The Most Overlooked Piece of the Weight Loss Puzzle

When it comes to losing weight most people can tell you the basics of the ways to burn fat. Everyone knows that eating healthy is a must. It is also not uncommon knowledge that you have to get in some sort of exercise. Weight and resistance training is also a common theme. But there is one piece of the weightloss puzzle that keeps getting overlooked. Especially in today's age of nonstop schedules and constantly beeping communication devices. The most overlooked area of losing weight is quite simply rest. A lot of people just do not really understand the importance of getting the proper amount of sleep. In addition stress and getting rest throughout the day can play a hand in weightloss as well.
Not getting enough sleep can play havoc on your body. Studies have shown that a lack of sleep can contribute highly to overeating. One of the main reasons is that a lot of the bodies hormones are regulated by our sleep cycle. Hormones are the chemicals that tell our brains how much we need to eat and when we are full. When our sleep cycle gets out of whack or we are not getting enough rest, these hormones get of course which can tend to cause us to overeat. Add in the fact that when we do not get enough sleep we can tend to be more cranky which can cause us to get frustrated and choose worse things to eat and we have a bad combination for weight loss.
Another issue that can come from not getting enough sleep is the fact that our bodies need rest to repair any hard work we have done in the gym. Weight training and other forms of exercise work by tearing our body down. Tearing the body down is only half of the equation in fitness. Once it is torn down by the workout we need sleep to repair that work and bring our body back to a more fit level before the work was done. If we only do the tearing down part (the workout) we are not doing what needs to be done to get in shape. The body can only take so much tearing down before we have to stop.
Another side to the rest issue is the amount of relaxation you afford yourself throughout the day. Stress is a roadblock to weight loss due to the hormones it can produce. You should try to balance that by taking time out to just unwind and relax. Turning off the cell phone and checking email is a great way to dial the stress back a notch. It will still be there when you return. Also, make sure you are getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night. Some people need more and some people need less so you will have to pay attention to your personal needs. But one thing is for sure, the more rest you get to balance the work you do the more success you will see in any workout or fitness program.