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Awaken Your Life by Going to Sleep

Awaken Your Life by Going to Sleep

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Many people tend to almost brag about how little rest they need to function, but the truth is we don’t appear to adapt to getting less sleep than we truly need. While we personally may “get used to” a sleep-depriving schedule, our judgment, reaction time, and other functions are still impaired-regardless of our awareness of it happening.

Achieving what researchers call “deep sleep” is most important, which requires consistency and enough time to experience the various cycles each night. Many of the body’s cells show increased production and reduced breakdown of proteins during deep sleep. Since proteins are the building blocks needed for cell growth and repair of damage from factors like stress and ultraviolet rays, deep sleep may truly be “beauty sleep.” Activity in parts of the brain that control emotions, decision-making processes, and social interactions is drastically reduced during deep sleep, suggesting that this type of sleep may help people maintain optimal emotional and social functioning while they are awake. Additionally, pattern repetitions that also occur during deep sleep may help encode memories and improve learning.

As a personal trainer, I’ve worked with plenty of the “hard-core” individuals who get up at 4:30am to start their workout by 5am. Guess how many of those clients actually went to be at 8:30 in order to get 8 hours of sleep? Zero. Nada. None. They didn’t get much healthier either. Sometimes they got worse. You see, you can’t steal time from one good habit and try to give it to the next, and expect to have an overall healthier life. It may not be what you want to hear, but you are going to have to take an hour from a bad habit instead.

Commit to Avoid Over-Commitment…What?

Commit to Avoid Over-Commitment…What?

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You parents want you to bring the kids over and spend time with them. Your kids want you to take them to sports practice, school functions, their friend’s house, and everywhere else in the world. Your church wants you to lead a Bible study. Your neighborhood wants you to manage the HOA. Your school wants you help with the upcoming play. On top of that, your personal trainer wants you to hit all your sessions. Though the last one I mentioned gives you the strength and energy to do all the other ones better, it’s often the one that gets cuts, right? The demands for your time never seem to end.

The dictionary defines over-commit in 2 ways: “to bind or obligate (oneself, for example) beyond the capacity for realization” or “to allocate or apportion (money, goods, or resources) in amounts incapable of replacement.” Either way you practice it, you will add unneeded stress to your life. The moral is it’s ok to “just say no.” You don’t get time back, so decide on your priorities. Determine to do something very well instead of trying to do everything. If you try to please everyone, you will probably please no one; so step back, define yourself, and put your stake in the ground. The next time you are asked for time or money, you’ll know the answer. Success guru Jack Canfield has stated, “Few people can get angry at you for making and standing by a higher commitment. In fact, they’ll respect you for your clarity and your strength.”