I've been getting a lot of: "How are you doing it?" and "What's your secret?" type questions lately. And I'm here to tell you I have none. Hard work and dedication and consistency will always pay the largest dividends. There's no magic pill.
But here is where I get on my soap box to tell you about my biggest "secret" that I do feel makes a world of difference.
SLEEP! We are talking 8-10 hours of quality sleep each night.
After a rough work week and busy weekend where my sleep quality went downhill I can tell you that not getting enough sleep just kills training. Add stress to that and you are screwed!
Last night I finally got a good nights sleep after 4 or 5 days in a row without it, and I cannot impress upon you enough what a difference it made today.
They have been doing construction on our floors womens bathroom the past 3 weeks and with a bladder the size of a peanut I have been getting in my fair share of stairs! Yesterday going up and down the 3 flights of stairs every hour I noticed my quads were incrediobly sore and I was just fatigued and exhausted. I figured I needed to get in an ice bath and that I had just pushed the training last week. But when I got home the couch and a beer sounded way more appealing than an ice bath, and a good nights sleep was in order. Today my quads feel refreshed and my energy levels are up without any icing or specific stretching etc to target my soreness. I'm telling you a good nights sleep works wonders! Start racking up months of 8-10 hours a night and I guarantee your training will improve! (And probably your attitude and energy too!)
I'm a firm believer that the majority of the world is sleep deprived and that consistent sleeping habits are key to living a healthy lifestyle.
So that's my PSA of the week, hit the hay 30-60 minutes early tonight and hopefully you'll have a better workout tomorrow!
7 comments:
Good advice! One of the reasons I love reading your blog is that it's so clear your improvements come from real hard work- whatever you're training for.
I completely agree! I am VERY strict about my sleep schedule (unless something very fun comes up;) ). Congrats on the big PR. :)
I couldn't agree with you more!!!!! I RARELY get sick and I have to tell you it is because of the fact that I regularly get 8 hours of sleep.
And you deserve every good thing that comes to you because it has NOTHING to do with genes or luck and has EVERYTHING to do with all of your dedication and hard work. YOU ROCK LADY!!!
so true - it is no secret that you have worked hard and been so consistent - it is so awesome to watch (and read) about your successes!
I (heart) my pillow and loads of sleep :)
My wife needs 9 hours of sleep, I am fine with 7 so I think it depends on the individual.
I'm a firm believer in good sleep too, but, ahh, I'm still slow. I think your secret is "fast genes". :)
Excellent advice. Think I'll got back to bed then....
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