The Twilight Zone

DEAD CALM

The dead of night comes in that quiet time, at around 1-3am. When most are deep in sleep, the conscious and subconscious mind will be working on the events of the day to make sense of them, categorising and storing fresh memories. It's also known as the twilight zone.

“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.”

While The Twilight Zone is also an American TV series that ran from 1958-2003, it is also a time in the still of night when we can wake from sleep feeling confused, anxious, afraid or sometimes, if we're fortunate, calm and with a clarity of thought that helps us to make sense of the moments we've missed or misunderstood from the day. This can even bring up regressed and forgotten thoughts from much deeper in our past too. These 'penny dropping' moments can bring about life-affirming revelations and wisdom. Often, any troubling thoughts/problems we've been dealing with on a subconscious level, can rise to the surface where we 'discover' them. This phenomena occurs while our conscious mind and ego - which has been masking these thoughts, is dozing, and therefore at that moment unable to hide them from us any longer.

We need good quality sleep to allow the brain to function well working on these subconscious thoughts and without the intervention of our ego. Sleep runs in cycles where we allow deep sleep and REM sleep to help make the necessary repairs to body & mind. Having adequate time for quality sleep, will allow us feel physically rested and help to sort information/store memories for better brain function. 

According to Chinese Meridian Medicine, our bodies also have times in the day when our organs make repairs. It's around 1-3am that the liver will purge itself. Hence why eating certain types of food or drinking alcohol, can affect our sleep patterns and why we sometimes find ourselves awake in the dead of night feeling anxious.

Fears & Confirmations

It's ok to come out of our sleeping cycles, providing we can get back to sleep again. Eating certain foods can incite more lucid dreams or wake us to an altered and hyper aware enlightened state. Identifying the right foods for creating a peaceful and wise mind state, will help connect with the subconscious like I did in this most recent experience. Last night, after a light meal of grilled Salmon and stir fried vegetables (which contained fresh chilli's - a stimulant), I woke to some thoughts that have been playing over in my subconscious. 

Exactly a week ago after consuming a lot of alcohol, I woke at this time but with bouts of anxiety. But on this occasion, when I woke, my mind was calm and clear. I realised that my fears of last week - the fears of:

– Not being able to take this year's daily findings which I've learned about myself, anywhere beyond this blog - ie. successfully pass on to others and write a book. 

– How my friends and family are perceiving me - all waiting patiently for something amazing to materialise from this exercise or my return to the previous life - one of normality and conformity.

My fear of failure. The fear which stops us from even trying. That voice which says 'Who are you?' and what makes YOU so special? These fears, are still there with me - as they will also be with you too. They are the same fears that faced me at 5am with a blank page on the first day of 2015 and have whispered to me every morning since - yet I have continued to take the blind steps every day into the unknown.

So my calming thoughts at 3am last night were confirmations. They told me that it's not a race - it's a journey that will take time. It might take me a lifetime - as it did Nelson Mandella to transform himself from an angry man to one motivated by love and a leader who understands the importance of humility. But, I have realised this anew and will write this into my affirmations journal, which I carry with me at all times, to reassure me on the next dark night when fearful thoughts arise again. It's also taught me that any failures of mine along the way (my Yoga 1 course that needs redoing), just as those who failed the SAS training at the last hour in the Channel 4 series that I watched this week tell me - you have to pick yourself up and keep going forward. No retreat - no surrender!

Burning The Candle

MAKING TIME FOR REST

It's always amazing how much energy we seem to have when the sun is out. It seems like the whole summer has been one big party. There's been a lot of late nights and missed sleep, yet, even with some early morning starts at work, it's all been ok. 

When the sun is shining, the tired eyes fade pretty quickly and with a bit of a tan, the bags don't even show. But, ultimately, if we burn the candle at both ends, the lack of sleep will catch up with us in the end. This is why we really need to to factor in our much needed rest times.

Siesta Time

Our Mediterranean cousins, who have plenty of sun, seem to cope pretty well with the late nights, but they fortunately get their siesta time in the afternoon to make up for any missed rest. 

If we're to continue functioning well on less sleep at night, I reckon we need to adapt to this Mediterranean way of living in the UK, especially during the summer months.

