The gym is typically seen as one of the best places to lose weight. While crunches, boot camp classes, weight training and running can all help tone your body and help you lose weight, your bedroom and getting a good night’s rest can prove the most successful in your weight loss journey.
Add a Protein Snack Before Bedtime
Diet and exercise seem to go hand-in-hand when it comes to losing weight. Snacking on protein can also prove beneficial in regards to shedding weight. If you’ve a mind to snack before your head hits the pillow, make it a point to enjoy a protein shake. Researchers at Florida State University have found that a shake containing 30 grams of protein consumed before bed heightened a person’s resting energy as opposed to those who didn’t eat anything. Another added bonus is that the protein in the shake can also help repair muscles overnight. The more muscle mass that you incur, the higher the number of calories you’ll burn when resting.
Block Out the Light
Allowing your body the chance to unwind can make it easier for you to go to sleep each night. A hot bath or shower can promote relaxation. It can also help to start the bedtime process earlier in the evening such as storing away your contact lenses in favor of your glasses and getting into your jammies. To be even more efficient, try daily disposable contact lenses so that you won’t have to worry about cleaning and storing your lenses each night. If the outdoor lighting affects the darkness of your bedroom, shades or blackout drapes can keep the room in darkness. Blocking out any unnecessary light allows the body to product melatonin. The hormone can also help you burn calories while you’re resting at night.
Take it Down a Notch
Going to sleep in a room with cooler temperatures can speed up your metabolism while you rest and help you to burn calories. Instead of setting the bedroom temperature to a cuddly 72 degrees, take it down to a cool 66. Your body is going to work a lot harder to increase your core temperature. If you’re a scale watcher, this could equate to a 100 calorie loss during a 24 sleeping cycle.
Put Away the Electronics
Put away your electronics before you go to bed each night. This means turning off your laptop, smartphone and tablet. Light emitted from the gadgets can disrupt your melatonin production and wreak havoc with your metabolism. Before you turn in for the night, set a cut-off for your electronics. This also includes toning down your T.V. watching habits at bedtime. If you wake up in the middle of the night, refrain from turning anything electrical on and try and relax your body and mind instead.
Set a Bed Time
As an adult, you know how important sleep can be for your children. Getting enough rest each night is also imperative for adults. To ensure that you’re getting the required rest for your body, set a bed time that will give you a healthy amount of time to snooze each night. Based on the Mayo Clinic and other studies, you should try and shoot for between 7 and 8 hours nightly to burn a sufficient amount of calories.
Incorporate the Right Scent
While scents such as French fries and chocolate chip cookies can be tantalizing to your tummy, others such as mint can suppress your appetite. Individuals who sniffed peppermint through the night while they slept, increased their weight loss per month by as much as five pounds. Try adding a couple droplets of peppermint oil to your pillow case or comforter before you sleep. Smells of green apple, banana and vanilla had a similar effect.