Monthly Archives: November 2017

Get Moving In The Morning

Published November 30, 2017 | By shirleytwofeathers

“Movement is life.” First, on a sheer biological level, without movement, there truly is no life. If your lungs do not move, you can not breathe. If your heart does not move, it can not pump blood through your body. When the blood cells don’t move in your body, they can not carry the much needed oxygen. And the list goes on and on. Movement is what equips our amazing and highly complex bodies to operate. So, movement is life.

So, with that said, any person has the ability to do ten to fifteen minutes of light, moderate movement to start their day. And, this is not “going to the gym for 2 hours” type of exercise. This morning exercise routine is more of a “your body has been asleep for hopefully 7 hours and needs to be primed and stretched before being able to fully function for you through the day” type of exercise.

This is an exercise that requires no equipment. It can be done anywhere, inside or outside. It has a track record of thousands of years and shares much in common with yoga but many find it less difficult and you don’t have to get on the floor!

Qi Gong is an ancient Chinese health care system that integrates physical postures, breathing techniques and focused intention to open blockages in the body based on the same meridian system used in acupuncture. The movements are fairly easy to learn and allow access to everyone. To begin to benefit from Qi Gong you do not have to be fit, you don’t have to be flexible; you don’t even have to be able to stand up. The exercises can be modified for almost anyone with patience that wants to learn.

What is Qi Gong?

Qi Gong (qigong, chi kung, chi gung) is an ancient Chinese health care system that integrates physical postures, breathing techniques and focused intention. The word Qi Gong is made up of two Chinese words: Qi (chi) is pronounced chee and is usually translated to mean the life force or vital-energy that flows through all things in the universe. And, the second word, Gong, pronounced gung, means accomplishment, or skill that is cultivated through steady practice. So, put together, Qi Gong (Chi Kung) literally means “Life Energy Cultivation.”

It is a holistic system of coordinated body posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for health, spirituality, and martial arts training. With roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts, Qi Gong is traditionally viewed as a practice to cultivate and balance qi (life energy). Therefore, it is a system practiced for health maintenance, healing and increasing vitality.

According to Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian philosophy, Qi Gong allows access to higher realms of awareness, awakens one’s “true nature”, and helps develop human potential. This powerful system of exercise, has been practiced for centuries by millions of Chinese people, and is now practiced worldwide for recreation, exercise and relaxation, preventive medicine and self-healing, alternative medicine, meditation and self-cultivation, and training for martial arts.

Qi Gong practice typically involves moving meditation, coordinating slow flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and calm meditative state of mind. It is based on repetitions of very precise sets of movements, specifically designed to benefit health on many different levels. Some common Qi Gong movements include raising and lowering the arms, moving the head from side to side, and gently rubbing the ears, feet, and hands.

The Benefits of Qi Gong

Sometimes Qi Gong is called a moving meditation in which the mind and body are led to a state of balance and equilibrium also known as homeostasis. A Harvard medical publication said it should also be called “moving medication.” The advantages of improving strength, flexibility and balance are pretty obvious but the advantages of peace that comes from the moving flowing meditative aspect of Qi Gong is equally important.

When the body is in a state of balance all the systems work better.

Much of the tendency to this internal balance is happening all of the time totally out of our awareness. With very little conscious input from us, our bodies are working to keep us in a state of homeostasis, that is, everything just so. The fight-flight reaction vs. the relaxation response is an example of the body tending toward homeostasis.

But in our stressed out world many of us are living in a continuous state of stress without even being aware of it. Without practice the relaxation response doesn’t always occur. Qi Gong can help us return to homeostasis and the relaxation response.

In addition to our tendency to stress there is a second profound tendency to move less as we develop physical limitations. Often the two occur together but either alone can lead to a downward spiral.

The health benefits from Qi Gong comes about both by supporting the body’s natural tendency to return to balance and equilibrium and also gently yet profoundly creating strength, flexibility and balance in the muscles and joints through gentle flowing movements. This is the winning combination: body and mind. The physical and mental practice continuously supports the return to balance.

The Eight-brocade Exercise (Ba Duan Jin)

The Eight-brocade Exercise (Ba Duan Jin) is a simple sequence of movements, appropriate for almost anyone. Unlike more advanced Qi Gong practices, it can be learned from a book. The complete set of movements only takes five to ten minutes to do and helps to release blockages along all twelve meridians.

This 800-year old exercise, which the ancients likened to beautiful brocade, consists of eight sections, is very popular among the Chinese people. There are different postures such as sitting or standing; each section can be practiced on its own and each targets a specific organ or health need. The whole set of movements are fine and delicate with moderate intensity. The movements can vary greatly according to different schools of practice; the following is the most important and widely practiced protocol.

Prepare yourself by standing naturally with feet shoulder-width apart, and the hands hanging by both sides. Be calm, focused and let the body relax and the breathing natural.

Two Hands Hold up the Heavens

Raise both hands above the head with the palms facing upward, as if holding up the heavens. The eyes should follow the hands over the head. Stretch up on the toes and hold the posture for a few seconds before gently returning to the starting position. Inhale through the nose while bringing the arms up, and exhale through the mouth when bringing the arms down. Repeat the procedure six times.

This section is said to benefit the triple burner, which is the passage for water, nutrients and fluid throughout the body. This exercise activates the fluid flowing in it and ensures proper nourishment throughout the body.

Draw a bow like shooting a hawk

Separate the legs and bend the knees, with half-clenched fists in front of the chest. Draw the hands up and pull as if drawing a bow to the right; extend the limbs fully; then repeat on the left side. The eyes should follow the trajectory of the imaginary arrow at all times. Inhale through the nose while drawing the arms up, and exhale through the mouth when bringing the arms down. Repeat the whole procedure six times.

This section is said to benefit the lungs by expanding the chest and exercising the muscles of the upper body.

Separate Heaven and Earth

Standing naturally with arms bent at the elbows, let the palms face upwards and the fingertips touch each other. Raise the hands and turn the palms downwards; then draw the right hand up with the palm facing upward; the left hand moves downward with the palm facing down. When the arms are extended, straighten the legs. Exhale through the nose when both hands are in front of the chest, and inhale through the mouth when the arms are apart. Repeat the whole procedure six times.

This section is said to regulate the spleen and stomach by the lifting and lowering actions. It contributes to the ascending of spleen-qi and the descending of stomach-qi, thus promoting the digestive functions.

Wise Owl Gazes Backwards

Inhaling while slowly turning the head to the right side as far as possible, look back as much as possible, then exhale and return to the original position. Repeat on the left side as one complete procedure and repeat six times.

This section is said to benefit those with consumptive disease and injuries by enriching the essence and blood, calming the mind and promoting organ functioning.

Sway the Head and Shake the Tail

Prepare by squatting down halfway with feet apart and the palms on the thighs. Look down and lean the upper trunk forward, exhaling while swinging the head to the left and swinging the buttocks to the right; inhale while returning. Switch directions and repeat the cycle six times.

