To tired to exercise, do errands, take the stairs, talk, get off the couch and go to bed?
If you leave any electrical appliance on constantly we know it will burn out, isn’t that one of the reasons our parents made us shut things off constantly?
You may have heard that the human body is electrical. How does that apply to you?
Your body craves several things to function well and get out of it’s slumber and I’ll tell you what they are in a minute…First you need to understand a couple basic things; unlike a light bulb or an engine, when our body’s source of fuel is compromised it seeks out other sources of fuel (translation: if you don’t eat your body will eat your muscle from the inside out, mmm).
The human body is like a perfect machine. It will do anything that it can to survive, even if it means harvesting its own lean tissues to keep its brain and vital organs healthy. If your body has to dip into this emergency source of fuel it is a sure sign that your metabolism, immunity and energy will be jeopardized while your stores of body fat and lethargy will increase. Your perfect machine will shut down your motivation to do any unnecessary activity if it is in this state. Give yourself a boost by eating at least three square meals a day and drinking half of your body weight in ounces.
Sleep. Less than eight-hours a night of quality sleep will wear on you. Your body repairs itself while you sleep, shorten that and you are essentially pulling your vehicle out of the garage before it is fixed. In my years of helping people, I have heard many say that 5-6 hours is enough for them. That little sleep is proven to increase your hunger and your body fat!
When your body lacks the rest it needs it seeks out sources of energy (food & caffeine) and it’s cortisol levels get out of wack, leading to a magnification of the problem.
We all know what problem the munchies cause at night but did you know that caffeine is just as detrimental. Paramount to keeping a light bulb on constantly, caffeine abuse inhibits deep sleep and your normal appetite.
Where an imperfect machine would sputter out with no fuel, your body will figure out how to continue to run, at any cost. If your goal is to get in shape this year, start exercising and eat a diet that is high in nutrients. Choose carbs with fiber rather than refined carbs and see a registered dietician or a nutritionist to make certain that your efforts are not in vain.
Contributed by Mike George
