Habits & routines

Rise And Shine

Rise at a consistent time - Waking up at the same time every day is crucial for our circadian rhythm. When your body is used to waking up at the same time you will find that you easily and naturally start waking at this time, even without an alarm. 

Get light - I like to use a sunrise alarm clock. This starts brightening up the room 30 minutes before my alarm is set to go off. Light signals to the body that it's time to wake up. I will often wake up naturally from the light before my alarm goes off. However, when I do need an alarm I have the pleasant sound of birds chirping quietly to wake me. There is nothing worse than jolting awake from a violent noise. While artificial light is a start, it is not powerful enough to trigger the mechanisms that get the body going. Get outside or stand in a doorway or open window as soon as you can after waking. Spend at least 5 minutes letting your eyes and skin soak up the light photons.

Hydrate - Liquid is to the body what oil is to an engine. Keep your system lubricated so it can function properly. Make sure to consume at least 750ml of water within the first hour of waking, before touching caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic and can result in a loss off water. Herbal tea is great if you want a warm drink.

Warm up - In order to wake up we need to warm up by a few degrees. Get the heating on early, take deep breaths and move the body in order to stimulate blood flow, raising the body temperature. Cold exposure, whether from water or cold air, will trigger the body to start warming up.

Loosen up - Stiffness leads to pain, stress and distraction. Do some gentle stretches, yoga or exercises to warm up and stretch your muscles, improving blood flow and concentration. Regular movement throughout the day will prolong these effects.

Reduce Cortisol - Cortisol starts to rise in the morning to help get you going. Exercise, cold exposure and breathwork are great ways to stabilise cortisol, cortisol is the stress hormone. Cold exposure from cold air, a cold shower or an ice bath have the added befits of triggering feel good hormones like norepinephrine waking you up and making you feel ALIVE! The colder you go the quicker and stronger the benefits are activated.

Focus - Setting clear intentions and gratitude practices increase your focus and motivation. This can be done with journaling, priming or mediation. Quick priming exercises before any focused session will boost productivity. Breaking up focus session into 45 minutes with a 5 minute break will prolong focus and productivity throughout the day.   

Morning Smoothy  - While I often don’t have breakfast till 11 am, I always start my day with a morning smoothy. Full of nutrients it sets the stage for the foods you will crave for the rest of the day. My morning smoothy consists of; spinach, celery, cucumber, avocado, spirulina, beetroot, ginger and a scoop of Huel vanilla protein powder. Add apple to make it sweeter if not using a sweetened protein powder. (beetroot, ginger and spirulina are optional depending on your taste buds, these are extras I have added over time). See recipes for more details and options. 

Wind Down

Reduce Light - Once the sun has set its time to dim the lights. While artificial light isn’t powerful enough to get the body going, its more than enough to prevent melatonin release, the hormone responsible for sleep. We are particularly susceptible to blue light, emitted from screens. Avoid overhead lights, use as little light as you can get away with, use warm or even red light, use red light filters on screens. You can also get red light glasses to help as well. Avoid all screens for the last hour before bed.

No Calories - Stop consuming calories 3-4 hours before bed. Eating or drinking calories before bed will cause the digestive system to kick in, detracting from your body’s ability to repair during sleep. In larger quantities preventing sleep all together. Going for a walk, walm water (herbal tea, bath or sauna), and breathwork will increase blood flow and aid digestion. You don’t want to do strenuous exercise in the evening as it will wake you up.

Get Parasympathetic - A stimulated mind or body will keep you awake. Challenging work problems, exciting games & movies, heavy exercise, or a full bladder will all keep you up at night. Creating a wind down routine that stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, speeds up the process of getting to sleep and will improve the quality of your sleep. I have noticed that doing breathwork before bed improves my HRV in the morning. Breathwork, warm water, meditative exercises such as gentle yoga, journaling or mediation are great for this. Having an evening gratitude practice will relax the mind.

