Why Sleep is so very important for your health and recovery

Do you get the recommended 8 hours of sleep every night?

The majority of you I'm sure will answer no to this question, sleep tends to take a backseat nowadays and has become less of a priority.

I know that as we get older time is something we need more of, but seem to have less of due to work, family, and other obligations.

If your work, family, and obligations are important to you than so too should your health be. Maintaining proper health including the recomended amount of sleep will ensure that you can not only continue with your daily activities of living, but also live your life to the fullest.

In the fitness world sleep is just as important as diet and exercise.  

Muscle growth and repair does not happen during  training sessions, it happens during sleep.

When you fall into a REM cycle your body begins the repair process.

So...Sleep is instrumental in any gains made in the gym.

Read more on sleep to improve performance here:

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/alert/sleep-athletic-performance-and-recovery

The benefits of sleep go beyond just muscle tissue repair though....

The Huffington Post lists 11 health benefits of sleep including - lower stress levels, ability to maintain healthy weight, and improved performance to name a few.

A consistent sleep schedule of 8 hours will yield improvements in mental acuity and performance, it will assist in decreasing inflammation linked to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

For those recovering from  stroke or spinal cord injury, research suggests that regular sleeping habits has been shown to boost production of brain support cells, and specifically for post stroke persons to enhance motor skill learning.

In a recent post, I discussed the importance of consistency not just for exercise and diet but also in life.  I feel that this is especially true for good sleeping habits as well.

Better your health today by planning for improved sleep tonight.

Keep Fighting, Never Give Up

-Devon

Relentless Training- The First Fully Functional Quadraplegic

Hey Team,

In my last post I listed the top balance exercises that I recommend for those with disabilities looking to improve balance, stability, and control.

I spoke on how over stimulation of the Central Nervous System is in my belief a significant factor in improving mind muscle connection.

I strongly believe, and research does show that intensive physical training yields positive results for those recovering from disabilities.

I started to think about a man named Patrick Rummerfield, I remember in my early days working with Spinal Cord Injury patients hearing the stories about Patrick and how he was relentless in his training. The Stories about how he would have someone load cuff weights on his legs and set him up on a bike to cycle even though he was barely able to make a movement. How he would do this daily, and how eventually he was  able to move, then able to complete a full revolution on the bike, then stand, and ultimately walk.

I remember seeing him during a Spinal Cord Injury rally, and being inspired all over again, It is Patrick's Never Give Up attitude that motivates me to want to motivate anyone with or without a disability to improve themselves.... to improve myself.

He has a quote that says it all on his site “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Sir Winston Churchill

That speaks volumes to me, and it should to everyone. Keep pushing, be relentless....Whatever the struggles, Whatever the disability, Whatever the difficulty stay consistent and push a little more every day!

Check out Patrick's site here:

http://www.rummerfield.com/index.php?page=1

Keep Fighting, Never Give Up!

-Devon

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Adaptive fitness -Recovering from Disability

Hey Team,

Just wanted to share a link to an article I recently wrote for Jacques Delorme and his website www.visportsyouthtraining.com.

Jacques focuses on youth training and nutrition, he has an impressive bio and great info on his site check it out www.visportsyouthtraining.com and also check out the recent article that I wrote for him:
Adaptive Fitness-Recovering from Disability here--->  http://www.visportsyouthtraining.com/adaptive-fitness.html#more-2417


That's all for now

Keep Fighting, Never Give Up!

-Devon