Morning Routines

EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM

As the title suggests, the best time to activate energy systems, focus the mind and strengthen the body for whatever the day may bring, is a period shortly after waking, early in the morning.

Robin Sharma's 5am Club was first introduced to me back in 2014. It was discovered at a pivotal moment in time, when the effects of burning a candle at both ends were becoming increasingly apparent, with diminished energy levels, failing health and reduced mental acuity. Up until that moment, the relied upon adage 'work hard - play hard' system, had been the favoured mantra repeated throughout 20's and 30's. Evidently, moving past 40, the 'bounce back' wasn't proving to be quite as effective any more, so it was definitely the right time for lifestyle and mindset changes. This step, propelled me onwards, to a a year of dedicated mindfulness, is the seat of my newfound knowledge and reason both my partner and I are developing along an enlightened path of self-knowing.

An early start has often been linked to success – adding more time at the beginning of the day for quiet self-reflection, creativity, movement or achieving gains for personal development, before other responsibilities and influences hijack our day. It makes good sense.

We can define the 5am Club system through a book and as a lifestyle change. But the 5am 'club' is also a symbolic activation phrase – a kind of 'brain switch'. It's a choice we make. There's no impressive (real or virtual) venue to visit and no monthly membership fees required. If we use the words 'club' as a metaphor for a collective group of inspired, dedicated devotees and visualise a physical space, – an inspirational environment where like-minded individuals can meet, gain support for their causes and where investments of the group's collective energies can all manifest their goals together – this virtual club, much like when performing affirmation mantras, becomes a powerful suggestive program, repeated daily for the mind to align with. Suggestion forms our beliefs to become the new reality.

Suggestions as a form of self-hypnosis, repeated actions, are how we learn and cement positive habitual patterns. The true magic of the 5am club, begins to reveal itself after a period of daily dedication to these patterns – usually most noticeable after the first week and affirmed as a new habit formed by around the 30-40 day mark. In that determination period, through willpower, we begin to hard-wire behaviours, learning from day to day, how to maximise the time we have available. 

Where Robin Sharma insists on a regimented 20/20/20 'victory hour', actioned straight after waking, there are still (in my humble opinion), plenty of options available for tweaking this morning routine to best suit one's preferences as we diligently perform the daily routine to our needs. 

To benefit fully from increased heart rate exercises, meaningful journal/to-do lists & reflection, active learning and self-empowerment sessions – we can't always get the most out of repetitive, regimented and restrictive 20-minute segments. Sometimes self-reflection & meditation need first priority and at other times, the need to learn something new or fire up the energy centres takes precedence. Some activities can take up to a full hour on their own. Sometimes we need to rest. So it's not necessarily always about sticking to the 5am time – the key factor for success, is to consistently get up as early as possible and make the most of this golden period of the day.

'Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will
happen to you the rest of the day.' ― Mark Twain

Energy Boosters

We can increase our energy in a number of beneficial ways. Conscious deep breathing, a cold shower or 20-60 military press-ups, are just a few suggestions that will take about five minutes to accomplish and will not incur any energy spikes/drops like ingesting caffeine or sugar fixes will. Dedication to challenging routines over a set period, help us push through when the defeatist voices tell us to stay in bed. 

After a lifetime of blindly being led along in bad routines, building up harmful habits and being swayed by false advertising or misleading advice and other unhealthy conditioning, it takes a leap of faith to fully dedicate our time and efforts following the 5am club routine.

Sometimes our body requires more rest. Sometimes injury will affect how we exercise – but knowing when to allow more time in bed and what exercises to avoid, takes strength of mind to overcome the deceitful and lazy aspect of our personalities. For most of us, there'll be self-sabotaging barriers holding us back from accomplishing the 30-day challenge. But the theory goes, if we strictly follow the 5am regime for 30 days, we'll have enough justification, to realise where getting up and sticking to the routine every day – despite how we're feeling, – will result in fixed aches/pains and vitality restored by performing the routine regardless of negative feelings.

After the 30 day challenge has been met, we'll be fully armed with a sufficient level of self-discipline for 'checking in' on performance feedback loops, ascertaining where the greatest gains have been made and what requires more focus to tweak/improve on our adapted versions of the 5am routine.

