Today is a short post serving more as an addendum to the pool of recovery that we have already dipped our toe into.
Previously, I wrote about how sleep is such a vital component to the recovery process. I was writing it from a perspective of athlete or performance without really thinking too much about how it also impacts aesthetics.
Sure, if you’re not getting enough sleep following a training session or day, it will take you longer before you’re able to go at 100% efficiency again. Sure, if you’re not getting enough sleep you’re going to be crabby and probably make a lot of your coworkers/friends a little bothered. You’re physiology will be a little off because you weren’t able to clear out all the gunk from your CSF. Common knowledge now that we revisited the idea, right?
Now consider this scenario. An individual works out 3-4 times per week expending a stupid amount of energy. They eat mostly whole foods because they’re allegedly allergic to refined sugars and any gluten containing product. They supplement with BCAAs, hydrolyzed cross-flowed microfiltrated isolate whey protein, organic greens, wild salmon oil, etc. But they still have a beer gut? How?
They neglected to say that they sleep 3-5 hours a night on average. That doesn’t really create a great internal situation for your hormone profile. Cortisol (stress hormone) has received such a negative rep in the physiology world mostly for good reason. It is necessary, however, in excess can be your own worst enemy. High cortisol levels can be the result of high stress because you work 5 jobs totaling over 100 hours of work per week–stupid student loans. You need to make yourself dinner and attempt to go grocery shopping. Make appearances at family/friends/athletic events. Even if you did get a perfect 8 hours of sleep per night (56 hours a week) with the 100 hour work week, that leaves you 14 hours to accomplish the other things. Something has to give and it’s usually sleep.
Boom! Increased cortisol levels. Not to mention the accompanying stress that tags with all this madness. Feedback loop says: more cortisol. Unmanageable levels and you’re left with a petit beer gut even though you haven’t consumed a carbohydrate in about 5 years. What the what??
Get rid of one of the jobs (as long as you can pay your bills) and start getting some sleep. Eight hours is recommended but some people need more, some less. You’re body will thank you, and you’re results in the gym/practice facility will get exponentially better.