Reach your 2024 weight goals by SLEEPING? [Must-read]

Happy New Year!

Let’s kick 2024 off with some good news…

Replacing 30 minutes of sitting with sleeping—yep, you read that correctly—could be the KEY to reaching your weight goals this year. (Huh!?)

Here’s everything you need to know…

Move, stand, sleep… just DO it!

In a new analysis that looked at associations between behavior and heart health, researchers reviewed data from six studies and over 15,000 participants.

Then, they modeled what would happen if people replaced various behaviors for a different type of activity, daily, for one week.

Turns out, high-intensity activity showed the quickest cardiometabolic effects. All it takes is replacing four to 13 minutes of sitting with moderate-to-vigorous activity!

(Notice I said cardiometabolic effects. Because not only did heart health markers improve, so did obesity markers—such as body weight and waist circumference.)

Of course, that’s not too surprising. But here’s the real kicker…

Light activity (like walking), standing, and sleeping ALSO provided cardiometabolic benefits over time!

In other words, replacing sedentary behavior with any other behavior—even SLEEPING—can benefit one’s health.

Isn’t that what I’ve been saying all along?

Recover from “sitting disease” TODAY

I must admit, I’m intrigued the most by the sleeping part.

Ultimately, researchers found that replacing sitting with sleeping improved body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, but not cholesterol and blood sugar. Maybe those positive weight effects are seen because when people sleep, they aren’t snacking?

Or, perhaps, it’s because poor sleep often contributes to poor dietary choices. So prioritizing SLEEP is a simple way to protect your waistline.

(More on this in the current Logical Health Alternatives newsletter. Subscribers, click here to log in and access your issue. Then, just look for the “CRUSH your cravings in 2024” feature! Not yet a subscriber? Scroll down to learn about becoming one.)

Either way, it’s a positive association—and a positive message. It simply reiterations that replacing sitting with virtually ANY other activity is beneficial to health.

So, let’s commit to taking some steps—literally—as we tackle the new year.

Get up from your desk or reclining chair and take a walk around the house, park, or yard. When you run an errand, park farther away from your destination—and take the stairs, if there are any. Do some lawn work or light gardening. Perhaps even move some furniture around!

Because guess what? All of these activities get you UP and MOVING. And as this study shows, your heart AND your waist will thank you.

P.S. If today’s discussion makes you want to start prioritizing your sleep in the new year, let me help get you started. Check out my Perfect Sleep Protocol and learn the basics for achieving quality shuteye, night after night. Click here now to learn more about this innovative, online learning tool—or to enroll—today!

Source:

“Sleeping Beats Sitting? What a New Study Means for Your Patients.” Medscape, 11/15/2023. (medscape.com/viewarticle/998522)