This “secret” is the most important BUT sorely neglected ‘Pillar Of Health’.
And it has the power to drastically improve your overall health and wellbeing. But alas, for many people it is elusive and something they struggle with greatly.
What is this secret?
SLEEP
The quality of your sleep impacts EVERYTHING you work on.
Simply put; it has the potential to make or break your health and fitness results.
Now, the amount of sleep you get may not be something you can completely control. Parents, I’m talking to you here.
That said, there are things you can still do to help improve your sleep. We’ll get to that.
The Impact Of Sleep On Diet & Training
1: Appetite Management – being under-slept can make you hungrier. Obviously, this makes sticking to your diet harder and usually leads to overeating.
2: Physical Energy – being knackered can make you less active and negatively impact your training. Indeed, you’re more likely to skip sessions entirely.
3. Mental Energy – required to stay organised and on top of good habits. It’s far too easy to say SOD IT! when you’re shattered and haven’t being getting enough sleep.
Clearly then, improving sleep is essential if you want to stay on top of your game.
Yet, so many folks feel powerless to do so.
AND compound things with self-sabotage – staying up too late and bad sleep-habits.
(For example – keeping your phone next to your bed)
Don’t do that. For the love of God put it anywhere else. Anywhere.
Well, the thing is, you CAN improve your sleep.
Here are some suggestions…
Sleep-Improvement Ideas
1: Set a non-negotiable bed-time for Sunday to Thursday. Ideally 8 hours before you have to get up.
2. Disconnect from all technology at least 30 minutes before going to bed – TV, Internet and phone.
3. Leave your phone out of your bedroom. Use a ‘silent sweep’ alarm clock instead – no noise or bright lights. Checking your phone during the night is a terrible habit which gets your brain warmed-up when it needs to be staying numb.
4. Consider taking a magnesium citrate and/or melatonin supplement 30 minutes before you aim to be asleep. This can help to induce deep, nourishing sleep.
5. Make your bedroom as dark as possible. Get ‘blackout curtains’, keep your bedroom door shut. Unplug any electrical devices that have standby lights or illuminated screens.
6. Have an Epsom Salts Bath before you go to bed. Light some candles and switch the lights off too. Chill Out Game STRONG.
7. Stop drinking fluids 2 hours before bedtime to help prevent waking up during the night to go for a lash.
8. Have a night time ritual.
My personal ritual is:
A cup of peppermint and liquorice tea
A hot relaxing shower
Read a chapter or two of my book
What Next?
I’ve given you lots of ideas there.
My suggestion is to try implementing 3 of them IMMEDIATELY.
With CONSISTENCY & PATIENCE.
It’s unlikely that you will notice an instant change.
But, similarly to fat-loss, consistency and patience will produce results eventually.
After 2-3 weeks you could try one of the other ideas.
Trust that, in time, you will at least improve the QUALITY of your sleep.
(QUANTITY may be out of your hands – If you have young kids, for example)
But you can still implement some of these ideas and start developing your own routine.
As a result – your diet, training and, of course, overall mood will benefit.
What do you think? You going to try them? If you have any personal rituals that have worked for you, let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear them.