Establishing routines, especially in the morning can be a challenge and can vary from person to person according to their personality. Let’s face it, routines can be a pain in the arse but the reality is they can do a lot of good to help make room in our lives for other things.
Many of us have busy lives and sometimes we feel like we spend the rest of the day playing ‘catch up’. This can leave us stressed so having a morning routine is a good way to bring you peace and give the rest of the day purpose.
What’s important is having your own routine because everyone’s different. So I thought it might be helpful to share my routine – not because it’s the only way to start a day, but rather because it may help you consider what your routine could look like. So don’t throw away that alarm clock just yet!
No more Groundhog Days.
My Routine
It’s taken a lot of experimentation but this seems to work with getting my two young boys up, fed, dressed and ready for school.
1. Wake up
The alarm goes off at 6am and the first thing I do is go to a quiet room to meditate for 1 hour. This helps me get in the right frame of mind to start the day.
2. Stretches
At 7am I do ten yoga sun salutations which I find stretches every part of my body and helps maintain flexibility and warms up the body. This is important for the next step.
3. Cold shower
Yes, you read right! What a nutter you’re thinking. The body is warmed up enough from the stretching to be able to face a fast and vigorous, cold(ish) shower. This is the crème dela crème to an instant wake up call! This will ‘shake off the ghosts’.
4. Breakfast
Time to prepare the boys’ school snacks and get them up for breakfast, dressed and ready to go to school. I have about 45 mins for this. I don’t leave the house without having my fairly strong black espresso. Another way to ‘shake off the ghosts’.
If I’m feeling run down or want to detox I follow a 3-day herbal tea cycle to cleanse lungs, liver then kidneys, repeating the cycle in this order. The herbal tea for detoxing the lungs was a relief whilst I was getting over my pneumonia.
Click on the title below for more information on these herbal teas:Picachu Queen Infusions
5. Morning run or walk
After dropping the boys off at school at 8.30am I then focus on my mindful run which could be 30-45 minutes, observing my breath and being aware of my environment and thoughts that pass. These runs are along coastal trails with winding tracks and undulating hills. I often include a run up to the top of my favourite volcano, Picachu and pause briefly to reflect on some ideas that spontaneously arise for this blog.
6. Smoothie time
Return home for a quick shower and then a veggie/fruit smoothie. I prefer to drink them after exercise as I prefer a light stomach for running and these smoothies can be a filler!
Start with a neutral alkaline base. In winter: apple or pear. In summer: watermelon or melon. Always add some lemon juice to aid in absorbing calcium and to delay the oxidation of the fresh ingredients.
Click on the title below for more details and benefits of smoothies.
7. Jobs
This is where mind and body should be focused and ready to do the activities planned for the day. This might involve checking those e-mails, writing a blog post, preparing a delicious meal, studying or making bits and pieces out of recycled wood…