Cheating Sleep and Blue Collar Ben

🔎 In This Fit Tip Friday 

 Inside you'll find:

• Tip: Don’t cheat sleep

• Finds: The 83 year-old training with kettlebells (and more)

• Story: Blue collar Ben

• Quote: That’s where that saying came from…

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💤 Don’t cheat sleep

Sleep is an inescapable part of being human.

Cheating sleep by trying to burn the candle at both ends will eventually result in collapse. Sleep requires us to stop our anxious labors, close our eyes, and rest in the sovereignty of God (Psalm 127:1-2).

There are also innumerable health benefits of getting enough sleep, like muscle repair, increased energy throughout the day, and improved mental focus.

And here are some of the side effects of habitually not getting enough sleep:

• Weakened immunity

• Decreased concentration

• Mood changes

• Weight gain

• Lower libido

Sleep is a gift from God (Psalm 127:2), and one to be received with thanksgiving.

🔎 Finds This Week

Here are some of my favorite finds on sleep this week:

• Sleep is a desk in God’s school of humility and plays a role to heal, teach, give, and serve (more)

• Sleep latency is the time it takes you to fall asleep, and 10-20 minutes is the target for adults (more)

• Putting away your phone an hour or two before bed will help your bedtime routine (more)

• How many hours of sleep do infants, toddlers, children, teens, and adults need? (more)

Here are some of my other favorite fitness finds this week:

• This 83 year-old woman trains with kettlebells 2x a week to build muscle, stamina, and increase bone density (more)

• Treadmill desks increase energy expenditures and metabolic rates (more)

• This arm wrestling champion has Popeye-sized 19” forearms (more)

• Dan John’s Sparhawk workout has you doing just goblet squats and suitcase/farmer’s carries with a kettlebell (more)

🇺🇸 Blue Collar Ben

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston as the youngest of 17 children to a candle-maker, Josiah Franklin.

Josiah pulled Ben out of school at the age of 10 to help with the family business, but Ben despised the candle-making trade. At the age of 12 he opted to learn printing as an apprentice under one of his older brothers.

This trade proved invaluable for Ben. It allowed him to start his own business when he was just 22-years old. It allowed him to write creatively and publish his pieces. It gave him the financial means to launch into the public space when he sold his business at 42.

But his trade also kept him physically active and strong. Printing required long work days full of lifting, carrying, setting, and standing. He developed a muscular and barrel chested frame through his vocation.

Included Ben’s long list of interests, health and fitness was most certainly one. Here are some of the highlights of Ben’s fascination with fitness:

• While in London to buy materials for his printshop, he developed a reputation for being a great swimmer. At the request of some friends, Ben jumped in the Thames and swam from Chelsea to Blackfrair’s, which is a 3 and a half mile swim.

• He was known as the “Water-American” when working at a print shop in London for his refusal to drink beer during the day, instead opting for water. His co-workers’ mocking had little affect, as Ben’s sobriety allowed him to outwork them all.

• Later in life, part of his morning routine was to take a “cold bath”, where he would open all of the windows in his home to allow the cold morning air inside. This was the 18th century cold plunge.

• His diet focused on moderation and self-control… where he focused on eating lean meats like fish and turkey, along with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Oh, and he enjoyed walks, long jumping… and swinging weights. Imagine what Ben could have done with a kettlebell in his hand.

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I’ll see you next Friday.

Be strong,

Don

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