Sleep and Rest

Sleep, it is oh so very, very important! Sleep is when your body grows, when you produce growth hormone (which is in short supply the older you get), when your body regenerates after all of the stress of the day.

The growth you experience from weight training happens outside the gym, after you have eaten proper nutrients, and then sleep. Take away one or the other, or short change yourself and your efforts are wasted.

You can train like a champ, but if you do not allow your body enough sleep, it will not grow or improve, simple as that.

You cannot "catch up" on sleep. Sure, you can sleep in and rest longer on weekends if you want or feel you need to, but you cannot stay up late and then plan to sleep in to make up for that lost sleep, it doesn't work.

People who stay up later on weekends, and sleep in are not as successful in the gym as those who adhere to a "regular" schedule. The body is a finely tuned machine, that runs on a schedule, mess up the schedule and it rebels!

Often, you may find that you end up skipping your training too- you stayed up late, slept in, had things you had to get done, so the gym time suffered.

You should try to limit TV, computer, all electronic and light stimuli before bed. Give your brain time to relax and unwind.

Many people confuse lack of sleep with "over training". They are pushing themselves to the limit in the gym, eating right, working a full time job and are exhausted. They get sick a lot too, their immune system is shot and they blame it on "over training". 

Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but hardly any of us, in most cases, unless you are an Olympic level athlete are "over training". What is happening is "under sleeping". You have "sleep debt".

People who have a mid afternoon slump can usually blame that on sleep debt too, their body just didn't get enough.

You try to fit it all in, and then you still want to watch four hours of TV at night, or go out with friends after work, so you end up going to sleep later than you should. Cut out the TV and the partying go to sleep earlier instead and you will suddenly feel better, you will not feel "over trained" and you will probably have better results.

You will know you are getting enough sleep when you start to wake at approximately the same time every single day, regardless of when the alarm sounds.  So, if you usually get up at 5:00 am, and then on the days you aren't working, you start to automatically wake at that same time, you are getting enough sleep.

Here is a saying from Al Schoterman, a Strength Coach and Olympian regarding the importance of sleep and rest for the athlete.

The Phases of Rest

Never run when you can walk

Never walk when you can get a ride

Never stand when you can sit

Never sit when you can lie down

Never lie down when you can go to sleep

` Al Schoterman

Stanford Cancer Center

I spent some time today at the Cancer Center at Stanford Hospital. It certainly is a beautiful facility. I mean, it is several stories high, lots of windows and light, they even had a pianist in the lobby and valet parking.

Unfortunately, everyone there is there for one reason, either they, or a loved one has cancer.

My sister and I went with my father to meet with the surgeon who will perform his surgery. We had questions, and he had answers, not necessarily exactly what we wanted to hear each time, but still, answers.

We have gone through this before, with my mother.  There are things you feel proud to be an "expert" at, but cancer is not one of those things.

I looked around the waiting room, scanning the faces of the people. There were old people, middle aged people and some young ones. Cancer does not discriminate, it likes everyone, the rich, the poor, the fit, the not so fit.

No one has control over whether they may be a victim of cancer or not, but we all have control over how we can ensure that we are able to respond well if we do get it. We all have control over our general health, our lives are actually in our own hands.

I started thinking about my health, how I treat my body, how I have grown to value this amazing piece of machinery, that does whatever I ask of it, and hardly complains. What would happen if I no longer had this body? If I were to become ill?  I don't think we think of things like this until we are faced with the possibility. Sometimes it has to smack us right across the cheek before we listen.

Studies have proven that those who exercise regularly don't get sick as often as "regular" folk. I have been told that I have more NK (Natural Killer) cells than the average person, in part because of the amount of exercise I do, and have been doing for many, many years. Because I have more NK cells, I don't get sick, really, ask anyone who knows me.

We should all exercise every single day. We are living beings, not robots and are meant too move and expend energy. No one should ever come home from work and plop down on the sofa, unless of course they work performing physical labor or got a good hour of exercise in before work!

Besides regular, strenuous exercise what else should you do? Don't smoke, even 'just occasionally". I am blown away at how many young people smoke. Can the world be any more in your face about how stupid smoking is? No! Yet I see young people lighting up, they think they look cool? They not only look un-cool, but stupid.

Eat right. You all know what that means. You may not know how to eat to drop all your body fat, like I do for a competition, but that is a whole different world, and frankly, I don't even think it's that healthy!  It certainly isn't a diet you can live with.

You should eat a balanced diet. What the heck IS a balanced diet anyway? It means that you don't go off on some idiotic fad diet that cuts whole food groups out! Potato chips and beer are not food groups by the way...

Eat fruit, nuts, vegetables, grains, lean meats, lean poultry, fish, low fat dairy. The obvious things.

Don't poison your body with drugs and alcohol. I know, an occasional glass of wine is fine, but I am talking about "pickling" yourself. 

You body is amazing, it will serve you well if you treat it right. If you are one of those who should make some changes, do it now before it's too late.

Consider yourself just slapped, across that right cheek. It may sting, but you will remember it for a long time.