3-2-1: Staying Consistent, Getting Better Sleep, and Eliminating Hurry

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Read time: 5 minutes

Welcome to One Day Out, a weekly newsletter to help deepen your faith, enhance your health, and guide you in pursuing a purpose-filled life.

Today’s Snapshot:

• 3 actionable tips to help stay more consistent

• 2 easy ways to get better sleep

• 1 Bible verse that will help you have more calmness of mind and eliminate hurry from your life

Opening Prayer

Lord, thank you that we live in a country where we can openly worship you and profess our faith. I pray that you help me love others as Christ did and be salt and light in this world. Lord, I pray for peace and safety for our nation and that the leaders in positions of power will do what is best for the people according to Your will. Help us to remember that Christ is king no matter what.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

3 Tips to Stay More Consistent

Your consistent efforts are meaningful and make a difference. Stand firm and give your best to whatever God has called you to.

Here are 3 actionable tips you can apply to your life to stay more consistent whether it be reading your Bible, learning the guitar, exercising, strengthening relationships, and more:

1. Develop a Sustainable Plan

I believe that one of the reasons people struggle to stay consistent (myself included) is due to a lack of planning. Whether it be growing in my faith, taking care of my health, advancing in business, etc. it is usually because I am not being intentional with my planning.

On the contrary, when I commit to a sustainable plan— key word sustainable— I find it easier to stay consistent.

If reading your Bible is something you have struggled to stay consistent with, here is an example of how to build a sustainable plan:

• Choose a time and place where you are going to study each day.

• Commit to a time rather than an amount of Scripture to read— that way you don’t just breeze through it and instead go deep on what the Holy Spirit is illuminating. If 10 minutes is sustainable, start with that. Once it becomes easy, increase the time each day.

The same thing applies to fitness, business, relationships, etc. Do what is sustainable and build off of the momentum you are building.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

2. Track Your Progress

What gets measured gets managed.

This could be as simple as writing down a daily checklist on a calendar and writing a big check mark on days where you stayed consistent. Or, you can write things in a journal, on an Excel sheet, or whatever works for you and track different variables.

If you are tracking your progress toward losing body fat, for example, you could use the following as a daily log:

• Weight:

• Daily steps:

• Workout/activity details (sets, reps, weight, etc.):

• Hours of sleep:

• Calories and macros:

Then, you could make tracking a habit by writing it all down after dinner. This concept, which I learned from James Clear’s Atomic Habits, has helped me a ton.

3. Find an Accountability Partner

Find someone you trust who can encourage and gently challenge you. It could be a friend, a family member, or even a mentor who is invested in your growth. Share your goals with them and set up regular check-ins.

A friend of mine and I have been using the SquadUp App to hold each other accountable to journal each day. This is a great tool to help with accountability regardless of what habit you are trying to build consistency with.

2 Tips to Improve Your Sleep

Sleep is the biggest performance enhancer we can do. It is far more impactful than any supplement we can take.

I can tell that I am not as pleasant to be around, I don’t have as much motivation, and the quality of everything I do suffers when I am not getting enough sleep.

Some obvious things you have likely heard that can help improve sleep are things like:

• Getting morning sunlight

• Not eating too close to bed

• Eliminating blue light close to bedtime

Here are two things you might not have thought of to implement and get better sleep:

1. Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique

This breathing method involves inhaling for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds. This helps slow down your heart rate and activates your body’s relaxation response, which can ease you into sleep faster. It’s especially useful if you’re someone who struggles with a racing mind at bedtime.

2. Incorporate a Drop in Core Body Temperature

As we sleep, our core body temperature will naturally dip. By taking a hot shower, bath, or getting in the sauna close to bedtime (about an hour before), your body will begin cooling itself down and will signal to the brain it’s time to rest. Isn’t it amazing how intentional God was when He created us that our bodies work this way?

1 Bible Verse for Calmness of Mind

This verse speaks to letting go of anxiety and hurry, bringing every concern to God in prayer.

I am guilty of letting my mind run wild and thinking about all of the things on my to-do list rather than being present in the moment.

This Bible verse is one of my all-time favorites and is a reminder that we should not be anxious or fearful because we have the Spirit of God in us that gives us peace of mind.

In a busy world, remember to slow down and give glory to God for all He has blessed you with.

Dommy’s Kitchen Recipe of the Week

Recipe:

• ½ cup of organic old-fashioned oats

• 2 scoops of Paleovalley Chocolate Bone Broth Protein (click here for a 20% discount!)

• 100g of raspberries

• ½ TBSP of cacao nibs

• 1 TBSP of unsweetened coconut flakes

• ½ TBSP of chia seeds

Calories: 497

Protein: 36g

Fat: 15g

Carbs: 61g

Check out the Upspace app for more workouts, recipes, and routines from me!

Closing Prayer

Father, help me to decrease so that you may increase. You are my rock, my stronghold, and my salvation. Help me to have a cheerful and grateful heart and live every day as a mission to grow Your Kingdom.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Know others who want to grow in their faith, optimize their health, and live a biblically sound life according to God’s word? Share this and let’s grow His Kingdom!

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