by Henry Gould – Dec 17th, 2019

We all know that anxious feeling of going to bed for an early wake-up, and immediately calculating how much sleep you’ll get if you can just fall asleep right now.

Or there’s the dreaded “It’s-1:45am-and-I’m-still-at-the-bar-doing-shots-but-I-have-to-be-up-for-an-8:00am-meeting” kind of sleep calculations which we won’t even get into.

Sleep is a fascinating subject. From an evolutionary perspective, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense why we sleep. In theory, we’d be way more productive if we didn’t sleep, not to mention we expose ourselves to risk every time we close our eyes and doze off. Lots of people try to wear their lack of sleep as a badge of honor (“I only need 3 hours a night”) but they’re either lying to you, or lying to themselves.

Sleep is very, very important.

From this blog back in April, we talked about just how important it is to a healthy immune system (LINK). However, this recent studied published in Nature: Human Behaviour talks about the link between lack of sleep and anxiety. Unsurprisingly, the less sleep we get, the more anxious we become!

Obviously this can be tough, especially if one suffers from insomnia, as they will then feel anxious about not getting enough sleep, thus starting a feedback loop. I can’t sleep because I’m anxious, I’m anxious because I can’t sleep.

Many external factors can contribute to a bad sleep:

• Light
• Noise
• Temperature
• Pillow, Mattress, Bedding
• Injury, Pain
• Alcohol, Drugs, Medication
• Dehydration, Overhydration
• Diet

Take all these factors into account if you’ve been having trouble sleeping. Things like dimming lights an hour before bed, reducing screen time, wearing earplugs, adjusting the heat in your house, getting a good mattress, avoiding alcohol, these can all make a major difference.

Another often overlooked factor is stretching. When muscles are sore and tight, they can contribute to a bad sleep by causing restless tossing and turning, or just general soreness. Exercise is one of the best ways to stay healthy and thus get a better sleep, but remember to focus on stretching just as much.

From back in the early blogs days –> “Looking For A Better Sleep? Stretch Before Bed”

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by Henry Gould – Sept 20th, 2019

Positive thinking is more than just a catch phrase. Often times we doubt ourselves and our abilities, and we give up before we’ve really, truly pushed ourselves, or before we’ve exercised all potential options in front of us to achieve a goal. Whether this is at work, at home or at play, having a particular mindset established when you hope to complete a goal is a huge factor in whether you do it or not.

I’ll give a personal example: in the last 12 months I’ve been training every week with Ilan, Shawzo (and occasionally the godfather, Jeremy Martin @ Loaded Athletics) learning the ropes of olympic weightlifting. Outside of my 10+ years playing rugby, olympic weightlifting is the hardest physical activity I’ve ever done. Not only is it physically demanding, it is incredibly mentally demanding. For each lift (i.e. clean and jerk) you are working within a small threshold of the maximum weight you can physically lift, all the while thinking about correct form, posture, and above all else, trying not to drop 100kgs on your head.

Countless times Ilan or Shawzo has loaded the bar with a heavy amount of weight, and I fail. Usually, it’s because there was a creeping sense of doubt in my mind that I couldn’t do it. But, more often than not I will try again, and once I’ve taken a moment to regroup – perhaps also getting some encouraging words – I will eventually make the lift. I didn’t get stronger in between each lift, I just had to focus, think through everything, and trust that I could do it.

The power of positive thinking can transfer to any aspect of life, but is particularly interesting with physical pursuits. After all, professional athletes constantly rely on sports psychologists to help them get in a strong head space before a game or competition. Self doubt can be one of the most negative influences on an athlete, whereas positive thinking and visualization of winning can be the most powerful.

Below is an article about the Canadian World Junior Team, and the sport psychologist who worked with the team the entire tournament enroute to their Gold Medal win.

CBC: “How the mental skills needed to win hockey gold are used for all athletes”

We were also lucky enough to receive a great piece on the Power of Positive Belief (and the inspiration for this blog) by longtime Yard Athletics client and resident psychologist, Dr. Debbie Samsom. Debbie is running a marathon in a few weeks, and felt inspired to pen the below from her longtime hero, Terry Fox, whose annual run we celebrated on Sept 15th, 2019.

“The Terry Fox Run is happening all over the world this Sunday. This run has been an annual event since 1981, the year Terry died. That 1981 run was the first 10K I ever completed. I have been running ever since.

Terry is my hero. Every year as the Terry Fox Run approaches, I reflect upon his incredible fortitude, grit, and indomitable spirit. He ran a marathon a day for 143 days, with a prosthetic leg and in constant pain. He only stopped when cancer spread to his lungs, ultimately resulting in his death. How did he do it?  He achieved this because he believed he could. Simple as that. Belief is the most powerful tool that we have to help us accomplish our goals – physical or otherwise. 

I am running a marathon in a couple of weeks. I know it’s going to hurt (it always does). I know that with about 10K to go, negative thoughts will start entering my brain, telling me to stop running (Who cares if I walk? Why continue to suffer? ) I will fight these thoughts, and Terry will help me. It’s just one measly marathon. If Terry can do 143, I CAN DO THIS.  

So what do you believe you can achieve?  Not because it’s easy, or comes naturally to you, but because you are willing to dig deep and give it everything you’ve got.”  

“I just wish people would realize that anything is possible if you try; dreams are made possible if you try” – Terry Fox

The post The Power Of Belief appeared first on Yard Athletics.

by Yard Athletics – Sept 19th, 2019

By far one of the most exciting merch collaborations Yard Athletics has done to date. Available now in the gym are both new YARD branded Ciele running hats, as well as YARD branded Specialized water bottles.

Ciele started in Montreal over 5 years ago, and has since grown to become the hat for runners around the world. These hats have the YARD logo on the front with Ciele Athletics stitched on the side. Hats are all black.

Ilan demonstrating the squeeze capabilities of the new Specialized water bottles

We’ve also got new Specialized water bottles covered in the Yard Athletics bull logo. They’re squeezable, meaning getting a quick sip of water without taking the lid off is super easy. Given Specialized and their history with road biking, we figured they would know what’s up.

Ciele Hat – $44.99 +tax

Specialized Water Bottle – $19.99 +tax

#YARDHARD

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