Hey packlings 👋
Looking to start a consistent morning workout routine, but you’re a night owl? What’s the best way to limit night time bathroom trips to improve your sleep? We’ve got plenty to cover so let’s get into this week’s edition of Sleep & Fitness!
🦉 How to Start A Morning Workout Routine Even If You’re a Night Owl
Women’s Health contributor Carrie Berik shared this week how she used to cringe at the thought of a 6am alarm clock ahead of a morning workout, but now over halfway through her marathon training she’s now changing her tune. “As I planned out my marathon training schedule, nothing sounded worse than waking up with the sun to run 16 miles—especially on a Saturday,” said Berik. “I’ve learned to not only embrace the challenge but thrive under it.” Some of her favorite benefits of a morning workout include better quality sleep, mood boost, injury prevention, and the role it can play in helping you be more productive and even help with weight loss. Berik recommends that in order to get comfortable with early mornings you should: define your “why”; put a plan in place; make sure your gear is prepared the night before; have someone to keep you accountable; and never hit the snooze button! She also shared great advice about fueling for morning workouts and how to ensure you’re not tired the rest of the day. It’s a great perspective on coming up with a healthy sleep and fitness routine.
👟 Lagoon Helping You Sleep Your Best During Marathon Season
That’s right, it's marathon season! And many people across the country will be cashing in their chips on the training (and optimal sleep) they’ve been doing all summer as they compete for PRs in 26.2 mile races from New York to Sacrament. We don’t want to miss out on the fun, so we’ll be setting up shop at the Twin Cities Marathon Expo on Friday, October 4th and Saturday, October 5th, and then hitting the road to showcase our products at the Chicago Marathon Expo from Thursday, October 10th through Saturday October 12th. Also in the Twin Cities, we’re hosting a shakeout run with Olympian Dakotah Lindwurm on Friday 10/4 - leaving from the Saint Paul RiverCenter lobby at 5:30pm, with a happy hour at Bad Weather Brewing directly following. If you’re going to be in the Twin Cities or Chicago, please be sure to stop by to say hello, try out our pillows and Night Bite samples, and get an exclusive marathon discount!
🚽 How to Reduce Nighttime Bathroom Trips for Better Sleep
One in three Americans over the age of 30 wake up at least twice each night to use the restroom, studies show. This can unfortunately wreck havoc on sleep, as many people struggle to fall back to sleep in the middle of the night. However, Dr. Hana Patel has some advice on how to cut down on your trips to the bathroom in the night, including: training your bladder with kegels and exercise; saying no to diuretic beverages like caffeine, alcohol and sweetened or fizzy drinks; and easing up on evening salt and protein which can boost urine production. This needs to be balanced with making sure that you’re staying hydrated, and therefore one of the best tactics you can do to avoid the restroom at night is to be sure you’re getting as much fluids in as possible earlier in the day.
🍳 Do This Workout in the Morning If You Want to Sleep Better at Night
Moving your body during the day is one of the most surefire ways to help you get great sleep at night. And while any exercise can help your sleep, the timing of when you’re doing your workouts is an important consideration. Since your sleep largely revolves around your circadian rhythm, it’s a great practice to workout at a consistent time in order to instill that consistency into your internal body clock. Working out right before bed, especially intense workouts that raise your core temperature and cortisol levels, can actually make it more difficult to fall asleep. So if you can manage to squeeze consistent morning workouts into your routine - what’s the best type? According to a 2011 study, regular aerobic exercise (like jogging or riding a bike) most improved sleep quality and reduced the amount of time it took for people to fall asleep. If you’re short on time, but would like to try and get some aerobic exercise each morning, check out this great 10 minute routine from MindBodyGreen.
💪 Weekend Warrior Activities Can Help Prevent 200+ Diseases
Do weekend warriors get the same health benefits from exercise that people do who workout consistently through the week? A new study published in the journal Circulation says they do. The study examined 90,000 people in the UK as part of three cohorts: inactive (workout less than 150 mins per week); weekend warriors (150+ mins of moderate to vigorous activity over 1 or 2 days per week); and regular activity (150+ mins spread more evenly throughout the week). Compared with the inactive group, both the weekend warriors and regular activity groups had lower disease risks. The strongest associations were for cardiometabolic conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and sleep apnea. In total, compared with the inactive participants, both active groups had a reduced risk of more than 200 diseases. Perhaps most interesting was that the scientists found no significant differences between the risk reductions in the two active groups. The overarching message here is to get active when possible, and that hitting that 150-minute per week target can significantly reduce the risk of hundreds of health conditions.
That’s a wrap on this week’s sleep and fitness news. Remember to follow @lagoonsleep on Instagram for your daily dose of sleep & fitness news and entertainment.
