Sometimes the answers we are looking for are right in front of our faces and we simply are too stubborn to do what we know we are supposed to.
Myself included.
I recently was reminded of this when I realized I wasn’t doing the more important thing the body needs to be lean, strong, healthy, productive, and focused.
What if I told you that there is something that you could do STARTING TOMORROW that would indefinitely ensure that you…
– Live longer
– Age more gracefully
– Burn more fat
– Build more muscle
– Increase your memory
– Keep your testosterone up (gents)
– Increase your sex drive
– Speed up your cognition
– Drastically reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer…
AND, you basically have to do NOTHING to gain all of these benefits.
Does that sound like something you may be interested in? (Entourage reference)
Yeah, I thought so.
So, what’s my drug of choice?
IT’S SLEEP.
Now before you get your panties in a bunch and say, “I’ve heard this before” and proceed exit out of this email, ask yourself these questions….
Do you get 7 – 8 hours of sleep a night consistently?
Would you rate the depth and quality of your sleep AT LEAST and 8 out of 10?
If not, you have some work to do.
Listen, the point is… you need to PRIORITIZE YOUR SLEEP.
Everyone’s favorite excuse these days is that “they don’t have enough time”.
Pardon my French, but that’s B.S..
People make time for what they think is the most important, PERIOD.
You need to PRIORITIZE YOUR SLEEP.
You need to be INTENTIONAL ABOUT YOUR SLEEP
I know it sounds crazy, but you you need to PRACTICE SLEEPING.
Case in point…
Over the past 10 years of training I’ve actually told clients (8 of them to be exact) that were working out with me 3 – 4 times and were only getting 5 – 6 hours of sleep a night to stop training with me for 2 weeks.
I told them that they were not allowed to train AT ALL and all I wanted them to do in this time frame was to stick to the nutrition plan I gave them and create a 7 – 8 hour window at the same time every night (even on weekends).
Results???
7 out of the 8 on average lost .7% body fat and either retained, or gained lean muscle.
1 out the 8 stayed the same.
That’s how powerful sleep is.
Sometimes, less is more.
So, here are 5 quick tips on how to get more shut eye to make sure that you can reap the benefits listed above!
Pick a regular bedtime and stick to it. EVEN ON THE WEEKENDS.
Sleep in complete darkness.
No screens 60 – 90 minutes before bed. No phone, TV, or tablets.
Take 150 – 250 mg of magnesium 1 hour before bed.
Increase carbs at dinner. This suggestions will largely depend on your fat loss and muscle building goal, however, increasing carbs in the evening will help you sleep more deeply as well as increase growth hormone production while you catch your ZZZ’s.
Don’t over complicate this.
IF YOU CONSISTENTLY DO THESE SIMPLE THINGS you will be well on your way to building more muscle and burning fat more efficiently by, literally, doing nothing.