Tidy Up. Exercise. Have something Yummy. This is not another complex morning routine! By keeping it simple and highly adaptable, I have been able to start each day with something that is good for me and prepares my home, body and mind for the day ahead.
Some ‘popular’ morning routines have many interesting demands. Depending on the hustle, some people are waking at 5 o’clock, doing intense exercise, cold plunges, crazy coffee recipes, multi ingredient shakes, expensive supplements, journal entries, affirmations, meditations, priority listings, connect the dot planning spreads… all before most people are out of bed.
Yes, there are some mornings that the cat decides to sit on your head because it is starving or the dog is giving you that stare which means it did something somewhere that has yet to be discovered, notifications are beeping, and/or family members are starting their day so there are no more excuses to stay in bed no matter how late you were awake the night before.
Being tired is a horrible way to start the day. Sometimes that cannot be helped but we all know that certain decisions made the night before should have been different. If that is the case, then the answer is to take 100% responsibility. Unplug, eat better food, drink better liquid, read something kinder to your heart, choose better boundaries for those who may demand your attention and give yourself enough time to let your body recover. No one else will do this for you.
While deciding to get up, give yourself a break before pre-determining the rest of your day. Assessing how you feel in those first few moments is NOT the way to know how your day will actually be. Allow the first block of time to be all about doing a few internal things to wake up and to prepare your mind and body for the external things that will come after.
If you can get rid of the alarm clock then great! If you need something else then try the sunrise lights which wake you up. You can play special music that makes you happy but sometimes silence is the most beautiful sound possible. Temperature is important too so if a cold floor awaits your toes, then have slippers and something to keep cozy around your shoulders for those first few minutes.
TIDY FIRST
It is healthy to be getting a little morning activity but I do not want the first thing to be going out for a run (I did that previously as a triathlete so I know all about it). The options now open to me are actually quite simple and beneficial too. Starting the day with getting my home in order is beautiful to me. I take a little time to do it everyday because it matters to me…
I make my bed. I put on comfy clothes. Put away my pj’s. (If your day clothes are too formal for the other steps detailed below, then maybe your pj’s stay on a little longer). Anything that was used during the evening prep is put away. I do try to have the big things done before going to bed so this is all rather quick.
If in the winter, then the fireplace gets lit. When it is still dark, then the candles are lit too. It is very cozy and definitely one of the benefits of living out in the forest.
Plants get watered. Dried dishes are put away in the cupboards. Shoes are ordered at the front entry. Laundry gets sorted. Maybe this all takes five minutes, while other days can extend to fifteen or so. The point is that I do it. I don’t wait for a better time of the day because that just will not happen. There are too many things that can pop up. Plus it is lovely to spend the rest of the day in a home which is already tidied.
EXERCISE
Maybe it is because I am over fifty or because I am an archer now, but I have lost that crazy desire to have a sweat session first thing each morning. Instead, I have a stretching routine which combines some ballet and gymnastics from previous decades and focuses on letting my body move gently in order to appreciate what it still can do. This single objective has transformed how easy it is to do some exercise everyday.
When trying to do too much, the desire quickly fades. Doing just a little and giving myself the option to add in extra time or movements, means that this is not a forced obligation. This is me taking care of me.
If something feels a little weird then I know about it that morning. If something is tracking poorly then I know it was not just about sleeping strangely, or about popping a pill and hoping for the best. I accept that sometimes more recovery is required or I need to research a new stretch for a particular issue. It is my responsibility to take care of my body. If I know how my body is doing each day, then it also allows me to plan out what kind of training I can do later. If there is an issue then I adapt. If everything feels good then I can shoot for three hours or go out and chop some wood.
In the winter, I do these stretches in front of the fireplace. Sometimes I have music or some binaural beats playing in the background. During the warmer seasons, I can stretch out on the grass and have the birds provide the sound track.
SOMETHING YUMMY
After the tidying and a little exercise, the last TEXY step is my coffee. Having something that feels like a hug inside is wonderful. Perhaps you enjoy something else, but I have a huge coffee with collagen protein, coconut oil, cinnamon and locally sourced 3% milk. I will sit on my stretching mat in front of the fire or out in the garden and simply enjoy the moment.
While competing, I have learned that ABC Breathing is key to my mental clarity, so I practise my ability to get that same feeling while having my coffee. Being able to create a peak performance zone is an ability which I do not take for granted. I know I must train it every day to be able to access it on the shooting line.
If I can have five minutes for my coffee and some breathing then I feel very grateful.
T (IDY) – EX (ERCISE) – Y (UMMY)
My TEXY morning is so simple that I cannot make a good enough excuse not to do it everyday. Extremes may work for some people so keep doing that if you want. Everyone is different. Just find something that works for you. Adapt the above steps and create your own morning, Question what makes you feel good and what helps you feel ready for the rest of the day? There are no morning police coming to tell you that something is wrong… just find something which gets you going. And remember that the night before needs a little attention too.
See what happens to the rest of your day if you start with a TEXY morning.
Kelea Quinn 