Attention New Moms! Lack of sleep can make you fatter...

written by John Ashworth, Owner
The Fitness Nomad
www.TheFitnessNomad.com

Want to shed the weight you gained during your
pregnancy?

Get some sleep!

Easier said than done, I know. My wife and I have had
two children ourselves. Good quality, uninterrupted
sleep is elusive in those early years. It becomes the
Holy Grail of Parenthood.

Yet, you must find the time to do it, because not only
will it keep you sane, it will help keep you fit.

Scientists now have evidence that lack of sleep for new
moms makes it more difficult to take off the baby
weight after the birth of their child.

In a study of about 940 mothers, researchers found that
those moms who were sleeping 5 hours or less when their
babies were 6 months old were much more likely to
retain baby weight compared with women who were
sleeping seven hours per night.

Only a difference of two hours, but a world of
difference on the scale.

The women who got 7 hours or more were able to get back
down to within a pound or two of their pre-baby weight
by the time of their child's first birthday. (Now,
don't be fooled, you could do it a lot faster than that
here at The Fitness Nomad Personal Training Studio.
Nonetheless, it demonstrates the importance of the need
for good sleep).

The women who got 5 hours or less, were 3 times more
likely to hang on to 11 pounds or more of their baby
weight.

This is concerning, not just to the mothers of course,
who want their bodies back as quickly as they can, but
also to their doctors.

This increased weight is carried mostly in the women's
belly, which is a dangerous place to keep it.
Increased amounts of belly fat are associated with all
kinds of unhealthy problems such as elevated levels of
cholesterol, Type II diabetes, and ultimately heart
disease.

It is important to also note that this correlation held
up for both first time moms as well as moms who have
more than one child. Which doesn't surprise me one
bit. Many of the new moms we work with here at The
Fitness Nomad Personal Training Studio report that they
never lost their baby weight after their last child was
born. No doubt this is due in part to the progressive
lack of sleep over the years as more children are added
to the totem poll.

All of this adds to a growing body of research that
shows a strong link between lack of sleep and weight
gain. Your body literally puts out more of the
hormones that promote weight gain. Specifically, the
hormones that make you hungrier.

So, I know that kitchen might be a little messy, and
laundry needs to be done. The list goes on and on.
But at some point, you just need to sleep.

Good night...

John

PS Happy Thanksgiving!