Cool Down - Just like how our body needs to warm up to wake up, we cool down as we fall asleep. You can speed up this process by making sure the room is no more than 18 degrees Celsius, exposure to warmth from a shower, bath, or sauna will trigger the body to start cooling down. The hotter you get the more time you will need to cool down after.

Cold, Dark & Quiet - As well as a cool room, make sure to make the room as dark and quiet as possible to reduce any stimulation for our senses.

Thrive Through The Day

Move regularly - Take every opportunity to move. When we sit with poor posture for a prolonged period of time it creates stress on the body. Sitting on the floor, using a standing desk, or sitting on an exercise ball will encourage regular movement. I am also conscious to get up and move, even if only for 2-5 minutes, every 45 minutes. Prolonged focus can also cause stress and tension in the body. Taking these short brakes to stretch and breath will improve your focus throughout the day, by decreasing tension and increasing oxygen throughout the body.         

Breath Properly - Nasal breathing increases oxygen uptake and nitric oxide in the blood. Our nasal passage acts as a filter for pathogens, allergens and dust, while humidifying the air. Nasal breathing can help with insomnia, prevent snoring and blocked noses. During periods of stress or intense focus, it is also common to take shallow quick breaths, this is a trigger for the fight or flight response and is stressful on the body. This is a benefit to taking regular breaks where you consciously take deep breaths to counteract poor breathing. It is wise to pay attention to your breath regularly, but especially in stressful moments. Long exhales and deep breaths will help to relax the nervous system.           

Fasting - Digestion is energy intensive and prevents our bodies from undergoing deep repair. After a period of time without food the body will start to create ketones from breaking down stored fat. Ketones are a phenomenal fuel sauce for the brain. I intermittent fast on a daily basis usually eating between 11-7, depending on what I’m doing that day. My brain feels much sharper before I eat. I do a 24-hour fast at least once a month to help cleanse the body. Also helping the body become more efficient at getting into ketosis, where you are creating ketones for fuel. Fasting will change your perspective on food and hunger. Be patient in the beginning as it can feel uncomfortable while your body is adapting.               

Diet - Avoid blood sugar spikes, refined carbs and difficult foods to digest. The combination of sugar and low fibre will cause peaks and crashes of energy. This combination is common in highly processed foods and sugary drinks. (artificial sweeteners are NOT a healthy alternative!) Refined starches, such as pasta or chips, and meat can leave you feeling lethargic. Stick to a wholefood plant-based diet where possible, and use meat sparingly as a luxury or treat. Fish is easier to digest than red meat or chicken and is a healthy option depending on the quantity, fish and where it is sauced. Larger fishes such as Tuna are poisonous in high doses due to mercury levels.            

Manage Caffeine - Caffeine can be a great tool for performance. However, if unproperly managed will lead to a racing unfocused mind, headaches and insomnia. Caffeine can stay in your system for up to 12 hours after consumption, depending on your metabolism and other factors. Having any caffeine in your system at night will affect the quality of your sleep. Use caffeine sparingly to avoid overstimulation or poor quality sleep. Make sure to stay well hydrated as caffeine is a diuretic. You can help prevent these symptoms by drinking plenty of water or herbal tea to stay hydrated, consuming caffeine after food to slow down digestion, and swapping your sauce of caffeine. Tea’s come in a variety of caffeine content. White tea has the lowest caffeine content, green tea in the middle, dark tea and Yerba Mate has the most. Certain tea’s like Pu’erh and Rooibos(caffeine free), are rich in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, helping to stay hydrated and providing many other health benefits.

Dopamine management - Dopamine is the molecule of more, it makes us feel good and chase more of what we like. When we experience a hit of dopamine, the amount of dopamine available drops, as the dopamine wears off we start to feel worse making us want to chase more. When Dopamine is overstimulated you can lose motivation and in extreme cases fall into depression while your body resets. Dopamine is very overstimulated in our modern environment, from high-sugar foods, caffeine, alcohol, screens, and video games, with social media being the worst culprit. Reducing excess stimulation where possible, and having periods of low stimulation, such as reading or walking, will help manage your mood and dopamine throughout the day.