The Importance of the Morning…….

How I go about my morning is so important for me. When I woke up this morning I had a quick check of my emails and realised that I had  a lot of challenges to overcome with the amount of work I had to get through today, some difficult emails I had to reply to, newsletters to write etc.
My mind was saying ‘Christos you just need to get this done so don’t procrastinate – as soon as the kids are walked to school get back here and just work’ – and that voice often wins and I try and delay gratification by crossing everything off my list first before I treat myself to a swim, a run or just a sit down watching the morning sun.
That delayed gratification sometimes sweeps into the evening with the ‘to do list’ still not completed – which is the time to reach for chocolate to get you through.

Well this morning I remembered a quote my yoga teacher used to say ‘No body ever dies with an inbox empty‘ – so after I dropped off the kids to school I decided to go for a run – I had been meaning to get back into jogging for ages. I had got into a big rut with exercise and despite walking lots I still wanted to start some sort of exercise though kept putting it off till I had more time. Well – I realised that this is the best way to start my day because after the first kilometre I had almost answered most of the emails in my head and then I started on the newsletter ideas and by the 3rd kilometre I felt I could just sit down and get everything done in an hour or so rather than the sluggish mind I would have started my tasks with.

Exercise is the best way for ME to start my day. That works for me because I don’t usually like to have brekky first thing – except for my glass of lemon water -such a good liver cleanser.
I was feeling so good by this latter stage of my jog and wasn’t stressed about the work that needed to be done, so I thought – ‘I need to have a quick swim in this crystal blue water’. It was so refreshing (I normally leave my swim till the afternoon) and I sat at the nearby cafe which I hadn’t tried yet and had a delicious omelette with feta and veggies. It was also wonderful cause it wasn’t around the corner from home so I didn’t have my iPad with me to work on and I was ‘forced’ to sit and bask in the morning sunshine.

I realised again – something I knew well – though had selectively forgotten – the best combination for me in the morning is EXERCISE + WATER + PROTEIN.
Exercise just fills my body with endorphins and gets things loose after a deep sleep. I need to drink lots of water being a ‘Kidney lymphatic’ Iris constitution but I also just find a quick swim in water – especially salty water – just so cleansing – it’s like it washes away any grumps. Protein is the best way to start the day for my constitution – while sometimes I grab a quick ‘spanakopita’ when I’m in a rush – if I have eggs or yoghurt, fruit and nuts it sustains me till lunch and I feel great. Golly if I could fit in some meditation that would be incredible – lets not push things eh! What is the best way for you to start your day?
Next time I’ll be talking about the 80/15/5 RULE. Remember it’s what you do most that counts.

Christos