While we are only three months into 2018, I ask you this: how are your fitness goals going?

Hopefully, you have started, and are continuing, a good fitness plan – even better, hopefully, you’re starting to see results! I recently discussed how a healthy diet helps not just with workouts but is a critical component in achieving your health goals. If you are following a healthy diet and working out regularly but not seeing results, consider that there is another area of your life you should be striving to improve. For example, are you getting adequate sleep? Quality sleep plays a significant role in boosting your fitness levels and helping you to achieve your goals.

How Does Sleep Influence Weight Gain?

If you’re sleep deficient, chances are you are headed towards the path of weight gain and you may not be totally aware of it. According to the University of Chicago via an article on Shape, lack of sleep increases the likelihood of you experiencing metabolic grogginess. Basic premise: your insulin production is hijacked, you end up storing unwanted fat to your different organs, and you spike your possibilities of having diseases such as diabetes.

Fitness expert Jim White told Leesa that being sleep deprived can wreak havoc on your diet and discipline. White explains that lack of sleep is one of the reasons people tend to crave more carbohydrates. This is because tiredness makes a person less likely to workout, which in turn leads to the body producing more of the hunger hormone leptin. If you want to make most out of your time in the gym, implementing a routine that is focused on nutrition and healthy lifestyle habits must be the main goal. However, consistency is easily threatened if you fail to put in ample hours of a good night’s rest.

Resting is a Piece of Your Fitness Routine

PopSugar details that recuperation of the body is what also makes sleep so crucial. From rebuilding tissue to repairing your muscles, your body needs the proper amount of time to recover and it all happens during sleep. If you are working out correctly, you will put your systems through a lot of stress. The best way to see the results of this workout is to ensure you get ample sleep.

Obtaining mental rest is another vital part of achieving the best version of yourself. How can you expect your body to give you optimum results if you aren’t sharp as you should be? The BBC highlights that sleep deficiency can have negative effects on our decision-making, problem-solving, and memory. Keeping everything organized in your life requires all these things to gel together and without it more than your fitness goals are placed at risk.

If you’ve been only a getting a few hours of sleep a night your immunity is also taking a lot of hits, which then makes you more susceptible to illnesses. The NHS underscores that the less sleep you get, the less your systems are able to defend itself from viruses and other bugs. Nothing is worse than missing key items on your things-to-do list due to being sick. Plus, it’s always harder to retrieve your gym groove after being sidelined.

This only begins to scratch the surface of how important sleep is to your well-being. As you reflect on your current fitness regimen or maybe even begin a new lifestyle change, focus in on creating a health and wellness routine that encompasses adequate sleep, fitness, and nutrition.

Tell me in the comments section below, do you think you’re getting enough sleep, and what ways are you working to achieve your fitness goals?