It is said that swaying the head can send down heart-fire while swinging the buttocks causes the kidney-yin to ascend to meet the heart-fire; it lets both organs mutually complement each other.

Two Hands Hold the Feet

Bend over slowly and touch your toes keeping the legs straight; keep the head up slightly. Then place the hands on the lower back and bend backward and stretch as far as you can. Inhale through the nose at the start of the bend and exhale through the mouth at the end. Repeat the whole procedure six times.

This section can reinforce the kidneys and strengthen the waist and the knees. The kidneys are the source of all energy in the body and are located near the waist; constant practice benefits the function of all the other organ systems as well.

Punch With Anger

Take a horse-riding posture; the hands are tightly clenched with palms facing upwards at waist level. Punch with the palm side downward and draw back with alternative arms; imagine pent-up anger being released through the punch. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth.

This section is said to strengthen the muscles of the whole body.

Bouncing on the Toes

Interlock the hands and put them behind the neck and extend the neck backward while the hands draw forward; stretch up on the toes and hold the posture for a few seconds before gently returning to the starting position. Exhale while lifting on both heels; inhale while returning.

This is a push upward from the toes with a small rocking motion on landing. The gentle shaking vibrations of this piece is said to “smooth out” the qi after practice of the preceding seven pieces. Repeat six times.

This section is said to enhance the protective qi and promote resistance. The Bladder Meridian, which governs the surface of the whole body, passes through the neck. The movements promote the smooth flow of protective qi and secure the striae on the body surface.

Sources:

Posted in Well Begun | Tagged Chi, Energy, Healing, Morning Routines | Leave a comment

Wake Up and Breathe

Published November 29, 2017 | By shirleytwofeathers

Stress is detrimental. But you already knew that! So why when you open your eyes in the morning to nothing but a dismal morning, does your stress only get heavier and deeper? You draw in a soothing breath, not realizing the benefits swirling about in that one inhalation.

What if you could tap into that energy and positivity upon waking?

Now, please don’t mistake simple breathing workouts as some new age mumbo jumbo, or even think that you should just ignore it because you already know how to breathe!

You know how to run, but can you run a marathon?

How Do Breathing Exercises Work?

Breathing fully and deeply stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) (source).

This system is for the mellow, steady-state activity going on in your body constantly. When the PNS is moderated, the blood vessels dilate, the GI tract is stimulated, nutrients are absorbed, and the fight-or-flight response is mitigated.

Thus, breathing exercises give you control over the parasympathetic nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve that works like an on/off switch (source).

These breathing exercises all have a basis in mediation and yoga and you will start to notice the focus on counting as you go through them.

Why is this important?

Well, focusing on something other than the day ahead is a great way to actually begin your day relaxed! A novel thought I know, but it works!

6 Breathing Exercises to Jumpstart Your Morning

Breathing exercises may sound like something from yoga class, but there are 6 exercises that can bring sunshine and warmth to every morning. These six morning breathing exercises are not only relaxing, they shake off any lingering remnants of sleep.

By doing this in the morning or whenever you are in a pinch for tranquility, you turn on the PNS, and regain control of your mind and body.

Wake up, breathe, and get ready to tackle the day ahead of you.

1. Simple Belly Breathing

This is considered one of the most basic types of breath work – perfect for beginners who want an introduction to these types of exercises. You may find that you know it from a yoga class you took months ago. It is very simple and not too intense.

Sit or lay comfortably on a flat surface, such as a yoga mat or on your bed. It doesn’t matter as long as your back is straight.
Place one hand over your stomach, just below the ribcage, with the bottom edge of your hand (the pinky) resting over the navel.
Place your second hand over your chest.
Inhale deeply through the nostrils, trying expand the space beneath the bottom hand first. Your chest should not lift or expand in any way.
Breathe out through your mouth. Purse your lips. Gently use the hand on your stomach to guide the abdominals inwards, pressing out the exhalation.
Repeat this breathing 3 to 10 times.

Remember to go slowly with the breath to get as much air in and out as possible. You might find that controlling the breath is harder than you think! Keep practicing.

Equal Breathing

Also called “sama vritti,” this breathing practice works like counting sheep or muttering a calming mantra. You can do this one anywhere or anytime you need instant relaxation.

To start, find a comfortable position for yourself. Close your eyes and notice your natural rhythm of breath. Do not change it at all.
Begin to slowly count to four as you inhale. Find a moment of stillness when the lungs are completely full.
Then count to four as you exhale. Take a moment to sit in the emptiness.
Repeat this pattern, making the duration of the inhalations and exhalations equal.

Continue for several minutes.

Morning Breathing

This is the perfect way to start the morning – even more effective than a shot of high quality espresso.

Oftentimes, when you wake up in the morning, you are already primed for stress due to your body still thinking that it is in the year 25,000 BCE and expecting a sabre tooth tiger to pounce on you!

Morning breathing will relax the body, minimizing tension that might have accumulated overnight.

Stand up straight with the knees slightly bent. Bounce a few times, feeling the floor with the balls and soles of your feet.
Begin to bend forward from the waist, hinging. Let the arms loose, hanging towards the floor.
Take a deep breath in. Imagine yourself as an inflatable lawn ornament slowly rising up from the ground. Roll up through the spine, letting the head be the last thing to lift.
As you exhale again, return to the bent over position.

Repeat this flowing breath until all tension from the body is released and you feel a warmth moving through your limbs.

Deep Muscle Relaxation Breathing

This is a bit time consuming and thus should only be done when you have a break to devote to pure relaxation. Used together with simple belly breathing, this is a gateway to removing discomfort from various parts of your body.

Lay down on your back, either on a yoga or pilates mat or the floor (if you have carpet). Close your eyes. Take a few normal breaths.
Once you have established an even flow of breath, you may move onto the second part of the exercise.
Relax your face by scrunching the nose and knitting the brows together. Release with the breath.
Move on to the neck. Tilt the chin up and down, side-to-side. Shake your head yes and no. Then with the exhale, release.
Relax your shoulders, shrugging them up towards the ears. Hold for a moment then release.
Relax the torso by moving the limbs into an X form, stretching on in all positions. Stretch for several seconds then release.
Lastly, relax the legs by pointing and flexing the toes as well as circling the ankles. Point, flex, stretch, and then release.
Lay in silence for some time, once again returning to modulated breath.

You may desire to repeat this process several times, paying special attention to the parts of your body that need more tension removed.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Yoga classes often incorporate this type of pranayama into the beginning of the lesson. It is said to bring forth a sense of unwavering calmness and composure. Definitely worth a try when you are stressed over work or exams.

Start in any meditative posture that has the spine in a long, straight, neutral position.
As you breathe, hold the right thumb over the right nostril and inhale solely through the left.
At the apex of the inhalation, you will switch to sealing off the left nostril with the right ring finger and open the right nostril.
Exhale through the right nostril.

