Search Results for: blog holiday sleep loss

Avoiding Holiday Pounds

It’s that time of year again – no, not the holidays, but the time when everyone seems to come into your office armed with cookies and the office luncheon is filled with enough tryptophan and carbohydrates to choke a horse. The other day, a study was released that showed that the highest number of heart-related deaths occur on Christmas, with the second highest number being recorded on December 26. Now maybe it is family stress that is getting everyone or that last minute shopping, but I know that I personally pack on the pounds during the holidays because I love … Continue reading →

Giving Yourself Holiday Recovery Time

I have the unfortunate habit of getting sick over the holidays. It’s almost like my body knows that there are a few days off in my future, and saves up the sickness for those days so I don’t miss whatever important things are going on before and afterwards. On the positive side, it does kind of ensure that I use my holiday time for resting and taking good care of myself. Holidays (and vacations) can be wonderful and fun… but they can also be hectic and stressful. Travel can be full of worries, anxiety, and questions: will you make that … Continue reading →

Here Come the Holidays

Once Halloween is over, and all of the candy temptations that brings, there is a mad rush of celebrations where food is a big focus. First there is my middle child’s birthday. We celebrated it this past Saturday, even though her “real” birthday isn’t until Thursday. She picked out what has got to have been the biggest princess cake at the local grocery store. We gave in because, well, for one I felt guilty about not making her cake this year, and for two, she batted her eyes at daddy. Not that I want her to learn manipulation or anything, … Continue reading →

Sleep, Flu and Chinese Food

I just read Pam’s blog post that mentions the importance of sleep with losing weight. I completely support this notion, or should I say that all of the studies I have been reading lately support this. Lack of sleep wrecks havoc with your body, especially when you get older, and the newest research even links lack of it to belly fat. I was just mentioning this fact my husband. Blessed with the kind of thin build that usually supports food indulgence without weight gain, he is starting to put away a bit of belly fat. It is certainly nothing to … Continue reading →

Holidays and Health

I made it through Thanksgiving without my usual holiday problem. But the winter holidays are upon us and my body is showing signs of impending doom. Ever since I started college, I’ve experienced a weird phenomenon: I tend to fall ill around the holidays. I figure it’s partly due to stress (final exams, racing around to do shopping, preparing for family gatherings) and partly due to the fact that my subconscious KNOWS that it’s got a few days off coming. The perfect time to give in to whatever bug is going around, right? Right. Because the sore throat, cough, and … Continue reading →

Michelle Williams Copes with Loss

Somehow, some way, actress Michelle Williams has avoided the paparazzi since returning to New York following the death of her ex-fiancé Heath Ledger. By all accounts she did not fly to Los Angeles this past weekend for Ledger’s private memorial and word has it she will not be in Perth, Australia for the actor’s burial either. (Then again, how does anyone really know what her plans are?) The one thing that is certain about Williams’ future is that she still has a movie role waiting for her when she is ready to go back to work. According to production staff … Continue reading →

Holiday Sleep Loss

Do the holidays leave you feeling rested? Or are you tired from all the extra stuff — the parties, the running around, the shopping, the extra commitments? Sleep can become a problem during the holiday season. Why? Maybe you’ve got more on your social calendar. Maybe you’ve got to squeeze in shopping between work and family time. Maybe you’ve got unresolved issues with family members you’ll be seeing at the holidays — the worry and stress can cause you to lose sleep. Maybe you’re drinking more — parties often mean alcohol, and alcohol can interrupt your normal sleep cycle. So … Continue reading →

Post Natal Fitness – Sleep is Vital

Yes, I know you’re sleep deprived and I know that you’re losing sleep and struggling to get things done, take care of that new little baby and you’re still thinking about getting back into shape. This is part of the reason why we hold back on getting started on our fitness programs until 6 to 12 weeks after the baby is born. By the time your baby is three months old, they should hopefully be on a regular schedule of sleep and so should you. Sleep is an important time for your body to perform repairs and maintenance for your … Continue reading →

Give Yourself Weight Loss for the Holidays

It’s the holiday season and while Santa may be a jolly old soul with a belly that jiggles like a bowlful of jelly, that doesn’t mean the rest of us are interested in the same. So it’s time to make a few lifestyle changes in order to give yourself some weight loss instead of weight gain for Christmas. The average person puts on about 5 pounds between Thanksgiving and January 1st. 5 pounds sounds like a lot, but it’s really not. To burn one pound, you need to burn 3500 calories, you can do this in 7 days by putting … Continue reading →

Maintaining Fitness in the Holiday Season

The holiday season is fast approaching and this is the hardest part of the year for many people to stick to their exercise routine as family comes to visit, holiday shopping, cold and stormy weather and more can really diffuse how we look at our fitness goals and our fitness workout. Stressful is one of the best ways to describe the holiday season. Stress doesn’t need to be caused by negative events but the anxiety surrounding the holidays, the parties, the commitments and the shopping can be pretty stressful on the body and the mind. It can make it hard … Continue reading →