Fit Photographer | Sleep
With the evergrowing field of health and fitness there is always something new someone is trying to promote or sell. Some work, some don't. "Take this pill for quicker results", "feeling tired, pop a few of these and you're all set". "A little fatigued, take this energy shot!".....Fix the problem, don't mask it.A lot of things in life we can't control, but sleep is something we decide. There is always going to be something getting in the way, you could work longer, watch that TV show, check one more thing on the computer. Remember, no one ever wished they worked more when their time has come. Burning the candle at both ends is a lose-lose situation.When you neglect sleep, you neglect normal function of the human body, mainly the brain. One of my (Erik's) mentors is a Strength Coach named Charles Poliquin. Along with giving some phenominal advice in the strength and conditioning world he also understands how important recovery and sleep are to preformance and general health. He recently reminded us of the importance of sleep. It really hit home. Here are a few of his tips:1. Set a goal to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.2. Plan your vacations first, then schedule work around them. One of our goals going forward is to take off 2 months a year. We've recently implemented taking Mondays off since we work a lot of weekends. It's been amazing!3. Go on an electronic diet: restrict cell phones, computes, batch everything you need to do to produce greater productivity.4. Sleep when you're tired. That seems simple, but how many times have you just plowed through even though your eyes are half open? The same principle applies to food. Don't neglect hunger, restricting food is a great way to not get where you want to be.5. Sleep in a bat cave (like we do). Even if light hits you on your feet you can wake up. That's why night lights aren't good for kids.If you work a lot on your feet like we do (photographing a wedding can be 8-10 hours running around) you need to make sure you're getting enough sleep. We schedule getting 8 hours of sleep before a wedding day so that we have energy and strength for the important day ahead.Get some rest. Goodnight. ~Erik