Happy Month 6 of The Sparkle Plan, my made-up diet and wellness plan. Check out the inaugural post here to find out what it is.
Last month I was beyond happy to report that I lost 9 pounds! (Check out that post here.) So how many pounds did I lose this month? A big fat ZERO! While I didn’t gain any weight (hoorah!), I did gain some perspective on the importance of sleep. 
A bunch of doctors say a bunch of doctor-like stuff about the importance of sleep in regards to weight loss. I am not a doctor so I won’t bore you with all that hormone crap. Here’s the basic idea. You need to sleep. If you don’t, you will eat like a pig and gain weight. True story.
Why is sleep tied to losing weight? I don’t know. Again, not a doctor. But here’s what I do know. This past month I haven’t been getting enough sleep. I have, however, been running at least twice during the week and once during the weekend. I’ve been going to my Zumba class on Sundays. I’ve been doing at least two arm and ab workouts a week. I’ve mostly been eating healthy food. And yet… no weight came off.
So new mini-goal for this month. I am going to sleep. Even if this means I don’t get to watch whatever summer reality show I’m currently obsessing over. (I have a DVR.) I am going to sleep. Even if this means I have to put the book down. (This will be hard.) I am going to sleep. Even if this means I have to stop snuggling with Harry. (He will hate this.)
The second thing I want to talk about is this new little website – I don’t know if you’ve heard of it – that shows all kinds of different videos. You can watch them on your computer, on your phone, on your tablet, pretty much everywhere. They call it YouTube. I don’t know if it will last (yes, I’m being sarcastic) but in the meantime, I’ve discovered all kinds of great workout videos.
My favorite YouTube channel is currently Blogilates. She is GREAT! I actually found out about her through my bible – People magazine. There are super short videos that target every muscle imaginable. Plus, really fun music while you’re working out. Bonus – you can do these workouts anywhere as long as you have a phone, computer, tablet, etc. No more excuses! (A favorite Blogilates video is below.)
So while YouTube has been saving my workouts from getting boring, Mr. Sand Man has been a no-show. That’s why this month, I’m going to him. Ready for my beauty sleep….
Let’s chat in the comment section. Do you get enough sleep? If so, please share how you do it!
*I am not a doctor or anything close to a doctor. I really don’t like hearing about hormones secreting or being secreted. I also just realized I detest the word secrete. Hence, always consult your own physician before embarking on any fitness or eating plan.
Kerri,
I didn’t know I also hated the word “secrete” until you mentioned it. Lol. Yeah. Not a fan of that one. Sounds dirty, but not in a good way. 🙂
Sleep? Where are you, my long lost friend? I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in about…hmmmm…fourteen years? Kidding, but not really. For years, I’d wake up to find some random kid’s feet in my face. And by random, I mean one of my own kids, and not a neighbor’s child. Because that would be really weird to wake up to a completely random child’s feet in your face. Now that my kids are older, it doesn’t happen as often, yet I still don’t get enough sleep.
I haven’t stepped on a scale for a while because I know I gained. So, if I don’t see the number, it isn’t real. Sort of like little kids who cover their eyes when playing hide-and-go-seek, thinking if they can’t see you, you can’t see them either. Even though they’re sitting on top of a coffee table. True story.
Also, don’t get hung up on the pounds. As long as you feel good, and you’re eating healthy (even semi-healthy), the weight isn’t a big deal. You could be gaining in muscle, which weighs more. That’s what I always tell myself, but I don’t work out at all, so not sure where I think the muscle build-up is coming from. lol.
Good luck on your Sparkle Plan. Can’t wait to watch the video. Think I’ll pop some popcorn while I watch it. haha.
Ha-ha! You’re so funny, my friend! I believe I also used to hide my eyes during hide and seek. Okay, I still do! 😉
Sleep is hard to get. I don’t even have kids and I struggle. Last night I was legitimately tired and went to bed a bit earlier than usual. Well, Harry wasn’t tired yet so he decided to utilize his time by jumping on me, bouncing around on the bed, tried to eat my Kindle, started squeaking one of his squeaky toys, buried a bone under my pillow and licked me to death.