A typical entrepreneur's approach for 'hacking' body/mind + optimising time management for success, rarely factors in enough quality time, nor presence of mind to check in with 'the self'. 

The decisions we make are formed through a synchronistic activation of our heart, mind and gut brains. Desires, rational/critical thinking and intuition form the best ideas. If we take a quiet moment before sleeping, to align hearts desires with rational minds, we then subconsciously allow our intuitive mind to work out what's best while we sleep. Our subconscious mind is linked to the inner voice and higher intelligence which guides us. To allow this process, we need to disengage the senses and quieten the chattering mind.

Just 10-20 minutes of meditation every morning and evening, allows a break from the mind chatter and negative ego, to tune in with the 'higher self', where as an observer, we can work out what the best use of our energies and time will be. 

Many are overly keen to set an alarm, jump-up military-style to jolt themselves awake and attack the day – skipping important powerful dream journaling, breath-work and channelling mind/heart/gut-brain/higher-self mindfulness learning. Potentially, this approach can create blockage, unsettle the mind, stress the adrenal gland, and create dependency on adrenalin and other stimulants, resulting in energy depletion burn-out and requiring a break from the 5am routine.

Boot camp-style conditioning can work well in achieving a 30-day challenge, particularly if we lack the discipline to go to bed early. However, drill-bashing ourselves to perform something we really don't want to do, is missing the point. And if we want to sustain the early morning to further develop ourselves, the importance of working out metaphorical meanings of dreams, tunituning inng-in to our intuition and mindfulness practices, will greatly help us discern between good/bad information, what's best for our bodies/minds, enhance progress and create harmonious states for continuing our 5am program with enjoyment.

Know Strengths & Work On Weaknesses

Some folks are very physically aware and some are more in touch with their inner thoughts and feelings. The reality is that 20 minutes of rigorous exercise can easily be achieved by anyone who is willing enough to push themselves. However, to properly meditate and focus on learning/retaining new information or engaging in a creative venture, will for most, take the best part of a 20-minute time slot, merely to get oneself in the optimum 'mind-state'. Balancing the heart, mind, gut brains – removing mental chatter and becoming better connected to emotive/mood-influential states, takes time and the right conditions. Mental training exercises will optimise how we switch off the chatter, how quickly we activate the right hemisphere creative mind, and switch off the senses to allow harmonious frequencies of the body's inner intelligence to synchronise.

Alarming Awakening

Robin Sharma suggests not having any electronic/tech around us first thing in the morning – but to invest in a mechanical alarm clock instead. This stance suggests we are incapable of putting our phones on aeroplane mode and also implies that we need a loud bell ringing, to shock-rouse us from sleep. Some of us may actually need a draconian military-type drill. For those of us capable of taking control over the mind, there is a better, more holistic approach.

First we need to address our habits and addictions. Knowing what the barriers to success are and by working towards removing them, we will greatly reward/empower ourselves, and restore self-esteem – re-affirming trust in our ability to responsibly/consistently get ourselves out of bed at 5am each morning. 

For night owls, the first few days of getting up at 5am, will likely require a loud alarm. After about a week, the new rhythm of going to sleep at 9-10pm, will naturally set in and waking at 5am without an alarm may also become natural – especially easier in the summer months.

Some of the more gentle ways to wake up are by birdsong, the sea lapping on the shore or chants, binaural beats and solfeggio frequencies, which tune us into nature, aligning ourselves with the day's desired energy. If you're lucky to have the forest or ocean on your doorstep, great – otherwise, the smartphone or computer has many options for managing/controlling your waking moments in this way.

Circadian Rhythms

Ideally, we'd be rising and retiring in tune with the procession of the sun, to naturally align circadian rhythms. Our sleep patterns correlate with the body's restorative programs, working all day and throughout the night, with set times for organ repairs and hormonal release programs for activation of melatonin/serotonin levels, which are key chemicals for regulating optimum sleep and wakefulness. During the winter months, the challenge of waking from sleep when it's still dark (as well as cold), can hamper efforts sticking to the 5am routine, but through a process of re-programming body's rhythms to adapt their restorative programs, this change can still occur relatively quickly. It's important to stick with this amended routine, so a shorter period of changes in the body's clock can occur. If we also modify diet/ meal times accordingly, as well as avoid the stimulants and sleep-disruptive influences, then a new sleep pattern transition will be a lot easier.

