Why Sleeping Is Just As Important As Working Out

Sleep is NOT for the weak. (Photo: Getty Images)

Jim Afremow is an expert on the champion’s mind (he even wrote a book on it). He knows how athletes think, train, and thrive. He’s worked with sports organizations all over, from the LPGA tour to the WNBA.

But Jim’s knowledge doesn’t just apply to athletes — it’s also valuable to entrepreneurs. Whether you’re optimizing your mind or your body, issues like performance anxiety and strategies like deep breathing and meditation are relevant. And any athlete recognizes that rest is of the utmost importance.

One thing that separates the best athletes from the others is proper balance of hard training with regeneration and good recovery. If you burn the candle from both ends, it’s going to wear you down. It’s so important to give yourself time to rest and recover.

Did you know that the goalie for the U.S. World Cup Team, Tim Howard, takes an hour-long nap every day in between training sets, and goes to bed by 10 p.m. every night? He’s just one example of how the best athletes in the world are extremely protective of their rest and recovery time.

If you don’t let your body rest, you are not setting yourself, your body, or your abilities up for success. You’re more likely to get sick or injured because you don’t have the best reaction time and you’re already fatigued.

Why wouldn’t you want to help yourself be the best that you can be? Work hard, but balance it with rest. The next time you’re tempted to skimp on sleep so you can get in another workout, check yourself. A solid sleep workout will do wonders for your body.

For my full conversation with Jim, listen below:

For more on Jim, click here.

ABOUT LEWIS HOWES: Lewis is a pro-athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur who hosts the top-ranked podcast The School of Greatness. He interviews the best and brightest minds in health, entrepreneurship, relationships and lifestyle. Follow Lewis on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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