#5. Sleep Like a Baby
Of all the factors that go into your recovery from workouts, sleep is easily the most important. By upping your sleep game, you will up your triathlon game. That's because of the following important formula:
Workout Stress + Recovery = Improvement
Without adequate recovery, you will not improve, no matter how consistently you are executing great workouts. This summer, be the recovery king by sleeping better.
Here's how:
- Get as much sleep as you can. You can try and convince yourself that you can "get by with five to six hours a night" and maybe you can. But if you are getting by on five to six hours, you'd be racing better on six to seven, and even better on seven to eight. Within the realistic confines of your life, get as much as you can. Of course, you have responsibilities that you just cannot avoid and that take up time. But maybe you could watch a bit less TV or simplify some aspect of your life and get to bed a half hour earlier. With sleep, every little bit helps and more is better.
- Keep a consistent bedtime. Make winding down in the evening and going to bed at a regular time a habit. This helps foster the deepest possible sleep.
- Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet. Heat, light and noise can all disrupt your sleep.
- Use your bedroom only for sleeping. No working on your laptop, paying bills, etc. This way, when you go to bed at night, you associate your bedroom as only the place to get a good night's sleep.
There you go—five things you can do right now to blast the competition. Now get after it!
More: 10 Lifestyle Factors That Affect Training
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