An afternoon nap is definitely on the cards for me today as I'm starting to feel the consequences of missing my 8 hours a night. As and when I get the chance, I'll be aiming to maximise on this nap routine over coming weeks, as we prepare for the darker, colder autumn days where the magical healing power of the sunshine will be in decreasingly shorter supply. 

Safe Sanctuary

RETREAT, REGROUP & REWARD

It's been a tough start to the year and it's time to pull back the troops from the front line, dress the wounds, heal and recharge the energy levels. 

Self Assessment

The most important thing I've learned about making life changes since starting on this new lifestyle from 1st Jan this year: Self assessment - ie. taking daily checks on any progress....schedules, goals and energy levels for making these good things happen. Without maintaining good mental & physical health - none of these positive achievements would be possible. Checking the status quo every day means any deviations from sleep/diet can be corrected and the energy levels can be kept in the green/amber rather than red zones. It's amazing how seemingly small things like skipping a meal or having one hour less sleep, can affect our productivity. Without regular assessments, we don't really pay proper attention to these energy dips until they manifest in physical/mental drops in performance - ie. injury & illness. 

Know your limits

When you're young, you have an amazing capacity to heal/recover/adjust to deviations from any sleep and energy changes. Your body's natural ability for healing means even sustained periods of general abuse/mistreatment can be corrected easily. This ability to heal, although still possible over longer time periods is not as easy to do and may not be a full recovery as we get older. 

The painful truth

I can remember feeling invincible at 26. I used to push my physical limits, always working and playing hard. I would always bounce back from overdoing it. From the early to mid 30's, there's been a change in appearance - greying hair, lines around the eyes and ailments popping up 'seemingly from nowhere' but I've been living the same lifestyle in my mid to late 30's that I did in my 20's and still thought I was 'bouncing back'. I've repeatedly dropped my energy levels into the red zone and the last few years have thrown up some clear signals that the body isn't 26 anymore. We don't want to face up to the fact, but once we do accept ageing and hatch a plan to manage damage limitation, we can adjust our levels of input/output and allow ourselves more quality healing time. This is essential if we want to keep doing the things we enjoy and stay looking and feeling vital/younger through to old age. 

This is why - although I have some major responsibilities on at the moment, I'm taking time by myself to visit my safe sanctuary in order to get my energy levels back on track. This will see me return fresh and ready for the next battles ahead. 

Going The Extra Mile

INSPIRATION BLOCK

I woke up this morning feeling a bit blank-minded. This isn't something new - I've had this a few times lately. There's been no urge to jump out of bed and write my daily blog and little enthusiasm for getting on my computer in general. Partly it's because I've realised that I do actually need 8 hours sleep every day. Listening to an audiobook on sleep called Night School - it says to sleep when you feel tired and see when you wake without an alarm. So for the last few days, I've tried it - and found that going to bed at 8.30 is gonna lose me a girlfriend and a load of friends. The conclusion - I need 8 hours to perform at my best.

Not having any inspiration is putting a bit of unnecessary strain on myself, taking up the free time in an unproductive way and I've considered staying in bed and skipping the journal altogether at times. I've been dealing with self-doubt and the negative voices - and fighting them back. Pretty much having an even better, more productive day as a result. I don't want to have internal conflicts at 5am, so, I've changed my routine. I now listen to and read something inspirational at night and first thing in the morning, then jot down some notes on things that interest me, I would like to work on or improve in myself. That way, if I'm not immediately inspired to write - I now have a few subjects ready to work on throughout the day. I've got the Blogger app on my iPhone now, which is great. It's perfect for looking at topics for conversation and adding to them when I get those moments of inspiration when I have free time rather than put pressure on myself to finish up posts fist thing in the morning.

