who needs sleep?

Are you getting enough sleep? Probably not. As a mother of a newborn (or toddler or even teenager for that matter), your sleep is probably interrupted on a daily basis. It's a constant game of catch-up. A game that you are never going to win.

In the December issue of Fitness Magazine, it is reported that on average, women sleep six hours and 40 minutes on weeknights. A huge drop from the nine to 10 hours Americans slept per night a century ago.

I'm sure you've heard people say, "I only need four hours of sleep." or "I'm used to getting less than eight hours." And if that is true, then how important can sleep really be?

To answer that simply, it is VERY important, especially for active women. Sleep allows your body to recover from tough workouts and readies it for the next one. During deep sleep, every muscle in your body work to rebuild itself stronger than before. Also, sleep plays a major role in muscle memory, which sharpens focus and reduces reaction time.

So, how much do you really need?

Experts suggest that women get seven to eight hours of sleep per night, which may seem like a lot. But just wait, if you're an active woman, especially one whose training for an endurance event (and isn't parenting the ultimate endurance sport?), then up to 10 hours of sleep per night may be needed for peak performance.

Sweet dreams!

Do you really need to drink 8 cups of water a day?

We all know hydration is important, but is it really true that we need to drink eight cups of water each day? The answer is no, but it's not that simple. The average person needs 8-10 cups of FLUID per day to replace what the body uses each day (in addition to the fluids we ingest through our foods). While water is the recommended fluid, keep in mind that all the fluids you ingest do add up.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that women should aim to get 10 cups of fluid daily, from all sources. And pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding may need more.

But rather than measure out every ounce you drink, keep these two things in mind:

1. Drink when you are thirsty.
2. If your urine is clear to pale yellow, you are probably getting enough fluids.