Friday, April 9, 2010

Sleep Deprived Moms- when to workout

Even though my daughters are getting older I still have the odd sleepless night- like last night. After a full day of training and running on fumes should I work out? Today yes, and this is the reasons why- I do not feel like I'm coming down with anything, I have overeaten and under exercised over the long weekend, I have a lighter day at work tomorrow. So given my circumstance I should workout today. I have looked deep in my archive and pulled out a sleep deprivation workout from last year- when I was chronically sleep deprived. The workouts below are from Feb 2009. Enjoy and if you are in this position of being sleep deprived, listen to your body to decide which workout is best for you.

Today in busy mom fitness I want to talk about working out while sleep deprived. As a parent I think you have a new sense of “normal” when it comes to the amount of sleep you get. If you are only moderately sleep deprived like one bad night, but you still have you regular “mom” energy level you can still get a great benefit from performing Tabata fat loss circuts. These are the short 4 minute circuts I post with 20 second work 10 second rest intervals, repeating the circut 2 to 3 times. These are intense while you perform them and have a great after burn affect for fat loss. The workouts are short enough that you can manage them with less sleep and intense enough to help increase you growth hormone for a great health benefit.

If you are extremely sleep deprived or feel like you are fighting a virus I suggest performing a joint mobility workout with foam rolling ending with some static stretching. You should feel energized by getting your blood flowing, release some tension and you will not be lowering your immunity by performing intense muscle breakdown work. (As a bit of back ground this is how muscle grows- first by causing micro tears that stress the muscle tissue during your workout and, then repairing it with proper sleep and nutrition) When extremely sleep deprived you do not want to start this breakdown cycle, you want to focus on maintenance and relaxation.

As a busy mom integrating fitness into your life you have to trouble shoot what you need and what you can manage. We have talked about two totally different types of mom workouts that are both beneficial depending on your unpredictable schedule.

5 comments:

AngelaFic said...

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Anonymous said...

New to being a mom, new to your blog, but I think what you say is so true! I used to have so much energy, and I thought it would return post baby (hah, I was wrong). I can't imagine going back to my yoga class in fear that I will fall asleep. What type of equipment do you recommend having for working out at home? Pre-baby I have always relied on a gym.

Jacqueline said...

Equipment to workout from home- very minimal. 1-2 resistances bands - 1 light for rotator cuff exercise, 1 heavy for lateral leg work. Either a mid range de=umbell set, but you are better off with 2 kettle bells- 1 light 8kg or so and one heavier 12-16 kg for leg work and a stability ball. This should all cost under 100$.

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san antonio personal training said...

To overcome sleep deprivation, moms must do regular and early morning exercises. Set sleep schedule and avoid taking naps in day timing. Watch your diet plan and avoid eating before going to bed.

 
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