Life Hack

Ok so we are a couple of blogs in now and with any luck you are understanding that my whole out look on life revolves around taking 100% responsibility for yourself, that means all your successes and failures, your ups, downs, highs and lows… YOU are the only creator of your future and if things are not looking the way you want them to look then YOU are going to have to be the one to do something about it.. YOU are going to have to become the Super Hero of your own life.

Over the past twelve months after a massive life overhaul I have honed 4 key areas that seem to enable me to function at the top of my game, no matter what life throws at me.

Hang on, lets just take a minute here to say that again…

NO MATTER WHAT LIFE THROWS AT ME

Because that is key right? There is ALWAYS going to be stuff, LIFE will always happen, kids will get sick, business will be slow, our heath may take a hit, the dog may run away etc etc. There will always be life and just because you have decided that NOW IS YOUR TIME and you are going to take some massive action to move forwards it doesn’t mean that the STUFF will just stop… in fact probably the very opposite will happen, the STUFF may get even worse!

These 4 LIFE HACKS are what are going to keep you moving forward and feeling as though you can handle the tough stuff without wanting to disappear under your duvet and quit adulting forever.  If you can get a handle on these 4 areas of your life it will set a foundation that is solid enough for you to build the future you imagine yourself living

So today we tackle Number 1..

SLEEP

“By sleeping more, in fact, we become more competent and in control of our lives.  It gives new meaning to the old canard of women sleeping our way to the top. Women have already broken glass ceilings in congress, space travel, sports, business and media- imagine what we can do when we’re fully awake”  Arianna Huffington, Thrive.

I used to think that unless I was flat out exhausted at all times i wasn’t working hard enough, that some how the ‘success gods’ would look down at my tired broken body one day and say YOU.. YOU are truly exhausted enough so YOU should get to live the life you want… NOT TRUE… in-fact i believe the opposite happens I just become more grumpy, less able to concentrate, get very emotional, can’t understand why everything feels so hard etc etc… Its not a productive way of being.

The reality is though having two small children, a business and a commitment to high levels of training at cross fit plus all the other ‘life admin’ that must happen sleep is often the first thing that goes, i just found i didn’t really have ‘time’ to sleep much..

So in a tearful pile of exhaustion one day in March I decided something had to change and it was bedtime!

I just decided to get involved with a bit of a routine around how my evening ends and committed to being in bed ready to sleep by 9.30pm on three nights of the week.  The important thing for me with the sleep thing is that the hours BEFORE midnight are the ones that really count.

One of the reasons I end up so exhausted is because I go 100 miles an hour all day, get the kids to bed and then get a second wind and get all caught up in working, doing coaching calls, catching up on admin, social media, occasionally getting far too carried away with prison break etc etc  whatever it may be it would take me ages to ‘calm down’ an be able to sleep and even then I would lie in bed with my head buzzing with all the things I still ‘have’ to do… sound familiar?

Life Hack number one is  PLAN YOUR SLEEP…

I now look at how my week is going to go on a Sunday night and I schedule in the 4 nights that will be ‘early’ nights.. on those nights the rules are

No caffeine after 6pm

Turn devices of an hour before I want to be asleep

Take a bath and put on P’js – My mum says wearing PJ’s is very important because it tells your brain its bedtime- not sure how true this is but I am going with it!

Listen to a guided meditation

Take two calcium and magnesium tablets with a pint of water.. this helps your muscles to recover whilst you sleep an the magnesium helps with sleep!

Spend 10 minutes ’emptying my brain’ of all the ‘to do’s’ on to a piece of paper and saying aloud- ‘its all ok I can handle this tomorrow,  tonight I am sleeping!”

Read for 20/30 minutes or until my eyes close and I hit myself in the head with a book

THATS IT… sounds simple doesnt it… IT TOOK ME THREE MONTHS to make this a habit and even now I have to work at it every day!

Sleep is our body and minds way of recovering from each day, its where we regenerate and gain the ability to navigate all the tasks ahead.  In my coaching sessions with clients I refer to it as your WARM UP for the next day.

So if you are the person hitting snooze 6 times each morning, if you wake up feeling as though there must be a mistake and it can’t possibly be morning yet, if you find you are tired throughout the day but struggle to get to sleep when you finally get to bed, you need this LIFE HACK…  It is just one, and it seems really simple but it makes a huge difference!

Stop treating yourself as an after thought, your health and your happiness are worth much more than that. Plan your sleep this week and give it everything you have got.. Go out there and RX SLEEPING!

And remember… you have got this, I promise

Charlotte xx

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Wonder woman can’t save you!

‘I used to want to save the world, to end war and bring peace to man kind.  But then i glimpsed the darkness that lives within their light.  I learnt that inside everyone of them there will always be both.  The choice each must make for them selves…..Something no hero will defeat’.

Wonder Woman

So I watched Wonder Woman, well I eventually watched almost all of Wonder Woman, I watched it in two go’s and even then I fell asleep during the second part of it.  Not because its a bad movie … It is a great movie (but then this blog is not a movie review so lets get past that bit!)

Anyway, I watched it and that line stood out for me over and above anything else. See I used to want to save the world, maybe not with a sword and a shield and some very fancy cuffs, but with social work (I didn't tell you i was also a social worker did I?)

