More on Sleep
July 26th, 2010
This is a short, follow-up post to our previous article on sleep. As noted, sleep is a vital part of any fitness or wellness program. For athletes, it enables your body to repair muscles, triggers the production of human growth hormone and helps to balance the body’s neuro-muscular response system (which affects things like timing and explosiveness). So, in short, sleep is vital to athletic performance.
Let’s hear from those who have been journaling / posting their nightly hours of sleep. What have you observed? Have you noticed any changes in your performance at the box? What about outside the box? Any effects on hunger / eating?
And for those who aren’t posting their sleep (or their daily eating) … what’s holding you back?
The Firebreather coaching staff just posted a new 8-week challenge to all of us. I strongly recommend that in addition to journaling your daily workouts and meals, you also make one additional journal entry each and every day. Log the number of hours of sleep you got the previous night. Get the most out of your challenge–make it a true learning experience! When it gets right down to it, don’t you really want every advantage you can get to help you (and your team) win?!!!
Contributed by Tin Man Skip
As always, please post your observations, questions, suggestions–and most importantly, your meals–to comments.
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Monday 7/26/10
9.5 hrs sleep
1: 2 eggs, 2 turkey sausage links, carbmaster yogurt, blueberries, almonds
2: grilled chicken, green beans, 1/4 c mashed potatoes
PWOD chocolate milk
3: 2 turkey brats, yellow squash, blackberries, coconut milk
water, diet mtn dew,crystal light
4g fish oil, 4000iu vitamin D
Monday, July 26
4 hrs sleep (uggh)
1- Coach Lis’ homeblended whey protein shake with sunflower butter, bluberries, 1/2 banana and coconut milk
2- cheesburger (no bun), hot dog, tomatoes, mozzarella, asparagus, water
3- 1/2c mixed nuts – walnuts, almonds & raisins
4- larabar
5- spinach salad with 6 oz roast organic chicken, tomatoes, baby cukes, slivered almonds
Supplements: baby aspirin, MV pack, ginseng, green tea, ginko, 4g fish oil
7-25-10
  12 hrs of sleep.
1 2 scrambled eggs 2 links turkey sausage
2. Tomato saladÂ
3. Grilled pork medallions (2) with grilled veges and roasted asparagus.Â
4. Sugarfree jello, 1dark choc square
One diet coke, water, milk.Â
7-26-10
6.5 hrs of sleep
1. Â Coffee, 1slice Colby cheese, 2 turkey sausage links
2. 3oz turkey, 15 almonds,Â
3. (Yesterdays dinner leftovers) 2 oz pork, w/ grilled veges, asparagus,Â
4. 2 pc bacon.Â
Water- 70+ oz, 1 diet coke, resveratrol,Â
Roasted asparagus and broccoli recipe.Â
Fresh broccoli florets, and asparagus with bottoms snapped off
Turmeric
Coriander
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Olive oilÂ
1 Â Heat oven to 400 and place rack on bottom rung of oven
2 Â Wash veges and place on baking sheet
3 Â Spray veges w/ olive oil thenÂ
Sprinkle veges with salt, pepper, turmeric, and corianderÂ
4. Place on bottom rack of 400 degree oven for 20-25 min ( I do 20 or less because I like my veges crunchy)
Tuesday
meal 1: in blender- 1/4 c coconut milk, strawberries, scoop pro, T almond butter
meal 2: spinach salad w/ 3 oz roast chicken, slivered almonds, evoo and balsamic, plum
meal 3: 3 oz hamburger patty, 3/4c green beans, glass red wine, 10 nut thins, 1 oz 85% dark choc
coffee, water, mv, vit C, 3g fish oil
7/28/10
7 hrs of sleep
1: oh yeah shake
2: turkey wrapped in lettuce, tomato, cucumber, apple and pb
PWOD: chocolate milk
3: pork ribs, broccoli with cheese, black berries, coconut milk, a few almonds
3g fish oil, 4000iu vitamin D
Wednesday, July 28
9 hrs sleep
1- EAS myoplex deluxe RTD shake, 2 sausage links
2- hot dog, hamburger – no buns
3… more to follow
Despite not being able to really workout much for the past 5 weeks, plus a week’s vacation at the beach, thanks to focus on nutrition and getting more sleep, I have not gained a pound. In fact, this morning, I reached a new lower bodyweight of 212 lbs. I haven’t seen 212 since 2002-03. Now, I don’t think my body composition is optimal right now, (prob more fat% and less muscle %) but still I think it shows what eating right and getting plenty of rest can do… in addition to exercise.