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ARE YOU AWARE OF HOW IMPORTANT SLEEP IS IN TERMS OF WEIGHT LOSS? A STUDY DONE BY COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CONCLUDED THAT MOST ADULTS GET SIX HOURS OR LESS OF SLEEP A NIGHT. THE ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF SLEEP AN ADULT SHOULD BE GETTING IS 7-9 HOURS A NIGHT. SLEEP IS CRUCIAL WHEN ONE IS TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT. HERE ARE FIVE WAYS HITTING THE HAY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS COMING TO THE GYM.

1. Sleep helps stop late night eating.

When you are up into the later hours of the night you are more likely to grab that late night snack and increase your caloric intake. When you exceed your caloric intake multiple days a week, you increase your chance of gaining weight. When you go to bed at a reasonable time, you prevent late night snacking!

2. Sleep helps you burn more calories.

When you get a good night’s sleep you are able to have more energy to push yourself that extra minute on the cardio machine! In fact, studies have also concluded that individuals who get more sleep actually burn more calories after a meal than tired individuals. MORE ENERGY MORE WEIGHT LOSS!

3. Sleep helps you choose healthier foods.

Have you ever heard of the saying don’t ever go to the grocery store when you are hungry? Well there was research done in Sweden where individuals who went grocery shopping while exhausted bought 1,000 calories more than they usually do. This is true because when you are lacking sleep your brain dulls frontal lobe activity; this is the part of the brain that is responsible for your decision-making. Also, when you are hungry, the more likely you are to grab foods high in carbohydrates.

4. Sleep helps you focus.

Everyone knows that when you get a goodnight’s sleep, the next day you are more focused and motivated to accomplish tasks. Simply put, when you are tired you are less motivated; you know what foods you should be eating, but you put in less effort to eat those foods. Think about it, if you are tired at work you are more likely to grab that Dunkin Donuts Coffee to help you focus again. Those Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks fancy coffees and lattes contain extra calories that you do NOT need!

5. Sleep helps aid fat loss

Ghrelin is the hormone that tells you “I’m hungry!” When you are sleep deprived a larger quantity of ghrelin is present in your body. Leptin is the hormone that signals you to stop eating, when you lack sleep there is a decrease in the amount of leptin in the body. Additionally, there is a cortisol increase when you do not get an adequate amount of sleep. Cortisol is a hormone that regulates appetite. Therefore when you lack sleep you tend to feel hungrier due to increased cortisol secretions.

Moral of the story: Get adequate sleep so you can stop making poor food choices and skipping a sweat at the gym!

WHY IS PEAK PERFORMANCE TEAMING UP WITH THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF LONG ISLAND? TO HELP PEOPLE LIKE THE GERSBECK FAMILY!

In less than a week, the Gersbeck family had their lives turned upside down as one-year-old Hayden battled for his life. Just two days prior to his diagnosis of a rare form of cancer called AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia), Kathleen Gersbeck, a single mother and cancer survivor herself, was able to check in to The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island and begin the fight against a horrific disease.

The story of one-year old Hayden Gersbeck is just one of many family stories happening every day at The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. while situations vary, the realization is an unexpected illness or accident can happen to any family.

“We absolutely love this House and we would not have been able to get through our ordeal without RMH-LI being there for us,” said Kathleen. “I built amazing personal relationships with other families experiencing similar difficulties which made our situation much easier.”

Recently, after Hayden’s fifth round of chemotherapy, doctors declared that his cancer was in remission and that the strong-willed Hayden had beaten cancer. Because of RMH-LI, Hayden was able to celebrate his first birthday with Mom and Grandpa right by his side.

Click here for more stories about the families of the Ronald McDonald House Long Island.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

• Come into Peak Performance starting this FRIDAY August 21st from 10am-6pm!
• Have one of the Exercise Physiologists measure your waist circumference.
• Come back in 4 weeks to have your waist re-measured- it’s that simple.
• For every centimeter lost, Peak will donate $2 to Ronald McDonald House Long Island.
• Anyone is welcome to participate… and it’s free!
• Stay up to date with our event! Like us on Facebook (Peak Performance Fitness Center) for the latest information.