I have literally spent the majority of my adult life wondering how I can rescue people around me.  However, just as Wonder Woman was missing the point, so was I.  People can not be saved, they have to want to save themselves.  I know this, Wonder Woman knows this, neither me or her are waiting around for someone to come along and make it all ok.  We are both taking action every day toward that which we believe we are called to achieve.

So why is it that so any people are wandering around waiting to be saved? Why are so many people just existing rather than fully living their lives?

The answer is…I have no real idea BUT what i do know is this.. You have to choose the LIGHT or the DARK, you have to pick a side.  The world is going to continue to go on around you, there will be challenges, horrible, scary things will always happen.

Wonder Woman thought if she killed Achillies then all the darkness would be gone from the world but that is not the case.  Just because you decide to kill your ‘achillies’ wether that is sabotaging your own health, not taking action on a business idea, not sharing your gift, pushing someone you love away, what ever it is that is that is your darkness, just because you decide to no longer let that be a part of your world and you decide to go in to battle with it to over come it it does not mean that all the other darkness in the world will be gone!

The other things will still exist… you have the power to save YOU and you alone.

Here’s your super power though. By choosing light , by choosing to take 100% responsibility for your life, for your health, your parenting, your business, your relationships, by becoming the super hero of you own life you shine so brightly that you will light the way for those around you that feel trapped inside their own darkness.

My last blog talked about super hero school, my message will always be that YOU are the Superhero of your own life but today I am asking you this… If you knew you could impact the world just by being the best version of YOU that you can be, would you take up the challenge?

In order to be the super hero of your own life your going to have to adopt some superhero tactics, now in our world this doesn’t mean putting on your cape and mask, it means becoming disciplined in the daily habits that will move you closer towards the best version of you.

SO

Get up early

Fill your mind with positive, motivating books and audios

Move your body

Fuel it with awesome food and high quality supplements

Tell people you love them

Be on purpose

And most of all be grateful, be thankful every minute of every day for what you have and you will invite in more.

I don’t know what the voice inside you is calling you to do but I do know this…. you have to get out of your own way, you have to step in to your greatness by taking on the daily habits that allow you to become your best, most heroic self…..Wonder Woman is not coming to save you!

The world needs YOUR LIGHT…

Follow the link below for Charlotte's Academy:

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The world needs more super hero’s!

Hi, I am Charlotte, I am a lifestyle coach, a CrossFit addict, a Mummy and the founder of ‘Super Hero Academy’ a coaching platform that enables women to take 100% responsibility of their Health and Happiness!

I am so grateful for this opportunity to share some of my thoughts with you guys over the next few days! A massive thanks to Mark for the opportunity to hijack his blog and to bring some of the principles of Super Hero Academy to you all..

So, Today is day one and I wanted to put this whole 100% responsibility thing in to context…….. Wouldn’t you agree that somewhere deep down inside you, given the current state of the world we live in, there is a small part of you praying for a team of lycra clad, freakishly strong, mind bogglingly smart superheroes to fly down to earth and clean up this awful mess we seem to have got ourselves in to?

From the horrific events in Manchester and London, to the political agendas, the recession, the cuts to services, the atrocities happening in countries all over the world every single day wouldn’t you agree that it would be far easier if  ‘THE SUPER HERO’S’  showed up to fix it all?

Around 6 months ago I was walking around a lake near my home in the High Peak, I was the only person there, I stopped to sit on a bench and found myself in floods of tears… I was sat looking at the most beautifully still and peaceful lake, the blue sky, the trees in the forrest, it was stunning and I was crying because despite the beauty of this planet there is so much fear , sadness, darkness and hatred.

I cried because I was overwhelmed by the enormity of things that I am powerless to do anything about.  I cried because I am only one person and how can I ever even begin to help make things any better? I cried because I know I have to do something… but sat on that bench at that lake I had no idea what on earth it was I am supposed to do.

So I asked…. out loud.. for the first time ever …there and then… amidst my tears I asked the universe, god, my spirit guide, my intuition, whoever the heck that may be listening to help me and to guide me… I asked the universe to ‘please just use me…. tell  me where to go, tell me what to do, tell me what to say and to whom…’  Gabby Bernstein, author and Spirit Junkie says that in any time of doubt and fear this prayer opens doors to infinite possibilities and as the months have unfolded I am beginning to believe she is right.

I founded Super Hero Academy shortly after this day and since then I have been working with some incredible women who are all putting in to practice the four principles, or ‘controlables’ that I believe help” them to deal with whatever life throws at them.

There is a huge emphasis on loosing the ‘victim mentality’ on developing leadership skills, and self awareness that enables you to handle the challenges faced by any person alive on this planet toady.

I call this … becoming an AWESOME HUMAN..

So whilst we all sit around wishing that the Super Hero’s would hurry up, the reality is THEY ARE ALREADY HERE.. most just don’t know it!

You see YOU have the ability to make a difference, YOU have the ability to make an impact, to create a ripple that will in turn create a tidal wave of change.. but first you have to realise that for that to happen you must be ok with stepping in to your super power!

Sign up on the link below:

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