How to sleep through the night...

I've got a few coaching clients doing their first running events over the next few months.

Not only are I extremely proud of them, but even more so I'm impressed by their commitment, focus, and resilience under adversity (i.e. developing and eliminating injuries).

Running may look easy, but it's not. It's for this reason I don't suggest running to any of my clients unless they enjoy doing so.

Why?

Running is a very high-impact activity and can play havoc on your ankles, knees, hips, and lower back, not to mention all your lower body muscles as well.

Yet this year alone I've had a handful of clients go from complete beginners (starting at <2km), to entering races between 10-21km!

And this moves me perfectly onto the first part of this week's Wellness Report...

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What have I got for you today:

• You have to be strong to run

• Having fats with your carbs

• How to stop your nighttime wake-ups

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1. You have to be strong to run

Think about this for a second.

What other sport do you know of that people just throw themselves into the deep end with?

As in they push themselves to exhaustion without little, if any practice?

There aren't many that roll off the tip of the tongue...besides running of course 😵‍💫

Unless you've grown up running, by either playing sports through your childhood (like I did) or running as a hobby, then running isn't going to come easy or natural for you.

Does that mean you can't run?

Hell no, but you NEED to do one thing, in particular, to make sure you don't develop some of those nasty injuries you hear runners complain about all the time...

And that one thing is getting stronger 💪🏻

Running places a LOT of load and impact through the body, and if your muscles are not strong enough to counteract those forces, then I'm afraid you're on a one-way ticket to pain 🤕

So, before you hit the road I highly suggest you have a personalised strength training program that will help you run faster, and with no pain.

Some of my favourite exercises I give my private clients to make them better runners include:

• Deficit reverse lunge

• Copenhagen plank

• Heel elevated single-leg RDL

• Tibialis raise

• Psoas march

• Tiptoe walks

2. How to make your carbs work better

Carbohydrates are your body's preferred source of fuel, and because of this you'll do very well to find many top athletes who don't fuel their bodies with a tonne of carbs.

Carbs will help your body perform to its potential and will provide the necessary energy you need to smash your gym sessions.

Your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which can be used immediately for energy or stored as glycogen for later use.

Carbohydrate sources that are higher in fibre (like sweet potatoes or oatmeal) will take longer for the body to digest and as a result, you get a slower, more prolonged release of energy.

You can maximise that slow release of energy from carbs by combining the carb source with a food high in protein or fat, or as I just mentioned fibre.

That's because protein and fat slow down the digestion of carbohydrates and slow down the supply of energy.

A great example is by adding a small handful of nuts to your morning porridge, or by adding a couple of eggs to toast.

Or my favourite, drizzling olive oil on my pre workout meal.

The fat from the olive oil slows down the digestion of the carbs - which in this case is basmati rice - and ensures I get a more even supply of energy for my gym workout.

So, if you find that you're not getting the most out of your meals, especially in the morning, try this simple approach.

3. How to stop your nighttime wake-ups

Waking up in the middle of the night is a right pain in the ass and it's an issue a lot of my private coaching clients have struggled with.

There are several approaches I use to help them sleep through the night, which can take months and months of work,

But there's one piece of advice that I'll never stop using with them.

This was shared by sleep expert Dr. Matthew Walker, who is the author of the brilliant book 'Why We Sleep', which I highly recommend you read.

He was asked what he does with his clients when they come to him with this problem of waking up at 2 or 3 am overnight.

He simply says "How do you know it's 2 am?"

If your immediate reaction is to pick up your phone and check the time, you're greatly reducing your chances of getting back to sleep anytime soon.

Not only are you shining a light in your face, but you're also stimulating your brain, not to mention possibly creating anxiety over the fact that you may only have a few hours left to sleep.

This anxiety then perks you right up, causing your mind to race, and it becomes increasingly more difficult to fall back to sleep.

My biggest piece of advice is to avoid picking up your phone or looking at an alarm clock at all costs.

You may not get back to sleep straight away but with time and practice your body will slowly improve and it will take you less and less time to fall back to sleep 😴

Are you an ambitious entrepreneur or professional who wants to become stronger, fitter, and more energetic, while eliminating their pain? Click this link to apply for my coaching program.  

A Quote For The Moment

“Health is not valued until sickness comes”

- Thomas Fuller 

I've been a coach for almost a decade now and in that time, more often than not they've come to me for help off the back of something negative happening in their life.

They've been sick, a loved one has been sick or sadly passed away, or they've been struggling with an injury for years.

Please don't wait for 'bad news' to come your way before you take action on your health.

Do something about it NOW!

Go have a cracking weekend 😁

Yours in health,

Mark

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here’s a few ways I can help you:

1. Are you an ambitious entrepreneur or professional who wants to get strong, lean, and boost your energy? Then apply for my 1-1 coaching here.

2. Take my free Professionals Health & Fitness Strength test to uncover the areas needed to take your results to the next level. Click here to start.

3. Grab a FREE copy of my Ultimate Health Guide for Entrepreneurs by Clicking here now.