40 Min Challenge

I'll be honest this little idea came straight from an organisation called NCFIT who write the programming for CrossFit OL1.

In January they ran a lifestyle challenge that I followed and like all short-term challenges some stuck and some went by the wayside. It involved 40mins of exercise a day, washing the dishes before the end of the day and a simple nutrition challenge that I've also continued to follow and had staggering results from............however it was the 'sleep' challenge that had the most impact on my stress levels, organisation and productivity.

The task was to 'get up 40mins before you need to'.

So whatever time you normally set your alarm give yourself an extra 40mins. This isn't a regimented "5am club", its just a "sorting your day out club".

Anyways the time gives me an opportunity to do things like stretch and plan the day out but it also blesses me with time to read the news, faff around and most importantly I have time to fix things before they become an issue..........................read on.

I'm downstairs before the kids now. I've already started my day. I'm chilled i'm not shouting, I've got ahead of the game. Why are kids late for school? they don't drive the car, make the breakfast or choose what to wear...........yet we blame them, kick off and potentially send them to education with nothing more than half an hour of bollocking , pointing and demands to and expect them to be happy-go-lucky in the classroom

Some days I start my first CrossFit class at 5.45am. Its usually full. Meaning I am lucky enough to be engaging, having fun, playing tunes and helping more than a dozen people ge their day off to a flying start, progress their fitness and probably live longer well before the majority of the population.

My old alarm was 5am. Get up, get dressed, drive to the gym with a banana and some soreen whilst listening to a podcast. Brilliant right? I started to set in earlier in January and now it goes off at 4am, giving me an amazing hour to 'sort my shit out'.

I stretch, plan my session with pen paper, make a coffee, eat some eggs, make a breakfast for later, write my to-do list, check for updates on my UW business and i've also got plenty of wriggle room for me to forget to do something or if i need to reseearch something for the class it can all happen then. I haven't felt 'rushed' in months!!!

This 40mins has given me back my evening. I don't spend my family time on the CrossFit journal practicing demos or how to explain a movement. I close of my day with a list of things for tomorrow that involve 'life admin', work, and my goals. Maybe even a list of calls I need to make for my UW business. All done before Weetabix gets spilled, school ties go missing and I realise the boys shoes need a polish.

So for you it might be 6.20am instead of 7am. Maybe you'll do some exercise in that time or tend to your emails or make a healthy lunch or chop some fruit for breakfast, poach some eggs or even just speak to your other half over a coffee.........................try it. This little hack could be just what you need to get back in the groove.