Week 8 – Recovery, sleep and eating out
This week we are going to be talking about one of the most overlooked area’s of succeeding with your fitness goals, the importance of recovery and sleep. With our nutrition this week we will be chatting through some strategies that will help you enjoy eating out without the guilt by helping you make smarter choices.
After a day of work, exercise and mental fatigue your body needs at least 7-8 hours sleep to recover and repair both physically and mentally. Sleeping is the perfect time for your body to repair muscle, producing growth hormone, replace and replenish nutrients and reset your central nervous system.
Lack of sleep is proven to diminish growth hormone production which effects muscle repair. Disturbed or low levels of sleep also contribute to decreasing energy levels, alertness, and can weaken your immune system.
To maximise recovery from your workouts you want to make sure you are resting a full 24 hours from weights workouts every 2 days. I find a good routine for a beginner is to train with weights every second day 2-3 times per week.
Below you will find some helpful tips to assure you get an undisturbed and peaceful nights sleep.
- Go to bed on time: Make sure the time you go to bed gives you enough time to fall asleep and get a full 7-8 hours of sleep.
- Dim lights and turn off electronic devices 1 hour before bed: To tell your body clock (circadian rhythm) it is night time and that it is time to sleep. Make sure to dim all lights and turn off all electronic devices. Looking at bright screens just tells your body it is day time and so it does not release melatonin which is the hormone that tells your body you are tired. If you make it look like its night time your body will respond by releasing this hormone in turn making you tired.
- Don’t exercise too late: Even though it is important to get your exercise in each day if you train too close to bed time your body will be too awake to sleep. During and after exercise your body releases seratonin and dopamine which both boost your energy levels and alertness, the opposite to what you want late at night. You need to finish your workout 3-4 hours before bedtime so as not to effect your sleep.
- Don’t drink caffeine too late: Make sure to not to drink any drinks which are are high in caffeine 5-6 hours before bed. Green and herbal tea’s are a better choice over normal tea and coffee after about 5pm as they are high in anti-oxidants and have practically no caffeine in them.
Eating out
One of the biggest pitfalls in anyone trying to achieve weight loss and fitness results is eating out. In a standard 3 course meal with some drinks you can easily eat between 3000-4000 calories in just one night out. This can completely cancel out a full weeks worth of work towards fat loss and possibly even push you into gaining weight that week. Remember to lose just 1lb of fat over a week you must burn an extra 3500 more calories then you eat. If you spend 6 days burning 500 more per day then you eat and then in one night eat an extra 3000-4000 calories you have just cancelled out your 6 days of work.
So how do you eat out, enjoy yourself and still be working towards your fitness goals?
Below you will find some handy tips to guarantee you stay healthy while eating out.
- Avoid 3 course meals: Order just a main course when eating out. You don’t eat 3 course meals for lunch or dinner any day of the week normally so why do we do it when we eat out? One main course will satisfy you perfectly.
- Do your best to order healthy: Ask the waiter what the healthiest options are on the menu. Ask for dressing on the side, order half portions carbohydrates like rice, pasta, bread, potatoes etc. as restaurants always serve almost double what we actually need and don’t be afraid to ask to take home a doggy bag if you’re feeling full. Stop eating when you’re full.
- Limit alcohol intake: If it’s a very special occasion its understandable to want to have few drinks but if it’s just a weekly treat meal out limit your alcohol intake. Decide whether its worth drinking at all and if you do decide to drink, 1-2 drinks should be plenty for you to enjoy your meal.
- Stay Hydrated: Drink lots of water as always to make sure you’re not trying to eat away dehydration. Staying hydrated will help you not overeat or overindulge.
- Choose healthy restaurants: Choose rrestaurantsthat pride themselves on tasty and healthy foods. Eating out doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Asian, BBQ and wholefood organic restaurants are popping up all over the city with delicious and healthy eating out options. Choose your favourite style of food and google the healthiest and best reviewed places near you.
- Split a dessert: If it is a special occasion then split a dessert instead of having one all to yourself. It means you can still have a taste of something sweet without the impact of the full calories which can be well in the hundreds.