As I’ve discussed before, rest is vitally important to this process and my new training split has helped me incorporate more rest into my week. However, getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night is equally as important as resting between lifting days, and it has been extremely difficult for me to do that. I have been tossing and turning – and up at 4am, with little “real” sleep.
Jumping in with both feet meant that I started a pretty hardcore diet and supplement routine that my body is not accustomed to. Along with that, I have been ingesting high levels of caffeine through my fat burner and NO Explode, which I take before my workouts, generally around 5 pm. The effect has been great for my energy but disastrous to my sleeping schedule. Another sneaky thing about caffeine is that it can make you anxious. I have had knots in my stomach and thoughts racing through my head for days.
So, while after a few weeks, my body should be accustomed to the stimulants and the negative side effects will start to subside, it is important, even in the early stages, to make sure that I am as healthy as possible. As a result, for the time being, I am going to cut my caffeine intake by half. And, if after a few days I am still having trouble sleeping, I’ll cut out the caffeine altogether. I will continue to take ZMA and Valerian Root prior to bedtime.
I’m not worried about this – clearly my body is telling me I need to change something. As long as I follow my diet and stay dedicated to my training schedule, I will continue to lose body fat.
The moral of this post – be smart. Don’t ignore it when your body is telling you something is off. Not being able to sleep means something is definitely off. Find out what is causing it and fix it. Caffeine certainly isn’t the key to my success. I am the key to my success.
Til next time….
Steph
*Watch me do it*
BodyJournal: Watch me do it! 