#8: Get some sleep.
Turn off the computer and go to bed, for pete's sake. Yes. I'm talking to you. And to myself, for that matter. Remember in February when I did the Sleep Challenge? Yeah, about that. I didn't do so well then, and I'm not doing all that well now! But...
Starting yesterday, I decided to make a schedule. I figured if my day was written out for me, I'd be more likely to stick to it. So far, so good. I went to bed at 10pm last night. Got up at 6am. 8 hours.
Don't pretend you didn't know sleep was good for you. Why do you think babies do it so much? It's important for your body to shut down and rest for several (7 or more) hours so you have the energy you need to run around after your kids (or run around after your coworkers). Sleep is pretty much just as important as food and water. So get some!
Remember when your baby was born, everyone said, "Nap when your baby naps!" And you thought, yeah, yeah, I need to clean the house. Turns out they were right! Did you know that sleeping even helps you lose the baby weight? Yep. It's true. Women who sleep for at least 7 hours a night are more likely to lose weight than those who don't! If you think it's impossible to get sleep with a newborn...again, nap when your baby naps! (I didn't do this as much as I should have when Sweet P was born. Kicking myself for that now.)
Sleep is just about the easiest thing you can do to get healthy. Getting enough sleep also helps keep sickness at bay (think about how bleeechhh you feel after a bad night of sleep). So when you tell your kiddos how important sleep is so they'll go to bed, remember that it applies to you too! And get some sleep!
