❤️ This could be hurting your progress

Author

Janie Kokakis
October 24, 2023

Happy High Noon (EST). We hope you are enjoying the Back to Routine program. Get ready for Phase 2 soon! Remember to submit your questions for the open journal section in our satisfactory survey.

Let’s dig into today’s bite:

  • Sleep Less, Gain Less: This could be hurting your progress.

  • Open Journal: Not feeling supported.

  • Tidbits & Recipes: Lazy cooking.

  • Did You Know: You don’t lose if you snooze.

Sleep Less, Gain Less: Slowing Your Progress

Have you ever pushed through a workout without much sleep the night before? You probably felt a little sluggish.

Well, there's a reason.

Lack of sleep causes your cortisol levels to spike. Cortisol is a stress hormone and can have negative effects on your progress and workouts.

When your cortisol levels are elevated, you might find it more challenging to:

  • Stay motivated

  • Finish your workouts

  • Make healthy choices

  • Recover from your workouts

This sound like you? You aren’t the only one.

So remember to prioritize sleep. When you can’t get enough sleep, here are three easy ways to lower your cortisol levels:

  1. Spend time outdoors

  2. Laugh your butt off

  3. Hydrate and chill on the copious amounts of caffeine

In case you missed it, we talked about how cortisol can impact weight loss here. 

Open Journal

Q: I’m struggling with the people around me not supporting me becoming healthy. We are all used to eating junk and now that I try not to, they poke fun at it.

A: It can be challenging when the people around you don't support you. But know, I'm proud of you for starting. Here are 3 ideas that might help:

  1. Communicate your goals: Talk openly with your loved ones about why you are trying to get healthier. Make sure to explain how important their support is to you.

  2. Seek like-minded individuals: Connect with individuals who share similar health goals and values. If you can't do it in person, make sure what you're consuming online aligns with your new healthy lifestyle.

  3. Lead by example: Show your loved ones the positive changes you are experiencing through your healthy habits. Cook healthy meals together or invite them to join you in physical activities. When they see the benefits firsthand, they may become more open to adopting healthier habits themselves.

Don't forget that change is hard. And people don't like it. It might take them longer to understand and support your journey. Just know this community is always here for you!

Learn to Scramble Well(ness):

While eating your lunch, waiting for your lunch, or letting go of your lunch, try our wellness-themed word scramble. It's one word a day, and you can find the answer at the bottom of this newsletter - good luck!

SIROTLCO

Did You Know? Like Really Know…

Is hitting snooze really that bad?

You know the feeling, your alarm goes off and you frantically search to shut it off. Instead of getting up, you doze off a little longer.

10-minutes later, the same scenario's on repeat. Until you finally decide to get up. (This is my exact morning ritual).

If you're like me, I have good news.

This new study found no negative effects on sleep or cognition when hitting the snooze. And regular "snoozers" cognition was better when they snoozed compared to when they didn't.

There seems to be a sweet spot of about 30 minutes. So keep snoozing, but don't let it get in the way of creating consistency.

If you love to snooze, set your alarm 30 minutes before you want to wake up. And stop feeling guilty about not popping out of bed right away.

Tidbits & Recipes:

If you’re like me you hate the mess cooking makes. I pick recipes that don’t use a lot of stuff because of it.

It’s Taco Tuesday so celebrate tonight with this sheet pan shrimp taco recipe with minimal cleanup. You’re welcome!

Today’s Top Workout Song on Spotify

TOO MUCH

The Kid LAROI, Jung Kook, Central Cee · Song · 2023

Scramble Answer:

CORTISOL

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