Sleep. We all need it, but it seems that many of us don't get enough sleep. Some struggle to get to sleep, some struggle to stay asleep, and still others struggle with how much sleep, or how little sleep, they get. I am in the group that gets too little sleep.

 

Why is sleep so important? According to The Harvard Women's Health Watch, here are 6 reasons to get plenty of sleep.

 

      1. Learning and Memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation.

 

      2. Metabolism and Weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.

 

      3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and other mistakes.

 

      4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.

 

      5. Cardiovascular Health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.

 

      6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body's killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer. 

 

The amount of sleep that you need varies from person to person, but a good rule of thumb is between 7 and 8 hours a night.

 

In my case, I have noticed a difference when I get more or less sleep. Over the summer when the kids were off school I got into the habit of sleeping until 6am and generally I would go to bed around 10pm. So that was a good 8 hours of sleep. But now that the kids are back in school, I get up at 4am, but even though I try to get to bed earlier, I often don't get to bed until 10pm. Because of this, I see changes in myself. I am tired during the day more often for sure, but I also notice that I have been gaining weight, not much, but it's also harder to lose. This, I believe, is due to the increase of cortisol levels. To correct this, I just have to once again find the balance. 

 

I encourage you to take a look at your sleep habits and see if you are getting enough sleep. Could you adjust your routines somewhere to get in an extra hour of sleep? Your body will thank you!

Water is a super important part of a healthy lifestyle. Not only does it quench your thirst way better than a soft drink but it also helps regulate body temperature, flushes out waste, lubricates joints, cushions the brain and spinal cord, helps in digestion, and transports nutrients to the cells. Wow, that's a lot!!

But how much should you drink? A good guideline to follow I drink half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150, divide that by 2 and you get 75. You should be drinking 75 ounces of water a day.

But I don't like water! So what? Do you want to be healthy or not? You can filter your water to make it taste better or flavor it with things like lemon or berries. As with a lot of things, making drinking water a habit may take work, especially if you have to undo bad habits. But you can do this!

So drink up!!

Green Beans and Potatoes

2 lbs green beans (I used fresh from the garden)

12-15 small red potatoes, cut in half

5 strips of bacon

1 onion

4 cups of chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

Clean green beans and potatoes. Cut green beans into bite sized pieces. Cut potatoes in half. Put in crock pot. Cut bacon into small pieces and cook until crisp. Drain bacon pieces on paper towels. Cut onion into small pieces and cook in a little bit of the bacon grease. Add bacon and onion to crock pot. Add chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste. Stir it all up. Cook on Low for 6 hours.  

Dark Chocolate Covered Bananas

 

10 oz bag dark chocolate chips 

Approx 2 Tablespoons coconut oil 

3-4 bananas 

 

Slice bananas and freeze on a parchment paper covered tray for a couple hours. Melt dark chocolate and coconut oil together in microwave. Check and stir every 15-20 seconds. Dip frozen bananas in melted chocolate and return to parchment paper covered tray. Freeze to set. Enjoy. Store in freezer. 

 

These are so good!!