I absolutely HATE missing sleep! I feel completely off-kilter when I don’t get at least 6 hours of sleep; not to mention the mid-day crash that I have to battle. It’s easy to find countless studies showing that chronic sleep deprivation can hurt work productivity and lead to decline in mood such as anger and depression.

When trying to lose weight I, and many others, easily become obsessed with the numbers. I have even gone so far as to weigh myself twice a day just to see the scale go up or down by a pound or less. Oh that blasted scale!

What do you think is the second most common question people ask me when they notice my bodybuilder physique? The first question is, “How much do you bench?” However, that anecdote has nothing to do with this topic, so I move on to the second most popular question… And the second most asked question is, drum roll please……”How do I build up my muscles and become more lean?”

I happen to be one of “those people” who believes that starting the day with “high intensity” exercise boosts my metabolism and helps me have energy throughout the day. After picking from the laundry list of activities considered “high intensity” exercise I settled on a hybrid of resistance and aerobic training; which only sounds like a fancy way of saying “I work out in the morning.” However, I have to admit I’ve had some sluggish days in the gym which makes way for an unproductive, lethargic day. And finally the coup de grace, by night I’m bloated and can’t sleep.