My Biggest Pet Peeve Workout Myth: “You Shouldn’t Exercise at Night, it Will Ruin Your Sleep”

I am definitely not a morning workout person. My friends think I’m a little crazy when I post my 1 am workouts, and I always here, “I heard you shouldn’t workout at night because it will keep you up and make you not sleep as well.” Well, I will tell you, I have never had a bad night’s sleep after a workout – in fact I sleep like a baby. I find that I have a less effective workout if I force myself out of bed earlier than I have to so I can get a workout in. So, my theory is, workout when it works best for you. If you are going to half-ass a workout because you’re sleep-deprived from forcing yourself to get to the gym at 6am, does that really seem logical? Hey, if you can easily get up and get a workout in before work, kudos to you! That’s what works best for you. But if you need to have some hours in your day before you have the energy to hit the weights or go for a run, don’t think it’s ever too late in the day to workout. I work until 1am and I will hit up 24 Hour Fitness after or get a workout in when I get home – because that’s what I find works best for me. I’m on my feet all day, so doing a strenuous workout before work could make me a little sluggish. I’ve done some research on the matter and wanted to debunk this silly myth. Most of my research proved almost the opposite of the myth – that late-night exercising can actually IMPROVE sleep quality. From my experience, and the many articles I’ve read, exercise not only makes you tired and ready for bed, but it can actually help you sleep better. In fact, it’s been shown that those who exercise late-night sleep better than those who do not exercise. The 2013 Sleep in America Poll found that people who exercise at any time of day report sleeping better and feeling more rested than those who don’t exercise. It also finds people who exercise in the last four hours before bedtime report sleeping just as well as those exercising earlier in the day. More than half of vigorous and moderate exercisers reported sleeping better on days they exercised, even if it was close to bedtime. In the poll of 1,000 people, just 3% of late-day exercisers said they slept worse. A whopping 83% of vigorous exercisers reported very or fairly good sleep quality, versus only 56% of non-exercisers.* According to the National Institute of Health article Effects of vigorous late-night exercise on sleep quality and cardiac autonomic activity, while sleep hygiene recommendations are that intensive exercising is not suggested within the last 3 hours before bedtime, this recommendation has not been adequately tested experimentally. Therefore, the effects of vigorous late-night exercise on sleep were examined by measuring polysomnographic, actigraphic and subjective sleep quality, as well as cardiac autonomic activity. The results showed effects on cardiac autonomic control with increased heart rate in the first 3 hours of sleep on exercise days, but concluded that vigorous late-night exercise does not disturb sleep quality. Regular physical activity has consistently been associated with better sleep in survey studies, and modest positive effects on sleep have also been reported after acute exercise. The mechanisms behind the beneficial effects have been suggested to be related to the energy conservation, tissue restitution and temperature downregulation theories of sleep (Driver and Taylor, 2000; Dworak et al., 2007). The mostly accepted hypothesis is that exercise-induced body heating may activate both temperature downregulation and sleep through the anterior hypothalamus-preoptic area in the brain (McGinty and Szymusiak, 1990). Modern neuroscientific theories suggest that brain energy metabolism and specific neurotransmitter systems may play a crucial role in homeostatic sleep regulation. In addition, exercise may ease anxiety and stress.** So exercise regulates sleep and alleviates stress and anxiety? Sounds like a win-win-win to me! The following chart is from an article I read from the Huffington Post. It states that people who identify as exercisers reported better sleep than those who consider themselves non-exercisers, according to a new National Sleep Foundation survey, even when both groups get the same amount of sleep.*** While results vary slightly from other articles and studies I’ve read, it gives a good visual of how well exercise in the late hours improves sleep quality overall.  

(Green: very good – Red: fairly good – Purple: fairly bad – Blue: very bad)***

So to wrap this up, the only downfall or negative effect I found on late-night workouts was on sleep hygiene (eww!) With increased heart rate, you increase body temperature – and therefore perspire a bit! (Maybe – I never wake up in sweat-soaked sheets.) According the the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, vigorous late-night activity may produce increased arousal and lead to inadequate sleep hygiene. Physiological activation during sleep after a day including strenuous physical activity were reported, however no negative effects on sleep quality were observed.** So even though you may sweat a little more in your sleep when exercising within the few hours before bed, your overall sleep quality will not be negatively affected – if anything, it may improve…You just may need to wash your sheets more often 🙂   This is Gigi. She gets tired just watching me workout.