Beyond The Finish Line
So it's one of those mornings when I'm feeling a little lacking in what to write - I've just listened to one of Robin Sharma's podcasts about the 'last mile' theory. This talks about not only putting the effort in early on - but carrying on performing at a high level right through to the end. So, I've started this blog and made some promises to myself. I mean to go on as I've started. I've just re-read some of my earlier posts and I can see when the enthusiasm was at a high. We can't perform at 100% all the time but we should aim to have maximum output as much as we can. I believe another good practice for success is to actually aim past the finish line - as the 100m sprinters do, focussing on 10m past the line to stay at peak performance that bit longer. Giving 110% over time is how we make the biggest imrovements. I've been doing this with my rowing warm-ups. It's really tough starting off a work-out with 3x6o second sprints - aiming for a peak level target on each with just 30 seconds recovery in between. It's uncomfortable and I'm doubting myself all the way through, but I've managed to win myself over every time and finish within the target. I constantly amaze myself how effective this technique is and how we're capable of pushing our limits. This is great in sport and will be sure to apply this method in other areas in my life too.

One more point on diets:
Another diet that I'm willing to try at a later date - is the 4 day fast. I've been watching a really informative documentary on the benefits of reducing calorie intakes this morning. This documentary, -'Eat, Fast and Live Longer' is available for a year to watch on iPlayer. Here's some further information on the fasting benefits for prolonging a healthier and longer life.

Water fasting

Boosting immune system

IG-1

Sleep On It

CREATIVE DREAMS

Sometimes the best ideas come to us while we are sleeping. It's true. Try it the next time you've got something tricky that you need a creative solution for. Works every time for me. In my line of work (graphic design), I have to constantly work out solutions to creative challenges. Sometimes, the answers just aren't coming to me easily, so rather than keep staring at the screen/notes/doodles, I'll stick it up on the walk and walk away. The answer may come while I'm riding my bike home, picking up some shopping or going for a walk. It's usually when I'm doing something where my conscious creative brain is switched 'off'. This doesn't mean my mind is not working on finding the answers, it's just doing the work to find answers in the background.

More often than not, the best ideas will come to us in the morning. I'll wake up after a good night's sleep - return to the doodles/notes/screen and see straight away if the ideas were worth working on in the first place. I'll be able to clearly see if the best course is for starting again and usually, if a new angle is required, something good will 'pop' into my head and I'll be on my way to getting the job done. It's both strange and amazing how this works!

Sleep Is Key
Switching your brain off - finding silence and allowing inspiration to flow, is key to getting the most creative ideas. I always try and shut myself off in a quiet room during the day (difficult in an open plan office, but hey) and block out the noise with some headphones. The 5am mornings have been the most beneficial for having true silence and solitude. A lot of my best thinking has been done early in the morning. You can use sleep as a problem/solution finder for pretty much every situation. Just lay down and give a few moments before going to sleep - take some deep breaths and focus on the thing you want to solve for a few moments. Then tell yourself all will be resolved in the morning and push these thoughts out of your mind (I visualise closing a door) before falling to sleep.

A good example is what happened to me yesterday. I'd misplaced my car keys from a week ago. We live in a fairly small apartment and there aren't many places these keys could be. I have a routine for putting all keys and coins, wallet and phone in the same place every day and there's a pot for anything else. However, the keys were nowhere to be found. I checked all pockets and bags and racked my mind back to the previous weekend when I had the keys to remember what I was wearing and track my movements. For some reason, I had a though of 'black' being next to them - so I checked my black trainers, to see if they've fallen in, checked my black satchel and still no joy. I was starting to think I'd dropped them...so I decided to sleep on it. This morning I woke, opened the dresser on autopilot, lifted up my black leather gloves and there were the keys! I'd removed my gloves from my pocket to put away in the dresser and my keys had obviously been entwined in some way.

Next time you are stressing yourself about something, make a mental note of it and before going to sleep - have a few moments to think, write it down so it's clear from the conscious mind and see what happens in the morning.

Integrity

STAYING TRUE

I talked with colleagues yesterday at work, about beliefs and the lengths people are willing to go to, in order to uphold what they believe in and in some cases, taking extreme measures. My colleagues had strong opinions and their own beliefs - some of them conflicting with my own and I witnessed first-hand that having strong opinions about what you 'believe' in, can make us a bit closed minded and alienate ourselves from others.

Beliefs are purely mindsets and they can be personal or part of a group, followed like trends - and appearing to change much like fashion styles do. I know I've had beliefs and opinions about things that I've completely changed my mind about over time. Looking back through history, you can observe how popular opinions and beliefs have changed...the world is not flat, as was strongly believed and the Earth does revolve around the sun.

