January Nutrition Challenge

If you're like me, you may find yourself struggling to get to sleep or waking up at 3am and your brain starts going on all of your to-dos. Well, I am going to share a method with you that has worked for me that not only helps me sleep better, but also provides me with a smoother and more productive day when I wake up. It just so happens this method was shared with us from CrossFit Mayhem just recently! It's all about dumping your work before bed. Not just forget about it, no this is way easier than that! Take a quick read and try this tonight before bed if you haven't already. From CrossFit Mayhem: Who couldn't benefit from more sleep and better sleep habits? After a decade of working with competitive CrossFit athletes, and being a little high-strung ourselves, we've found that some sleep problems can't be cured with a better mattress or wearable device. The culprit of why most people don't sleep well is because their minds are too busy. When you have too much on your mind, you can kiss a good night's sleep goodbye. Because after all, what you don't process during the day will be carried into your subconscious at night. The most successful tool we have used with our athletes and in our personal lives to improve the quantity and quality of our sleep is called a work dump. This exericse takes 10-15 minutes at the end of the day or right before bed. How-To Work Dump: Take everything on your mind and “dump” it on paper. Remember, what you don’t get off your mind before you sleep, you will carry with you in your sleep. 1. Take Your Time If you rush this, it's likely that to-do’s or concerns you didn’t take the time to write down and will pop up in your head later. What do we usually do with those things? Ruminate on them lying in bed. So, as you think through everything on your mind and things that need to be done, wait at least another minute before you wrap up your work dump. The goal is to prevent your brain from becoming a warehouse of information you need to remember. Let the journal be the warehouse for you so that your mind can be free to rest. 2. Schedule Your To-Dos Writing down what you need to get done isn’t enough. You need to prioritize the tasks on a calendar. Otherwise, the calming effect of a work dump could turn into a list of things you didn’t accomplish and cause anxiety. Scheduling the work gives peace of mind, knowing a time is blocked out and you will get it all done. 3. Bonus Tip: Pray Over Your Work Dump Committing your to-do list to a sovereign God who controls the outcome of all our work will provide more peace than submitting it to your Google Calendar ever could. Here is what your prayer could sound like: “Father, thank you for the work you have blessed me with the opportunity to steward. I ask that you take all of my work, effort, and striving and use it for your glory. Bless the work I have done. Help it to further your kingdom. I put it all in your hands. In return, please give me peace and joy throughout the rest of my evening, knowing you are in control. In Jesus name, amen.”