For the last six months,

I’ve completely changed the way I work out.

I used to be a late-night exerciser.

Running in the dark.

Doing squat jumps in the mud.

Head torch on.

Now, I’ve done a full 180.

I work out in the morning.

And the biggest reason is simple:

I sleep better.

One of the biggest contributors to a good night’s sleep is a low resting heart rate.

Two things I’ve found naturally raise it?

Eating late. And working out late.

It makes sense when you think about it.

If your body is busy digesting food, it is still working.

It is using energy. Your heart rate stays higher.

The same thing happens with late exercise.

Your body is still switched on.

Have you ever tried to fall asleep when you are stressed?

Lying in bed, feeling your heartbeat like a drum?

Exactly.

Your body might be in bed. But it is far from ready for sleep.

So, two simple things are within our control if we want better sleep.

1) Work out earlier.

2) Bring your last meal forward as much as you can.

Alongside these little experiments, I’ve noticed something else.

My phone has been coming with me to every workout.

My routine is simple:

Wake up, shoes on, and out for a run.

But first, I stop at my local coffee shop.

And while I’m waiting for it to brew, I answer emails, check the news, reply to friends, scroll.

All before the day has even properly begun.

Then I run.

And while I run, I listen to a podcast. Sometimes an audiobook.

Always something useful. Something productive. Something educational.

Something.

But this morning, something different happened.

I left my phone at home.

I forgot to charge it the night before.

And it was bliss.

No one could get hold of me. No notifications halfway through my run.

No calls. No pings. No music.

Just me, my thoughts, and the sound of my feet hitting the ground.

It made me realise how much of modern life is driven by this constant fear of missing out.

What information am I missing?

What should I be catching up on?

What else could I fit into my day?

What more could I learn?

But oddly enough, when you step away from that need, something shifts.

You create space.

Space for your own thoughts to rise to the surface.

Space to hear yourself again.

Space to simply be.

I am someone who loves information.

I hoover it up like a Dyson.

Podcasts, books, ideas, conversations, lessons.

Because to be interesting, you have to stay interested.

And I do love all of it.

But even good input becomes noise when there is too much of it.

In the last six months, I would say today has been my most productive day.

And one of my happiest, too.

Claude Debussy once said, “Music is the space between the notes.”

I think life can be like that, too.

Not everything meaningful comes from adding more.

Sometimes it comes from removing the noise.

Less noise.

Less input.

Less rushing.

More space.

So here’s something to try.

The next time you go for a walk, a morning run, do the school run, or even just head out for a coffee, leave your phone behind.

Just once.

And notice what returns when the noise does not get to you first.

Have a great week

Kia kaha & Love
Chris Xx