Have you ever heard that if you get more sleep, you can lose weight?  Well it is true, IF you are not getting enough sleep currently.  So how does sleep deprivation actually make you fat?  There are two hormones that play a key role in regulating your hunger, ghrelin and leptin (Leptin again playing a role in your fat loss).  Ghrelin is the “go” or “eat” hormone in your body; it sends the signal out that we are hungry.  When you are running low on sleep your body produces more ghrelin, which in turn cause you to eat more and make poor food choices.    The other hormone, Leptin, signals your brain to stop eating.  Leptin levels are low when you do not get enough or quality rest.
How do we fix these issues?
For one let’s try to get more sleep, studies have shown that a person that gets between 6.5-7.5 hours of sleep tends to produce the proper amount of ghrelin (eat) and leptin (stop eating) hormones.
Look at the quality of your sleep.  Are you getting plenty of sleep but waking up with body aches, or not rested.  Look into purchasing a new mattress or adding a memory foam mattress topper.
Avoid caffeine in the afternoon portion of your day, if it is a must to drink some coffee go with decaf after 2 pm.
Exercise can help in getting a better nights sleep.  It does not matter when you exercise, but it is not ideal to exercise right before bed.
Do Not eat right before bed.  Your body will still be working to digest the meal you just had, instead of doing its nightly maintenance on your body. Try eating at least 90 minutes before bed.
So, it is possible that the reason you are not losing those few extra pounds is because you are not getting enough sleep.  So let’s get a few more hours of shut-eye and watch the pounds come off.

​Chris Harrison

As coaches and trainers I don’t think we talk to our clients/athletes enough about recovery or regeneration for the body. The type of recovery I want to talk about is foam rolling or self myofacial release, what is it you say? It is a form of therapy that allows you to relieve tight muscle and kinks in your muscles.  This is comparable to getting a deep tissue massage with a one-time payment. The best time to perform treatment is anytime you feel stiffness or tightness in your muscles.   Foam rolling therapy is a great way to help insure that your body can move through its full range of motion, also allows us to reduce scar tissue accumulation and soft tissue adhesion.
There are many different tools that can be used for treatment, such as the typical foam roller, tennis ball, soft ball, lacrosse ball, medicine ball, and the stick.  Most of these items you can find at your local
​Wal-Mart and Sporting Goods store.
The length of time on the foam roller is subject to the degree of tightness for each area.  If your calves are very tight and you experience a bit of discomfort, then this would be an area that would require more time than other body parts.  The average time spent on each area is around 1-2 minutes.  The more you treat your body and perform the therapy the less time you will have to spend, but it is important to set time aside each day to work out the kinks in your body.
Key Points:
Foam Rolling or Self Myofacial Release
* Improved mobility and range of motion
*Reduction of scar tissue and adhesions
*Decreased tone of overactive muscles
*Improved quality of movement

​Chris Harrison
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 Stress!!!    Yes we all have some form of stress in our life, and no there is not a way to get rid of it all.  Oh how I wish there was a way to remove all stress, but there is not.  There is a way to remove daily stressors brought on by our daily life and work.  Lets first get into how stress plays a role in keeping you fat.  Stress triggers the release of a hormone called Cortisol; Cortisol breaks down muscle for energy.  So when you are continually releasing cortisol into your system your body is continually breaking down muscle and using it for glucose to supply your body for energy.  When the glucose (sugar) spikes in your blood stream happens then your pancreas release insulin to bring your blood sugar down.  This cycle continues over and over again, until you relieve yourself of undue stress.  Well as you keep producing these spikes in sugar and then spikes in insulin, your body begins to stop recognizing the need to shut off insulin production.  So you are now insulin resistant and you have type 2 diabetes, as well as additional fat.  Not only do you become resistant to insulin your body then begins to start storing the additional sugar as fat stores.   So you ask how do we get rid of these stressors in our life.  First and foremost take time out for you during your day.  This can be the first thing in the morning with prayer or meditation.   This time allows you to get focused and relaxes you from the start.  Also make a list of task that you need to accomplish for the day, list at least 5 items and make 1-2 fairly easy to accomplish.  If you do not complete all of the items by the close of your day, don’t worry just add them to the next days list.   Listen to relaxing music, music has been shown to change individuals moods and mindset.  Last but not least get sleep.  Try to achieve at least 6-8 hours of sleep a night.  When getting proper rest, people tend to wake up in a better mood and ready to take on daily task.
I hope these few tips will help you relieve your stress and also lose that fat.

​Chris Harrison
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