As an in-person personal trainer- people come to see me to workout. Over months and years of working with someone I see a wide variety of the same person.
​
​Sometimes they come in...
​- Full of energy ready to go hard
​- Stressed out about work or life
​- Tired and barely able to remember the exercise I just showed them
​- And even hungover 
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​Unfortunately, people, more often than not, come in feeling a bit lack-luster.
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​And I don't blame them!
​Everyone has a lot of stuff going on and simply working out is hard enough.
​
​Working out + giving that workout a lot of energy makes it extra hard!
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​Sometimes my clients come in with such little energy- I wish they didn't come in at all.
​I appreciate that they come in (because that's how I make a living) and because it shows commitment and all that.
​
​But part of my job is to care about their overall wellbeing and having clients force a lack-luster workout is not really improving their wellbeing.
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​And you know what would level up their wellbeing?
​Rest / sleep!

​​Sleep is the number one thing we all want more of and never prioritize.
​At least not enough to get the sleep we need.
​
​We constantly sacrifice more / better sleep for...
​- TV
​- Social media
​- Work
​- And even sometimes exercise
Note: I'm not including kids in this list because that is completely different!
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​The thing is- the more tired we are the more we rely on things like TV and social media.
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​Having a hard time getting work done.
​* Scrolls social for some dopamine energy.
​* Doesn't get done enough work.
* Get's stressed.

Tired after a long day and wants to chill out.
* Watches show on Netflix.
* The show is good - The couch is comfy - Doesn't want to get ready for bed.
* Watches another episode.
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​By the time we finally get ready for bed we're too tired / it's too late to actually get ready for bed.
​Meaning go through a proper bed time routine.
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​So we get in bed after not winding down properly and not only have less time in bed than we need but don't actually get quality sleep.
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​Then the alarm goes off...
​We're still tired...
​Snooze...
​Snooze...
​Snooze...
​
​Shoot! Now we barely have time to get ready for the day!!
​___

Not only does this make it very hard to make fitness and nutrition changes- It also just makes life more challenging.

Let's fix that!

So, how do we level up our sleep??

We've got 2 things to look at...
1. Quality: How well you sleep.
2. Quantity: How much you sleep.
​
​Sleep Quality:
​Do you sleep well?

To improve sleep quality we need consistent...
- Darkness
- Sound
- Temperature

And most importantly we need a calm nervous system.

This is the thing that messes with people the most- We are all to wound-up!

- Coffee too late
- Light exposure
- Screen time
- Poor breathing

All contribute to a wound-up nervous system.
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​Sleep Quantity:
​Do you spend enough time in bed? ACTUALLY SLEEPING??
​
​If there's one thing I know it's that people spend a good amount of time in bed not being asleep.
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​Some of that time is trying to fall asleep- totally fair! That is a quality issue.
​
​What I'm talking about is laying in bed...
​- Watching tv
​- Scrolling social media
​- Snoozing their alarm
​
​All of those habits contribute to less time spent sleeping and worse sleep quality.
​
​What I want you to do is pick to improve quality or quantity. 
Then implement one of the following tactics to improve your pick!
​___

​Quality Tactics:
​Wind-down Routine: At least 30 minutes before bed- Start your wind-down routine.
​- Set alarm for when this should start and then be done with your phone.
​- Clean up kitchen / get ready for tomorrow.
​- Brush teeth and shower.
​- Get in bed and read.
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​Note: For the most part this is what I do- but it's just an example.
​Add or subtract things as needed.
​
Breathing Drill​: While in bed, once you hit the lights, try this breathing drill to calm your nervous system.
​- Breathe normally through your nose.
​- After a few breaths take a long exhale. (Like 5 seconds)
​- Hold the exhale for as long as you can comfortably. (This is not a challenging breath hold)
​- As soon as you feel a slight need for air, calmly breathe in.
​
​Think of it like a triangle.
​Inhale - Exhale - Pause. (Just take a few normal breaths between sets)
​
​Ideally the pause will get longer and longer without being hard.
​The goal is to get 20 seconds or more.
​
​Fun Fact: This drill helped one of my clients go from waking up at 2 am every day to sleeping through the night.
​

​Quantity Tactics:
​Bed Time Alarm: Just like you set an alarm to wake up- set an alarm to get ready for bed.

Tell your local robot to set an alarm for when you should be getting ready for bed.
When the alarm goes off.
- Pause the tv.
- Get off your phone.
- Shut the laptop.

Whatever it is- You're now done.
It's time for bed.

No More Snoozing: If you snooze everyday- That means you have more time you can sleep...
So sleep more!

Set your alarm later and leave your phone out of arms reach.
This will force you to get out of bed to turn off the alarm.

By doing this you will get...
- A bit more sleep
- Out of bed sooner than you would with a bunch of snoozes
- More time in the morning

Hashtag Win Win Win!
​___
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​Now get out there!
​Get more sleep!
​And become a better human!