A good morning routine can be a solid foundation to a great day. Over the years, I’ve changed up my routine to what best fits my needs. Right now, this is what I do to start my day. I like to implement activities that get my mind and body in the right gear. For me, waking up this early means that I’m ahead of the curve and beating out my competition—if there was any, haha.
3:45AM: Wake up. Ideally after a good amount of quality sleep (doctors recommend 7-9 hours). Good sleep is priceless and unfortunately a little hard to get these days. But always try. If getting to bed early or falling asleep is a challenge for you, a good routine or supplements could help. (Check out my next blog for my staple supplements.)
4–4:15AM: A cup of black coffee and a shot of Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. I like to have a cup of coffee before a workout instead of doing a pre-workout supplement. Pre-workout supplements aren’t well-regulated. They’re full of miscellaneous trash and have way too much caffeine—I don’t want to feel cracked out before I go work out. And the apple cider vinegar can help with anything from weight loss to better skin.
5 BEFORE 5AM: Every morning I like to run 5 miles before 5AM. I ran just under a 7-minute mile today at 32 minutes 42 seconds. It’s a practice that keeps me motivated. At that time in the morning, much of the city is still asleep. Maybe it’s the Leo in me but there’s just something about knowing that you’re out getting work done while others aren’t that instills more confidence. How can I lose if I’m going above and beyond what’s already considered above and beyond!?
After the run, I’ll try to take 5 minutes to cool down and meditate. Taking the time to slow down and focus on centering my mind is a great way to wrap things up before I move on to training clients and taking on the world.
~5:15: Another cup of black coffee with MCT oil and grapefruit. MCT (medium-change triglycerides) oil boasts a good amount of health benefits such as improving exercise performance, and comes in handy if you’re working on cutting down. It goes well with the coffee, too (not really, but it’s an eat-to-live not live-to-eat type of thing). And of course, grapefruit because it’s rich in antioxidants and fiber.
5:30–9AM: Start my day training clients.
9:30AM: Finally have my breakfast—4 eggs, 1/2 cup of oats.
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
—Zig Ziglar
Moral of the story is you don’t have to have talent or skill to have a morning routine. You just need discipline with a side of tenacity because really, who the hell wants to wake up early and be so organized? A healthy morning routine ideally includes sport, body, and mind. Some exercise, mindfulness practice, or even something as simple as reading/writing in a journal. If you put in work for your body, don’t neglect the mind. After all, this is Trifecta. Sport. Body. Mind.