Continue the pattern for some time then switch the process.

Kapalabhati or “Skull Shining Breath”

This is an involved, intense breathing practice that offers a challenge to those who may have mastered other exercises.

You start seated on the floor with legs crossed or extended out in front of you. Begin with the simple breath work to regulate the pattern of the breath.
Then, take a long, drawn out inhalation. At the end, contract the lower abdominals and sharply exhale. Do this several times to get comfortable with the contraction.
Once you are comfortable with that, increase the tempo to sharp inhale, sharp exhale for 10 breaths total. Use only the nose.

A Simple Breathing Exercise To Give You More Energy

Most people breathe very shallowly in day-to-day life. This is often referred to as “chest breathing.” Chest breathing generally starts between ages 4 and 7, which is when you start to develop voluntary control of the musculature in the thoracic region (chest).

But do you ever wonder why babies have that wonderful ability to cry and scream very loudly, despite their size? The reason: The way they breathe, which is commonly called “diaphragmatic breathing.” In diaphragmatic breathing, your stomach expands outward, while the lower ribs expand sideways, which causes the diaphragm to contract.

These movements draw air into the lungs, and not just the upper lungs, as in chest breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing fills every part your lungs, including the lower parts. When you exhale, the abdomen pushes in and up. The lower rib cage contracts inward, the diaphragm expands, and the air is forced out.

So why should you breathe from the diaphragm?

The capillaries in your lungs help exchange oxygen with the rest of your body, and there are more of them in the lower parts of the lungs than in the upper parts of the lungs. When you breathe shallowly, you have work harder.

An additional benefit from breathing “low” is that the abdominal muscles expand and contract around all of the organs of digestion. This will assist them in functioning better and promote better digestion.

Finally, imagine feeling more energized and having the ability to think more clearly, with more focus and fewer distractions. Increased oxygen can contribute to greater mental capabilities. Furthermore, higher oxygen content in the blood stream leads to healthier organs, muscles and tissues. I could go on and on about the benefits.

Let’s give it a try. All you need are these four steps:

Sit up straight in a chair.
Place your hands on your stomach.
Inhale through your nose (which filters the air before entering your lungs) and breathe into your stomach, feeling it extend outward (as opposed to your chest).
Exhale through your nose or your mouth by pushing your stomach in and up (never down).

That’s it.

In Conclusion

With a conscious effort, you could change old habits into healthy new habits. It’s truly painless!

You can integrate breathing into your daily living very easily — you simply have to be conscious of it. When you wake up in the morning, think about it. When you go to sleep at night, think about it. Instead of yelling at a stoplight to change, focus on your breath. When someone is talking to you and you have no interest in what they are saying, turn your attention to your breathing.

After you notice the calming and concentrating effects this simple act can have, you’ll begin to incorporate it more automatically. Focused individuals tend to accomplish more, enjoy a higher standard of living, and often live life more passionately, making each day an adventure instead of simply a destination.

Good luck!

Sources:

Posted in Well Begun | Tagged Energy, Morning Routines, Yoga | 1 Comment

Healthy Benefits of Hot Water With Lemon

Published November 28, 2017 | By shirleytwofeathers

The benefits of lemon water goes beyond the fact that it can quench thirst better than any other drink – it also provides our bodies with plenty of vitamins, minerals and vital trace elements. It’s also a great energy booster for when we wake up first thing in the morning as our tissues are dehydrated and in desperate need of fluid to push out toxins.

Warm lemon water in the morning helps kickstart the digestion process for the day. According to Ayurvedic philosophy, choices that you make regarding your daily routine either build up resistance to disease or tear it down. Ayurveda invites us to get a jump-start on the day by focusing on morning rituals that work to align the body with nature’s rhythms, balance the doshas and foster self-esteem alongside self-discipline.

There are many health benefits of lemons that have been known for centuries. The two biggest are lemons’ strong antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-boosting powers and their use as a weight loss aid because lemon juice is a digestive aid and liver cleanser. Lemons contain many substances–notably citric acid, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, pectin, and limonene–that promote immunity and fight infection.

How To Do It:

You should be using purified water and it should be warm not scalding hot. You want to avoid ice cold water, since that can be a lot for your body to process and it takes more energy to process ice cold water than the warm. Always use fresh lemons, organic if possible, never bottled lemon juice. I squeeze 1/2 a lemon with each glass and I drink it down first thing before I eat a single thing, or workout, etc.

BONUS: try adding freshly grated ginger or a little cayenne for a boost.

Why It’s Good For You:

Aids Digestion.

Lemon juice flushes out unwanted materials and toxins from the body. It’s atomic composition is similar to saliva and the hydrochloric acid of digestive juices. It encourages the liver to produce bile which is an acid that is required for digestion. Lemons are also high in minerals and vitamins and help loosen ama, or toxins, in the digestive tract. The digestive qualities of lemon juice help to relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn, belching and bloating. The American Cancer Society actually recommends offering warm lemon water to cancer sufferers to help stimulate bowel movements.

Cleanses Your System / is a Diuretic.

Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials in part because lemons increase the rate of urination in the body. Therefore toxins are released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy. The citric acid in lemons helps maximize enzyme function, which stimulates the liver and aids in detoxification.

Boosts Your Immune System.

Lemons are high in vitamin C, which is great for fighting colds. They’re high in potassium, which stimulates brain and nerve function. Potassium also helps control blood pressure. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) found in lemons demonstrates anti-inflammatory effects, and is used as complementary support for asthma and other respiratory symptoms plus it enhances iron absorption in the body; iron plays an important role in immune function. Lemons also contain saponins, which show antimicrobial properties that may help keep cold and flu at bay. Lemons also reduce the amount of phlegm produced by the body.

Balances pH Levels.

Lemons are one of the most alkalizing foods for the body. Sure, they are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies they’re alkaline (the citric acid does not create acidity in the body once metabolized). Lemons contain both citric and ascorbic acid, weak acids easily metabolized from the body allowing the mineral content of lemons to help alkalize the blood. Disease states only occur when the body pH is acidic. Drinking lemon water regularly can help to remove overall acidity in the body, including uric acid in the joints, which is one of the primary causes of pain and inflammation.

Clears Skin.

The vitamin C component as well as other antioxidants helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes and it helps to combat free radical damage. Vitamin C is vital for healthy glowing skin while its alkaline nature kills some types of bacteria known to cause acne. It can actually be applied directly to scars or age spots to help reduce their appearance. Since lemon water purges toxins from your blood, it would also be helping to keep your skin clear of blemishes from the inside out. The vitamin C contained in the lemon rejuvenates the skin from within your body.

Energizes You and Enhances Your Mood.

