Two of my favourite motivational speakers are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Eric Thomas. There are prominent figures inspiring YouTube videos which are great for getting you pumped for a workout. However, there is a common theme between the two that I disagree on: sleep.
Arnold Schwarzenegger argues that if you don’t get enough sleep well then you should simply sleep faster. Each to their own, however, we are not all on performing enhancing drugs and our bodies need more time to recuperate.
Eric Thomas famous line is ‘Sleep is for Suckers’. One of the top comments that I saw under the video was ‘bowel movement is for suckers!’ It was really funny and makes a very valid point that sleep is necessary.
To be fair, both guys are really trying to motivate us into doing something productive. And they are using sleep as an example of procrastination. The irony is that lack of sleep can hinder our productiveness:
More Sleep, Less Sickness
Lack of sleep can disrupt your immune system which leads to less time working and more time in the sick bed.
Sleep to Slim
You won’t lose weight in your sleep; however, it’s believed that sleep-deprived people have reduced levels of leptin (the chemical that makes you feel full) thus wanting to eat more whilst awake.
When it comes to sleep, both quantity and quality are essential. However, for a lot of people, no matter how hard they try, cannot sleep. One solution (which if you read my blogs is the solution to everything!) is exercise. We’ve all heard the saying: “you’ll sleep well tonight!” when we’ve undergone intensive exercise. Well it’s true. Physical activity improves sleep quality and increases sleep duration. There’s so much research to back this up.
There’s no better feeling in the world when your head hits the pillow and you know you’ve done everything you can that day. When we push ourselves to our maximum physical efforts, there is a sense of satisfaction. Productivity breeds pride. And when we are proud of our efforts, we tend to sleep soundly.
Sleep has many negative connotations such as laziness and unproductiveness. Moreover, to sleep on something, nowadays, means to miss out. The reality is too many of us are sleeping on our sleep. It’s about time that we wake up.
Fitness in Your 30s 