I am a teacher and so I spent much of my summer attempting to create and refine a morning routine I can keep up during the school year. In the past, it has included time for art, cleaning, and light stretching. I've always avoided, however, what I truly desire to be part of my morning routine for fear of letting myself down.
This summer, after making the intentional choice to try and live wholly, I sat down and really considered what I wanted to do every morning. What I realised is that it isn't a easy as "wants" and trying to be perfect. There is a lot of listening that needs to happen too. So, I started with a list of things I know about myself and my mornings:
1. I need coffee. No judgement please... :)
2. I have a chronic condition that makes working out, and even simply walking difficult sometimes.
3. I like waking up early, but also enjoy the option to sleep in when it is feasible.
4. I enjoy working on my bullet journal first thing. It starts my day positively, allows me to connect to myself, my feelings, and get a realistic view on what needs to be done and what is possible for the day.
Knowing all this, I set about deciding what an ideal morning would look like. In the past, I've done an ideal day set up and even have tried to do one set up for summer and one set up for the school year, but, they've always failed. I set my expectations too high and ignored what my own body was telling me. This time, I am determined not to fail.
This summer, I've been focusing on refining a pre-breakfast morning routine that includes: a workout, coffee and fruit, and journaling. There is, of course, flexibility. Sometimes I end up eating breakfast while I journal, incorporating fruit as I go. Sometimes I have a great deal of school work (I'm also in grad school), so I'll eat and journal while I work on graduate work. I also swim with my mother some mornings, which means I will not work out until later in the day. This amount of flexibility allows me to achieve my goals, but also do what my body (and schedule) need.
As I mentioned, I have a chronic condition (okay, a few). It has been a long journey and I have been in and out of braces and boots (removable casts). I can only wear certain shoes and at one point, I was forbidden from all types of physical activities. I have been in and out of wheelchairs depending on what I'm doing. It has, is, and will be a continuous and long journey with good and bad days. It is also a fairly new situation to me (but that's for another post).
Part of this morning routine discovery, experiment, and reflection has greatly relied on this condition. Prior to its discovery (aka, I always had it, but it hadn't revealed itself), I lifted heavy weights, was a ballet dancer, and greatly enjoyed hikes. At its worst, I can barely move and standing is quite difficult. There is a delicate balance between doing what I know I need for my health, both physical and mental, and, yes, my spirituality, but also acknowledging and honouring my body and her needs. For me, this means (in regards to this routine), not relying on a "Tuesday is leg day" mentality and rather waiting to see how I feel when I wake up and what is needed. If I'm swimming with my mom, this is the difference between swimming laps and treading water. If I'm doing yoga, it is the difference between restorative yoga and a more intense routine. If I'm dancing, it is the difference between a focus on stretching and form and a faster, more involved class.
It also means accepting that I cannot keep to a rigorous routine of 5-6 days a week of working out. I need to move in smaller doses. So, I rely on a 2 days on and 1 day off routine. This allows me flexibility to get the physical movement I need AND the rest I need. Often, particularly after an intense workout, I will ice my feet.
Now that I've typed all that out, I am feeling even more strongly about my routine. So much so that the word "routine" feels wrong. It isn't a strict schedule, it is a flow and balance.
We'll see how the rest of the summer goes. :)
Also live today will be a podcast episode on these issues. Be sure to keep an ear out for it wherever you listen to your podcasts or click here for more information!
Resources:
- Fit On App - a free app with a variety of work outs with varying difficulty. I use this at least 3 times a week.
- Evolve 21 App - a free app developed for the CPS challenge. This includes a variety of modified workouts for those who are in wheelchairs or need other modifications.
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