salt-shack-crossfit

Rest Easy. How to sleep better :)

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 11:29:01 GMT

How-To Work Dump and relax your mind

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.”

Craving Something Sweet?

saltshackcrossfit@gmail.com (Chad Sowersby) — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 20:12:14 GMT

Recipe for healthier brownies

By now we are hoping your withdrawal symptoms are waning! Stay strong and fight through this discomfort. The benefits really do outweigh the struggle right now.

In case you're craving something sweet, here's a recipe that is allowed!

Fudgy Brownies

1 cup peanut butter

6 ozs bananas (or 2 small bananas)

1/4 cup date paste

4 tblspn raw cacao powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 dash sea salt

virgin coconut oil (organic, for greasing the baking dish)

Preheat oven to 350. Add all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Once combined, put into a greased 8 X 8 pan. Bake until cooked through, about 20 mins. Allow to completely cool before slicing. I like them from the fridge the best.

January Nutrition Challenge

saltshackcrossfit@gmail.com (Chad Sowersby) — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 21:59:16 GMT

NO ADDED SUGAR CHALLENGE (JANUARY 2025)

We all know that excess sugar consumption leads to weight gain. But did you know that it can also lead to or increase symptoms of chronic inflammation? Why is this a problem? Chronic inflammation leaves your body in a state of constant alert. Without going into detail, this constant state of alert has been linked to severe illnesses like cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline and dementia, as well as day to day issues like joint pain, fatigue, and persistent infections.

Studies have shown that sugar is as addictive as cocaine. When you have it, it releases dopamine which makes you crave more. Been there? Yeah, me too! And, sugar causes your body to release insulin which in turn leads to more hunger. Vicious cycle!!

Armed with this knowledge, join me in my 21 day challenge of eliminating all added sugar from my diet! (It takes this long to reset your body and eliminate cravings.) The challenge officially starts on January 13th but feel free to start any time! Now we all can't be perfect right, so we are looking to raise our awareness of what we are consuming and reduce our sugar intake based on where we are all at individually. For example, if you have sugar in your coffee, stop! If soda is your vice, eliminate it! Hopefully you can stick to this with us and we will periodically check in here throughout the challenge, but always feel free to contact us if you have any questions throughout!

What is added sugar? First, look at the nutrition label to see if there are any grams of added sugar. Then, look at the ingredients in the ingredient list for sugar. Sugar has many different names, so don't be fooled. Some of the names used to disguise sugar:

-agave nector, brown sugar, cane crystals, cane sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, crystalline fructose, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, glucose, honey, invert sugar, lactose, malt sugar, malt syrup, maltose, maple syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose.....This is not an exhaustive list, but covers most of what you'll encounter doing your groceries!