References:

*  USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/04/sleep-survey-exercise-insomnia/1955117/

** National Institutes of Health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20673290

*** Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/sleep-exercise-sleep-in-america_n_2784457.html

Join the Badunkafit Fitness and Body Challenge!

Did you know that the average American gains 15 pounds of fat from October 31st to January 1st? How about we avoid that and instead LOSE 15 pounds or replace those 15 pounds with muscle? Who’s with me!?

I have been wanting to do a 90-day body challenge for some time now – I started one a while back but stopped because I was busy and, let’s face it, not committed. I wanted to invite my blog followers to join me! I’ve learned a lot in the past few months about fitness goals and nutritional support and setting the ground-work for this challenge, and now I’m ready to take it on – and have you join me. The challenge starts Monday, October 6. If you need a little more time but still want to join, that’s ok! Last day to start will be Monday October 13.

There are a couple of options for the challenge, because I want to make sure that you set a reasonable goal for yourself and that you reach it. Whether it’s to lose weight, gain more muscle, or just feel healthier, I am here to support you and provide the resources you need. It’s up to you decide how dedicated you want to be.

Challenge Options

1.  All-out! (This is the challenge I will be doing)

• 90 day fitness challenge, including enrollment in a nutritional plan.
• I will enroll you with Isagenix, a health and wellness company that provides all the nutrition you need to support weight loss, energy and performance at a convenient and affordable rate. There is a $29 enrollment fee, but this allows savings on products. – More information on that later.
• Sign up for the 90-day IsaBody challenge (at no charge) through Isagenix – and after completing the challenge you will receive a $200 gift certificate towards products.
• Weekly workouts and motivation will be provided.
• Nutrition guide will be provided to help give you the best results.
• I will keep track of your before and after pictures and measurements. Measurements will be turned into me at the beginning of the challenge and every 30 days after.
• I will lend most of my support to this group, as they are the most committed.

2. Full-Time, no nutritional support

• 90 day challenge, but without the nutritional support. You will still have the option to buy Isagenix products even if you do not want to enroll.
• Workouts and motivation will be provided.
• I will keep track of your before and after pics and measurements. Measurements will be turned into me at the beginning of the challenge and every 30 days after.

3. Part-Time

• 30- or 60-day challenge (of your choosing)
• Workouts and motivation provided.
• You can still enroll with Isagenix if you choose, or buy products. You just won’t be able to complete the IsaBody Challenge (it’s a 90-day challenge)
• I will keep track of your before and after pics and measurements. Measurements will be turned in every 30 days. *For the 30-day challenge participants, this means there will only be measurements at the beginning and end of your challenge. For 60-day there will be measurements at the beginning, end and at the 30-day (halfway) point.

Opportunity for Nutritional Support and Guaranteed Success

If you decide to take advantage of the nutritional support of Isagenix (fully committed to the challenge or not) I can provide you with information. Isagenix provides some of the best health and wellness products in the world (and that is NOT an exaggeration). I have been using these products since January, and I am committed to use them for a very VERY long time. I have been an athlete and into fitness my whole life, and have tried many diets and products in the past, and nothing compares to Isagenix. (I even posted a blog shortly after starting the products) I have more energy, more lean muscle and even more focus since starting Isagenix. The products are designed as a nutritional cleansing system, made with the highest quality of protein and macronutrients needed to rid your body of toxins and fat (body fat and visceral fat) and replace it with healthy cells and lean muscle. It’s considered a heart healthy diet by the American Heart Association. All of the products are all natural, and their ingredient information/policy can be found here: http://www.isagenix.com/~/media/product-misc/ingredient-policy/us-en-ingredient-policy.ashx

Isagenix provides a large variety of nutritional meals and supplements to support, and help you succeed in meeting your health and wellness goals – weight loss, energy and performance, healthy aging. If you like the products and decide to share the opportunity with others, you can even take advantage of the wealth creation in Isagenix. Personally, I wanted to shout from the rooftops how amazing these products were once I felt how healthy and alive they made me. Unfortunately, with being a network marketing company, there comes misconceptions. Isagenix does not require that you sell or buy anything. You simply enroll and buy products you want as you need them. You earn income by getting others to enroll, and having them do the same. That’s it! For me, it’s about the amazing nutritional support and sharing that gift. If you need some inspiration by seeing some Isagenix success stories, click here: http://www.isagenix.com/en-US/people.

