Hi everyone! 

We all make resolutions to keep fit at the start of every new year. By the time the 15th of the month comes, we have more or less reverted back to our older routines. 

Why is that? 

We don't know what we are doing wrong

1. We set vague, unrealistic goals 

2. We don't listen to our bodies

3. We do not understand that fitness is a lifestyle habit. 

I'm here with a new series to help you build healthy habits for life. 

21 swaps that you can make in your day build a healthy relationship with food and your body and kickstart your journey into lifelong fitness. 

You can also checkout my instagram to check my updates on this, everyday!

Let’s begin.

Related Lovneet Batra's Instagram Video:

SLEEP

You know, the simplest ways to really get your health in order, is to sleep.

Really.

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This underrated activity is so powerful, it governs all aspects of your health and fitness, and yet, we take it for granted!

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Why is sleep so important?

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Sleep affects the texture of your skin, your weight, moods, repairs your muscles and strengthens your immune system. Let's dive in. 

Sleep and the circadian system wield a powerful regulatory influence on the immune system. 

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Clinical research has shown that the immune system is hyperactive all through the day releasing enzymes, activating hormones to manage the daily wear and tear. 

At night, or whenever you sleep for more than 6 hours,  research has shown that this is the time when your body redistributes its energy resources. 

When you’re awake most of the energy is used to fuel the brain and the muscles. 

When you're asleep a major portion of this energy is used to repair your immune system on a daily basis.

 It creates new cells and discards the old cells that have exhausted their purpose. 

When you're asleep, immune cells stop circulating throughout your body and settle in your lymph nodes to prepare for the next workday. 

Toxic waste that causes inflammation in your body, from the day,  is collected and destroyed, ready to be emitted out through urination and fecal matter the next time you’re awake.  

Cortisol and adrenaline levels drop, while melatonin rises. This tackles inflammation by reducing the  damaging molecules called reactive oxygen species.

Sleep promotes harmonious interaction between your hormones and your immune system. 

During the waking hours, hormonal activity is rapid as it tackles excitement, stress, anxiety, and this interferes in their communication with the immune system. 

When you’re sleeping, hormones follow their natural, original path and their levels change to enable the body to keep aside extra energy from the muscles for maintaining the immune system. 

Now, if you don't have fixed sleeping hours or are not sleeping , or sleeping for a very less time, your hormones start getting haywire and that causes your body to react in various ways. 

You have major mood swings, disturbed digestion, foggy brain that mimics the way your brain would if it was highly intoxicated. 

You try to tackle this by drinking coffee or chai and that puts your cortisol levels out of whack and your blood sugar spikes in an unbalanced manner… It is a mess. 

Continuing this for a long time  causes your immune system to be busy fighting off these problems and getting diminished. 

That’s why when a disease or a disorder strikes, your immune system is too weak to handle it. 

So, make sleep your top most priority this year and watch how it transforms your life! 

Keep watching this space everyday for updates!

Cheers,

Lovneet