Inches and pounds, that is.

GCCF is the 4th day of its second Paleo Challenge.  Here’s a tip for healthy success, whether you are a Challenger this time around or not:

Go to bed early.

Seriously, you can sleep your way to good results in a Paleo Challenge. Long, deep, contiguous sleep gives your body a chance to repair, takes down your cortisol levels (cortisol is one of the major factors responsible for stubborn abdominal fat) and drops your stress levels. For some people, sleep is THE defining factor in why they have trouble maintaining healthy weight and healthy blood sugar levels. As soon as they catch some ZZZZZZs, their lab results start to normalize. Even if your weight and glucose are normal, you can reap tremendous benefits by letting your brain drop into a big, deep sleep each night.

And, fully rested, you’ll eliminate the temptation for extra coffee and sugar boosts to get you through your exhaustion.

Here’s a really good article by Robb Wolf on why you really, truly want to hit the sack for 8 hours or more every night.

Darken your room, no computer or tv time for half an hour before bed and make sure you are hydrated before you go night-night.

So, get some rest, would ya?