Lifestyle Tips for Transformation, I
Here are some lifestyle tips that are straight-forward to implement. These tips together can leave you feeling more energetic, help support your goals of shedding extra weight, and also help your body rebuild itself. These are general tips and are a good starting point from which you can dial in your optimal diet. No need to implement them all at once, nor feel that you have to get each one perfect from the start. I invite you to if not jump to simply grow into these, paying attention to how your body responds either way.
Eat a moderate to low calorie dinner. Include a nice serving of carbohydrates and some protein too. The carbohydrates will leave you feeling happy and the addition of protein will help you feel satiated until your first meal the following day. Avoid a calorie rich meal, the body is shutting down and does not need large amounts of calories at this time, which can interfere with sleep. Overall, you want 7-9 cups of fruits and vegetables daily, more if you are more active, at least vegetable.
Finish eating 3-4 hours before going to bed. Try to have all the liquids for the day before eating dinner. That is, have a glass or two of water before dinner. Liquids after dinner can take a while to empty the stomach if still digesting, and also have you going to the toilet at night. Try to hydrate throughout the day so that you do not feel thirsty in the evening.
Avoid electronics near bedtime. If using electronics after dinner make use of applications that remove the blue light from the screen. For example, Flux. Better is to avoid electronics entirely in the evening. If you are going to watch television, invest in blue light blocking sunglasses. Artificial light after sundown can profoundly disrupt the sleep-wake cycle. Long term disruption of the diurnal circadian rhythm can lead to myriad issues.
Make a To-Do list for the following day. Off-load all the burdens of daily life. Write it on paper, organize it, plan it. Once it is out on paper, your mind will be clearer and you’ll sleep more soundly.
Sleep 7-9 hours in a dark and cold room. The upper end is for those training hard, pregnant women, or those who are in a process of healing and returning to health. 7 is a bare minimum, below which numerous studies show deleterious long-term effects. Such as: weakened immune system, fat gain, fatigue, burnout, memory loss, learning impairment, and more. Sleeping in a dark room supports the release of melatonin and completes the daily cycle. Growth, healing, re-balancing of the body is best achieved when the room is completely dark. Black-out curtains give huge gains with only a small investment. Quickly here: a cold room promotes the deep sleep phase of sleep which is heavily responsible for growth and repair.