Velocity Fitness

I must do this.

I want to do this.

I hope I can do this…

Setting goals that can change your life is easy. Accomplishing them…not so much.

Are you setting the right goals to advance your health this year, and are you on track to reach those goals? If you can’t get started or are already seeing those big new year’s health and fitness plans slip away, take some action now. First, check your list and make sure that your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable and Track-able (more on this in an upcoming post). Next: this week, I’m sharing six SMART, high-impact goals to add to your list that can equal big health benefits. Stop by each day for the skinny, add them, then attack that list. You CAN do this!

1.) Snooze to Lose: Sleep – we make it the most negotiable thing in our lives – there’s always a reason to chunk into it. You may not be a teenager anymore, but it’s time to stop short-changing yourself and make sleep a priority again.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average woman gets just six hours a night. Recent studies have reported that women who slept five hours or less a night were 32% more likely to experience significant weight gain and 15% more likely to become obese than those who slept seven hours. Also, studies have suggested that sleeping less may negatively affect basal metabolic rate (BMR), the body’s rate of calorie burn while at rest. This is a monkey wrench you don’t need thrown into your weight-loss plans. Also important is that lack of sleep can cause increased release of cortisol, the stress hormone that raises blood pressure and blood sugar (which may harm those with diabetes).

How: Aim for seven, preferably eight hours, and get into a routine. Establish a new bedtime and stick to it. If you have to be up at 6 a.m., iron-clad lights out is 10 p.m.. To get into the habit, count back another hour (9:00) and start relaxing your mind and body, then hit the sack with that relaxed body a half-hour before sleep time (9:30). This way, your body “comes down” from the day gradually, and uninterrupted sleep is more likely to be yours at the time you need. Rinse and repeat for two, preferably three weeks (21 days) and it should become a habit.

Stay strong!