Sun & Moon

The seasons are nature's way of breaking down the old and bringing in the new. Our bodies react to the seasons, with the sun playing a role in how energised we feel. The sun's frequencies bring warmth and it's power creates new life. 

In the winter months, shorter days without powerful charging rays of the sun hitting receptors on our skin and in our eyes, the systems for metabolising sufficient vitamin D, have to compensate in other ways. 

Providing we've had a good diet, rich in nutrients including vitamin D and our skin has been exposed to the beneficial UVB rays of the sun, throughout the warmer months, vitamin D stored in our fat cells, can be deployed. The sunshine has been shown to influence gut biomes, which help generate vitamin D and boost overall gut health – the centre of our immune system and essential for beating winter depression. Without the right diet, too many stimulants and processed food, lack of sunlight and too much exposure to unnatural light circadian rhythm disruptors, we may struggle to retain sufficient energy levels throughout the day, requiring more time in bed to recover.

Spending more time outside bathed in daylight (even while overcast), will help recharge the vitamin D levels. Coupled with fresh air, good hydration, diet, regular exercise and quality sleep, a 5am start can still be achieved without feeling exhausted.

Our serotonin and melatonin levels are affected by various different factors. Modern living plays a role in determining health. Excessive amounts of blue light coming from screens and the radiation emitted from TV's, phone and computers, all have an impact on our subtle internal systems and their cellular inter-communications.

Activating a SAD screen for thirty minutes first thing in the morning, may help boost serotonin levels to improve mood and energy levels. The more serotonin we produce in the daytime, the greater resources available for our pineal gland, to activate sleep chemicals. Serotonin is converted to melatonin and we need periods of darkness to trigger its release. Avoiding technology emitting blue light an hour before bedtime, can help regulate melatonin levels for quality sleep. Stored Serotonin levels aid in activating our wakefulness states the following day.

It's now clearer how rhythms affect the body's systems and how sunlight power sustains new life in the Spring, with a decline in growth throughout the darker months and hibernation of certain species in the winter. The moon also plays a role in how our bodies are affected. Having a body composed of 75% water, the lunar cycles can determine how water retention levels increase, and blood magnetism creates changes to physical performance and brain activity. 

While taking on the 5am Club challenge, it's worth considering how the sun & moon will affect the body, mind and energies, particularly in the winter season. The key is to treat ourselves with greater consideration and kindness, to complete the challenge in a beneficial way – so the new habit can be managed (and tweaked), to accommodate all the daily challenges and responsibilities we encounter.

Ice Is Nice

Body conditioning is something we are becoming more aware of. Cardiovascular exercises, building and toning muscles with resistance training, calorie counting diets, fasts, grooming and make-up. One of the first places to show signs of ageing is the face particularly around the eyes.

Wim Hof has developed a simple training technique for better enduring the cold, improving willpower and attaining inner calm. If cold showers in the morning are not your thing, perhaps focusing on the face can be something to consider. Ice cold water can help reduce puffy baggy, brighten the eyes, tighten the pores, lift saggy jowls and invigorate us at the start of the day.

There are many advocates of ice therapy, but usually suggested along with the application of expensive creams, and facials and involving specialist cryotherapy studios and therapists. We can reduce the expense and time by simply filling a large bowl with ice cubes with a little water and repeatedly dipping our faces in the icy water for as long as we can hold our breath for, repeated until the ice has melted. Usually this can be completed within just 10 minutes.

Expansive Breathing

Breathing is a key component for sustaining our health and well-being. Breathing well, improves all other functions in the body. Beginning our day with this thought in mind, can transform the rest of our day. There are various beneficial techniques we can focus on in our morning routines, which can improve circulation, and increase energy levels and focus. Yoga practices teach us life-enhancing methods for enhancing the quality of breath during periods of meditation as well as for energising and firing up the body's metabolism. 

Eastern practices of martial arts and energy movement such as Tai Chi or Qi Gong, incorporate invaluable breathing techniques for energy harvesting. Wim Hoff also explains his simple-to-follow breath technique here, which is based on a Shaolin monk breath practice called Tum-mo. These breathing techniques can take around 10 minutes. Another two simple breathing techniques we can incorporate in to the morning are box breath and expansive finger breaths.

