Sleep Less & Weight More

Sleeping is an important part of our lives; lack of sleep would affect on judgment and is prone to make mistakes. However, it is not the whole story, lack of sleep would cause to gain weight. There are hormones ghrelin and leptin in our bodies; which are responsible to regulate hunger and appetite. The level of ghrelin and leptin in our bodies may be affected by lack of sleep. When the level of these hormones falls, our hunger level rises and appetite increases. Therefore low hormone levels due to sleep deprivation can result in overeating and weight gain. Most people seem to do best, when they get between seven to nine hours of sleep. Missing a night of sleep on special occasion is nothing need to worry, but consistently lack of sleep can deteriorate the body functions. If you can have a better control on leptin and ghrelin levels, you may also be able to control your appetite and stay away from the unwanted snacking.
5 simple ways to have a good night’s sleep and cope with weight control
1. Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and nicotine in late afternoon and evening.
2. Stay active and exercise regularly, but not before the bedtime.
3. Set a sleeping cycle, which enables your biological clock to prepare for the sleeping mode.
4. Relax before bed, read a book, take a bath and listen to relaxing music before climbing to bed.
5. Don’t lie in bed awake, bed should be associated with sleep and avoid reading and watching TV in bed.

August 15th

What is your first association of Moon Festival? Would it be the first lady on the moon- Chang-O or Moon cake? As Moon Festival comes closer, the moon cakes’ pictures are everywhere. There are many different kinds of moon cake in the market such as traditional white lotus seed paste moon cake, snowy moon cake and ice cream moon cake etc… But after all they all have the same characteristic – high in calorie, fat and sugar.
According to the research conducted by the Consumer Council on 9 different moon cakes, a typical double egg yolk white lotus seed paste moon cake (190g) contains over 800 kcal (more than 3 bowls of rice in calorie) and over 800 mg of cholesterol (the daily recommendation on cholesterol is less than 300 mg), 16 teaspoons of sugar and 8 teaspoons of oil. On a daily basis, one should eat no more than one-eighth to a quarter of a moon cake. Beside moon cake, delicious seasonal fruits such as grapefruit, persimmon, star fruit and pear could also add more festivity to Mid-Autumn in a nutritious way.

Feel like shhhhhhhh

Nothing... That's it