, walk the dog, take a hike or bike ride, go bowling.  Avoid excessive periods of inactivity.  Limit your time in front of the television and/or computer.  Don’t allow yourself to be sedentary.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Exercise to Avoid Burnout

Whether it’s work, school, or some other endeavor, the day-in, day-out grind can sometimes leave you feeling fried.  There are lots of benefits to regular exercise, and you can add this one to the list:  Being physically fit may help you avoid burnout.

A new European study shows that individuals who performed better on fitness tests were less likely to report feeling burned out than those with lower fitness scores.  Additionally, regular exercise can help keep you fresh mentally.

And forget about the “I don’t have time” excuse.  You don’t have to be at the gym for hours every day to realize the benefits revealed in the study.  Just 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity, 3-5 days a week, can help you ease tension and reduce stress.  You can even divide the 30 minutes into two or three smaller intervals, if it’s convenient.

Regular exercise can help put the spark back into your step by boosting your energy level and improving your mood.

Take care to get adequate sleep and adhere to a healthy diet.  Drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Get Some Sleep, Improve Performance

I came across an interesting article in Sports Illustrated magazine, discussing the relationship between sleep and performance, and the importance of maintaining an appropriate sleep schedule, especially for athletes.

Our country, as a whole, suffers from a “staggering amount of sleep deficiency,” according to Dr. Charles Czeisler, director of the division of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School.  And athletes are especially affected, due to their exhaustive schedule of workouts, practices, and games.

According to Dr. Czeisler, the impact of inadequate sleep includes:

• Slower reaction time
• Decreased precision
• Poor balance and coordination
• Missed signals in your visual field
• Increased irritability
• Greater propensity to getting sick
• More inflammation; slower healing from injuries
• Duller memory
• Burnout, exhaustion, and depression

The doctor, who has worked as a consultant to the NBA (as well as NASA and the Secret Service), says athletes should sleep at least 8.2 to 8.4 hours per day.  Here are some of his sleep tips:

• Establish a routine.  Go to bed and wake up at about the same time every day.
• Unplug at night.  Get rid of distractions in the bedroom — especially electronics.
• Aim for 9 hours.  Athletes may need even more sleep than the average person.
• Nap in the afternoon.  If you sleep only five to six hours per night, an afternoon snooze can help (it works for LeBron and Kobe).
• Don’t overextend yourself.  You can’t compensate for lost sleep by one long night of sleep.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

What Are You Doing Outside the Gym?

OK, so you’ve hit the gym a few times this week, and you’re feeling pretty good about it (as well you should).  And, since the effects of your workout are both cumulative and residual (studies show that the metabolic impact of resistance training persists in your musculature for up to 48 hours), you’re getting a good return on your exercise investment.

Keep doing what you’re doing and, additionally, consider this:  There are 168 hours in a week.  If you’re working out 2-3 days a week, for an hour each day, that leaves a lot of time spent outside the gym or weight room.  Are your efforts outside the gym complementing your time spent exercising?

Diet & Nutrition

There’s no need to be extreme or fanatical about what you eat, but your diet may be the single-most important aspect of your strength and fitness regimen.  You can drive a Ferrari but it won’t perform optimally on crappy fuel.  Same goes for your body.  The quantity of your dietary intake is important — you need an adequate and appropriate number of calories to consistently be at your best.  The quality of the foods you eat is equally important.  Your meals and snacks should be well-balanced, each incorporating clean carbs, healthy fats, and lean protein.  Check out my blog posts on pre- and post-workout nutrition.

Rest & Sleep

If you’re working hard in the weight room, your muscles need time to adequately recover and regenerate.  Always allow a day of rest between workouts, especially if the workouts involve similar muscle groups and movements.  And get a good night’s sleep on a consistent basis.  For most of us, 7-8 hours a night should help to ensure that we are ready to face the challenges of the day — mentally and physically.

Stay Active

Engage in outside activities and interests that require you to move around.  Cut the grass, work in your garden, walk the dog, take a hike or bike ride, go bowling.  Avoid excessive periods of inactivity.  Limit your time in front of the television and/or computer.  Don’t allow yourself to be sedentary.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Exercise to Avoid Burnout

Whether it’s work, school, or some other endeavor, the day-in, day-out grind can sometimes leave you feeling fried.  There are lots of benefits to regular exercise, and you can add this one to the list:  Being physically fit may help you avoid burnout.

A new European study shows that individuals who performed better on fitness tests were less likely to report feeling burned out than those with lower fitness scores.  Additionally, regular exercise can help keep you fresh mentally.

And forget about the “I don’t have time” excuse.  You don’t have to be at the gym for hours every day to realize the benefits revealed in the study.  Just 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity, 3-5 days a week, can help you ease tension and reduce stress.  You can even divide the 30 minutes into two or three smaller intervals, if it’s convenient.

Regular exercise can help put the spark back into your step by boosting your energy level and improving your mood.

Take care to get adequate sleep and adhere to a healthy diet.  Drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?