Morning routines are something that I have studied quite extensively over the past year or so and something that I have become quite passionate about. You may even say obsessed. It all started when I accidentally ran across this article called:
“10 Things You Should Do Every Morning Before 10 A.M.”
- Meditate – I could write an entire blog post about this. In fact I already did here!
- Reflect in gratitude – take a few minutes just to think in your head what you are grateful for. Don’t stress about this, that is not the point. It can be the same things every day. The point is just to be conscious of it.
- Set your daily intention – Again, this takes less than a minute. What are three things that you want to accomplish today? Make them realistic. Writing them down and checking them off when done helps tremendously.
- Pad your schedule – Make sure you have time out of your day to do something you enjoy the most. Visit with a friend. Take a walk in the park. Watch your favorite TV show. Read a Chapter in a book. I don’t include exercise in this one because I think that this should just be a part of your daily routine. Not everyone enjoys exercise, but everyone should do it.
- Hydrate – Drink a glass of water before you do anything. Thanks to Aubrey Marcus, I juice it up a bit. Keep reading.
- Stretch – there are tons of routines on youtube. Since I have been practicing yoga for over a decade, I prefer yoga. I’ll be soon writing about my experience in Rishikesh, India where I received my yoga teacher certification this past winter.
- Listen to music – I like to do this while making breakfast.
- Smile – Look in the mirror when shaving and brushing your teeth.
- Clean up after yourself – this one goes along with making your bed…keep reading.
- Do the hardest task first – the hardest thing to do, but usually the most gratifying. That’s usually how most things in life work isn’t it?
Pro Tip: Don’t get so hung up on the order of things as I did. Just start with a little bit at a time and you’ll eventually figure out what works best for you
I did these 10 things religiously for several weeks and noticed a big difference in my overall outlook on the day. But, I didn’t stop there.
Although I don’t do all ten of these things every morning, I do most of them plus quite a bit more. I have now somewhat perfected my own morning routine which includes information from the original article plus some new techniques from two of my favorite authors, biohackers and lifehackers, Tim Ferriss and Aubrey Marcus.
In the next three parts I will compare routines from these authors and give you an outline of what my current routine looks like.
Tim Ferriss
- Make your bed – check out this great video on why you should do this.
- 21 minutes of meditation – Why 21 minutes? One minute to get settled and 20 minutes of meditation. Any meditation is a game changer.
- A cup of strong tea – Tea or Coffee? You decide!
- 5-10 minutes of journaling – This is where I learned about Morning Pages, the cover photo of this blog post.
- Eat a small breakfast – According to most life hackers, the days of a big breakfast and the most important meal of the day are over.
- 20-90 minutes of exercise
Aubrey Marcus
- Hydrate – Morning Mineral Cocktail – blend 12 ounces of Spring (recommended) or filtered water, 3 grams of Himalayan Sea Salt, and 1/4 wedge of lemon juice
- Light Movement and sunlight – 24 (the number from his high school basketball jersey) burpees and 5 minutes in the sun
- Breathing exercises and cold shower – Aubrey likes to take a hot shower first and clean up, then does three straight minutes of cold while simultaneously doing the Wim Hoff breathing technique
- Breakfast or not – No carbs, no sugar, or even no breakfast. Aubrey is a fan of intermittent fasting.
- Listen to one of your favorite podcasts on the way to work – He also does this very quick version of meditation at stop lights.
- Check e-mails – Checking e-mails only one or twice a day is a big trend among many life hackers and other very successful people. I first heard about this in the Ferriss book The Four-Hour Work Week.
- Tea or coffee – Aubrey is a big fan of coffee mixed with grass fed butter
My Routine
- I immediately go to the blender and make the Aubrey Marcus Morning Mineral Cocktail – I add one cap of apple cider vinegar to mine to help with curb my appetite and a host of other reasons here. If the sun is out I’ll walk outside and walk around, preferably with no shirt and no shoes and sip on my morning beverage. Lately, I have been setting my alarm for 5:30 a.m. so the sun bath has to wait. If it is dark or bad weather, I head straight back to the bed for a minimum of 10 minutes of mediation. I use this video if I feel I need to be guided. If I feel like I want to meditate more, I’ll usually do another 10 minutes of Vipassana.
- Exercise – I alternate between doing 15 burpees or 50 push-ups plus a few minutes of yoga poses making sure to cover back bends, forward bends and twists.
- Cold shower – This one has really been the most difficult but the biggest game changer. Isn’t that the way life works out most of the time? I alternate each day between the Aubrey Marcus “Power Shower” and the contrast shower introduced to me by Ben Greenfield. After my shower, this is when I choose to brush my teeth and shave while the bathroom is still warm from the heater. I also make my coffee before going into the shower so that I have a piping hot beverage waiting and ready for me.
- Wim Hof breathing – three rounds, twenty five seconds each. I prefer to do this cross-legged back in my bed after my shower.
- Coffee – If you are experiencing any kind of anxiety for any reason in your life right now I highly recommend avoiding caffeine altogether. Bullet proof coffee was popularized by the very popular biohacker David Asprey. My preference these days is Reve Coffee Roasters Cajun Hostel blend coffee with a teaspoon of grass fed butter or ghee.
- Journaling – I am currently on the 12th of 12 weeks and page 238 of “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. This one takes me about 20 minutes each morning to write three pages and has also definitely been a game changer.
- Breakfast – Nine out of 10 mornings I have been eating the same breakfast. Two whole cage-free eggs fried in grass fed butter. Two strips of either turkey or regular bacon -UNCURED! A handful of kale or mustard greens cooked on very low heat with extra virgin olive oil. No carbs. The cooking time also gives me a chance to listen to my favorite music or podcast. Right now this is my favorite band and podcast.
Yum!
I make my bed (not always) and now I am ready to start my day!
PLEASE leave comments and ask questions. Also feel free to share.
Namaste,
Toby (Cajun Traveler)
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