I have a set of stretches I’ve been doing every morning (or 95% of mornings) upon getting out of bed, for over 30 years. The only thing that’s different these days is that I have to go pee first.

After I walk the kids to school I just keep walking. Sometimes it’s ten minutes, sometimes it’s an hour. I come home with a clear head and ready to be productive.

It took about a decade to undo the conditioning I gained in college and grad school to wake up every day at noon. Now, ten years later in my early 40s, I’m able to wake up at 10 am.

I don’t know if it’s the best (what defines that?) but it’s what I do.

I wake up, my dog notices and jumps around in excitement. I greet him, pet him, then take my phone, do the daily NYT Mini Crossword and browse around for a few minutes while he lies down again, waiting patiently. I stand up, go pee, then I take my dog out for a walk. Afterwards I prepare my oatmeal, then prepare my dog’s food (it needs to soak a few minutes), go open all windows to get fresh air in, start the work computer and quickly check my mails, then we both eat our breakfast while I check my RSS feeds.

This one’s more for the ones with ADHD but I keep a drink bottle and my ritalin next to my bed. When my alarm goes off I take the ritalin and chug the water (or something like juice if I really need the novelty). I don’t have much of a chance of falling back asleep and wasting my morning after that and it means I can actually spend the morning doing whatever I need to. We’re in autumn here in Aus so I keep a blanket by the bed that I throw over myself for the walk to the bathroom in the morning because I’m such a wimp about the cold. Also, not morning, but morning related: I leave my wallet and outfit I want to wear tomorrow in the bathroom over night so it’s there when I go to shower in the morning, and I’ll sometimes prepare breakfast the night before, which both make my mornings so much easier.
I really struggle with functioning at the same times as most other people (DSPS) and I’m bad with time management so any little things like that help vastly.

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First thing in the morning I chug a tall glass of water. Somehow that’s actually made a healthy difference.

Love my current routine and it’s doing wonders for my health, both phisically and mentally (or at least I believe it is, it might be a placebo):

1. waking up every day at the same time
2. bathroom (toilet, teeth, washing face)
3. glass of water with a multivitamin and omega-3 (I’m vegan and this is so much easier than finding food that has all that)
4. playing with the cat (I have no coice in this, she says it must be so, it is, therefore, so)
5. ~15min of yoga
6. ~10min of meditation

And then it’s coffee and work time. I’ve been on this routine for about 2 years now and I feel amazing since starting with it.

Not eating breakfast. Seriously. Breakfast is to blame for a lot of obesity. The idea that breakfast is the most important meal of the day is an invention.

Sleeping later, instead of waking up early (not late, but 7 instead of 5:30) improved my health; sex every morning is the way we wake up (well, it’s the first thing I do, husband does like to wake earlier so he lets the dogs out and has coffee while I am sleeping still), for about 8 years now, that has been really great too.

So no alarm, wake later but not late, and sex.

Commuted to work by bicycle.

it’s a 10 minute ride.

flash forward 25 minute ride…just commuting

flash forward 45 minute ride…still just commuting

ended up at 1hr 25 minutes, then alternated with running in the winter & swimming on my lunch break in the summer (I was at a small university).

Turns out my brain is super gullible and is easily fooled by…my brain.