Sleepless in Alaska

STORY

Before you say anything, I know I’m a day late sending out this week’s Unmasked. I’ll apologize once and leave it at that, because the topic I originally planned needed a bit more time to flesh out. Besides, today’s message hits a lot closer to home for me right now.

Last week, I finally took my first real vacation in a long time and headed up to Alaska to visit my girlfriend’s family. No bears or fishing adventures this time (maybe next trip), but I did see plenty of moose; including a mama and her two babies who decided to dash across the highway, nearly taking out a Jeep right in front of us. Luckily, they all made it across safely and are hopefully off somewhere living their best moose lives.

But back to the point. The trip included lots of travel (turns out Alaska is massive) and not so much sleep. Between bouncing around to visit people and trying to pack in some sightseeing, sleep quickly fell to the bottom of the list. By day three, it caught up to me; I had zero drive to train, barely moved my body, and felt like I was running on backup generators. Don’t get me wrong, it was an incredible trip with great people, amazing company, and a destination I’ve always wanted to see. Still, it was a solid reminder that sleep is critical. Whether you’re working to sharpen your skills, build strength and muscle, protect your health, or just operate at your best.

In less than a month, I’ll be stepping onto the mats for my first Jiu Jitsu tournament. Thankfully, I’ve been making steady progress in all the key areas: skill, strength, power, mobility, and my gas tank. But this past week was a sharp nudge that even a short stretch of poor sleep can throw a wrench into all of that.

So what’s the point here? Even just one to two weeks of not getting enough sleep can take a bigger toll on you than you might think. Mentally, you’ll notice slower thinking, foggy memory, and a dip in your ability to learn, focus, and react quickly. Your mood and emotional control can take a hit too; meaning you might feel more irritable or stressed over little things.

Physically, it’s the same story. Short sleep chips away at your strength, power, and endurance, and it also slows down your recovery, raising your risk of injury. What’s sneaky is that your brain adjusts to feeling tired… so you think you’re doing fine, even as your actual performance keeps dropping. It’s like running on low battery without realizing just how close you are to shutting down.

EXERCISE

The elevated front-foot lunge is a lunge variation where your front foot is placed on a small platform (like a weight plate or low step, usually 2–4 inches high). This slight elevation increases the range of motion and shifts emphasis to the quads and glutes.

Quick Breakdown:

Why It Matters:

-Greater depth & stretch: Allows the back knee to travel lower, increasing hip flexor stretch and front leg loading.

-More quad & glute activation: The extra range demands more work from the front leg.

-Improves balance & single-leg stability: Similar to split squats, but with a slightly different loading angle.

Just a small tweak to the traditional lunge that gives you a deeper, more targeted leg and glute challenge. It’s great for athletes looking to build unilateral strength and stability.

FOODS

Those deep blues, purples, and blacks come from anthocyanins, powerful plant compounds (a type of flavonoid) that give these fruits their rich color.

-High in antioxidants: Help fight oxidative stress and inflammation, supporting heart & brain health.

-Support blood flow & lower blood pressure: Anthocyanins can improve circulation and keep blood vessels healthy.

-May boost memory & protect the brain: Studies link them to slower cognitive decline.

-Packed with vitamins & fiber: Especially vitamin C, vitamin K, and gut-friendly fiber.

In short, the darker the berry, the bigger the punch for your immune system, heart, brain, and recovery… plus they taste awesome!

MINDSET

It’s easy to shrug off sleep, especially when you’re busy chasing goals or squeezing every drop out of a trip. But your body and mind don’t run on hustle alone; they run on recovery. Treating sleep like a luxury instead of a necessity is a fast way to sabotage progress. This means recognizing that rest isn’t slacking; it’s an investment in showing up sharper, stronger, and more resilient tomorrow.

Thank you,

Stephen Holmes Founder, Linking Performance & The Weekly Standard