The "Easiest" Thing I Can Do Tonight To Help Manage My Weight

Last week I stepped off the curb and into the path of oncoming traffic.

Fortunately, I made it across the street okay, but it was definitely a wake up call. I was essentially sleepwalking through my day on about 4-5 hours of sleep.

Unfortunately, this is a regular occurrence for me. I get in bed somewhere between 2-3:30am and am up at around 7:30am. Most days I think I "manage" it well but others, like that day, I know it's a problem.

I've always known about the link between lack of sleep and weight gain. I have a friend who recently lost a good amount of weight and credits his success in part to always getting a good night's sleep - at least 7 hours. With my average of 4 hours of sleep, I am missing out on one of the most crucial phases of the sleep process.

Phase 1: During this phase, a person is in between wake and sleep. The person can be awakened easily.

Phase 2: This is a period of light sleep during which body temperature drops.

Phase 3 and Phase 4: These are the phases during which a person experiences an increasingly deeper stage of sleep called delta sleep. During this restorative stage, the body is repairing itself, building bone and muscle and releasing certain hormones.

I know better than to think that I can just go home tonight, firmly pledging to sleep a minimum of 7 hours a night. I need to take small steps to change my habits.

Here a few tips from the article, "Sleep Your Way To Slim:"

• Instead of trying to adhere to a strict lights-out policy every night, aim to get in bed early at least one night per week.
• Ease yourself into your slumber session with a bath.
• Eating a carb-based mini-meal of no more than 200 calories 45 minutes before drifting off can raise serotonin levels, helping you relax and sleep well. Try a whole-wheat English muffin with a tablespoon of honey or a cup of instant oatmeal with 1/4 cup of chopped apple.

How many hours of sleep are you getting on average each night?

Need Exercise Motivation?

It's been a struggle lately to find the motivation to move my body. Cookouts, happy hour cocktails, and general hot fun in the summertime have easily diverted my attention away from the elliptical.

Apparently, I'm not alone.

So when an e-mail showed up in my inbox titled, "11 Great Ways To Get Movitvated," it seemed like divine intervention.

11 Great Ways To Get Motivated

You know you've got to get moving. You resolve to park the car a few blocks from work, take the stairs and hit the gym after work. But a few weeks pass and before you know it parking spots start opening up right in front of the building, the elevator is already in the lobby, and you've worked late every night that week. It's not that you don't know how to get fit, you just can't seem to stay motivated. We all know people who are religious with their workouts. So, what's their secret?

We asked fitness experts and regular Joes alike how they stick with their routine. These methods keep them moving; maybe one will work for you.

1. Embarrass Yourself
Make a mark on your calendar every time you make it to the gym or park. Seeing your motivation, (or lack thereof) in black and white helps keep you going. Suzanne Schlosberg and Liz Neporent, authors of Fitness for Dummies, Second Edition (IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., 2000) suggest "whether you write your goals on the side of your shoe or in your training diary, glancing at them on a daily basis will help keep you focused and motivated. Some people tape their goals to their bathroom mirror or refrigerators." Do whatever works to make you remember what you promised yourself.

2. Join a Plan That Wouldn't Have You for a Member
So you're not Steffi Graf. That doesn't mean you can't join a tennis team. Richard Cotton, chief exercise physiologist for MyExercisePlan.com, says "joining a club, team, or finding an exercise partner…provides a support system and someone to simply share the experience with. Often times just knowing someone will be asking you 'How's it going?' can be the difference between exercise success and failure."

3. Love Thy Neighbor and Love Thyself
You can't leave a neighbor standing on the corner checking her watch. She knows where you live. Miriam Nelson, Director of the Center for Physical Fitness at Tufts University, and the author of Strong Women Stay Young and Strong Women Stay Slim (Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1999) says, "When I make a date with a neighbor to go for a run I keep it, and we have a great time." She also plans a regular appointment with her neighbors. "Saturday mornings several of my neighbors come over and we lift weights together; it's a great way to start the weekend," she says.

Read the other 8 here.

Let me know in the comments how you stay motivated when the going gets rough.



Vivrant Thang writes about life, love and the pursuit of good music over at http://www.songsinthekeyoflife.wordpress.com/.

Why You Just Can't Lose Weight

You step on the scale and groan at the number peeking between your toes. "I'll go on a diet today!" you think. Not so fast. Unless you are mentally ready to lose weight, any diet you try is likely doomed to failure.

In a widely accepted model of behavioral change, there are five stages of motivational readiness. If you're stuck in an early stage, your diet won't work, says registered dietician Karen Collins. Studies suggest that people may feel ready to lose weight, but if they are unprepared to alter their behavior, they'll fail, reports the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. in a column titled "Nutrition Notes."

The five stages of motivational readiness that can be applied to dieting, exercise, or just about anything in your life:

Stage One: Precontemplation

A person has no intention of changing.

Stage Two: Contemplation

A person intends to change--later.

Read the rest of the stages here.

Vivrant Thang blogs about live, love and music over at Songs In The Key Of Life.

Weight Loss Update: 155.5ibs

A new Hot Girl is on the scene....






So it doesn't look like I'm going to make my goal of 140lbs by December 31 (although I may make 150) but I have lost 10lbs since my height of 165lbs and you know what....I 'll take that and be HAPPY about it. LOL. It may not be where I want to be...but it's where I'm at and hell, I'm LUVIN' IT!

Setting Weight Loss Goals

A while back Tracy talked about setting goals if you're serious about losing weight. Well, I agreed whole heartedly....and then didn't do anything about it. Namely setting my own goals. Conventional wisdom tells us that those people who set and implement their goals are the most successful at whatever it is they are trying to accomplish. It's a way of holding yourself accountable and gives you a visual representation of where you are and where you need to be.

I NEVER set goals. At least not enough to take the time to write them down and say, "Okay. This is what I want to do and this is how I plan on getting there." And maybe that's why I never (or rarely) end up where I want to be in the time I want to be there in.

Well, today is a new day. And I'm no longer waiting.

My Weight Loss Plan

Current Weight: 161 pounds (Publix scale. It doesn't lie)

Goal: To be 140 pounds

Start Date: Already Started

End Date: By December 31. Trying to look good for that New Years Bash! And for a lifetime. This time I'm keeping it off!

How: A combination of diet and exercise mainly focusing on fiber intake and ratcheting up the cardio via wogging, stair master, walking on treadmill and soon dancing.

Plan: I don't do well with diets. I've got authority issues and don't like being told what to do even if it's passively from a diet book. But I recognize that I HAVE to change my eating habits and adjust my workouts for my body type if I'm going to succeed. And as I've mentioned before, I like ice cream too much and most diets don't allow it.

So because of my ice cream desires and my authority issues I've decided to focus on something that I can do....and that's focus on my fiber intake. Americans get about 7 - 15 grams of fiber a day and if you're a woman you need about 25 - 30 grams of fiber to keep the system moving.

Studies have also shown that eating fiber keeps the weight off AND helps you to lose the weight. I figure if I focus on my fiber intake then the rest will take care of itself. 80% of weight loss is diet anyways.

As far as exercise goes I have generally been good about that but I have to tailor my work outs to my body type (more on that later) and that's been my big issue.


So that's it. My Great Weight Loss Plan. I'll update weekly with weekly weigh ins, food diaries and dress size changes. If I'm encouraging everyone else to get on the ride then I need to make sure I'm hopping on the ride as well. And a weigh we go!

Today is a new day. What are you waiting for?