August was a great month of reestablishing momentum in my life and getting back into rhythm. It was nice to get back to a little bit of normality and getting the kids back to school.
As stated in a previous post, the end of June and most of July felt chaotic and lacking rhythm. I attribute much of this to two key inefficiencies from that time.
- Poor sleep, likely the result of travel time changes and curve balls life threw at me
- Lack of consistent (daily) exercise
And that’s just the thing I’m learning. Everything begins with a foundational recovery method that has been around for millennia. This method sets the tone for all things to fully operate with excellence…S-L-E-E-P. SLEEP!
So what ingredients add to a prescriptive “good night” of sleep?
- Exercise? If yes, and I sweat out nervous energy and I sleep well. Muscles are tired, but also prepared for rejuvenation.
- Diet? If yes, I’ve eaten good calories, not too much sugar and not too much caffeine.
- Alcohol? If yes, sleep turns to shit. Absolute shit. It’s also quite likely, I’ll wake up at 2-3am to pee. Alcohol is fun, but totally F’s with sleep.
Remember how you felt after that last great night of sleep? Vitality high. Energy high. Discipline and commitments to a better lifestyle come easier. Stack days and momentum builds. The flywheel gains speed. Chose the alternative, and willpower suffers. Poor diet choices come easier, leading to less energy and commitment to move your body. Sleeps suffers. Choose wisely my friends.
The August Stats
Exercising nearly 30x in August meant I was moving my body and sweating nearly every day. For those interested, this consisted of: Peloton rides, walks with 20 lb. weight vest, body weight workouts (Push ups & Pull ups) + body weight squats.
Meditating 20X in August also meant I was preparing to get a restful night of sleep. It’s crazy, but the nights I meditate and stretch prior to bed, produce the most vivid and crazy dreams. I think it goes to show what the mind is capable of when it’s pushed into true REST MODE. I think there’s a lot of stuff in our heads and much of it is trying to get out, or find a place of peace.
Content Consumption: The Comfort Crisis. This is a wonderful book and a second or third listen for me. I highly recommend it because it’s a WAKE UP CALL. I’m 100% guilty of letting a comfortable life dull my senses and what I’m able of overcoming. I mentioned to a friend last week about a couple recent events in my life and said, “am I a pussy or what?!?!? I need to be able to work past or push through these things” It’s likely the #1 reason I started getting so serious about my fitness the last few years. I was becoming a prisoner of my own creation. Life is good…but almost too good.
In addition to what I was listening to, I really dove back into my daily reading with two powerful books. One is a Daily Devotional that was purchased for my son, the other is a daily read on stoic philosophy. Each book sets a wonderful tone for the day and grounds me in focus, simplicity and a bigger purpose for the day’s challenges. If I could make a recommendation, I’d set aside time to read in the morning!
As I recap every month I’m reminded of this simple statement.
Doing the work, works!
~Now off to doing it all again in September!