We can create our beliefs by learning from teachers or taking on beliefs from following others - allowing them to 'set' in our minds without first assessing them for ourselves. We often adopt other people's beliefs as a way to fit within a group & society in general. But we need to make up our own minds to what is ultimately going to benefit us, yet remain flexible enough so we can adapt/adopt other and new trains of thought too.

What is really important?

Being in a quiet place gives me plenty of time to reason: what are these ideas, beliefs, opinions of mine - and do they matter? It allows time to reason that everyone has their own beliefs and they may not fit in with our own.

If you're reading this - you're probably, like me, already on a quest for knowledge and starting to think and reason for yourself. So, maybe take a bit of time today and think about what you truly 'believe in'. These strong beliefs and opinions, are they important? Are these your beliefs? Are you following to fit in, or are you being force-fed ideas from peers and other outside influences. If you find you're beliefs are being set in stone because you're caught up in a group mentality, ie. your family, partner & friends are pushing beliefs on to you that are not your own, try and think about what they mean. Are they benefitting you or holding you back?  Chances are, they are holding you back from doing something great. It's within all of our power to change and I now factor this way of thinking into my daily early morning routine. Already, this has given me some positive results - plus, had a massive impact on how I interact with others and where I direct my focus for further improvements.

Sticking to your guns
Hans Berger carried on his research into brain wave analysis for 10 years before making good progress in his field of study. Even though he was for the most part, ridiculed for his beliefs by the rest of the science fraternity, he stayed true to his beliefs until he found answers which led to the discovery of alpha waves, developed the EEG (electroencephalography - a tool for measuring brain waves patterns), which in turn has been used for better understanding the workings of the brain. One particular field this has been used in - understanding sleep patterns

Sleep for success

Having these early starts - getting enough sleep is of paramount importance for improving performance. Understanding how our sleep patterns work and ways to improve sleep is something we should all learn about to optimise the time we spend sleeping. After all, a third of our life is spent in a sleeping state. Poor or lack of sleep will affect us and all those around us, halting us form achieving our life goals. 

Preparation Is Key

STAYING AHEAD OF THE GAME

I'm getting on track. I've got my early morning routine down. My diary has been updated with my exercise routine and my partner and I now also have a calendar with all our shared social events in, so we can plan the rest of our free time accordingly. I'm starting to run more on auto-pilot in the mornings. So this week I'm looking more closely at my financial situation. Not going out much at the moment or drinking alcohol, are definitely helping, but I've eaten out a few times last week and there were a couple of meals that could have been better for budget and performance. I had a fairly late night last week (10.30) and grabbed a subway for dinner. It was a tuna 6" with low cal mayo, so not really that unhealthy, but bread late isn't good for me plus it wasn't really enough food. If I'd just prepared a salad in my canteen at lunchtime for take away, I could have had a really healthy, light meal before going out, or eaten a portion of it earlier and finished the rest later on. The following night I ate a bigger plate of food, but again not ideal as it was a lot of food after 7pm, spicy and contained quite a bit of protein which takes more energy to digest. Both nights were consequently later because it took longer to get off to sleep and it wasn't the best quality rest needed to stay on top of things.

The Right Food For The Job
I live an active lifestyle. I'm up early, bed early and doing physical activity regularly throughout the day and I need to get the right foods in at the right times and best nutrition for the jobs in hand. I'll definitely come back to writing a more detailed food page at some point, but for now, here's a few pointers for the types of food I should have on-hand for nutrition, value and convenience.

My ethos, is to eat pretty much everything in moderation but I tend to avoid processed food, ready-meals and keep to eating a balance of simple and natural foods – fruit, veg and meat. Kind of like the cave man or Paleo diet.
Here's a few of the staple foods I've found to work for me and at certain times of the day:


Mornings
Aloe Vera – 5am
I always start my day with a 60ml shot of Aloe Vera, which helps to regulate my digestive system.

Lemon juice - 5.30am
Drink some hot water with squeeze lemon juice and honey for Vitamin C and good for keeping neutral Ph balance.

