Morning Routines
Last week was my daughter’s spring break, and that meant a later wakeup time for me. Instead of getting up at 5 or 5:30, I was able to sleep until 6-6:30. But my general morning routine remained the same: get up, get ready for a run or the gym, work out, THEN relax with breakfast, tea, and blog reading. In this episode of Best of Both Worlds, Sarah and Laura talk about their morning routines (WHY is it so fun to hear what other people do???) Sarah’s routine was especially interesting to me- she gets up at 4:45 (ouch) and then spends an hour drinking coffee, eating a light breakfast, reading, looking at her planner for the day, doing a short meditation, and THEN she goes for a run. Now, I don’t get up and get right out the door. But everything I do is geared towards getting ready to work out. If it’s a running day, I feed the cats, use the bathroom, drink a glass of water with my vitamins, and then start a short mobility routine. It takes me about 40 minutes to get out the door. On gym days, I’ll get up at 5:30 (this is also when I wake my daughter up.) We don’t leave for school until 6:50, but I spend that time getting her breakfast and lunch ready, getting my work clothes, breakfast, and lunch packed up, getting dressed for the gym, and if I have extra time I’ll do a warm up, or start working out with light weights. I go to the gym after school dropoff, do my workout, and then stop at Starbucks on the way to work, where again I have a leisurely block of time to eat my breakfast (which is a homemade breakfast sandwich), drink tea, and read blogs. The point is, I definitely need time to relax before work- but it’s always AFTER I work out. Part of that is because I live in Florida, so earlier is always better for running. I think it’s also just years of habit- if I were sipping tea and reading before my workout, I would feel anxious, like I should be outside doing something. I’m wondering how many people start the morning with something relaxing, like reading, or coffee or tea, and how many people get up and get moving right away. Kids definitely dictate part of that- it’s hard to sit and meditate quietly when you’ve got kids to get off to school (although Sarah does it!). It’s gradually dawning on me that my daughter will be going to college in three years… which means 24 years of having kids as my first priority in the morning will be over. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m dreading it… I think. But I’m also feeling a cautious sense of freedom… you mean my life won’t always be like this? I can do whatever I want when I wake up? What? Will I become the type of person who reads and meditates first thing in the morning? I guess we’ll find out… Which type of morning routine do you follow? Or does it vary? Tom photo by NEOM on Unsplash