I met with a very valuable client this morning and she has been struggling recently to regain momentum. She was late to our appointment because she had trouble sleeping and was up half the night. She drank more coffee than usual the prior day and hasn’t been to the gym in over a week.
She didn’t travel for the holidays so I believed there was no excuse to miss her training sessions when we were scheduled. I also immediately believed that she would not have needed that extra coffee if she’d made her workout times @McCohnMuscle.
I asked her what she did at night when she couldn’t sleep. Her answer: TV.
She confessed that not only has she been watching too much TV, but she’s been binge watching shows she’s already seen! To top it off, she admitted to turning the TV on so she could scroll through her cell phone.
She named it “Toxic Time.”
Lord knows your favorite trainer enjoys a good movie. It’s a way to escape the stress that tugs on me everyday, enjoy entertainment, and visit a “new world.” Watching a good ball game is another way to relax, but once you start watching the ball game, then the highlights, then the guys talking about the ball game, and onto another game…..you’re doing a bit too much.
Here are some ways binge-watching negatively impacts health:
weight gain and obesity
increased struggles with cardio
lower sperm counts
antisocial behavior in children
Here are a few ways cell phone use effects health:
weight gain
shortened attention span
causing car crashes
increased anxiety
tech neck (increased kyphosis)
Both of these lists are relatively long when you research. It’s obvious the risks of excessive use of our phones and TVs far outweigh the benefits.
I’ll show you a few ways to cut down on your Toxic Time and turn up on the person you really desire to be.
Turn your phone off an hour before you go to bed and don’t turn it back on until you are finished with your morning routine. Somebody’s like “hey Q, my cell phone is my alarm clock tho.” Ok, well, think about investing in an actual alarm clock. If not, set your alarm an hour before bed and turn your alarm off in the morning, and don’t open your phone again until your morning routine is done.
Read! You can finally get into those books you’ve had sitting around for months or years. Reading books and articles will fill your head with valuable information instead of TV and IG images.
Write! Writing creates clarity, clarity precedes genius (thank you, Robin Sharma). Let your imagination run wild. Be a Muppet Baby. Where do you want to go? How do you want to feel? What do you want to do? How would you like to look? Write it down! Then do it again. Hang up notes. Get karma on your side. The “universe” will work for you when you set your intentions.
Exercise! Movement beats meditation. Moving your body is the best way to feel better. It will also open up your mind for creative thinking and get you closer to your health and fitness goals. Don’t close your eyes to think about it, get up and get moving.
What do you think? Tell us in the comments.
Be militant in protecting your mental and physical health. Our January Transformation Challenge starts on January 14th. As of January 3rd we only have 12 more spots available. Move quickly to get your spot. You can sign up on our website, or give us a call if you have questions.
Much Love,
Q. McCohn