July 30-day Challenge: Vitality

Knowing what it takes to live a healthy life is one thing. Leaping out of bed every morning with the energy to take on the day is another. I want to experience more of the latter.

June's 30-day challenge was a success. While the focus was on the Smart Notes process, the real benefit was rediscovering my joy of reading for pleasure. I would drop into the flow state each time and could have gone on for an hour without breaking focus.

Now, let's move on to my focus for July: vitality.

Like most people who have a large library of self-help books, I'm no stranger to knowing all the tips, tricks, and strategies for living a healthy life. But like most people who know these things, I don't always follow through and apply them.

It's time to make a concerted effort to kickstart a change, which is why this is perfect for a 30-day challenge.

Now, I can't force a particular output any more than someone can guarantee to lose 30 pounds in 30 days. However, I can focus on doing the right inputs that can hopefully lead to an increase in overall energy.

Without trying to overwhelm myself, optimizing sleep and workouts has the highest leverage. So, my focus for this month will be the following:

• Bed by 9:30 PM

• No food after 7:00 PM (disrupts getting to sleep)

• No alcohol (disrupts deep sleep)

• Limit one coffee a day (disrupts sleep)

• One workout/day (resets nervous system)

• One meditation/day (calms nervous system)

While this seems like a lot, it is all about giving the nervous system a solid reset while focusing on the best ingredients for a good night sleep. Over 30 days, I think this will give me the best shot at improving my energy levels.

One potential hurdle this month will be that my wife and I have multiple trips this month. I'll just have to be extra diligent during these periods of time, because it would be tempting to grab that 2nd coffee or stay up late.

That said, I'm committed to making this happen. Here's to another 30-day challenge!