Your Fitness Performance and Weight Loss Enhancer = Sleep

“Sleep is the best meditation” – The Dalai Lama

                Experienced exercisers know that furthering our fitness results involves constant reviews and changes:  We review our food intake, our approach to training and re-assess our goals.  There are many theories on what enhances athletic performance and fitness results; high intensity training, resistance training, a more efficient metabolism through diet and exercise, carb loading, carb cutting! More protein for lean muscle growth… often sleep is not a part of the equation…  However, recent research has found that sleep is a big factor when it comes to improved fitness, weight loss and athletic performance. 

                Recent research by Cheri Mah at Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory at Stanford University shows that athletes who focused on extending their sleep time to 10 hours per night increased their athletic performance (“To Improve Fitness, Try Sleep” – Tara Parker-Pope).  This small study involved five members of the Stanford Women’s Tennis Team.  For the first two weeks the athletes maintained their normal training and sleeping schedules; they took part in sprinting and hitting drills to measure their performance.  Then the players were told to extend their sleep to 10 hours per night for five to six weeks.   The outcome of this was that the athletes performed better on all drills; sprinting times dropped on average from 19.12 seconds to 17.56, hitting accuracy (measured by valid serves) improved to 15.61 serves up from 12.6 and a hitting depth drill improved to 15.45 hits up from 10.85.

                Katherine Hopson, who writhes the “On Fitness” column for the T.S. News and World report also mirrors this outcome in her training (“To Improve Fitness, Try Sleep” – Tara Parker-Pope); “I expected my first run back in Brooklyn to be a death march.  Instead, I felt the best and went the fastest that I have in weeks.  One possible explanation came to mind: I erased my chronic sleep debt on vacation, thanks to sleeping in as long as I wanted in the mornings and napping most afternoons, which made me extremely well rested when I took that run”.  Katherine hung up the running shoes and focus on ‘sleep-loading.’

                The two most basic states to sleep are REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) sleep (“States of Consciousness” – Dennis Coon).  NREM sleep helps us recover from fatigue built up during the day.  Often when people exercise at high intensity or exert themselves physically to extremes, this state of sleep increases.  NREM sleep is a deeper stage of sleep where your body recuperates and during this stage of sleep, your pituitary gland secretes more muscle growth hormones than during your waking hours (“Why Sleep Is Key for Weight Loss” – www.fitday .com).  NREM sleep dominates the first third of our night’s sleep and for high intensity training individuals it can take up to 25-35% of the night.

                REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) is a time of high emotion; the eyelids move rapidly, the heart beats irregularly and blood pressure and breathing waiver.  This is the dreaming phase of sleep and totals about on average per cent, 90 minutes per night (just like a feature movie!).  Just as a physically exerted person experiences more NREM sleep to allow physical recovery, an emotionally exerted person experiences more REM sleep to alleviate emotional stress due to its link with dreaming (“States of Consciousness” – Dennis Coon). People suffering dramatic emotional stress such as a death in the family, trouble at work, marital conflicts or other emotionally arousing stressors are said to experience increased REM or dreaming phases of sleep.

                                Sleep affects several hormones in the human body.  Two hormones that play an important role in stimulating and suppressing your appetite are leptin and ghrelin (“Why Sleep Is Key for Weight Loss” – www.fitday .com).  Leptin is produced by your body’s fat cells and is responsible for suppressing hunger and Ghrelin is released by your stomach and stimulates your appetite.  Lack of sleep can lower the levels of leptin in your body and can heighten the levels of ghrelin, encouraging you to eat more.  Also, lack of sleep affects Cortisol levels.  Irregular or shortened sleep heightens cortisol levels in your blood and lowers metabolism as cortisol stimulates breaking down protein into glucose.  Lack of sleep stimulates weight gaining hormones whereas regular sleep and recovery stimulates metabolism and appetite suppressors. 

                Sleeping is part of the body’s healing process; growth hormones are released to stimulate muscle repair and gain, cortisol levels lower to boost metabolism, we have also been proven to concentrate better and perform better when we are rested.  Yet we are also eager to sacrifice time spent resting!  Many of us view sleep as time standing still! So we compromise it to study, work, train, give to our families, loved ones and friends and then wonder why we have such little left!  The pleasure in what we have gained for this sacrificed is often lost by the terrible fatigue we feel.  Why is sleep seen as such a selfish moment when it makes us such better versions of ourselves?

Masculine/Feminine & the Revolution of Group Fitness Training

I don't deny the origins of Group Fitness.  Aerobics originated in the 80's with such role models as Jane Fonda.  Lycra leotards and headbands were worn and the instructors often yelled out things like "woo hoo!"  Classes were often called things like "Jazzercise," and "Tone and Stretch" and "Cardio Funk" and 98% of people taking the classes were women!  No wonder aerobics is perceived as feminine!  Unfortunately, as we move into the era of "Group Fitness Training" this image of "Aerobics" has stuck!  Someone who spends all their time in the free weights area still pictures a bunch of girls in the group fitness studio jumping around and dancing dressed in lycra just like the cardio junkie sees the free weights area as full of 'meat heads' who grunt and check out their biceps in the mirror. 

However, the fitness industry has become more educated!  Just as resistance training has evoled from its body building associations and become something more individuals aspire to do because of the much needed strength and metabolic benefits and the functional aspects of the training, group fitness has evolved from its feminine origins.

