Lack of Sleep... Slow, Sluggish, & a Bigger Belly?

We at PPT hope you had a safe & happy Mothers' Day!

The effects of sleep duration are gaining more and more attention among wellness professionals. Getting the right quality and quantity of sleep is not only essential to optimizing mental and physical recuperation, it may be essential to preventing obesity.

In a recent study published in the journal Sleep, researchers from Wake Forest University reported that getting less than 5 hours of sleep or more than 8 hours of sleep leads to increased intra-abdominal fat when compared to those who sleep for 6 or 7 hours.

More than 1,000 Americans were interviewed to obtain information on sleep habits, nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle. They also participated in a CT scan, which was used to assess both visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat. Baseline measurements were then compared to a re-assessment five years later.

Participants who slept less than 5 hours a night experienced a 32% increase in deep abdominal fat over 5 years, while those who averaged more than 8 hours of sleep increased by 22%. Subcutaneous abdominal fat increased similarly.

After factoring in lifestyle factors such as total calorie intake, education levels, physical activity and smoking, sleep duration persisted as an independent risk factor for increased abdominal adiposity, especially in participants under 40.

Researchers offer broad speculation to explain the cause and effect relationship of sleep to fat gain. The primary explanations involved increased daytime fatigue, which limits energy to participate in physical activity. In addition, some believe in the potential for sleep deprivation to inhibit appetite-suppressing hormones, thus leading to overeating.

We hope you found this research to be helpful in your daily decision-making. And, if you're not already taking these supplements, then please do yourself a favor and include them in your daily routine to reduce your family's risk for athersclerosis and other chronic health conditions while battling the effects of aging!




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Should Your Muscles Be Sore? Important News!!

At Perfect Personal Training, we're privy to some of the more common misunderstandings relating to the struggles of fat loss.

Often, exercisers assume that a "good workout" is defined by the level of muscle fatigue and soreness. Basically, many people believe that if their muscles are sore the day following a workout, that they have done themselves some definite good.

Others believe the opposite: Some people believe that muscular soreness is an indication of overworking muscles, and that some damage may have been done unnecessarily. These people tend to lower their selected intensities after days of muscular soreness.

So, we now address the scientific truth of muscular soreness.

Muscular soreness that begins within 24 hours of exercising is generally associated with the buildup of biproduct within the muscles. It is common in both effective as well as in ineffective workouts. That's true! Muscular soreness that begins within 24 hours of a workout does not necessarily mean that you've gained significant lean tissue, nor that you have burned body fat either. Adequate sleep and water intake as well as a well-designed stretching regimen post-workout will minimize or eliminate this soreness and make you more comfortable.

Now, some muscular soreness doesn't begin for two or three days following exercise. While this type of muscular soreness can still be minimized through adequate water, sleep, and appropriate stretching, this is more of an indication of muscular growth. This "delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)" is a sign that your muscles are in the process of improving their contractile properties, strength, and endurance. But, keep in mind that you might make your muscles grow very nicely even without this DOMS occurance -- especially if you're getting proper nutrition, sleep, and flexibility training.

We at Perfect Personal Training truly hope that this will help you to make proper exercise-related decisions for the rest of your life. Do you still have questions on this or other related subjects? Please feel welcome to reply below, or to call us at (877)698-DO-IT (3648) anytime. We are here to help America get stronger, healthier, leaner, and more confident!