Box Breaths: Upon waking, set an alarm for 5 minutes. 

Lay on the back in Shavasana pose. Take deep breaths in and out through the nose. In for 4-6 seconds – hold for 4-6 seconds and breath out for 4-6 seconds. Pause for 4-6 seconds after the exhale and repeat this breathing sequence until the alarm sounds. Make sure to take steady, full belly yoga breaths, expanding the ribs outward, filling the lungs with air up to the collar bones, reversing the process, and ending each breath with the diaphragm pulling in and upwards to fully empty the lungs at the end of each breath.

Expansive Finger Breath: Standing tall, with legs firmly planted in a width stance and arms down by the side. On the first inhale through the nose, reach the arms out to the side, up and over the head for a breath of 6 seconds. Reach up and out through the fingers, as wide as you can in a big, wide 'V' shape, with shoulders rolled back, chest lifted up and nose lifted slightly to the sky, freeing the throat/airway. after the full breath in, hold for 6 seconds, then breath out for 6 seconds – rolling the upper back and chest forwards, bringing the arms forward slightly, with the fingers splayed and pointing forward – as if you're holding a very large ball of energy. Hold for 6 seconds, then roll the chest and arms back to the first position, imagining pulling all the energy through the fingers as you stretch up, out and slightly curved in the back. Repeat these deep full energy energy-expansive finger breaths 6 times. This breathing not only helps open the airways and alvioli's of the lungs, but is said to increase the inner energy and like a puffer fish, increase the size of our outer subtle body.

Optimising Exercise In 20 Minutes

Breathing, affirmations and calming the mind can all be rolled into one, whilst getting an all-over body workout. Many have tried the various plank challenges, but few have managed to sustain planks for more than just a few minutes. 

Retired Marine George Hood has endured over 8 hours to prove that even over 60-year-olds, can achieve great feats of strength and endurance. Record breaking efforts like this are not achieved overnight, but with the dedication to follow a training regime, anything is possible.

The 6-Minute Plank: A lot can be accomplished in just 6 minutes. Tighter, toned and flatter stomach, chiselled thighs and sculpted backside. Do this uncomfortable challenge first thing and your day will seem a lot easier!

There's a multitude of versions to try...

1. Get a playlist together and work daily towards sticking a straight 6-minute plank with press-ups optional. Focus on the music to zone out the burn.

2. Break up the planks into forearm front plank for 3 minutes, then side plank left and right for 5 deep breaths each, then roll to side plank again but with one leg raised on each side for 5 breaths. Add in 20 press-ups after the first 3 minutes and finish on 20 press-ups.

3. Apply the same rules as above, but in silence, focusing on long, deep breaths and/or chanting affirmations either in the mind or out loud. Repeat three times each:

– I draw unlimited energy into my body – I feel amazing!

– Life is good, life is easy. All great things come to me (us)!

– Great things, are a series, of small things, brought together.

– I am love. I give only love. I receive only love. Love is the greatest purpose.

Quad Power

The thigh (quads) and backside muscles (glutes) are the largest muscle groups on the body. Working these muscles will flush the CV system by raising heart rate, burn maximum calories and strengthen the lower back, thighs and bum. 

100 Squat 5 Minute challenge: Many variations to choose from, or just stick to the Kundalini squats. Set a timer for 5 minutes and see how many squats can be achieved in the time. Raise arms high above the head. Feet about three feet apart, with toes pointing about 45º outwards to protect knees. Fast, controlled, wide squats all the way down and all the way up. Focus on deep controlled breaths in on the squat and full breaths out on the way up. 

Organise And Prioritise

Waking at 5am with a plan of action, is how we optimise on this quality time for self-development. Before going to sleep at night, check in with yourself about what the goals will be for the morning. There's no point getting up at the crack of dawn and spending half the time deciding on the routine.

Ideally, follow the 20/20/20 routine for 30 days – it doesn't require any thought. Get up, exercise, meditate and enjoy the time remaining. After the habitual pattern has cemented in, refine the daily goals to ensure every morning is about you, your goals and objectives. Listen to your body. If getting to sleep at 9pm is not possible, work out with yourself any tweaks, afternoon power naps, weekend recovery options and if desired, some time-out days.