The energy a human receives from food comes from the atoms and molecules in your food. A reaction occurs when the positive charged ions from food enter the digestive tract and interact with the negative charged enzymes. Lemon is one of the few foods that contain more negative charged ions, providing your body with more energy when it enters the digestive tract. The scent of lemon also has mood enhancing and energizing properties. The smell of lemon juice can brighten your mood and help clear your mind. Lemon can also help reduce anxiety and depression.

Promotes Healing.

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), found in abundance in lemons, promotes wound healing, and is an essential nutrient in the maintenance of healthy bones, connective tissue, and cartilage. As noted previously, vitamin C also displays anti-inflammatory properties. Combined, vitamin C is an essential nutrient in the maintenance of good health and recovery from stress and injury.

Freshens Breath.

Besides fresher breath, lemons have been known to help relieve tooth pain and gingivitis. Be aware that citric acid can erode tooth enamel, so you should be mindful of this. No not brush your teeth just after drinking your lemon water. It is best to brush your teeth first, then drink your lemon water, or wait a significant amount of time after to brush your teeth. Additionally, you can rinse your mouth with purified water after you finish your lemon water.

Hydrates Your Lymph System.

Warm water and lemon juice supports the immune system by hydrating and replacing fluids lost by your body. When your body is deprived of water, you can definitely feel the side effects, which include: feeling tired, sluggish, decreased immune function, constipation, lack of energy, low/high blood pressure, lack of sleep, lack of mental clarity and feeling stressed, just to name a few.

Aids in Weight Loss.

Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. Studies have shown people who maintain a more alkaline diet, do in fact lose weight faster. I personally find myself making better choices throughout the day, if I start my day off right, by making a health conscious choice to drink warm lemon water first thing every morning.

More Health Benefits:

Lemon water will provide your body with plenty of hydrating electrolytes in the form of potassium, calcium and magnesium.
Lemon is an excellent and rich source of vitamin C, an essential nutrient that protects the body against immune system deficiencies
Lemons contain pectin fibre which is very beneficial for colon health and also serves as a powerful antibacterial
It balances to maintain the pH levels in the body
Having warm lemon juice early in the morning helps flush out toxins.
It aids digestion and encourages the production of bile.
It helps prevent the growth and multiplication of pathogenic bacteria that cause infections and diseases.
Lemon water can help reduce both joint and muscle pain. It helps reducing pain and inflammation in joints and knees as it dissolves uric acid.
It helps cure the common cold .
The potassium content in lemon helps nourish brain and nerve cells.
It helps balance the calcium and oxygen levels in the liver In case of a heartburn, taking a glass of concentrated lemon juice can give relief.
It is of immense benefit to the skin and it prevents the formation of wrinkles and acne.
It helps maintain the health of the eyes and helps fight against eye problems.
Aids in the production of digestive juices.
Lemon juice helps replenish body salts especially after a strenuous workout session.
Mixing a teaspoon of lemon juice per half glass of water can help relieve heartburn.
Lemon water will help your liver produce more enzymes with the help of lemon water than any other substance.
Several studies have found that cancer cannot thrive in an environment that is rich with alkaline – a substance prevalent in lemon.
Lemon water also aids your liver in helping it release toxins.
If kidney stones are a concern for you, drinking lemon water can help dissolve not only those but gallstones, pancreatic stones and calcium deposits as well.
Lemon water can help you battle everything from sore throats to tonsil inflammation, thanks to the anti-inflammatory property of lemon.
Drinking lemon water can help relieve tooth pain and fight gingivitis.
Lemon water can help you better regulate your bowel movements.
Lemon water has a high potassium content – depression and anxiety are often linked to not having enough potassium in your blood.
Lemon water can help cleanse your blood and arteries.
Daily ingestion of one lemon is estimated to reduce high blood pressure by 10% – drinking lemon water is a great way to work towards that quantity.
Lemons contain vitamin C, which is known to improve skin conditions through the revitalizing of the body.
Gout pain can be attributed to a buildup of uric acid – lemon water helps dilute this acid, thereby reducing this pain.
The vitamin C in lemon helps lemon water act as an adaptogen, allowing the body to better cope with various viruses.
Lemons have pectin fiber, which aids in the suppression of hunger cravings.
Beneficial during pregnancy because it can help the bone tissue formation of your unborn baby.

From:

Posted in Well Begun | Tagged Healing, Morning Routines, Recipes | 1 Comment

Morning Mood Boosters

Published November 27, 2017 | By shirleytwofeathers

It would be nice to bounce out of bed in the mornings, full of life and happy to start a fresh new day on this beautiful planet! For many of us though, the sound of our dreaded alarm has us burrowing further under the duvet not quite ready to face the world.

Even if you’re not a morning person here are 10 tips to boost your mood and make your day a happier one. These tips are from WebMD, medically reviewed and approved.

1. Think positive

When you wake up don’t roll over and think: “Urgh! Another stressful day to get through.” Start thinking positive thoughts. “The sun is shining; I’ll have lunch outside today.”

Take time to be mindful of all of the good things in your life, family, friends, your health. Spend a few minutes thinking of a holiday you are planning or a birthday party you’re going to.

If you start on a positive note your day has a better chance of continuing in the same vein.

2. Get close

Make time to start your day with morning sex. It’s going to lift your spirits and set you up for the day ahead.

Exercise releases endorphins, feel-good chemicals, but you don’t need science to know that being close and loving with your partner makes you feel good.

If there’s no time for sex, make do with a hug and a kiss.

3. Stretch

Pilates, tai chi or yoga are relaxing ways to start your day. They work on the mind and body so as well as promoting physical health they can help you achieve an inner mental balance.

“For those of us who creak our way out of bed, a few yoga poses are a lovely way to unfurl the body and dispel the morning grumps,” says yoga teacher Eva Paoli.

“Yoga lengthens and strengthens tight, weak muscles, eases aching back, neck and shoulders and gets the synovial fluid going, which lubricates your joints. Yoga can also be used as preparation for meditation – do both to help preserve your inner calm through a busy day.”

4. Exercise

You may have to force yourself to go for a run or hit the gym but exercise is one of the most effective morning mood boosters.

When you exercise your body releases endorphins, feel-good chemicals, in your brain

The NHS says exercise can help people recover from depression and prevent people becoming depressed in the first place.

Also regular exercise can make you feel happier about how you look and make you feel better about your body.

5. Go outside

When you wake up, why not make a hot drink and sit in your garden, weather permitting!

There’s some evidence that being outside and listening to nature can boost your mood.

The charity, Mind, believes that activities outdoors like gardening and cycling, or even a walk around the park, are good for our mental health.

6. Eat a good breakfast

Eat your way to a happy day! Try starting your morning with a nutritious mix of complex carbohydrates and proteins that will last you until lunch.

“We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, it is also proven, not only that people who eat breakfast have a lower incidence of obesity, but they may also be happier,” says British Dietetic Association spokesperson, Jennifer Low.

