This is a lengthy post. I really couldn’t think of a way to slim it down without all the details so please bare with me :) If you are a mom, dealing with “belly fat” and your child is over 2 then this might be you!
Picture this: I am sound asleep in my cozy bed at 12:45am I hear screaming from the next room over “Mommy come dos dos me!” (dos dos -pronounced doe or dough- means sleep in French)
I jump out of bed and quickly walk to Jacob’s room trying not to hit any walls in the process!
I fall asleep in his bed and when I look at the clock it is now 3:30 am!
I carefully untangle myself from blankets and shift my body out of the bed and back into mine.
It is 4:30 am and I just feel like I have fallen back to sleep. Jacob is now in my room by my bedside requesting I come back and sleep with him. So I get up and do it all over again until 6 am rolls around and everyone gets up to get ready for school :(
Sound familiar? Well this has been my reality since I started having kids! Of course as they get older it usually gets easier, but it takes a little longer to get out of this stage with the more children a person has! I think this is one of the reasons we are sticking with three :)
Lack of a full night sleep causes STRESS! Have you ever seen a tired mom, or dad for that matter, walking around like a zombie, but still doing all the things necessary to keep above the water? Then to add to the stress we work out harder so we can attempt to stay in shape, or do the opposite and pig out on junk because that is what we are craving!
If you are not getting enough sleep, 7-10 hrs per night, solid, then your body is stressed.
Because sleep deprivation does not necessarily look the same for everyone I am just going to share my own personal observations about my own body.
I started my Healthy Edge journey, as I have written about before, 2 years ago. I am still doing great! Yes I still have some ups and downs, but the downs don’t last long!
Just before Christmas of 2012, it really dawned on me that I had a problem somewhere in my health. Something wasn't working and I needed to address the issue.
I had started the infamous P90X workout series last September. I wanted to trim down and get stronger, and gain more energy. For the first couple months I did feel a rush when I worked out, I did feel stronger, but I didn't feel like my belly fat had gone anywhere.
By the time I was supposed to be finished the program closer to Christmas I knew I had gained belly fat and I felt exhausted!
Rule #1: if there is one thing I know is that you cannot spot train when it comes to releasing weight! Sure you can get great muscles by spot training, but fat has a mind of its own. I have always known this, but I figured with all the extra working out, the belly fat would be affected and want to leave!
Going into the third phase of P90X I thought it might be that I wasn't eating enough protein, but there was no way I was eating any more eggs and meat to cover that!
Rule#2: People do not need a ton of protein in their diet to get results. In fact too much protein can lead to unwelcoming effects on the body! The recommended protein intake should be no more than 5% of caloric intake. Many people eat 5 times the amount or more than their body needs! The average person does not need anymore protein than the ultra athlete. The difference is the athlete needs more CALORIES! Good calories obviously :)
In my third phase of P90X (there are 3 phases) everyone in the household started getting sick one after the other, including me, (despite my healthy eating, and supplementation) so this didn't help with my motivation to workout. In fact I was completely drained!
As well as listening to the Healthy Edge audios on the Metabolism Makeover and Emotional Eating I started re-reading a book by Dr. Libby Weaver called Accidentally Overweight; Solve Your Weight Loss Puzzle. It is an amazingly easy read. The entire book is based on the function of the liver and how everything is connected.
The thing that hit me most was the section on Cortisol. This is the long term stress-hormone known as the fight or flight reactor. Basically, it is triggered greatly when your body feels like it is being threatened. It would be common in situations of famine, flood, or war. However, in our part of the world, the kinds of stresses which are more common are; financial, relational (spouse, kids, friends), work, sleep deprivation, etc., and it is rare that we react the same way as someone fighting for their life!
Cortisol is a hormone that is wonderful when it is released at the right amounts at the right times of the day. Your cortisol levels start to rise at 2 am being at a sufficient level by 6am to bounce you out of bed. Then by 6pm the levels start dropping off so that by 10pm the cortisol is at its lowest levels so you can sleep again.
When our body produces cortisol due to a stressful situation and we do not expend our energy appropriately time and time again then after a period of time cortisol basically works with other hormones and lets our body know that it needs to hold onto FAT! YES FAT! This stress is taken as if we are going through a famine and there is not enough to eat. Now we know there is plenty to eat EVERYWHERE in our society, but this is how the body reacts.
How many women out there do you know who look in great shape, workout regularly, eat healthy, and yet they still have noticeable “belly fat”? Hello!!!! Who is the person who carries the weight of the world on their shoulders and still does everything else to keep others happy? Who is ‘usually’ the one who is up in the middle of the night with the sick kids or the sleepless kids? Who hates to ask for help because that would mean she is not keeping up? Who? Well that would be me of course and probably a ton of other people in this world called Mom :)
By adding sleep stress to the equation it is only messing with nature. Springing out of bed at ungodly hours of the night has really changed my hormonal pattern, not to mention how my liver functions! My heart beat is so rapid when I am jolted that it takes me longer to get back to sleep. The adrenalin starts running, but I need to stop so I can catch the rest of my zees (precursor to fat storage). And then if I am awakened anytime after 3 am forget about going back to sleep! My Cortisol levels are on the rise and rarely let me get back to sleep :( Often I even wake up sweating, which is an indicator that my liver is overloaded. Then add mom duties, teaching Zumba® fitness classes and doing insane workouts- sometimes during the hours when I should just go to bed, I am adding more stress to my already stressed body! Yes I need to exercise, but my body also needs to be well rested to actually get the benefits of it. (Another post)
My cortisol levels are so crazy that for my ONLY TWO NIGHTS last week when all of my kids slept through the night guess who still got up at 12:45 am and 4:30 am? Talk about messed up!
I recently had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Ladd McNamara’s webinar on Sleep, Stress, and Supplementation. It had confirmed so many things and helped me to understand the importance of the sleep cycle so much better. To put it lightly, there are many great things that come from sleep and if you miss out on the important parts the body just cannot function properly. Thankfully, I am taking the proper supplementation so it gives me the extra boost my body needs.
Over the past 2 months I have been taking more time to bring myself back to a better place. I cannot always get it right, but I am making more of an effort to put my body first so I can be around that much longer in life and to be a better me all around.
Some things that have helped me along the way are:
• More deep breathing exercises- counting to 8 or 10 as I inhale all the air into my belly then slowly releasing it for 8 or 10 counts These exercises have helped me tremendously to fall back to sleep in the wee hours of the morning
• Being even more aware of what foods I eat and at what time ( another post)
• Reading fun books! Honestly my husband has definitely benefitted from this too!
• Taking more ME time (whether 5 minutes or a whole day)
• Making more girl time! Friends are so important. New ones and old ones :)
• Practice being patient and realize that I am NOT in CONTROL of EVERYTHING that happens in my household or outside or my entire life! (This is a big one!)
• Less time on the computer, especially before bed
• Lights out by 10pm at the latest, usually it is 9pm if possible. Those late night calls come real fast :(
• Listen to my body. If I have a workout scheduled and I am running on 3-5 hours of sleep I might just cut the workout short or completely cut it out and take a nap
• When I wake up with a child in the middle of the night I go back to bed instead of falling asleep in their single, uncomfortable bed *******
Cortisol, because of stress, is just ONE of the reasons that we gain or lose weight depending on each persons make up. We have many hormones which regulate our body, but if you mess with the hormones by adding stress then the hormones will come back and mess with you!
I hope you enjoyed this post. I would love to hear feedback!
Blessings
Lee-Anne
Exodus 33:14
And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest."
