substitution

Some things, like sleep, have no substitute.

You might involuntarily have to sacrifice it for a season (like when you are a new parent or an overloaded college student), or you might willingly choose to get less of it in favor of prioritizing something else (like planet viewing until 2 AM! Or getting up at 4:15 for gym time before work! Hopefully not on the same night, though I split these two across back-to-back nights last weekend, and even that was rough).

But there isn’t a substitute. There’s nothing you can do instead of sleep that will have you feeling just as refreshed, healthy, alert, and capable. Not even caffeine. 🤣

I frequently go short on sleep to prioritize lifting in the morning, because my training is the best part of my day and it’s very important to me. There is no better way to start the day! Evening gym time just isn’t the same for me.

8-9 PM just feels like the EARLIEST I can go to bed, especially in summer when it’s still light out, even though I now have to get up at 4:15 AM due to my new work schedule and slightly longer commute.

So I’m aware of the sleep deficiency, and I feel it, but I often accept it in favor of my priorities. Then, when I take a morning off from the gym — like today — to give my sleep a boost and help my body recover and feel its best… I REALLY feel it. Flying high on 8-9 hours! It’s amazing!

Some things have no substitute.