Banana - 5.30-7.30am
Great source of potassium - the riper ones will have more sugars and this is great if I need a bit of energy to get me in to work on the bike in the mornings.

Avocado - 6.30-7.30am & 6.30-730pm
These are a great food source that contain good fats and are pretty much a meal all in themselves. They are easy on the digestive system, so great first thing or before bed. Cut them in half, score crossways and diagonally. Add a little (quality) balsamic vinegar and eat straight out of the skin.

Eggs - 6.30-730am
I'll eat a bit more food in the morning if I'm training. Either I'll make scrambled eggs; - usually with a combination of tomatoes, spinach, broccoli and/or avocado. If I want to make the best use of time, I have two boiled eggs and eat an avocado straight out of the skin (see above). I bought a really nifty little device called the Princess egg timer and steamer - really great for making the perfect eggs and steaming fish or vegetables while you can get on with your work!

Fish - 6.30-7.30am & 6.30-7.30pm
Steamed fish goes well with eggs - I usually have this meal in the mornings if my dinner the night before has been quite light, or enjoy on weekends for brunch. Really sets me up if I've got a big day ahead. I'll also eat steamed fish with new potatoes and steamed broccoli/asparagus for dinner because I can have it ready within 20 minutes.


These are the foods I also eat - but not so much and only at certain times

Bread - 6.30am - 2.30pm
I usually go for one piece of toast with breakfast eggs a few times a week or I'll sometimes have bread with my larger breakfast on the weekends. Bread is a slow release energy source and so I try and keep it early in the day. It's also a carbohydrate and processed wheat so I only eat when I need it and stick to quality grains to avoid any stomach issues. My partner likely has a wheat or gluten intolerance because she suffers with discomfort when eating bread or pasta.

Pasta - 12.30 - 7.30
I don't have a problem with eating bread or pasta but it can bloat me or make me feel tired. Pasta is another good energy source but I tend to eat only in moderation and have more green vegetables instead as a source for my carbs.

Spicy meals - lunchtimes or Saturday early evening only
Spicy meals taste great but for me they can create acid and heat in the body. So provided I can drink lots of water and I'm not trying to sleep straight after, I'll eat curries and richly seasoned meals.

Sweets - lunchtimes or Saturday early evening only
I like chocolate occasionally and the odd sweets. I'll tend to have a couple of mouthfuls of a desert and that's enough. Having too much sugar makes me 'jittery' and I definitely avoid before bedtime.

Caffeine
Coffee and tea - 6am-3pm
I like the odd tea and coffee throughout the week - usually with a bit of milk, and half a sugar in coffee. I'll have a mocha on a Saturday morning to keep me going before a hearty brunch but try not to drink on an empty stomach or after lunchtime (unless it's decaf).

Cheese - 10.30am-7.30pm
Cheese is my chocolate. Cheese also goes well with my other favourite indulgence - biscuits!

Lunch & Evenings
Salad
I usually have a light but filling lunch most days to keep my energy levels up throughout the afternoon. Eating salads are a great way to stay lean. I'll have some protein with it like tuna, chicken or salmon.
The rest of the salad consists of:
– Leaf = spinach/rocket
– Tomatoes
– Potato salad
– Rice
– Peppers
– Cucumber
– Carrot
– Pulses and chickpeas
– Vegetables ie. green beans & broccoli


Meat - 12.30-3pm & 6.30-7.30
I'll stick to grilled or roast chicken (especially in the evenings) if I can but the occasional lamb, or quality cut of beef (good source of iron) won't hurt. I'll also have a beef stew as it's easier to digest when the meat's been tenderised. Stews are a great way to get a meal easily prepared that contains meat and vegetables. We make our own stews in the winter months - often weekly on a Sunday and it takes no more than 15 minutes to prepare. We have a slow cooker that cooks the stew throughout the night while you sleep, so ready when you wake. It makes 4 large meals plus a soup each for about £6-7. This means we have 3 meals for the week in the fridge - ready to heat up in the evening or take as a lunch to work.

