Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Starting the day off on the right foot

This morning I woke up at 5.30 am to head down to the gym for cardio and abs.
(For my full training program and cardio split, check out www.robriches.com).
Recently, I've only been getting between 5 - 6 hours sleep, mostly because I'm still up past midnight doing useless things or just watching TV. 

Around 2-3 pm I've started feeling lethargic and had to rely on things like caffeine and fat burners (often with natural stimulants), to help get me through the rest of the day, let alone my second workout of the day, which is when I lift weights. This is not the kind of cycle I want to be putting my body through each day, and is certainly not conductive towards making gains or optimally burning fat. My metabolism becomes sluggish with lack of sleep, and even with the best nutrition and training plans, without proper rest, I'm really giving up one of the best things I can do for my body to recover and come back fighting fit for the next day.

Last night, when I got back from my evening training session that I had to change from legs to arms because I didn't have enough energy to even think about working legs, I ate my evening meal (turkey, egg white omelet, and asparagus), and then took 3m of Melatonin  and 500mg GABA, which help calm my central nervous system and allows me to relax. I think I was in bed by 10.30 pm, and although I didn't fall asleep straight away (mostly because my two housemates were still running about opening and shutting every cupboard and door in the house it seemed - thanks guys!!), but I did get a much better nights sleep.

This means I'm more proactive throughout the day, and can focus on what's important and needs to get done instead of falling tired throughout the afternoon, having a less than optimal workout, and then staying up for several hours beyond when I should be allowing my body to rest and recover.

If you feel the same way, give it a try and let me know how much better you feel throughout the day. Right, speaking of being proactive - I better get to work editing some more of my videos for you all, and planning my trip to Canada next month before hitting the gym earlier today to ensure I get a good leg workout in after missing it last night..

I'll re-post later this evening..

Rob