(Image: Lululemon)
I love bedtime. I love the ritual of winding down, getting clean (don't forget to floss those teeth!) and curling up in my cozy bed with a great book.
As a child I loved the bedtime ritual my parents created of reading me a story, tucking the covers in around me, kissing me on the cheek, and telling me they loved me. Sans the story, this cherished ritual continued until I got married and left home at 23.
As an adult, my wonderful husband has carried on this tradition and always takes the time to tuck me in, kiss me, and tell me he loves me (if he doesn't come to bed at the same time – I'm an early bird, he's a night owl).
I love sleep. But I've always been a light sleeper and have struggled with bouts of insomnia over the years.
However, as I've become more mindful my whole life has changed, and one of the benefits is kick-ass sleeps!
If sleeping was an Olympic sport, I'd win gold.
By practising sleep-supporting rituals I've been able to take my sleeping game to the max (and when I don't, I really feel the difference: the delayed and ungraceful dismount from bed, the inefficient groggy wandering around while my brain boots up, the increased likelihood of skipping my working, the muted tone set for the day).
Thanks to these sleep-supporting rituals, most mornings I bounce out of bed with jazz hands, ready to dance through the day. Although I do try to keep my early-morning enthusiasm to a minimum around my dear husband, who is not a morning person and likes his mornings slow and quiet.
I love to hear what experts have to say about sleep (check out my post featuring sleep crusaders Arianna Huffington and Brendan Brazier) so I can continue so improve my own sleep and find new ways to help my clients maximize the quality of theirs.
When I first heard Dr Natasha Turner, a sleep expert, naturopathic doctor and New York Times best-selling author of The Supercharged Hormone Diet, speak at a fitness conference last year I could barely sit still – she had so many sleep-related nuggets of wisdom to share! I immediately read all of her books.
I couldn't keep this knowledge to myself, and my excitement about her sleep tips turned into an interview and blog post for Lululemon.
Click here to read the full article, 5 surprising tips for a better sleep, at lululemon.com.