She says: “Breakfast tends to contain carbohydrates which can increase serotonin, the ‘happy chemical’, in the brain.”

“A good, healthy, low glycaemic breakfast might be a bowl of high fibre cereal and milk, or eggs and two slices of toast, or fruit and low fat yoghurt, for example.”

7. Listen to music

Why not switch on the radio or listen to your music player. Music has the power to improve our moods. You know what it’s like when you hear a favourite song, it can transform your mood or take you back to a good memory.

Research by neuroscientist, Dr Jack Lewis, suggests that songs with a high-pitched tone, a fast pace and a predictable melody make us the most happy.

His study suggests hits by Prince, Bob Marley and The Beach Boys are good mood boosters.

8. Use some essential oils

Smell is a very powerful sense. It can also have an effect on our mood.

When you get up in the morning try burning an essential oil that will help you feel more positive.

“Essential oils are the pure scents of nature, from flowers, fruits, woods, bark and leaves. As soon as these pure scents are inhaled the brain actively responds, changing moods and feelings and bringing a sense of well-being and pleasure,” says Jennie Harding from Tisserand Aromatherapy.

“Citrus oils like lemon and orange, with their zesty and mouth-watering aromas, have an instantly uplifting effect, or fresh herbal oils like rosemary and peppermint, help to clear the mind and aid/help concentration.”

Aromatherapy may not be suitable for everyone, including pregnant women or people with a heart condition. Seek medical advice if you are concerned.

9. Be prepared and keep calm

Mornings can be a stressful time, especially when children are thrown into the mix, chivvying them to get dressed, brush their teeth and remember their homework.

Make sure that they have their uniforms laid out, bags packed, shoes by the door, the night before so there can be a calm start to everyone’s day.

Keep the happy mood going by making sure you give them a kiss and a hug before school, if they’ll let you!

10. Smile

Make yourself smile in the morning. Even if you fake it there is some suggestion that forcing yourself to smile will actually make you feel better.

Psychologist Paul Ekman conducted a study of students to see if they would feel happier by making themselves smile.

The students’ brain activity was measured while they followed instructions to smile. Whether the students’ smiles were real or fake the activity in their brains was virtually the same. They felt happy.

Also smiling is contagious. If your family see you smiling in the morning they are more likely to smile and feel happier themselves.

Posted in Well Begun | Tagged Happiness, Lists, Morning Routines | Leave a comment

22 Ways To Wake Up And Feel Super Positive For The Day

Published November 26, 2017 | By shirleytwofeathers

Do you ever wake up and you remember all the stuff you have to do, and you just want to hide under the covers and not come out? That feeling is all too known for many of us but thankfully you don’t have to ever feel this way.
Did you know that our thoughts create our emotions? Since we have total control over our thoughts (I know it might not feel like it sometimes), you also have the power to start your day on a super positive note each and every day. Here are some ways to help you get in the right mindset and enjoy every day as it comes.

1. Try to remember your dreams

Whether you want to analyze them later or just use them as an entertaining and fun video that plays in your head, dreams are a great way to feel more positive for the day. I recommend making sure you get enough sleep but also keeping a dream journal next to your bed so that you can write the dream down as soon as you wake up. Over time, remembering them will become easier and you will be able to make more sense of them as they relate to your own life.

2. Consider what makes you happy

Thoughts create emotions. Happy thoughts create happy emotions. It’s super simple but it’s so true – think about the things you love to do that make you happy. Just visualizing doing something that makes you happy is bound to make you actually feel happier in return.

3. Give gratitude

Gratitude is one of the most important practices I always recommend my clients. It’s easy to get caught in the cycle of negative thinking and eventually forgetting how good you actually have it. When you spend some time in the morning to list out 5 things you are grateful for, it shifts your whole mindset and your day becomes so much brighter.

4. Relax your body

Without physical relaxation, we breed stress and anxiety in our body. Make sure your daily routine includes self-care that allows you to relax your body. Whether it’s a massage, yoga, or a nice bath – relaxing your body is important ingredient to feeling positive every day.

5. Focus on breathing

Throughout the day, the more stress and to-do’s get put on our plates, the more anxiety heighten. We may not even realize that our breathing changes and becomes more shallow as we get stressed out. A really quick and simple tip is take a moment and notice your breathing. Is it shallow? Take some deeper breaths and let them out very slowly. Do this a couple of times and enjoy an increased feel of relaxation within minutes.

6. Don’t attach to your thoughts

Each day we create stories around the circumstances and events that surround us. Researchers say that we have about 60,000 thoughts per day! How exhausting is that? The less you attach to your thoughts and let them pass through without believing them and letting them affect you, the more likely you are to feel at peace and relaxed throughout the day.

7. Stay off social media

If you’re one of the people that checks their social media or email as soon as you wake up – stop that now! I didn’t realize how much it affects you until you stop doing it for a while. Each morning spent away from social media is so much more relaxed, peaceful, and joyful. We aren’t screamed at by a constant influx of information and messages and our mind has the capacity to just be.

8. Prepare a delicious breakfast

Instead of wasting your morning checking your Facebook feed, get yourself to the kitchen and prepare a beautiful delicious (and nutritious) breakfast! Protein pancakes anyone? Sunny side eggs? Perfection. Now, isn’t that so much better?

9. Establish a meditation practice

Making meditation a non-negotiable in your routine can be a real life-changer! Not only will you feel more peaceful and centered, you will feel more in tune with your body and your surroundings. Don’t worry if you aren’t a seasoned meditator yet. Meditation isn’t just sitting cross-legged humming “Ommmm” – you can do so much more, including dance meditation, mindfulness techniques, hypnosis, and more.

10. Try self-hypnosis recordings

Speaking of hypnosis, this is one of the easier and best ways to get yourself into meditation. There are tons of recordings available for purchase online (99 cents per track on Amazon!) and each one is created specifically to help with a certain problem. Want to feel more positive? There’s a lot of those to choose from.

11. Don’t check your phone until much later

Just as you shouldn’t check your social media right when you wake up, try to refrain from checking your phone until a little bit later too. You’ll really notice how much technology can have a negative effect on our mind and energy levels. Don’t get sucked in too early!

12. Go for a morning run

Ahhh… endorphins! What better way to start the day than with these feel-good hormones? Go for a nice run in the morning, before the weather gets too hot, and you’ll be glad you did.

13. Do an energizing yoga sequence

Another way to get some endorphins flowing in the morning is an energizing yoga sequence. Hop out of bed, roll out your mat and get bendy!

14. Play with your pets

I had a friend who always played with her dog in the morning. They would get breakfast, stretch out and play before heading off to work. It helped her connect with her pet, feel happier, and start the day off on a joyful note. I mean, it’s nearly impossible to be angry or sad after playing with your beloved pet.

