YOU READ THAT RIGHT. This is something I've done here before but I am SUPER excited about it because I have been majorly struggling with motivation for my own workouts lately, and as a fitness instructor myself I know that the best way to get back into it is with SUPPORT! Having friends to keep you accountable when you don't want to show up for yourself is important, and we've got a really great community here to tap into. So let's tap into it! I made a fitness calendar with simple challenges you can do daily to get back into the daily habit of sweating and building strength mentally and physically. Some are easier, some are harder, and all are do-able and modifiable for anyone who wants to participate. You can just do it for fun, but if you thrive on competition like me and you'd like a little extra motivation, you can track your points during the challenge. The three people will the highest point total at the end of the month will win prizes! But we'll cover that more later. 

First - this is just for fun. I'm no doctor (obvs), but I am a certified yoga instructor and reiki practitioner and have a lot of knowledge about the human body. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. 

Second - the prizes are also just for fun. You can absolutely participate publicly with no intention to win or just print out the calendar and challenge yourself at home, on your own. 

Third - If we all like this, and we have fun, maybe we can do a fun challenge each month! Can't wait to hear what you think. In the meantime, challenge details and printable calendar below. Enjoy! 

CHALLENGE RULES:
Give yourself 1 point per day when you complete the day's challenges and post them to your IG story or feed. You can achieve up to 30 total points by the end of the month if you complete the bonus challenge, too! Be sure to tag @good_saint + #goodsaintsweats so I can see your progress and you get credit, too.

The 3 people who complete the most challenges AND post about them using the correct tags will each WIN a 1 lb. container of organic, vegan Four Sigmatic Superfood Protein AND a ticket to Yoga at the Farm on 3/1 in Anaheim, CA.

This challenge was designed to be FUN - so please modify the moves as needed to support your body and your needs. Good luck + can't wait to see your posts!

A few months ago, I teased you guys and let you know I was working with a sleep coach. It was never something I thought I’d need to try - I’ve always fallen asleep quickly and been able to take a nap almost anywhere. It wasn’t until I got a little older that I started connecting the dots; the reason I can nap any time is because I rarely sleep through the night and wake up at least 4 or more times, tossing and turning, getting overheated, and of course trips to the bathroom! (Is it just me or do you also drink like 3x as much water at night?!) I worked with Reverie, an innovative leader in sleep technology for over fifteen years, to create a custom sleep plan to identify the factors that were keeping me up at night and how to fix them. 

I was nervous but excited - would it be worth in investment? Would I walk away with better sleep habits? Could my partner benefit, too? Before I give you a resounding YES - let’s talk about what Reverie Sleep Coach entails.

Reverie offers all kinds of products to help you get a better night’s rest, from mattresses to pillows and sheets, to one-on-one sleep guidance with a certified Sleep Coach. can go the more DIY route or consistent coaching route, depending on your sleep needs. You have the option to relearn sleep through curated and customer sleep tips delivered to your inbox once a week or work on your unique sleep needs with a Sleep Coach. My private sleep coach, Elise, and I met in two separate over-the-phone sessions after I finished the initial sleep quiz. The sleep quiz helped identify any issues I was experiencing, and Elise dove deeper into those problems to help me create a sleep plan to overcome them. She pointed out simple tactics to put into place to help alleviate waking up 4+ times a night, to stop that constant need to pee at 4 a.m. 

The Reverie Sleep Coach program gives personalized guidance, working with an advisory board of doctors, scientists, and psychologists to develop the most accurate, relevant information on how to sleep better - which means you are getting the most current data on sleeping your very best! Reverie Sleep Coach also equips consumers with knowledge that will help them understand the importance of sleep and the impact healthful sleep can have on everyday activities. For example, sleep is involved in the healing and repairing of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke to name a few. A large portion of the population makes do with six or less hours of sleep on average, but six hours of sleep a night puts your health at serious risk. We NEED to get more uninterrupted, quality sleep at night rather than continually playing catch up, which is something I learned from Elise! ​

Like I said earlier, my biggest sleep problems revolve around waking up throughout the night and shuffling to the bathroom in the dark. After chatting with Elise in my initial session, we set my first few goals as follows:

1.    Hot Shower or Bath Before Bed—This helps with overheating at night. I get hot often, even when I don’t wear that much, because I like to get way too cozy in the blankets. Elise shared that taking a hot shower before bed would help to cool my core body temperature naturally by drawing all the heat to the surface of my body. When you step out of the bath and begin to lose the heat, your body stays cooler for hours. Plus, you can always throw in extra lavender or Epsom salt to help your body relax!

2.    Cut Down on Liquids Before Bed—This helps minimize the amount of times I wake up to use the bathroom at night. I give myself at least an hour or two before bed to help give my body time to relax and prevent the nightly bathroom breaks.

3.    Consistent Bedtime—Creating a balance has helped my circadian rhythm get back to a regular cycle making it easier to get to sleep and stay asleep through the night. 

4.    Screen Time Cut-Off—I make sure to have at least an hour without any screen use before bed. Blue light from screens (big and small) messes with your brain's ability to fall into that natural sleep rhythm, so the earlier in the day you can ditch it, the better. 

5.    Charge Phone Away from Bed—I would wake up from random phone calls and late-night texts but charging my phone across the room prevents waking up from those notifications. Pro tip: when your phone is away from your bed, it forces you to wake up and get out of bed to turn off the alarm.

I noticed a big shift in my sleep quality after a few weeks of working on these goals on my own. I was sleeping more regularly through the night and removing my phone before and during bedtime also pleasantly forced me to spend more time with my books and my partner in the evenings. I did my best to cut down my liquids, but because I sometimes teach at night and end up chugging water, I still struggled with getting up for the bathroom at least a few nights a week. The best thing Elise has me try was the hot showers, which have been LIFE CHANGING! Not only do I sleep better and longer. I also stay far cooler throughout the night.

My second session was focused on my progress and more practices I could put into effect. This time my most significant remaining problems were my partner waking me up, waking up and not being able to fall back asleep, and forcing myself to stick to a regular bedtime. I talked with Alex about implementing some of the same things I’d been trying and that helped with his tossing and turning slightly. I think sleeping with a partner can be hard, especially when they’re on a different schedule, sick, or moving around more than usual. When I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. I started challenging myself to get up and be productive rather than just lying there. HUGE difference! My final challenge for our last session was getting on a consistent bedtime. I still struggle with that one. I work weird hours sometimes and my husband often works late, so I usually find my bedtime irregular but falling between about 10:30 p.m. and midnight. Other than that, my sleep has been SO MUCH BETTER! By forcing myself to sleep cooler and without my phone nearby, I found my restlessness ceasing and my sleep deeper than ever. My husband has benefitted too. He uses that hot shower trick almost every night after work. Reverie Sleep Coach helped me re-learn basics of quality sleep I forgot.

So back to those questions at the beginning of the post: would it be worth in investment? Would I walk away with better sleep habits? Could my partner benefit, too? YES - YES - and YES! I seriously cannot say enough great things about the ease of the service and depth of knowledge of the sleep coaches they have on staff. Plus, the price is pretty great, too! Reverie Sleep Coach Basic is $49 and provides 90 days of individualized tips delivered via email. Personalized 1:1 coaching packages start at $129 for two sessions. To learn more about Reverie’s Sleep Coach Service and find better sleep for yourself, visit http://www.reveriesleepcoach.com and start by taking the Sleep Quiz!