A recent study conducted by the CDC revealed that 1:3 adult Americans isn’t getting the recommended 7 hours of sleep each night. (Btw, South Dakotans sleep the most, and Hawaiians sleep the least. I wouldn’t be sleeping if I was in paradise either.)
We are living in an age where we have a multitude of information literally at our fingertips, (Hello, smartphones and tablets!) and consistent evidence suggests that our bodies need sleep. It is restorative and rejuvenates our minds and bodies to function at our maximize potential. Further, numerous data supports that lack of sleep leads to weight gain–your body’s natural rhythm is interrupted and your brain is confused leading to cravings and often binge eating.
This last bit of data is near and dear to me because this is one of the biggest complaints that I hear from the women I work with:
“I’m just too tired to exercise.”
Does this sound like you, sunshine? Have you used this same excuse to get the “free pass” to not work out?
Well, I am here to challenge you, just as I do my clients. I often reply to their complaint with, “If you don’t make time to exercise and be healthy today, you won’t have a choice to be sick and unhealthy tomorrow.”
I challenge you to think about this seriously, sunshine. Each of us has the same 24-hours in a day, so how is it that some of us fit in an 8-hour work day, a home-cooked meal, a grocery store run, a workout, a soccer car pool, and a Wednesday night bible study at church all in one day, while others barely make it to work and through the drive-thru on their way home to crash on the couch before watching an entire series on Netflix with a paper-bagged dinner? One word: PRIORITIES.
I am an early bird, and I love working out first thing in the morningbut this wasn’t always the case.
When I was 294lbs. I wasn’t motivated to get up and out of bed for the gym, but let me tell you, a buffet with a waffle station had me dressed and rarin’ to go.
When I started my weight loss journey back in 1997, I began tithing my sleep to give God the first fruits of my day to spend time walking and talking (and listening) to Him. I mean, just 10 minutes to spend time with The One who gave life and breath? I think He deserved my 600-second-sacrifice.
Those 10 minutes became sacred and powerful and eventually turned into 20 minutes, 30, 40, then a full hour! And guess what? By putting Him in first place, everything else in my life starting shifting and falling into place. Not only did I lose weight, most importantly, I developed a strong relationship with Him which manifested into strong relationships with others and weight loss was a byproduct of my sacrifice. He received all of the glory, and nearly 20 years later when my iPhone alarm buzzes at 4:30a.m., I leap out of bed energized and ready to see what exciting things He has in store for me each day.
So what about you, sunshine? Are tired of being too tired to make your health a priority?
Let’s chat. I would love to help you on your journey to get the rest you need to wake up and be energized to take on the day so that His plan and your purpose will be revealed with each minute of the day. Book a call to chat with me so we can tackle the excuse, the fatigue, the lethargy, the unmotivation, the enemy that keeps you couch-bound and unable and unwilling to jump out of bed each day ready to be a blessing and receive a blessing, too.
Looking forward to helping you wake up, sunshine. Frannie