15. Read an inspiring book or article

A nice part of your morning routine could be reading blogs you subscribe to. Reading something inspiring and motivating in the morning is bound to get you revved up and ready to tackle the day.

16. Listen to a great inspiring podcast

Similarly as with an inspiring book – listen to a great podcast to get your mind buzzing with motivation to get yourself to the next step in your day.

17. Set your alarm to an uplifting tune

Consider changing your ring tone for the alarm. Don’t use the crazy buzzing noise. Instead, put something nice and melodic that begins soft and gets increasingly louder as time goes. It won’t jerk you awake and you are more likely to enjoy waking up to a lovely sound than you are to something intense, like a regular alarm noise.

18. Create a routine that includes morning self-care

Whatever that might be for you – meditation, yoga, reading, a walk… whatever it is, make sure you make it a part of your routine and something that is non-negotiable. After all having a great day is non-negotiable! The more you do this, the easier it will become.

19. Look at something beautiful

A great way to shift your mood and become more peaceful and uplifted automatically is to look at something beautiful. Maybe it’s a flower, maybe it’s your husband or wife, maybe it’s a painting that’s hanging in your room… whatever it is, take a minute or two just to appreciate its beauty. You’ll be amazed how quickly this tactic works to bring your mood way up!

20. Wake up to clean room

The messier your room is, the messier your mind will feel. I always tell my clients that in order to get your mind organized, you have to get your space organized first. Clean up your room and you’ll notice how much the energy in the room becomes more peaceful and welcoming.

21. Ask yourself “How can I make this day amazing?”

It’s a simple question but it’s so powerful. By simply asking yourself “How can I make today amazing?” you make yourself realize that you are in control of how your day goes and how you feel about it. Then, do the things to make it amazing!

22. Smile regardless of how you might feel at first

Even if you feel like you want to stay in bed for the entire day and mope around, don’t. Smile to yourself. Better yet, look at yourself in the mirror and smile at yourself. My dad does this every single morning for a minute or two and he swears it changes his whole mood and outlook for the entire day. It’s worth a try!

From: Life Hack

Posted in Well Begun | Tagged Lists, Morning Routines, Setting Goals, Thinking Positive | Leave a comment

4 Step Success Formula Morning Routine

Published November 25, 2017 | By shirleytwofeathers

This is a video describing the best 4 step success formula morning routine for law of attraction that will raise your vibration. In the video is a discussion about how the law of attraction can positive impact your morning and I give you my exact morning routine and morning ritual. Most people block the law of attraction because they do not get their morning started right.

There are certain tricks to using law of attraction to easily manifest what you want, but in order to do so you have to create a successful morning routine or ritual. Most people struggle with law of attraction because they’ve never properly understood how to get the day started right. And most people struggle because they do not understand how to use it. So I share my biggest takeaways so you can apply it to your life easily.

In this video you’ll learn how to use the law of attraction, understand it better, and apply it to your life. The first step is to understand that you’re always using Law of Attraction. Most of us spend our whole lives doing it unconsciously. We use unconscious negative affirmations as a technique that holds us back from what we want in life. You have to become conscious of your affirmations and begin to use positive thinking techniques to feel what you want before you have it.

It’s a constant affirmation meditation to visualize success and feel it in your nervous system. This is how you use positive affirmations to reprogram your subconscious mind, how to visualize images, how to visualize what you want, and how to create what you want as a reality.

Source: Jake Ducey

Posted in Well Begun | Tagged Morning Routines, Thinking Positive, Video, Visualization | Leave a comment

Do this every morning for 17 seconds

Published November 24, 2017 | By shirleytwofeathers

“Get out into the sunlight — out where everything is — with a vibration that is so dominant that those who annoy you; those who don’t agree with you; those who make your life feel uncomfortable don’t come into your experience, because your vibration — through your practice — has become so clear, so pure, so clean, so in keeping with what you want, that the world that revolves around you just feels like that. That’s what you planned.” —Abraham

“When you acknowledge what you do not want, and then ask yourself, “What is it that I do want?” you begin a gradual shift into the telling of your new story and into a much-improved point of attraction. You get the essence of what you think about – whether you want it or not – because Law of Attraction is unerringly consistent – therefore, you are never only telling the story of “how it is now.” You are also telling the future experience that you are creating right now.” —Abraham

Links:

Posted in Well Begun | Tagged Morning Routines, Overcoming Obstacles, Quotes, Thinking Positive, Visualization | Leave a comment

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Published November 23, 2017 | By shirleytwofeathers

So, it’s Thanksgiving Day, and a great day for a bunch of positive and motivational quotes, especially since thinking about, or focusing on something positive is one of the staples of a good morning routine. So, here you go. It’s a positively positive plethora of positivity!

Don’t start your day with the broken pieces of yesterday. Every morning we wake up is the first day of the rest of your life.

Close your eyes, fall in love, stay there. ~Rumi

The opposite of being mindful is being unconscious, so don’t be unconscious. All day. On your fucking phone. ~Lady Gaga

You will never have this day again, so make it count.

A day without laughter is a day wasted. ~Charles Chaplin

Wake up! This world that you dream holds nothing to fear. ~Rumi

You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think. ~Marcus Aurelius

Some days you just have to create your own sunshine.

Good morning! Time to rise and shine and shit like that!

Yesterday I really wanted a burrito. Today I am eating a burrito. Follow your fucking dreams.

To remember who you are, you need to forget who they told you to be.

Inside the chaos, build a temple of love. ~Rune Lazuli

Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is mystery, today is blessing.

It’s like if you plant something in the concrete and if it grow and the rose petal get all kind of scratches and marks, you ain’t gonna say, “damn look at all the scratches and marks on the rose that grew from the concrete…” you gonna be like “Damn! A ROSE grew from the CONCRETE?” ~Tupac Shakur

We can only be what we give ourselves the power to be. ~Native American Proverb

For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction. ~Cynthia Occelli

Go play outside.

Expect problems and eat them for breakfast. ~Alfred A Montapert

Overthinking is a dream killer. Sometimes you can drown yourself in your own thoughts.

Life has a way of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen at once. ~Paulo Coelho

Some of the best days of your life haven’t happened yet…

I deserve… to nurture self first. ~Robin Pedrazzetti

Good things are going to happen.

I am magic and power. I am here to live. laugh, learn, love, celebrate, expand and contribute. I am magic & I am power and in this remembrance I am free.

Don’t you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can’t be exactly who you are. ~Lady Gaga

and the golden bees were making white combs and sweet honey from my old failures. ~Antonio Machado

Being negative only makes a difficult journey more difficult. You may be given a cactus, but you don’t have to sit on it.

I understood myself only after I destroyed myself. And only in the process of fixing myself, did I know who I really was. ~Sade Andria Zabala

I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. ~Lao Tzu

Life’s temporary as fuck and if you are reading this you were lucky enough to wake up to another day. Try not to be an ungrateful little shit.

Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. “Be still”, they say. “Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.”

Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love… and whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen… yourself, right now, right down here on earth. ~Bradley Whitford

Never underestimate the healing power of listening to your favorite music on full blast while dancing around the house like an idiot.

Note to self: None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.

May the stars carry your sadness away, may the flowers fill your heart with beauty, may hope forever wipe away your tears, and above all, may silence make you strong. ~Chief Dan George

Listen to me, your body is not a temple. Temples can be destroyed and desecrated. Your body is a forest – thick canopies of maple trees and sweet scented wildflowers sprouting in the underwood. You will grow back, over and over, no matter how badly you are devastated. ~Beau Taplin

You are a ghost driving a meat coated skeleton made from stardust riding a rock floating through space. Fear nothing.

There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life. ~John Lennon

Whatever you want to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible. ~Doris Lessing

Hello. I’m glad you exist.

Posted in Well Begun | Tagged Motivational, Quotes, Thinking Positive | Leave a comment

But I Don’t Want To…

Published November 22, 2017 | By shirleytwofeathers

When I was writing this post, it occurred to me that the morning routine of my boarding school experience mirrors, in many ways, what happens every morning now….

It went something like this… Finally, I am asleep. Feeling warm and comfortable… safe even… and possibly loved. And then clanging and banging, doors open and slam shut… bells ringing in my ears…. and here I am, alone with people who don’t know me, who don’t like me, who want to kill my spirit… and I don’t want to get up. I don’t want to be good. I don’t want to be happy. I don’t want to be a part of it all. I don’t want to fit in. I don’t want it… any of it. They reject me – I reject them. I wake up and I think “fuck you!” Well… not actually those words, but that same feeling of rage and resistance…

And, I have to say, that it served me well. I didn’t turn into a little robot kid, I stayed a squarish peg and never ever fit into a round hole. I maintained my sense of self. My barriers held. My life is my own. And yet, I find that still… all these years later. I wake up all too often in a state of resistance, and a feeling of dread.

“No! I don’t want to … ” is normally my first thought. I have that sinking feeling as the alarm goes off. Yes, it’s not nearly as intense as boarding school, and not nearly as miserable or as lonely and isolating, but it’s there… like a wash of gray where there could be color.

Interestingly, this seems to be true for me no matter what day it is… even when I’m on a camping trip and having fun… I wake up… a feeling of dread… “I don’t want to get out of the warm sleeping bag… I don’t want to hike down to the bathrooms… I don’t want to …” it sets the tone for the day. Everything that happens after is an uphill climb, a downward spiral, or a dead stop.

Clearly, this survival mechanism has succeeded far too well. Yes, some days I need it, but every day? No.

And what about you? Are you stuck in a morning mode that has outlived its purpose? If you examine the morning routines that you find yourself falling into year after year, do you find that they mirror childhood experiences? And if so, how do they serve you now? What would you keep? and what would you change?

Posted in Well Begun | Tagged Know Yourself, Morning Routines, Road Blocks | 3 Comments

I Tried the Morning Routines of 5 Successful People

Published November 21, 2017 | By shirleytwofeathers

Here’s a fun little article that ties perfectly into our project. It’s by Amelia Diamond, and is all about her attempts to replicate the morning routines of 5 successful people.

Here it is:

Every single Successful Person in the history of the world woke/wakes up early. Winston Churchill and Linda Evangelista are the only exceptions: The former politician didn’t get up until 11, but at least he was up and doing work from bed starting at 8. Linda Evangelista famously refused to awake for less than $10,000 a day, but that right there is a business strategy of the savvy if I’ve ever seen one. Lean into that satin pillow, Linda.

I am not a Successful Person — not yet, not in the proper sense, with a capital S and P and a TED Talk or a billboard — but I’d like to be. A few years ago I taught myself to wake up earlier in the hopes of getting more of my life together. In retrospect, it worked: I recently got a promotion. But what if jumping out of bed isn’t enough for my more dramatic long-term goals? What if there are other key components that lead to true outlier-level career triumphs, and I am missing them? Nothing a little research and replication can’t eke out. I tried five morning routines of five successful people… mostly because someone has to feed this hungry internet beast. (To its credit, the internet is 24/7 and money never sleeps.)

1. Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston’s net worth is reportedly $150 million, not to be tacky. You would think this number would encourage me to at least try to set my alarm for her standard 4:30 a.m. wake up time, but it did not. 4:30 a.m. is not early, it is the middle of the night, which seems counter-intuitive.

She wakes up at 8 a.m. on non-work days, however. So fine, on a Saturday morning, I did this.
Next on the agenda, the old “drink hot water with lemon” propaganda rhetoric that I conceded to only because of $150 million, and also because my mom keeps saying it’s good for digestion.
I washed my face with soap and water then spent the whole day panicking about whether or not this would cause acne.
Said worries interrupted my required 20 minutes of meditation.

Sometimes Jennifer Anniston eats fresh eggs from the butts of chickens that hang out in her own backyard. I don’t have a backyard so I had to settle for her second go-to: a protein shake. Well and Good has the full scoop on her preferred recipe; I went to Juice Generation. I always eat after workouts but wondered if eating before could be the missing link.

It was not the missing link and in fact, it nearly made me sick. Jennifer Anniston spins for 30 minutes, then does yoga for 40. I don’t have a spin bike in my mansion so I signed up for SoulCycle instead (45 minutes), which is a terrible after a protein shake. Following this I did some half-assed yoga on a mat in my apartment, and then, to feel extra Jen, I drank a SmartWater. SmartWater is just regular water with very smart marketing, but in this exercise, you can’t argue with success.

Did I feel successful after this morning, which ended around 11? Not any more than usual, to be honest. I think the call time has to be less insane than Jen’s 4:30 weekdays, but more extreme than 8 a.m. weekends.

2.Oprah Winfrey

Now this is more like it: Oprah wakes up at 6:02 a.m., but she has never set an alarm. “I don’t believe in them,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “They are … alarming!”

I set an alarm because my internal clock doesn’t kick in until 45 minutes later on a great day. I was tired but like, the whole world wakes up at 6:02 a.m..
Oprah says her first thought when she wakes up is, “Oh, I’m alive. Thank you!” So I did this. It made for a nice morning mindset. What follows, for her, are a series of downward dogs with actual dogs. I had to do mine alone.

Oprah makes herself a chai tea or skim cappuccino at 6:45 a.m. but I can’t cook. Instead, I put my sneakers on 15 minutes before she says she does and left the house with enough time to stop at a coffee shop by my apartment. (I never leave my apartment early enough to do ANYTHING, so this felt amazing.)

By 7:05 a.m., Oprah is in her home gym so that she can have the TV on and tuned to CBS’s “Eye Opener” to see what her BFF Gayle is wearing. I don’t have any friends on TV but Leandra was in Italy while I did this, so the time difference meant I got to watch her stories like a little morning program on my way to the gym. Ah, nice caftan.

