Bring It: P90X Day 88

Looking at the big picture, P90X is a short journey. It is only 90 days from start to finish. Yet, when standing there on Day 1, 90 days seems like an eternity. Yet, once you start coming to the end, you have learned a whole new lifestyle. This is going to be a game changer.

P90X is an extreme workout program created by Tony Horton. The exercises are simple, as in you don't need prior training to be able to accomplish them. However, these exercises are effective. You will find yourself struggling and this is when you need to dig deeper. While Tony Horton will bring you the variety through his 12 differrent DVD workouts, it is up to you to push play each day and give it your all. This combination is what is referred to as "muscle confusion."

This has been my very own personal journey. Throughout it, I have pushed myself and I have struggled... yet what it comes down to it, is I have survived. If you would like to start from the beginning of this series, please click here. If you want to read about my previous day with P90X, click here.

Feel free to leave your comments below. This personal journey has been a means of not only motivation, but inspiration as well. Together we have grown and hopefully had a few laughs on the way. Love hearing your own personal stories and bits of advice. Thanks for the continued support!

Today is Day 88 of the 90 day series. That is exciting. I am almost the entire way through and soon I will be able to call myself a P90X graduate. That is an accomplishment. Yet, I have a hard time believing that I have already come this far. It seems like only yesterday that I was standing there pushing play for the first time. Suddenly, something magical happened. I decided to write about it. That in turn gave me a committment. Not only was I going to push play each day, but I was going to write about my journey along the way. Honestly, while I am stubborn, I am not really sure I would have made it this far if it wasn't for my committment to writing!

To make it even better, today was StretchX. What a great, relaxing workout. StretchX is a great way to improve your flexibility. It is also nice and relaxing, which is the way it should be during recovery week. To top it off, I am also on my final recovery week.

I waited until the afternoon to get my stretch workout in. That could be because I slept in this morning, or it could be because I spent a good hour playing Just Dance 3 with my kids. So, not only did I get my regular workout in, I also added some grooving dance moves to the mix. I have also been really strict on my nutrition. I want to have a good results day for Day 90 and frankly, the leftover Christmas cookies have been frequently calling my name!

When trying to lose weight, one of the things most people forget about is their sleep. It isn't that they just don't sleep because they are trying to lose weight, but maybe they don't realize the benefits of sleep for weight loss.

For me, I am a night owl. This means I stay up late. That also means during the morning I am grumbling as I pull myself out of bed. It isn't odd for me to regularly get less than 8 hours of sleep a night. In fact, chances are good I average closer to 6. Now this week has been a little different. The kids have been on Winter vacation and I have been taking advantage of them sleeping in by sleeping in as well.

The average adult should be getting between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night, but the amount of sleep needed will vary based on the individual. A good way to get into a good sleeping habit is to go to bed at the same time every night. If you get into a good sleep schedule, you should see a good change in the way you feel.

The obvious benefit of getting enough sleep is the surge in energy. This is a good thing. If you are feeling sluggish, chances are good you aren't going to be pushing yourself in your workouts. During your workouts, you need to push yourself to see the change. However when you are tired, that can be a very difficult thing to do.

The next obvious benefit is sleep is your natural recovery time. This is when the muscles will regenerate and heal from the previous day's workout. This is when your muscles will be changing. If you want to see your muscles grow and you want to get stronger, you need to be getting enough sleep.

In addition, if you are not getting a decent amount of sleep, your metabolism will also suffer. This is bad if you are already struggling to lose weight. If you are sluggish, and your metabolism is sluggish, you will be fighting an uphill battle the entire way. If you don't see the changes, chances are good you are going to get frustrated and call it quits before you reach your potential.

On more technical terms, while you are sleeping, your body is busy working. Alot of stuff happens when you are slumbering in a dream state. Not only does your body get energized and regulates your metabolism, but it is also busy producing hormones.

Leptin is a hormone that regulates your appetite. It is produced while you sleep, so obviously those who are sleep-deprived will have low levels of leptin. This will be a major downfall if you are trying to lose weight. Not only will you not feel full, but you will also be craving those bad sugars and bad carbs that will stick to your sides.

HGH, or human growth hormone, is also produced at night. This is what helps rebuild and repair your body. More specifically, this is what will help your muscles get bigger after you broke them down. No sleep - no repair.

While just changing your sleep habits will not cause an automatic drop in your weight, it does play a vital role if you are trying to lose weight. While statistics have shown that there is a direct correlation between sleep deprivation and obesity, it has only been recently that researchers have really started to understand why.

In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in December 2004, researchers at the University of Chicago limited subjects to only four hours of sleep per night. The results were shocking. Not only did their appetites spike, but they also craved sugary treats. In another study done by the same group in October of 2010, subjects had their diets closely monitored, yet their sleep was messed with. One group got adequate sleep while the others only were allowed five hours. Those with their sleep restricted, lost 55% less fat than those with regular sleep, according to "Sleep's Relation to Weight Loss," published on Livestrong.com.

What does this show - sleep does matter. And if you are wondering why you are plateauing in your weight loss efforts, check the number of hours you are sleeping regularly. Not only will adding more sleep make you feel better, but you have a good excuse to take a nap in the middle of the day!

Note: If you would like to read more about Sleep's Relation to Weight loss, click here.