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A morning routine will set you up for the day and if you do it right, you’ll be alright. For different people that routine may look different. It could be a regular 10 minute routine or it could take 1 hour. Depending upon what works well for you. Aim to develop something you could stick to. Don’t beat yourself up over it if it doesn’t come off right away. Takes some time to build a regular habit. If you don’t achieve it on one day, just jump back on it for the next. But developing one will keep you fit and healthy.

What could your routine look like?

  1. Have a drink (Water or Keto//OS or other)
  2. Shower (cold preferably)
  3. Stretch/Move/Meditate (depending upon preference)
  4. Breakfast (optional depending upon your day set up)
  5. Music (get in the right frame of mind)

Why?

Having regularity in your routine takes away one potentially stressful part of your day. You don’t use mental energy concerning yourself with it, allowing you to focus your mental energy on the most important things. Perhaps why having a uniform can be beneficial?  When you don’t have to think about what to do, it can positively impact on your mental and physical well-being for the day.

It can be extremely beneficial to have a regular wake up time, even on weekends…What time does this look like for you? Some people this is 5:00am and others it’s 8:00am. This depends on when you do your best work, your family and life circumstances (if you need to get up and run through your routine before children wake for example) and your sleep time. Aim to get get 7-8 hours sleep, so if 5:00am is your wake up time, aim to be in bed and asleep by 9:00-10:00pm.

It’s all relative. Some people are surprised when I say that I wake up at 5:00am each morning even on weekends (except for the odd sleep in to 7:00am after a weekend event), but at the same time. I have found my best work is done early in the morning as when I have tried to do any decent work at 10:00pm it will take me three times as long and I end up staring into space. I just accepted I prefer mornings and plan as such. Your best “work” can refer to your best personal function or your occupation. “Work” is a metaphor for whatever it is that you plan to do in the day or weekend.

Just consider when you do your best work and plan your wake routine around this…

 

What does my routine look like?

  1. Prepare a drink (2 mins) – This will either be a large glass of water OR a prepare a drink of Keto//OS if I am not having breakfast and will exercise within about an hour’s time.
  2. Check my diary (2-3 mins)  – That was prepared from the night before to start to mentally prepare for the day.
  3. Shower (5 mins) – Generally here it will be a cold shower for 3-5 mins. There are many benefits to a cold shower such as reducing body inflammation, increasing alertness and mental clarity, can help stimulate weight loss, improve recovery and decrease stress. I find it invigorating, even if it was a little scary the first few times when I was about to jump in. I do, practice 2 mins of a Wim Hof style breathing before jumping in. (ask for more information on this – I find it meditative)
  4. Stretch/Move (5-7 mins) – I prefer to stretch/move after the shower, some people prefer to do this beforehand. I find it works better for me after feeling invigorated from a cold shower. It will generally involve running through a series of 3-5 stretches to give me a feeling of looseness and mobility.
  5. Breakfast (15 mins) – This will depend what my day looks like. If I am training later in the day I will normally have a breakfast combining some protein, good fats, some vegetables and sometimes carbs. This took me a little while to change my breakfast after growing up on cereals. There’s no real reason we can’t choose what many may consider “lunch/dinner food” for breakfast. What we eat at breakfast is normally determined by our culture and how we grew up.
  6. Music (7 mins) – After I’ve gotten dressed and jumped in the car to drive to my destination . I will throw on a playlist of music. (Or just throw it on at home if I’m not travelling) Found here. The playlist will be 2-3 songs that will fire me up and provoke thought for the day.

Following this, I will either have a exercise session in the morning then get work or get straight to working and exercise later in the day.

Find the routine that works for you from the above steps. For me, it takes 20-30 minutes. Build consistency and watch what happens, choose the appropriate above steps and let us know how you go!

 

Aaron King

Exercise Physiologist

Fit Clinic