Oprah does 20 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes walking on the treadmill. She starts out at the Level 3 incline setting and then every minute adds to the incline until she gets to 12 or 15, then she does sit-ups. I did Barry’s Bootcamp, which is like an…extreme version of this? Then I tried not to throw up. Might have been the cappuccino, though.

At 8 a.m., Oprah does a sitting meditation, so at 9 a.m., I did one too. (I had to shower after Barry’s and also, let’s not forget, I have an office to be inside of that isn’t a palindrome of my own name.) She said that if she’s in a rush she’ll only meditate for 10-12 minutes, which was comforting. I always think of meditation as THE FULL MONTY or nothing at all. Not very zen, I know. Anyway, I liked Oprah’s realistic approach and actually, it allowed me to relax a bit.

At 8:30 a.m. Oprah eats medium-boiled eggs and a piece of multigrain toast for breakfast. “I have actually noticed that lately I have been eating breakfast at 8:38,” she told Well and Good. Wild woman. It was 10 a.m. by the time I ate my Oprah meal, but it was better than a Kind bar and certainly filled me up for longer.

An hour behind Oprah’s schedule and feeling guilty about it, I went through my schedule while eating, as she does, knocked out a few phone calls and had zero bank wires. But wait a minute! “Business transactions and financial stuff… I try to get all of that done by noon or 12:30 when I am home, since that’s 3 p.m. in New York and the banks close soon after that.” Oprah is on California time. Do you realize what this means? Even on a one hour delay, I was two hours ahead of Oprah.

So long as she doesn’t smite me down for saying that, I’d consider this a major success.

3. Barack Obama

Barack Obama starts his days two hours before his first event. I like the idea of working backwards from your first important thing — it seems less monotonous and less militant than a daily call time (although I get that the irregularity could undermine your internal clock, Oprah).

My first “event” was at 9 a.m., but in order to make a 7 a.m. workout class, I had to set my alarm for 6:20…so turns out this didn’t make much of a difference. But! I liked the mindset.

Obama and I both work out in the mornings, but I get the sense that he never skips. So, on Obama day, neither did I. Something I try to remind myself on mornings where I am tempted to hit snooze is that I never feel better for sleeping in 20 minutes extra, and I always feel better after working out, so…GET THE FUCK UP.

Barack Obama reportedly ate a breakfast of eggs, wheat toast and (until his doctor gave him a cholesterol warning) bacon every day — but no coffee. I could get down with the food portion of this party but no coffee is rough for me. Well-knowing that green tea doesn’t do shit as a caffeine supplement, I tried it and broke down by 10 a.m. for an iced coffee. In the words of Miranda Hobbes about her trash magazines, “It’s my thing, let me have it.”

The fourth and final agenda in Barack Obama’s documented morning routine includes reading the paper — the actual paper, not a digital copy. I bought a paper after my workout and read for 15 minutes on a bench before going up to my apartment. It was nice to delay looking at my phone for a while longer while still feeling productive.

Although this was a watered-down-for-the-press’s version of the busiest man in America’s routine, there’s something really civilized about reading the actual paper, and eating an actual breakfast. Kind of makes you feel ridiculous when you’re not the president and you’re like, “I’m too busy to X.” Completing all of this set me up for a go-get-em-tiger mental space for the rest of the day.

4. Gwyneth Paltrow

If there ever was a morning bird in this whole entire world, it has to be Gwyneth Paltrow. She wakes up at the crack of dawn, so…

Sigh. So did I. I set my alarm for 5 a.m., woke up, laughed, went back to bed.

But not for long! Because I don’t have an Apple and a Moses to rouse, feed and get ready for school (after dribbling spoonfuls of lemon-flavored flax oil into their baby mouths), I really had no excuse but to get the hell up and get my day started. I used this weird window of time between being…up (barely) and heading toward Hubert Street for my GP-evangelized workout class to brush my teeth and get some work done. It was slow and steady; I wasn’t powering through my to-do list, but it was productive, not to mention gloriously quiet.

Until it wasn’t. I arrived at Tracy Anderson in Tribeca, the eponymous studios of Gwyneth’s favorite trainer. “I am a very longtime Tracy Anderson fanatic,” she told Byrdie.com. “I practice her method religiously. I do it five days a week.” Okay. Now, I work out, but not like this.

The first half of the class was a true dance party to a top tier playlist. If the instructor, Lana, could deejay my every morning, that would be great. The second half was a combination between torture or Broadway on steroids set to hip hop music with leg weights (which I am aware probably is a nightmare for some people)? For me, it was one of those satisfying burns where you want to pass out in the moment but then need everyone to know you attended a Tracy Anderson class after.

It took sheer will and determination to stay alive but I swear to god, I think I grew an ab in the process. I understand the fanfare and I, too, would like to one day to be a Tracy Anderson fanatic.

But on this day, I settled with bragging rights, plus I was 45 minutes early to a freakishly healthy breakfast thanks to my tight edit of a morning. I used this time to start writing a story. Success.

5. Anna Wintour

The fifth and final routine I tried is none other than that of Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour. Woudn’t it be weird if you didn’t know what name would follow that comma? Yeah. It would be. Now that’s TED Talk/billboard successful.

1. Anna begins the day at 5:45 a.m. with a tennis lesson, so I began my day at 5:45, then took a tennis lesson at 7. (I didn’t want to subject anyone else to such a call time in the name of guinea pig journalism. Just me being thoughtful.)

First of all, if you’re looking for a tennis coach, no matter your level, I highly suggest using PlayYourCourt. You answer a few fast questions about where you live, what you’re looking for and they assign you with a coach who matches the criteria almost instantly. It was very 21st century, very efficient. They matched me with an instructor named Nataliya who is patient, probably going to win the U.S. Open someday and lovely.

I arrived early, 6:30 a.m., to reserve a court spot. At 7 a.m. sharp, we began. At 8:30 a.m., as I walked home to change for work, I thought to myself, “Holy shit. I just played a game of tennis and, if I wanted to, could have an entire hour and a half to do nothing before my first meeting.”

Instead, I grabbed a coffee from Starbucks and got a blowout, just like Anna, then did emails from my phone under the dryer. I wasn’t mad.

I was the most successful on this day in terms of productivity and creativity, which I credit to the effect of a one-on-one lesson with a professional instructor (rather than a solo run at this same time, or a workout class) had on my brain. My mind felt tuned-up in a way it hasn’t in forever. I was awake and buzzing and full of energy. It was truly kind of remarkable. I think this is how you’re supposed to feel after meditation? I wonder if the effect would be the same if I started my day off with a crossword puzzle or some other non-work-related stimulation. Another experiment for another day. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go immediately to bed.

By: Amelia Diamond

Posted in Well Begun | Tagged Morning Routines, Success | Leave a comment

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Oct				Dec »
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30