To My Followers

This Blog is dedicated to my followers and to those of you who questioned my absence. I have recently been bombarded with life and I must admit I have lost some inspiration. On that note, I am making an attempt to redeem myself and post as often as possible. I have realized that my mind has wondered into autopilot, and this is my effort to jump into the COCKpit and take control!

Sleepy Time

I have recently realized that I have been missing one major component in my life, and it has affected me tremendously. That component is SLEEP! Since I began this grueling work schedule, I have found myself dramatically cutting into my sleepy time. In the past month I have watched my energy levels fall, my focus diminish, and my appetite spiral out of control. How could this be?

One thing I've noticed for sure, is that when you are tired, the body wants to do nothing else but sleep. So what do we do when we can't sleep and we have to perform? Well, most of us just slam in the caffeine. Its no wonder there's a Starbucks on every corner, and there are tons of energy drinks out on the market. People everywhere are trying to keep themselves awake, just so they can make it through the day. The problem with this is the inevitable compounding affect on your health! Its no wonder you exercise for two hours every day but the results just don't come. Ask yourself......."Am I getting enough sleep?" I can guarantee you almost everyone's answer to this will be no.

So What happens when we don't get enough sleep?

The affects on the body are absolutely horrendous! The body is in a constant state of fatigue, leaving your brain foggy and your body half rested. When the body and brain don't get enough sleep, you begin to produce stress hormones which increase your appetite and increase your susceptibility to storing fat. So what does this mean? You eat more and you store more fat. Even if you are working out, this will do very little, and may in fact potentially make things worse. Exercise is stress on the body, so putting stress on the body and not giving it enough rest can wear you down.

So What's the cure?

Sleep. LOL! Try to get to bed early. Think about it this way.... If you go to bed an hour earlier every day, that's five extra hours of sleep you gain per work week. Thats almost a whole nights sleep. If you get to bed an hour and a half earlier every day you gain an extra 7 1/2 hours of sleep per work week. Believe me, this makes a huge difference! Use the weekends to recharge your battery and sleep for as long as you need to. DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR SLEEP! Your success depends on it. I have a saying.... "Everything goes out the window once you get tired." Believe me this is true. You can have all the drive, will, focus, ambition and intelligence in the world; once you become tired, all of those things will not matter. You will solely be focusing on the fact that you are so tired. Drinking coffee only masks the symptoms and puts you into overdrive. Listen to your body, and give it the rest it deserves.

How much sleep should you get?

I guess everyone has their opinion on this and as we all know, experts say at least 8 hours. But in my opinion, and from what I have experienced, I say sleep as long as you need to. Some days you may need more than others depending on your activity levels, so take as much rest as you need, to feel revived. Experiment and see how much you need to function at optimal levels. Everyone is different so I don't really believe in one sleep prescription.

Use this next week as an experiment, and try to get to to bed a little earlier. Start with a half hour each day and record how you feel. Good luck!