Bottom line – Isagenix is the number one health and wellness company in the world, and set to reach $1 billion in sales by end of 2015 because the products deliver results and are of the highest quality. The company’s motto is “if it’s not right for the associate, it’s not right for us”, and they live up to it. Their goal is to see people succeed physically in financially. I see financially in 2 ways: 1) You save money on groceries (and time) and 2) You earn residual income by simply sharing the products and having others do the same. Isagenix has created 121 millionaires, all of whom made their wealth by being a product of the product.

Enrolling in Isagenix

It’s simple. Contact me and depending on your goals and budget, I will help you get started with a pack that’s right for you. Your initial order is your biggest investment, not just literally, but it will help determine the course of your success. The more product you can start with and get into your body, the better. There are packs designed specifically for your goals, and your budget. When you enroll there is a $29 fee. But, with this you receive products at whole sale price instead of retail price – which is what you pay if you just buy products without enrolling. For example, my favorite product Ionix Supreme is $43 if you don’t enroll and just buy, but when you’re enrolled you pay $32. When you add up the savings on all of your products for the month, you make back the $29 enrollment fee, plus more. The only requirement in staying active once you enroll is to order 100 business volume (BV) or more in your autoship every month. Each product has a BV (i.e. the Ionix Supreme is 22 BV) and ordering 100 BV a month is easy and affordable. The cost of 100 BV varies, but is about $100-$160 depending on the products ordered. You can also create multiple autoships a month to split up cost and products, which again makes it very affordable.

The initial starter packs (which are highly recommended) come to approximately $20/day or $10/day depending on which you want to start with. After that, your monthly cost of products drops to about $5/day. Going out to lunch alone can cost $10!

I won’t go into detail on all of the packs to get started, because there are SO many options. But I will personally help you figure this out when I get you enrolled. I have provided a link to the products and much more below.

Please look at these important links before deciding to enroll, or before not deciding to:

• Brief ~3 minute video on Isagenix: isamovie.com
• Longer, but more detailed video (~9:30): http://sharethestorynow.com/ – this is my fave
• Isagenix Products: http://www.isagenix.com/en-US/IsaProduct/IsaProduct
• Isagenix Health: http://www.isagenixhealth.net/
• Isabody Challenge: http://www.isabodychallenge.com/
• Isagenix Business: http://www.isagenix.com/en-US/isagenix-business
• Isagenix Athletes: http://www.isagenix.com/en-US/people/Team-Isagenix/team-isagenix
• Isagenix FYI: http://isafyi.com/
• START Group (18-35 yr olds): StartYourLife.com – This is a great resource and support for young people involved in Isgenix, especially if you’re new.

How do I sign up for the challenge?

Again, it’s easy! Simply fill out the form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ptbxbiYEAXCq4GWhzpJhNV2AkdSwCdO18neOGlTuWd4/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link

Timeline: The challenge will start Monday, October 6. If you need an extra week to get products or that day doesn’t work for you, you have up until October 13 to start. If you enroll in Isagenix, you can still sign up for the IsaBody challenge at anytime. Feel free to email me if you cannot start by October 13, but would still like me to send you workouts and tips. I’m sticking to this deadline mainly to make the tracking of everyone’s progress, but I’m happy to help you to track your own as well. Again, my goal is to help people succeed in their personal goals!

Reward: If you are enrolled as an Isagenix associate and complete the Isa Body Challenge, you will receive $200 towards products. That can be about the amount of an entire month’s supply of products! Share your success, and you can help others enroll and have the same success. With success come curiosity and people will want to know what you did to succeed. If you enroll just 2 people in Isagenix, you start earning residual income on products they buy and people they enroll – just by sharing and being a product of the product.  The biggest reward is the amazing improvement in your health and wellness. Being dedicated and completing any challenge, big or small, will only benefit you.

My door is always open to anyone looking for some help, guidance, or even just some motivation. Email me ANYTIME, whether you want to do the challenge or not. And please share this info and challenge with anyone you think may be interesting in changing their life, getting in shape, or just needing to get healthier. Thank you for your interest….and GOOD LUCK!!