Keeping It Light
It's winter - I believe it's not such a bad thing having a few extra pounds at this time of year - I call it my winter coat. It gets cold on the bike and, like on a sea lion - blubber can help keep out the cold and used for some energy reserves too. So I'm not going militant on my diet but I will say it's better to cut out where you can. I don't have any butter or spread on my toast any more but I will use butter for my scrambled eggs. I don't fry much food but when I do have a bit of pan-fry fish etc. I use minimum oil - the oil sprays are good. I avoid sauces and salad dressings except a little olive oil and balsamic. And I skip the gravy or avoid adding fat (melted butter etc.) to my carbs. If I want to add flavour, I'll sparingly add a little balsamic, piri-piri/tabasco (not in the evenings), sweet chilli or HP/ketchup sauce.

That's it for now - I'll add a page on food, their benefits etc. and some easy, nutritious recipes for the slow cooker to try at some point down the line. Tomorrow, I'll be looking at a couple of other things I'm also trying this week...

The First Milestone

ADJUSTING TO A NEW SLEEP PATTERN

I've managed to keep the 5am starts going for a whole week now! It was fine the first day, then the 2nd day I stayed a few minutes longer in bed quietly contemplating the day, the 3rd day was the same, I nearly fell back to sleep on day 4 and then day 5 onwards I've had a better way to get myself up and motivated.

The Key to getting up early:
– Bed early. Go to bed when you start to feel tired - I missed my slot a couple of days this week and struggled to get in...resulting in an even later time and less hours sleep
– Eat light. Eating a steak or or other types of meat, will generally take more energy to digest. So avoid anything heavy, start with a protein rich breakfast, have a substantial lunch and keep the evening meal plain/simpler, with fish, pulses and vegetables.
– Eat early. I try and eat before 7pm. I have a decent canteen at work, so this is easier for me to stick to, as like many people these days, working/travelling means I don't get home from work til after 7pm.
– DON'T have a snooze option. OK, so I nearly fell back to sleep on day 4 but having a sleep function gives your lazy voice the chance to kick in and convince you to stay in bed. Turn it off - remove the option for a snooze and you have to get up!
– Prepare yourself the night before. I tell myself that I'm getting up no matter what the voices tell me on waking. I have my list of things to do and everything at my work place ready in order before going to sleep.
– Use your inner drill sergeant. Mine says '1-2-3 UP!'
– Get a tight routine going. When the alarm goes, I first flood some oxygen into my body with 3 deep yoga breaths - then the voice kicks in and i'm up, into the kitchen to switch on the kettle, then bathroom, where I splash cold water in my face to wash the sleep out of my eyes, then back into the kitchen to have a 60ml shot of Aloe Vera, drink a glass of water and make a hot drink. I have my start routine down so I'm ready to go at 5.10.

The no drinking rule:
So this other rule also has a 1 week anniversary today. One of my best friends is having a 'wet the baby's head' tonight...in a pub of course. Whereas the girls get together and sew names on to baby grows, eat and drink maybe a glass of wine or two – it's traditional in the UK to get a few pints in - certainly that's the case in my circles. These are guys that like a drink (no food) and the same guys that rib me for my manliness - usually 'cos I'm in a brightly coloured jumper - and consequently, I'm usually the one ordering whiskey chasers by the end resulting in crashing on a sofa at someone's house and waking with a fuzzy head! So tonight will be a real test. It has to be zero alcohol - having one drink can slip into two, into three, 4
four, five...there never is a one - this is FACT. So I'll also want to avoid the caffeinated beverages and keep the sugar levels down too if I'm going to make 5am tomorrow. Not sure if I'll use the old antibiotics/medication cover story or be bold and come clean about my no-drinking rule. My sergeant major voice just chimed in - so I'll be bold!

The result of a week's no drinking and 5am starts...
I've been in a much more productive mood. The extra 3 hours in the morning are allowing me time to plan, organise and get down my ideas. I'm doing a 3hr session for myself when I'm at my optimum. Then the 8 hours at the office are more productive from the moment I arrive. I'm able to better react to situations where others are stressed - staying calm - responding with a smile, civil and forgiving attitude. I can see a clear path of actions by assessing the status quo morning and evening – writing this blog, I've taken ownership of my days rather than letting each one slip away – I've been able to lift my head and look around me to see what I'm normally oblivious to.

The first week has gone very well!
This is the fantastic view from my window last night...