Sleep is one of the basic needs of everything living thing. The popular belief is that the body and brain “shut down” but we now know that is quite the opposite of what the body does. The body only “slows down” while still working on creating new cells. During your rest time, the body and brain produce new cells, process information and improve your overall health.

A good night’s sleep makes you feel rested and refreshed. But just how much do you need per night? It is recommended that a grown adult should get at least 7 hours, anything less than that is doing your body more harm than good. Your body is not well rested and your brain will not have enough time to renew cells. Circadian pattern is a natural 24-hour pattern that determines your sleeping habits. Hormones are released into your system when it is time for you to sleep. Any disruption in this pattern can lead to disorders such as insomnia.

We go through a number of cycles that takes about 90 minutes to complete, each cycle has 5 levels of sleep which must be completed before another begins. Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) is evident in stages 1-4 while stage 5 is the Rapid Eye Movement (REM)

Stage 1 – 2 begins from when your breathing slows, the body begins to relax and you are in a light sleep.
Stages 3 – 4 ushers in the deep sleep mood and there is no eye movement or muscle twitching.
At Stage 5, the body enters the REM stage where there is rapid eye movement and dreaming occurs. At this stage, it is easy to wake a person up.
The quantity of sleep you get is important, but what is truly special is the quality. That is what you should pay attention to. Some people sleep for ten hours every night but don’t feel well rested. This is because the quality is low.



How do you monitor your sleep?
Without external help, it would be difficult to determine how long you spent in each stage during rest. Most times when your alarm clock wakes you up you are in a deep state of rest. Waking up this way can cause adverse effects such as disorientation, grogginess, and even headaches.

A way to figure out if your sleeping needs are being met is to monitor how you feel when you wake up. For more accurate measurements, you can use Kampefit smart watch.

The smart watch has an inbuilt sleep tracker that monitors your sleep cycle. It also lets you know the condition of your body during rest. This way you know the duration of each stage and if you need to take a quick nap during the day. Ensuring you never have to worry about waking up feeling like you didn’t have any rest in the first place.

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When all is said and done, there are still so many things that we may miss on our fitness journey. So we have put down 10 of the best fitness tips and tricks we have come across and we believe will help you on this journey.

Skip Fake Diet Plans
So you have spent years eating just about anything and you suddenly decide to go on a diet. Some fake diet programs can go as far as promising to help you lose 50 pounds in a month, this is nearly impossible. Also attempting these programs can be extremely dangerous to your health. Do not expect the love for those foods to die overnight. Rather, spend time changing your lifestyle and choices. Take things a step at a time and enjoy the process.

Stay Motivated
One mistake fitness newbies do is start off strong, and then burn out before the end of their program. Don’t plan to workout every day in the week, only to burn out before the week is over. Commit to about 3 times a week and then do lighter exercises the rest of the time.

A variety in work out styles makes excising fun while keeping you motivated. Whether it's dancing to a new beat or jogging on a new trail, plan your fitness routine around a variety of exercises. This would make you enjoy your fitness regimes and even help you forget you're working out - This way you don’t burn out quickly.

Sleep More, Burn Belly Fat
Your body goes into repair mode when you sleep at night, so if you are not getting enough sleep, your body isn’t working at top capacity. When your body is sleep deprived, it also releases cortisol which is a hormone that is responsible for increasing the deposit of fat in your lower abdomen.

Take Protein-rich Post-Workout Meals
Take lots of protein in your post-workout meals. After an extensive work-out, eating food with protein within 20 - 60 minutes helps your body absorb carbohydrate which replenishes your energy. It is important to choose easily digestible foods that would help your body absorb nutrients faster.

Don’t Go Hungry
Ignore all those fad diet plans who advise you to stay without food for some time. Do not stay hungry as that will only increase your food craving. So when you feel hungry, eat fruits or grab a handful of nuts to keep yourself busy. Stay away from unhealthy foods though.

Swap Smoking with Exercise
Smoking and exercising share the same feel-good hormones. So if you are a smoker trying to quit, start a light exercise instead of reaching for a cigarette stick when the urge comes.

Studies have shown that even moderate physical activity can help combat the urge to smoke. Cravings for cigarettes decreases during exercise and for as long as 40 minutes afterwards

 Increase Your Weights With Time
Cardio-exercises can help you reach your fitness goals, but you should consider weight training too. Lifting weights helps you build muscles which would in turn help you reduce fat.

When working out with weights, don’t stay on one set of weights for too long. When the weights you carry begin to feel normal, that’s an indicator that it is time for you to up your weight game.

Eat A Wholesome and Healthy Breakfast
As the world gets busier, more people are finding it difficult to have breakfast. A quick bite in the morning can help you replenish your body of lost blood sugar. It would also provide you with energy - ensuring you don't overeat later in the day

So even when you are pressed for time, a quick solution is to grab a smoothie. Toss a banana, watermelon, oranges or any other fruit you like, and you’ve got yourself a nice breakfast.

Keep Moving
The effects of sitting for extended period of time are numerous, whatever you do - don't be guilty of this. Sitting for long periods of time can increase your chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. In fact if you work out 7 hours a week, you cant reverse the effects of sitting 7 hours at a time.

When you do have to sit, take 5-minute breaks at intervals to stretch and move around. You can remember to do this by setting an alarm on your phone or enabling an alert on your Kampefit bracelet. Kampefit bracelets alerts you with a light vibration when you have sat long enough.

Never Say Never
Making a massive change to your lifestyle might be a lot to take on and may not be sustainable. Make small changes daily that will have a greater impact in the future.

At the end of the day, only you have the power to take your health and fitness goals to the next level. Don’t give up. Enjoy the process.

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