In a recent New York Times article, fitness program directors were quoted as saying that they know gym members stay longer when they're involved in group classes.  Classes offer a social aspect that individual gym users often don't experience.  There is interaction and connection- it is a shared experience.  Such organizations as Les Mills and Zumba Fitness have taken the fitness world by storm all because they understand that the social benefits of exercise and the 'fun factor' keeps people coming back!  The very essence of Sh'Bam (one of Les Mills latest successes!) according to program director Racael Cohen is "you are out with a group of friends on a  Friday night and simply leading them into a fun time of dance; so infectiously fun (all that sweating and smiling!) and they just can't help joining in".

According to Barry Van Over, vice president of Premier Martial Arts, "Men like the social aspects of a co-ed class, but most will shun a class that risks making them appear anti-masculine'.  Drey Tybus, a New Your City publicist echoes these thoughts; "since the group exercise studio is not "man's territory," neither are the typical movements you find in these classes.  Fumbling around trying to learn stuff is hard and it's not any easier when there's a cute girl next to you who's looking at you with eyes that say, 'Hey dopey, what don't you get here?  When he blows the whistle, you jump!" ("Oh Man" - Carrie Myers Smith).  A lack of self-confidence and physical inferiority are not qualitites we associate with masculininty!

There are some classes that contain movements typically associated with femininity.  Although it is different in some cultures, the Australian male wouldn't be typically associated with some of the hip wiggling and butt shaking that might take place in a Zumba class.  However, this is not typical of Group Fitness anymore!  Less Mills International has been successful because of its different take on Group Fitness.  They have taken typical sporting activities and thurned them into Group Fintess  Programs.  Acoording to Less Mills International founder Phillip Mills in the 1990's "Aerobics, which has bubbled away in a niche through the 80's, became the Group Fitness revolution.  Suddenly you could ride your bike in a social environment with inspiring music and a great instructor to motivate you.  The same thing happened with weight-training, martial arts, yoga, dance classes and a host of other activities."  Les Mills also makes a point of using strong, athletic male role models to promote its programs.  As a result, not only has it brought more males to the Group Fitness studio, it has inspired many to become instructors.  They use words like "Power" and "Strenght" to promote their programs, instructors us set, pre-choreographed aerobics workouts.  They also aim to use "genderless music;" there is a mix of rock and latest music for more general appeal.

Studio classes are no longer called 'Aerobics!' the focus is on group training.  There are classes like Zumba that involve dancing around the aerobics room, but there are so many other options; Thump Boxing, cycle, Tabata circuits, Boot Camp, and even classes promotion core strenght and fucntional training such as Pilates and CxWorx.  Group fitness has replaced the fun and camaraderie that was previously created by traditional sporting activities.  The instructor coaches and motivates the group to success and you achieve your fitness goals in a social way with friends and music that is infectious!  The group, the coach and the music motivates you to a whole new energy level!

Dancing Makes You Smarter

When we think of health and fitness, longevity and quality of life we usually think of training our bodies.  We weight train to boost the metabolism and we choose a class or find an activity that may boost our cardiovascular fitness.  Even when we hear the term "Mind-Body" class we are still thinking of our physical being; we want to be stronger and more flexible.  Seldom would the concept of attending the gym to work our mind even occur to us!

Last year the New England Journal of Medicine published a study conducted by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.  This was a 21-year study of senior citizens 75 years and older and measured the effects of recreational activities on mental acuity in aging.  The study wanted to see if "any physical or cognitive recreational activities influenced mental acuity" ("Use it or Lose It: Dancing Makes You Smarter" - Richard Powers).  They studied activities such as reading, doing crossword puzzles, playing cards, playing musical instruments, playing tennis or golf, swimming, cycling, dancing, walking for exercise and housework.  One of the surprises of the study was that almost none of the physical activities appeared to offer any protection against dementia.  There were physical fitness benefits of course, but the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia was frequent dancing.  In fact, dancing showed the greatest risk reduction of any activity studied, cognitive or physical!  Activities such as reading offered a 35% reduced risk of dementia and crossword puzzles offered a 47% reduced risk.  Dancing frequently offered a 76% risk reduction.

According to Dr. Joseph Coyle, a Harvard Medical psychiatrist who wrote an accompanying commentary to the study, "The cerebral cortex and hippocampus, which are critical to these activities, are remarkably plastic, and they rewire themselves based upon their use."  In other words it is a matter of 'use it or lose it!'

The reason dancing was so effective for exercising our cognitive process is that it is an activity that challenges our split-second decision making abilities.  It requires us to interpret moves and respond.  Dancing is a kinaesthetic, rational, musical and emotional learning experience.  It encourages us to move in a way that is unfamiliar to us and is constantly presenting us with new sequences so that new neurological pathways are formed.  According to Richard Powers in his article "Use It or Lose It: Dancing Makes You Smarter," "difficult and even frustrating classes are better for you, as they will create a greater need for new neural pathways."

As someone who has danced for almost as many years as I have walked I have never understood why dance programs seem to fade out and become almost a 'specialty' thing at gyms.  They are challenging and involve thinking and work, but for some reason the desire to feel successful straight away plays on our egos and our self-consciousness takes over.  It is a shame that we lose the brave front we all have when we are young; everything is unfamiliar so we persevere and are eager students.  We try lots of sports, attend lots of classes but over time we decide to stay comfortable and we gradually create for ourselves a niche that is filled with a few things we feel define us and these often become fewer and fewer over time.  We often avoid opportunities that may take us into unfamiliar territories or may upset our natural way of doing  or thinking.  For a lot of us dancing is not on our list of desired activities to do  with our day.  We may appear silly, we may leave frustrated by a pattern of movements that initially seem irrational or illogical.  Hay, isn't that part of the fun?!  And you never know!  With perseverance and practice you may become open to the experience.  We exercise our heart to be fitter, our muscles to be stronger, why not exercise our mind?