There is one big mistake you’re making that is eating up all your progress from working out and eating right. Any idea what it is?

Your sleep hygiene! Sleep may not sound particularly important when it comes to seeing results, but hear me out. Sleep is your body’s reset process. It is as important to your health and fitness as consuming enough nutrients. When you’ve had a quality night’s sleep, you are able to perform better in the gym and at a higher intensity. You’ll find that you have more energy and function better mentally, with better coordination and faster speed.

Not getting enough sleep or quality sleep may in fact affect more than just your energy levels; a lack of sleep will activate your body’s stress response, and when you’re stressed your body wants to hold onto extra weight, not lose it.

Sleep also balances and regulates the hormones responsible for your appetite, meaning that chronic sleep deprivation can mess with your hunger cues and feelings of satiety, causing you to feel hungrier than usual and even experience more cravings for high calorie, indulgent foods. Plus, a lack of sleep is associated with lower cognition and ability to reason, making it harder to make the healthy choices required of you to stay on track for your goals.