G. John Mullen
Since we’re getting ready for morning practices, I thought I would send this out now so you can start planning ahead.
- LewisP
About John (HE’S AN OHIO SWIMMER !!!):
I graduated with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California in 2011. Although I have worked in various settings, most of my experience has been in with sports (ranging from Professional to Master’s athletes). At USC, I was a research assistant and worked on projects about physical activity and type II diabetes in Hispanic boys and lung adaptations in swimmers. I also coached at Southern California Aquatic Club, the largest Master’s team in the United States and worked as a personal trainer. In 2010, I started writing extensively being featured inSwimming World Magazine, SwimmerMagazine, and the Journal of the International Society of Swim Coaches. At this time I started a website to help congregate information on swimming research, Swimming Science and am on the advisory board for the International Society of Swim Coaches. I am also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
I am originally from Centerville, Ohio. After graduating from Centerville High School in 2004, I attended Purdue University on a swimming scholarship and was an Academic All American Honorable Mention as well as a National qualifier. At Purdue, I helped manufacture a soy based clay pigeon, EcoDisc, which won numerous entrepreneurial accolades.
From sleep walking to sleep deprivation, I’ve tried it all. As a child, I was overactive which was present not only at day, but also at night. I would sleep walk every night, typically waking up in the recliner at our house, but sometimes even in our car!
My senior year in college I began manipulating my sleep to optimize productivity, who doesn’t want 100% productivity with minimal sleep? At the time, I was graduating from Purdue, swimming collegiately, starting a
business, and socializing with the best of them. The only problem is sleep got in the way of all this fun. It was at this time I started waking up earlier and earlier. These times of sleep deprivation forced me to research everything about waking up early.
With all this research and personal trails, I have tried it all, as minimal as 3-hours of sleep at night. Through all these sleep trials, I have found a few keys to becoming a morning person. Follow these tips to make early traffic, hyper children, or running laps around the park more bearable!
No LED Screens
Make sure at least 30 minutes before going to bed you put down the electronics, turn off the TV, close the laptop, and perform something relaxing. Whether this is preparing meals for the next day, stretching, or reading, stay away from the LED screens as they excite the pineal gland which regulates arousal. On a side note, take the TV out of the bedroom, trust me, and if you don’t understand why, you can always e-mail me for more explanation.
Cold Shower
Cold showers may sound horrible, but they serve two outstanding functions. First, they will increase the amount of brown adipose tissue (BAT) which is great at fat burning. Second, it will release melatonin an important hormone in circadian rhythm. Try one 30-60 minutes before bed.
Celery and Almond Butter
Many people wake up hungry and angry. A simple, healthy solution is to have almond butter and celery stick to curb the appetite and stabilize blood sugars throughout the night. This is shown to increase cell repair and prevent fatigue.
Dark Room
Once in bed, give yourself all the tools necessary to sleep. Too often will people toss and turn for hours instead of doing the intended function in bed…sleep. Make your room dark as possible, with the most comfortable level of pillows and covers to leave your body cool, but comfortable for a good night’s rest (I suggest 67-70 degree temperature for optimal body temperature).
Zeo Light
Every night I sleep with a
Zeo alarm clock and headband. This fancy device, records my sleep waves and wakes me up within 30 minutes of my desired wake-up time during peak brain levels to maximize arousal. Since using this product for the past year, I can honestly say waking up in the right sleep phase is essential for being a morning person.
Far Alarm
This is slightly cruel, but set your alarm away from your bed. Forcing yourself to get up to turn off the clock will prevent slapping the snooze button and get your butt off the bed.
Light Cues
Many of us have to wake up prior to the sun. This is unnatural and is one reason we are constantly fatigued. Our ancestors used light cues to spark arousal and luckily this is possible with
GoLights. These lights are typically for people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), but are a simple tool to give you a kick in the morning.
Reward Yourself
Lastly, give yourself something to look forward to in the morning. Whether it is
gourmet coffee, favorite podcast, heavy ropes, or eggs, find something to look forward to in the morning and do it! This reward will be greatly beneficial during the tough days, which everyone has!
