DAY 25

“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” ― Thomas Dekker

 

We have entered our very final 6 days of the challenge!!! If you’re still hanging in strong, congrats for making it this far. You’re very well on your way to a new healthy living lifestyle that you can be proud of.

Okay grab your lemon/lime water and let’s get down to business.  

 

Day 25 Wellness Action: Improve Your ZZZs

When trying to get healthy and win the battle of the bulge sleep is the often forgotten middle child that sits between diet and exercise. Unfortunately research is showing that you cannot neglect sleep any longer if you wish to get to your goal. There are many reasons for this, one being the fact that your body needs the time spent sleeping to recharge and renew.

If you can barely find time to sleep as it is, don’t add more stress to your plate by worrying about not getting enough sleep. Instead, focus on getting the best quality sleep that you can in the time you have. Today’s action plan requires that you focus on improving the quality of your shut eye and here are some tips that can help you do that:

Get good quality curtains or an eye mask: Light disruptions from outside your bedroom can affect your ability to sleep. This is worse if you toss and turn at night as the light can cause you to wake up during one of these brief moments of interruptions. Getting good quality curtains or a comfortable eye mask to put across your face can help with this.

Keep electronics out of the bedroom: While most of us cannot live without having our cell phones by our sides, they don’t have a place in the bedroom. The potential ding of late-night emails or early morning Facebook notifications can interrupt your sleep. If you use your cell phones as an alarm like most people, just make sure that you set the phone on silent so that the only thing waking you up will be the alarm at the selected time.

Shut down your electronics well before bedtime: Electronics such as TVs, computers, and cellphones emit a blue light that can interrupt your body’s ability to generate hormones that regulate your sleep. Shutting them down at least 30 minutes before bed can help you wind down more naturally and get the best quality sleep possible.

Check out the Radiant Reading for the day for more tips on how to sleep better.

 

Today’s Radiant Read

Ten Reasons You Can’t Sleep and What to Do About Them 

 

Day 25 Workout: Waist-ing Away

Today we’re taking a trip down memory lane to Day 4’s waist-whittling circuit designed to tighten up and strengthen your obliques; these are the muscles that cross your ribs and abdomen like an old-fashioned girdle. Fun!

Click here for full written exercise instructions. Once you have warmed up, follow the exercise demonstration in the video below to get started on today’s fitness challenge.  

 

Tonight aim for 7 hours of sleep using the tips above.  Don’t forget to stop by our FB Hangout and let’s talk about today’s challenge.