Sleep is a wonderful thing. It is also possibly one of the most underrated aspects of our lives when it comes to our never ending pursuit of health and wellness.
Please do not underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep. I promise you, if you can get the sleeping bit right, the rest will usually fall in to place. When you don’t sleep properly you tend to spend the entire day craving sugar and caffeine just to get through the day. It is so much more difficult to make wise and kind food choices for yourself when you are constantly playing energy catch up.
When I say ‘kind choices’ I mean choosing foods that work for you, rather than sugary, chemical laden horror stories that make you look and feel awful. A good night’s sleep will help you deal with the endless stream of ‘bikini’ and ‘butt’ instagram pictures that make you want to punch your phone in the face. It will also give your brain a much needed chance to process all of the other things going on in your life, so that you wake up the next day feeling fresh, recharged and restored.
Sleep is also the time when our body does most of its physical restoration. It’s when we actually burn fat and metabolise all of the things that need to be dealt with. I guess what I am trying to say is please don’t underestimate the importance of sleep. It is the foundation on which your health (both physical and mental) is built on. Plus, it also stops you acting like a crazy person.
Okay, so now we understand how important sleep is, how do we make it happen?
First thing’s first: make it a priority.
By simply understanding how important sleep is, will mean that you start to take it a bit more seriously.
Create a routine
Secondly, it’s all about creating a routine, a familiar ritual that your body and brain recognises so it can start to truly unwind and prepare for a wonderful nights sleep. If you can create this ritual and stick to it you will very soon be sleeping like a baby and I don’t mean you will wet the bed and cry all night. I mean the baby sleep of perfect peace and an angelic smile across your mouth. So here are some techniques I use to help people that sometimes struggle to achieve a wonderful night’s sleep.
The Supplement
If you can then get hold of the supplement I created called Serenity. I spent years craving something just before bed but I didn’t want it to raise my sugar and energy levels preventing me from a great night’s sleep. So Serenity was my answer; it’s made with calming herbs that can help assist lowering anxiety levels and combat the stress hormones that dump fat on your tummy. Serenity also contains hops, oats and chamomile to help your body relax and promote a restful, deep and rejuvenating sleep.
Shop the Serenity supplement here
Go to bed early
Try and get into bed by 10pm for a 6am wake up, as 8 hours is the perfect amount of sleep you can get in order to achieve all the physical and mental restoration that your body will love you for.
Shop the sleep pillow here
The Caveman Approach
It may sound mental, but try and live by what I like to call ‘the caveman approach’. This might sound silly but it actually works. When the sun goes down in the evening dim the lights in your house, flat or apartment. Just like a caveman would light a fire at night, this is the modern day equivalent! Limit the use of electronic devices such as iPhones, iPads, laptops , computers and televisions. This can further help reduce external stresses on the mind and body at night, calming you down before bedtime rather than stimulating you more.
Just apply a few of these tweaks and within a few weeks I guarantee you will feel more energetic, less anxious and the decrease in stress will hopefully lead to a flatter tummy too.
Sleep well!
About James Duigan:
Australia-born personal trainer, author and total wellbeing expert James has crafted some of the world’s most famous bodies and his attitude and expertise has placed him in high demand on both sides of the Atlantic, from Hollywood to Kensington High street. As creator of the Bodyism system and bestselling author of The Clean and Lean Diet book series James has received glowing endorsements from globally renowned celebrities like Elle Macpherson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Megan Gale and Hugh Grant.
