Sleeping

Last week, I took on a little too much without taking care of my sleep. 
The result was so immediate, lack of energy in my training, increased hunger levels and poor food choices, the lack of sleep even affected my mood and my decision making and the ability to perform my daily tasks in the most efficient manner.

I am prioritizing sleep this week. I really want to make sure that I am getting my 8 hours in every night. I will be monitoring by energy levels and taking some steps to ensure longer and deeper sleep.
These are some rules I am putting into place for myself to maximise my recovery, decrease stress levels and look after my body.

1. No screens at least one hour before bedtime. Screens keep our mind in a heightened state of alertness which makes it very difficult for us to relax our brains for dream time (already v full and v stimulated from the day gone by)

2. Read the 30 mins prior to sleepy time to disconnect from the day, engage the brain in a slower activity and learn something new! Usually leave relaxing book by my bedside table. Not some super gripping novel (that would get me to excited and I'm v excitable)

3. Do the bulk of my more difficult tasks for the day in the center of the day instead of leaving them until the end of the day and stressing about it as I try to fall asleep

4. Meditate every day, even if it's just five minutes

5. Start the day with Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation in Sanskrit)

So this is what I'm striving to do this week to keep myself content, chilled & well rested (whilst smashing my goals)

Here's what plenty of good sleep will help you with:

- Better Concentration and Focus
- Maximizing Athletic Performance
- Regulating your appetite
- Improving Immune Function
- Boosting your Mood
- Decreased Chance of Inflammation
- Lower Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke