Most people who know me are aware that I'm all about a good night of sleep. I am a faithful '8 hr/night' gal (even though lately I've been pushing it to 7.5). In truth, this is just the way that I was raised. My mom sets her bedtime based upon when she needs to awake the following morning, and only after I went to college did I realize that many others do not do the same.

I won't lie to you. It isn't easy to get 8 hrs of sleep every night. I get up at 5:30 am (sometimes 5) to work out, so that means that my night is over at around 9:30 or even 9. At times that sucks b/c I have sooooo much to do that I may have only gotten into the house at 8 pm. Plus there are nights that I want to attend dinners, plays, or happy hours that may not even end until after 10.

However, for the most part, I've found a pretty decent balance. On nights where I'm home and have no other commitments...I go to bed as scheduled. There are nights where I may not actually fall asleep until 10 or 10:30...however, no matter what, I begin winding down the night and heading for the bed by 9:30. Yet, I don't let this practice prevent me from attending the events and activities that are also important to me. On those nights, I go to sleep a little later, and if I'm in bed before midnight, then I still get up in the morning to work out. Any later than that, and I move that workout to the weekend so that I'm still getting 5 workouts/week. There are some tough days, but overall, this works well for me.

If you're not getting all of the rest that you need to be rejuvenated and enthusiastic about your coming day, then check out these 10 Tips for Getting a Good Night of Sleep!