Contact info:

Nicki Powers

badunkafit@gmail.com

badunkafit.com

facebook.com/badunkafit

 

 

Rep Workout

Here’s my workout I’m doing tonight that I quickly wanted to share! It hits the back, shoulders, abs and a little bit of legs!

Complete 2-3 sets – resting 1 min between sets

Arnold Presses (12 reps) – Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand with your elbows bent in front of you so that the weights are up in front of your shoulders (palms facing your body). Raise your arms up over head and rotate your arms so that your palms are now facing away from you. Lower, rotating your arms back to the starting position.

Bent Over Row (20 reps) – Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms by sides or holding a barbell/sandbag in front of  you. Hinge forward 90 degrees from hips so that back is parallel to floor and arms extend down, palms facing each other. Drive elbows directly behind you to bring dumbbells by ribs. Lower.

Squat to Side Kick (12 reps/side) – Stand with feet together and arms bent at chest. Squat down and as you come up lift and kick your left leg out to the side and extend your left arm. Recoil arm and lower leg back into another squat and come up kicking and punching to the right. Continue alternating sides.

Crunch and Tap (20 reps) – Lay on your back holding a dumbbell with both hands above your chest, legs lifted with knees bent 90 degrees. Holding the weight still, crunch up. Lower down then tap your toes to the ground, keeping your knees bent. Come back to start position and repeat.

Crunch + Cross Punch (15 reps/side) – Lay on your back holding a dumbbell in each hand with elbows bent out to the sides so that the weights are above your shoulders. Legs are straight up above your hips. Crunch up reaching the left dumbbell to the right foot, then lower to start. Repeat reaching the right dumbbell to the left foot, and continue alternating sides.

 

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Plank You Very Much!!

The plank is one of the best moves you can do to strengthen and tone your core. When combined with weights and other moves, the plank is even more effective! You can do this as an entire workout, or incorporate these into another workout. It can take time to develop core strength to do all of these exercises, so work your way up. Start with a couple at a time, and start out with a light weight. It’s VERY important that you don’t compromise your form, or you may cause more harm than good.

Complete 2 sets. Remember to keep your core tight and back straight. Pay close attention to your plank form for all moves.

Up and Down Plank (10 reps) – Start in elbow plank. One arm at a time lift up into full plank (right arm then left arm). Lower one arm at a time back down to elbow plank (right arm then left arm) (1 rep). Alternate which arm you start with for each rep.

  

Plank with Snatch (10 reps/side) – Come into plank position with hands under shoulders, body straight, right hand on 5- to 8-lb dumbbell. Bring the weight up to your shoulder with your elbow bent out to the side, and then straighten your arm above right shoulder, allowing chest and hips to open as you rotate your torso to the right. Return to starting position by reversing the movement. Complete all reps and then switch to the left side.

 

Plank Pull Through (10 reps) – Place a dumbbell or small weighted object to the left side of your torso and bring your body into a full plank position with your hands directly below your shoulders, abs tight. Shift your weight to your left hand as you grab the weight with your right hand and slide it under your body to the right. Transfer weight onto right hand and repeat with the left, pulling the weight back to the left (1 rep). Start with a light weight, and as your plank gets stronger increase the weight. I’m able to use my 25lb sandbag for this.

 

Plank Dumbbell Row (12 reps) – Grasp two dumbbells and come into plank position with the weights on the floor, palms facing in and shoulder-width apart. Contract your core and glutes, then perform a dumbbell row with one arm, bringing the weight to slightly above your hip. Return the dumbbell to the floor and repeat with the opposite arm (1 rep). If you’re feeling really ambitious or can easily perform push-ups (on either your knees or toes), between reps to increase your total-body involvement.

   

 

Plank Kick Backs (12 reps) – Begin in plank position with a dumbbell in each hand. Keep the right arm straight as you extend the weight directly behind so that your entire arm is parallel with your body, palm still facing in. Lower and repeat with the left arm (1 rep).

Plank with Front Raise (10 reps) – Again, start in plank position with your hands on the weights directly below your shoulders and your palms facing each other. Brace your abs, and keep your left arm straight as you raise it in front of you to shoulder height. Return to plank, then repeat with your right arm (1 rep).

 

And these are just a few of the plank variations I know and love. Feel free to message me if you want more awesome plank moves!!