Sleep Is Overrated

There are 168 hours in a week. Lets say you train 4 times a week at 1.5 hours a session. That equates into 6 hours of training. Of those 6 hours you really don't even train 90 minutes. You warm up, you talk, you roll around on a foam roller, you check your phone and you occasionally lift some weights. So subtract 6 from 168 we get 162 hours left in your week. While training hard and being consistent is important in your quest to reaching your potential you need to optimize how you use the rest of your time outside the gym. That needs to be with what you eat and one over looked factor is sleep.

Many think that they can get away with 4-5 hours of sleep or that there is to much to do during the day that they can sacrifice sleeping. Well new science is showing that Improving your sleep is an extremely important aspect that can have powerful implications in your performance as an athlete. Life is stressful with training, work, school, relationships and everything else that falls in-between these, they all place stress on the nervous system. The body is designed to experience stress but if there is no time in-between where the body gets some relief from this stress the body begins to breakdown and we see adverse reactions to stress. Therefore you need to have strategies in place to help promote recovery and maintaining a balance within the body.

Sleep often falls to the side as a recovery tool. We all do mobility and eat right but sleep gets a back seat. Well sleep is your most essential component to recovery. It's even more important if you are injured, traveling or in the competition phases of your training. If you are depriving yourself of sleep you will be unable to perform in the gym, on the field/court or even with normal everyday tasks. Poor sleep during max effort training, where you are continuously beating your body down will lead to under recovery and early signs of overtraining.

Tips to help you sleep

You need 7-9 hours of sleep per day

Stop consuming caffeine in the afternoon.

De-stress for 20 minutes. Just relax and unwind. No phones, computers or outside distractions.

Turn all electronics off an hour before bed

Have bedroom temperature 67-70 degrees F

Take naps daily around 30 minutes in length but avoid them in the late afternoon/evening

Plan tomorrow before dinner. So make your to-do list so you don't lay in bed thinking about all the things you have to do tomorrow as they will be on your list waiting for you when you get up.

If you can't sleep within 15 min try reading. The book super training will put you right to sleep.

When you lay down close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Focus on letting go of all muscular tension. Begin at the top and work your way down.

 

Improve your sleep. Improve your performance. It's science.

 

Coach B

 

Start The Day Off Right

Everyday I hear people complain about how they hate getting up and that they rather sleep all day and stay in bed. They hate the sound of their alarm clock, all they can think about is how they don’t want to do whatever it is that they have to do today and then head out the door to do the things they don’t want to do. These are the same people that complain about the things they don’t have and how life isn’t fair and nothing ever falls their way. Once these people drag themselves out of bed and are already mad at the world they take a quick miserable shower hating the world, throw on some clothes, make a few bad eating decisions then proceed to go on their miserable life and be a plague to everybody around them. I am going to touch on a few ways to start your day off right and not be that plague that ruins everybody’s day. And it all starts the night before.

 

 

- Get into a routine of going to bed at the same time every night and getting 7-8 hours of sleep. There is plenty of time during the day to get things done its all about prioritizing. 

- An hour before bed make your to-do list for the next day. That way you can clear your mind and will not have to worry about what you have to get accomplished. Its written down and will be there waiting for you when you wake up. 

- Once your alarm goes off get out of bed. Do not look at your phone for texts or emails. They will be there later. This is your time to focus on you and nobody else. Your blackberry or iphone or whatever can wait. Get up and get going. Life waits for nobody and staying in bed is just allowing life to pass you by. Remember life has something to offer everybody so staying in bed is not the answer to getting the most out of life.

- Once you’re out of bed decide what type of day you will have. When you wake up you need to decide right then and there that it will be a bad ass day that will lead you closer to accomplishing your goals.

- Head outside. Trust me you will wake up. If it’s to cold I understand but throw on some sweats and once outside take a few deep breaths. In through your nose and out through your mouth. Take a minute to really take in your surroundings and appreciate what’s in front of you. And what is in front of you is a new day, a new start, a new chapter.

- Drink a glass of water 16-20oz and if you’re a coffee or tea drinker start the water or the brewing

- Stretch. Go to a quit area in your house and do a quick stretching routine from head to toe hitting the major joints and muscles. It takes 5 minutes. There are 1440 minutes in a day you can spare 5 to stretch and start it out right.   

- Pour yourself your morning caffeine and sit down for a minute and take the first sip. Enjoy the first sip and take a few seconds to thoroughly enjoy it. As the saying goes it’s the little things in life. Learn this skill, the skill of being able to focus all your energy into something and thoroughly enjoy it. Not a lot of people can do this so learn how to and watch how much happier you become by being able to enjoy the little things in life.   

- Eat breakfast. This bugs me when people say “I hate breakfast” or “I can’t get up and eat” or “I don’t have time to cook”. Whatever it’s an excuse and your just making it. Everybody seems to have time though to eat a bowl of cereal or eat a pop tart or some other garbage his or her body doesn’t need. Crack some eggs cut up some veggies and cook. Depending on your diet have some oatmeal or Ezekiel bread to get your carbs in. Or if you are backloading have your coffee and heavy cream or if you are IF don't eat. It’s simple and easy. If you don’t know how to cook eggs youtube it. And don’t throw away the yolk that’s where all the nutrients are.

- Eat breakfast, finish your cup of caffeine then go check your phone and start to hit the list you made the night before.

- This takes anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.  Your health depends on it. So stop making excuses you owe it to yourself and your body.

 

What’s your current morning ritual? What’s your excuse for not starting the day off right? Do you have any tips you could add to this? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

 

 

NB