Tip #1
In vino veritas. ‘In wine there is truth’ There’s also a whole lot else, too. Alcohol, by itself, has a lot of effects on the body that can detour your health routine. Now add in what goes along with that – added sugar from sweet mixers, additional empty calories, questionable food choices after a few drinks, disrupted sleep and late nights – and it can straight up sabotage even the healthiest and fittest among us.
Even knowing all that, even a few of us at VOS Fitness have been known to enjoy a drink or two from time to time. Having a drink does have an upside: unwinding after a long day, enjoying social events with family and friends and sometimes it’s just plain fun! But if you are someone who’s having more than 5-7 drinks a week, we guarantee this change will make a GIANT impact.
How to make it happen
Cut out all non-social drinking and drinking alone. Wait, what???? Yup- you read that correctly, no non-social drinking. So, if you’re used to coming home every night and having several drinks or more then cut that down. If this is a ritual you do with a partner or spouse, have one drink together and that’s it. If you’re used to having more, feel like you’re missing the ritual of having a drink or making a drink then make one without alcohol. Try soda water with a lime or lemon over ice in a drink glass.
Bonus Material
If you’re at a professional social event: cocktail reception, conference, awards dinner, etc. try this rule of thumb:
Drink the first, sip the second, refuse the third. This will help keep the number of drinks to a minimum
If you’re at a personal social event: wedding, party, night out with friends. Well, you’re an adult. We’re not going to tell you what to do. It’s important to have fun. Go nuts or go whatever “nuts” means for you.
Tip #2
Do you wake up every morning completely refreshed and ready to take on the day? Neither do we. But that is the goal. Getting adequate sleep helps to recharge your body and mind and is crucial for regulating your hormones, which essentially controls every single aspect of your health and how your body functions. If you consistently get enough quality sleep you will have more energy, a sharper mind, a stronger immune system, store less fat, a thriving sex drive, slow the aging process and find yourself feeling happier. Sign me up, right?
How to make it happen
Look to get 7-9 hours per night. Everyone is different and has different requirements (or unfortunately time constraints). Choose your number of hours and make that a goal. Then choose the time you will go to bed. Do everything you can to be in bed with the LIGHTS OFF and PHONE OFF at that time every night. Commit to that for 1 week. After that first week assess how you feel. Do you feel better? We bet you do. Then commit to 2 more weeks. By the end of the 3 weeks we bet you’ll feel like a whole new person!
Bonus Material
Power down: try to stay away from your phone, tablet or laptop in the hour leading to your chosen bedtime
Curb the caffeine: avoid caffeine after early afternoon
Sleep Hygiene: “Sleep Hygiene” refers to your sleep environment. Proper sleep hygiene suggests a completely dark room. Try black out shades and no ambient light from clocks or devices. A good test is to hold your hand 6 inches in front of your face when the lights are off. Can you see it? Then it’s still too light.
The proper temperature for sleeping is somewhere between 60-67 degrees. If possible, try to get your room to that level. Throughout the day your body temperature naturally rises and falls, body temp drops to the lowest point around 5am, sleeping in a cool room will keep with that pattern. According to the National Sleep Foundation, higher room temperatures "may interfere with your body's natural dip and make you more restless through the night." (Learn more)
White Noise – for a lot of people having ambient noise assists in falling asleep and staying in a deeper sleep zone. Try a white noise machine or fan.
Any Questions: Please ask any of the VOS Fitness Staff or shoot us an email at info@vos-fitness.com