Peak Performance Fitness members and staff are teaming up to support the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. Here is the perfect opportunity for you to help a great cause while shedding a few centimeters off your waist! For every centimeter lost, Peak Performance will donate $2 to Ronald McDonald House.

Here is a little background about this charity:

The mission of The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island is to give comfort and shelter to families experiencing the pain of having a sick child in local hospital facilities. A “home away from home”, the House provides the parents and siblings of these children with a temporary haven in a secure and comfortable environment among other families sharing a similar burden.

Located on the campus of the Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York (formerly Schneider Children’s Hospital), the House accommodates families in a warm and supportive environment. Since opening in 1986, approximately 18,000 families from the United States and more than 80 countries around the world have been served. Many of the families are from Long Island and other parts of the Metropolitan area.

http://rmhlongisland.org/mission-vision/

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

– Come into Peak Performance starting this FRIDAY August 14th from 10am-6pm!

– Have one of the Exercise Physiologists measure your waist circumference.

– Come back in 4 weeks to have your waist re-measured.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

EVERYONE! Our gym members, physical therapy patients, Peak staff members, and your friends and family! It’s FREE! The more people who are involved, the more money we can raise!

Like our Facebook page (Peak Performance Fitness Center) and Instagram (@peakptfitness ) for continued updates about the event, including: stories of families of the Ronald McDonald House, Peak members getting involved, and check-ins as we progress towards our donation goal!

Want to know more about the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island?

Click here to read some stories about the families of the Ronald McDonald House.

NEED SOME EXTRA HELP WITH YOUR EXERCISE AND NUTRITION?

TRY OUR 4 WEEK WAIST AWAY THE SUMMER SPECIAL!

• Full Use of Fitness Facility
• An Individualized Exercise Program
• 4 Personal Training Sessions
• All for only $169

*New members only

Coconut water, not to be confused with coconut milk (the milky-white liquid made from coconut meat), is the clear fluid from young, still-green coconuts. Coconut water was first marketed as a miracle drink able to fight viruses, kidney disease, and other ailments such as osteoporosis. The beverage claims to keep you better hydrated and be more beneficial than plain water. Global sales are hundreds of thousands per year and most consumers believe that the beverage has a wide variety of health benefits. It’s important for consumers to know that the drink’s marketers have sharply scaled back their claims.

The minerals found in coconut water prompted the early claims of curative power; however, the quantities of these minerals are quite modest and widely found in other foods. As an example, one banana has 422 milligrams of potassium, compared with 660 milligrams in an average container of coconut water. Coconut water’s big three minerals are potassium (19 percent of the daily recommended intake), calcium (4 percent) and magnesium (4 percent).

Vita Coco, a leading brand, once boasted that it had 15 times the electrolytes —sodium and potassium that are lost in sweat — in sports drinks. In 2011, a class-action lawsuit stated that some of the mineral contents on its packages were exaggerated. Vita Coco agreed to stop saying that it rehydrated better than sports drinks.

Coconut water’s biggest rival is plain old water. How do they compare? There is little research looking at the impact coconut water has on rehydration. And while scientific research findings vary, water looks just fine for most people. A study from 2012 (funded by Vita Coco) in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that neither coconut water nor sports drinks were better than water in hydrating young men after an hour long exercise bout.

In terms of hydration, plain water, coconut water, and sports drinks, when consumed in adequate quantities, are all comparable. For enhancing water absorption, there is little physiological basis for consuming drinks with added sodium if your diet contains adequate sodium. To stay truly hydrated, you need to drink a larger volume of coconut water compared to regular water.

For the majority of us who are trying to lose or maintain our weight and work out for 60 minutes or less under normal conditions (i.e., not in extreme heat and humidity), water remains the smartest, and most affordable, hydration choice. For those exercising vigorously for more than one hour or in extremely hot conditions, sipping on coconut water or a sports drink may promote fluid retention during exercise.