See, I told you he would hate shortened cuddle time!
Girl, I just watched your youtube video. Well, not yours, but you recommended it, so it’s the same thing. I enjoyed it. That’s not saying I did the exercise. To be honest, I tried two different new Chips Ahoy cookies while watching her scissor her way to a flat ab. I didn’t like the chewy Mocha Chunk as much as the Dulce de Leche. Those were great. I had four.
Maybe I should try the exercise now.
Nah! Lol.
Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep my sweet Kerri…
Now I feel the urge to sing you lullabies, hmm.
Of course you said many important things in this blog post but because you’re so funny, that’s all I want to think about now! Sleep is actually good not just for your health but for your writing because it’s when you dream. So there’s that too. 🙂 xoxoxo ….. psst…. I hope Harry doesn’t log on and read your post…
Oh Hero – you’re so funny too! Did I tell you that I had the BEST dream the other night featuring Cam, my current hero? Yum yum! Can’t wait to dream some more!
Hi Kerri, Excellent post and argument for sleeping more. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Joanne! 😉
I think adults need to get their priorities straight. Sleep is for kids or teenagers under twenty-one, unless you are my son who still takes naps on the same schedule he did when he was a baby – every four hours, he sleeps – a fifteen minute nap and he’s good to go – but oh, he’s an adult – so my sarcastic plan of response is already shot. I used to get excited when I slept 8 hours without waking up. Now I’m excited if I sleep four hours straight. So yes, I need more sleep. And I even know how to accomplish this goal of sleeping — don’t drink coffee, don’t drink wine after 7 pm, exercise two hours a day, and eat vegetables all day, then you’ll sleep great.
But…who wants to live like that!
Love you Mermaid Kerri and love the Sparkle Report!
You know what stuck out to me in this comment, Denny-Mermaid? No wine after 7pm. WHAAAAAAA! VETO! I do not want to live like that. That is why we are friends. 😉
hehe so funny! I am totally going to check out that thing you call YouTube 🙂
Get some sleep lady, or your sparkles will dim and what a tragedy that would be! I get very little sleep these days between my human baby and fur baby. So much of our daily repair (our skin, our health, our mind) occurs at night.
Best recommendation: turn off the tube. There are studies that show that looking at a screen (computer, ipad, iphone, tv) before bed tricks your brain into thinking it is day time and not night. So try turning it off an hour or so before bed. I know crazy isn’t!!
Give your mind a rest so we all have more to read!
PS I still think you should try an Arbonne Nutrition product to kick start your healthy living (xoxo)
Ha ha Denny, I just woke up from a nap!!
Great post, Kerri! The reason I was taking a nap, though, is because I’m not sleeping well these days. So, yeah, definitely not enough sleep! Will try to remedy that.
Good luck with the sparkle plan, Kerri! Sounds like you are doing everything right!
Lovely Kerri, I just finished the WNYC sleep project. In the second half, we chose teams. I was in team Digital Detox, where we cut out all our electronics an hour before bedtime (obviously not happening tonight, but still…). Another team was “got to bed and wake up at the same time every single day, and no sleeping in”. Another team focused on exercise. I really liked the Detox, since I tend to use too much digital stuff anyway.
Anyway, I found that detox helps me sleep. And wearing earplugs he,so, too! Turns out, I’m hyper-sensitive to sound at night. At first, I was just trying to get beyond the Snore Meister, but now I love the “cocoon” feeling I get.
Hurrah for more sleep! If only more sleep equaled losing more weight…
Great post, Kerri! I can honestly say I don’t get nearly enough sleep. Every day I tell myself I’m going to go to bed early… Then I get home from work, change clothes, eat, work in the basement that we’re finishing, look up and it’s 10:00pm. It’s crazy but even after I crawl in bed exhausted I have to read a chapter of whatever book I’m enjoying, and then we all know what happens–one chapter turns into seven. And another night of no sleep!