The KYDRA Club

New Year, Better Me: Why Sleep Is The Answer To Your Fitness Goals

Breathe it in! The air is filled with the promise of dreams and aspirations for the new year. At Kydra, we are all about exercise, fitness, and wellness goals that are easy to incorporate into your life! So we’re here to help you achieve those “New Year, Better Me” goals.

But, in your quest for a healthier mind and body in 2022, you might be overlooking one crucial (and straightforward) factor - sleep.

Everything begins with a good night’s sleep, and the best way to accomplish any fitness goals you have for this year is to be well-rested and ready for whatever comes your way!

Sleep is likely to be something that you pay very little attention to if you're like the rest of us. In the daily rush to attend meetings, pick up groceries, and see your friends - quite literally, who has the time to catch their breath, let alone catch a nap?

According to the CDC, more than 35 percent of people are sleep deprived, which means that a staggering 1 in 3 people isn’t getting enough sleep regularly. The harsh truth is that sleep deprivation has become so normalised that we don’t even realise how critical sleep is for our bodies to function correctly!

Think of your body as a clock. Everything needs to work according to a schedule - from maintaining regular eating and workout patterns to getting enough sleep. Your circadian rhythms - those 24-hour cycles of your body’s clock - control all of your essential functions and processes.

The sleep-wake cycle is an enormous part of your circadian rhythms! If you don’t get enough sleep every day, your body’s internal rhythm is disrupted, and none of your physical and mental processes can work as well as they usually do.

Alright, so we’ve convinced you of the importance of getting your minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep. But there’s never enough time in the day to accomplish all those obligations. Something has to go! After all, both exercise and sleep are equally important, and both complement each other in helping you lead a healthy lifestyle.

The more well-rested you are, the better your mind and body function every day - and that includes getting the most out of your workout! Whether you work out at your HDB flat or you go to a gym or spin class, you can really commit to exercising instead of half-heartedly (and ineffectively) working out.

A good night’s rest is all the more important for a fit and active lifestyle. Sleep, which generates the growth hormone, helps you build lean muscle and helps your body repair itself after a hard workout.

Think about it - if you’ve only had a few hours of rest, you’re probably going to grunt, rollover, and switch off your pesky alarm when it rings - sacrificing your morning workout.

But, if you’re well-rested, you’ll wake up feeling excited to get dressed and go to the gym before work (as shocking as that might seem to some of you!).

Exercising also helps you maintain your circadian rhythm and a regular sleep schedule. Working out tires you out and primes your body to fall asleep quickly at night - no more tossing, turning and scrolling through Tik Tok until you see the sun.

You can have it all! This is your cue to sit down, pull out your brand new 2022 planner or your calendar, and figure out how to balance a healthy sleep schedule with your daily exercise routine (ideally 30 minutes or more). Here are a few suggestions:

For The Early Risers

You might consider fitting in an 8 AM workout before you have to head off to work! If you want to save time, you could even consider cycling or jogging to work in the morning.

If you’re currently working from home, you could even fit in a quick workout during your lunch break! Just pull out your yoga mat and resistance bands, pop your earphones in, and you could have that perfect midday reset before you have to get back to work.

For The Night Owls

We completely understand if you’d rather sleep in and not be distracted before you work! In that case, consider signing up for evening classes at your favourite boutique gym. 

If you’re working with a low budget, then you could even lace up your running shoes and jog around a park at night. 

However you decide to best balance your sleep schedule and exercise routine, we can guarantee one thing: you’ll come out of it a stronger, healthier, and happier person, ready to conquer 2022. Kydra will be cheering you on every step of the way!

General Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of KYDRA. Any content provided by our writers are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any organization, company, individual and more.