Day six: Get more sleep

In high school, we used to have a saying: school, friends, sleep: choose two.

And while it made everyone laugh, I think it's something that holds true at nearly every stage in life. In college, you might choose going out over getting quality sleep (or if you're like me, you stay up late to finish assignments). Nowadays, I find myself trying to wake up earlier to work out.

Sleep is so critical to your health, and, if you're trying to lose weight, not getting enough of it may keep you from reaching your goals. Getting enough sleep means you'll have enough energy to power through your workouts, and it might help you keep from reaching for that cookie for quick energy.

I challenge you to aim for 6 to 8 hours of quality sleep every night. Some ways to get better sleep (and fall asleep faster) include:

• Working out, but not within two hours of bed time
• Turning off electronics an hour before bed
• Going to sleep an hour earlier if you plan to wake up earlier
• Downloading my favorite iPhone app, Sleep Cycle, which tracks where you are in your sleep cycle and wakes you up when you're at the appropriate spot in your sleep cycle

Anyone else have tips for getting to bed earlier? Post them here!