A Stress-Free Approach to a Productive and Enjoyable Morning Routine (Breather Episode with Brad)

There’s no doubt that having healthy, productive morning habits is good for you. Having the “perfect” morning routine is often touted as a great solution to so many problems, the clear, unobstructed pathway to a better life: all you have to do is wake up, meditate for 22 minutes, have your wheatgrass shot and make your superfood smoothie (10 minutes), get dressed and ready for your day (15 minutes), then write in your gratitude journal for 7 minutes, then you’re out the door with 5 minutes to spare and ready to conquer the world!  

OK, so we can agree that all that is a little stressful, right? Especially with social media these days! It can be overwhelming when you’re scrolling through Instagram and you see someone detailing their very specific, impressive, fancy morning routine, and you’re like wait – what? Should I be adding some of that into my coffee? What else am I missing out on? The answer is nothing.... While some people may thrive off having a perfectly regimented, planned out schedule where every 3 minutes is dotted in, the most important component of a good morning routine is that it includes what works specifically for you. A good morning routine means something different for everyone, but, if you want to get inspiration from a seriously impressive one, then check out my show with Dave Kobrine – The Morning Routine King, who starts his day at 4am with a two-hour meditation!  

It’s no secret that I love a cold plunge, and it’s my favorite way to start the day, but if that doesn’t seem like it could be your thing, at least check out the video I made giving you the brief low down on the benefits, which are impressive and may tempt you into taking the plunge: our hormonal/nervous system responds to brief cold-water exposure with a reset effect that energizes your body at the cellular level, boosting your immune function and stimulating a spike in adaptive hormones like testosterone. 

The most important takeaway is that your routine consists of proactive, deliberate behaviors that you repeat day after day until it becomes habit. I have a morning flexibility/mobility ritual for injury prevention that I do every morning immediately after waking up, without fail. It’s become such an ingrained part of my morning that if I skip it for whatever reason, I have to loop back and complete the sequence of exercises or I feel off/out of sorts – the absence of this habit is noticeable, and that’s what it’s all about: you want these proactive, deliberate behaviors to become an ingrained part of your morning, as simple as brushing your teeth – it really is that simple. But it’s the repetition that will get you there - the key words are deliberate and proactive for a reason. And don’t forget to get sufficient sleep – after all, how are you supposed to have a productive morning if you don’t have any energy to run on? A good morning routine is important, so think about works for you, and work at implementing it every day, until it settles into the kind of habitual behavior that you don’t even need to think about anymore!

TIMESTAMPS:

Start the day with this routine. [[01:28]

Many sources have ideas they promote. You need to do your own thing. [04:40]

There are wonderful hormonal benefits for the cold therapy. [07:09]
Establish a routine of proactive, deliberate behavior that you repeat day after day.
[09:18]

Get sufficient sleep. [10:24]

Movement is number 2 on the list of routine suggestions. [14:13]

Exposure to cold is number three. [15:28]

Hydration is extremely important. [17:44]

What will be on your to-do list? [19:29]

Meditation or enjoying the family are important morning rituals. [21:50]