Typical?

I think it's difficult for anyone to describe their typical day, and I certainly wouldn't presume to bore you with my hour-to-hour schedule.  But I often get asked what I do when it comes to the areas I find myself discussing the most in my coaching work: food, movement, spirit and sleep.  So I thought I'd share what I "typically" do here.

Food/Spirit
I'm sure everyone knows by now that hands down, the best habit I've changed is my morning routine.  I used to wake up with my mind racing, make coffee with the phone already in my hand and start worrying about everything I'd seen in my texts and emails, all while trying to make the first of multiple breakfasts and three lunches at 5:45 in the morning. (My kids are 10, 13 and 16, and they go to three different schools at three different times!)  I wasn't doing anyone any favors ~ by the time everyone had woken up, I was anxious and overwhelmed.

As I've read about the importance of an intentional start to the day, I've revised mine and now it makes all the difference in the world.  

When the alarm goes off and I sit up, the first thing I do is say "thank you." I get up, ignore the phone, start the coffee maker, pour a huge glass of water, squeeze a lemon into it and drink it down.  Then I pour my coffee (I put ghee and MCT oil in mine) and head to the couch for meditation.  Sometimes I'll use a guided meditation. Other times, I'll hear my middle schooler start the shower and I know I only have a few minutes, so I'll just spend a minute or two bringing my attention to my breath.

Breakfast for me is usually a big handful of berries, a couple tablespoons of flax seed meal and chia or hemp seeds, raw nuts, a dash of ground cinnamon, a sprinkling of granola and unsweetened soy or almond milk.  I'll also take a whole bunch of supplements with breakfast.  And I often have a cup of green tea mid-morning.

Movement/Spirit
I'm pretty active anyway, but before I settle down to work, especially if I'm going to be sitting in front of the computer or meeting with clients, I'll try to dedicate some time to exercise.  Some days I'll ride (my bike or a horse) or go for a brisk walk.  I don't like going to the gym, so if I can't get outside, I'll do yoga, weights or high intensity interval training with an app on my iPad.  If it's a nice evening or the weekend, I'll go on a long bike ride with my husband.

Spirit
If I have time, I'll do transcendental meditation or kundalini yoga, as well as some Bible study or spiritual reading. 

Food/Downtime
Lunch is hard for me.  I never want to stop what I'm doing, and I don't really like typical lunch foods.  So I'll usually have avocado toast with an egg, or salad and a veggie frittata.  If I'm really feeling uninspired to put together a proper lunch (or I'm pressed for time), I'll just make a quick smoothie. A typical smoothie will have berries, greens, avocado, cucumber, frozen bananas, flax chia blend, coconut oil, nut butter and soy milk, with some cinnamon and vanilla extract thrown in. 

Dinner can also be a challenge, because my weekday afternoons and evenings are so busy with the kids' activities.  I'll have whatever vegetables everyone's having with their dinner, but I don't eat meat, so I'll add a huge salad or chickpea pasta with tomato sauce. If we're out, I'll share my daughter's veggie burrito and order a salad, or I'll get pizza with tons and tons of vegetables (Mod Pizza is a favorite of ours).  But my husband is a great cook, so when we can all eat together, we'll usually have fish or a plant-based dish (we love daal, lentils and spinach, kale pesto with black bean spaghetti, vegetarian chili) and lots of veggies, and I always add a big serving of mixed greens with some flavored balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  I do like wine, so I will have a glass or two on the weekends.  Right after dinner I take bone supplements with calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K. 

My kids get a little energy surge after dinner, so sometimes we head out for a walk around the neighborhood to look at the holiday lights (or in the summer, we'll walk down to the park for a little while before the sun goes down).  Otherwise, we'll clean up and I'll hit the couch with my husband.  Sometimes I'll have a cup of herbal tea ~ my favorite this time of year is a harvest blend with orange peel, ginger and cinnamon.  I'll also have a book with me, but I'll inevitably get sucked into something he's watching.  Ken Burns' documentary on country music was my most recent favorite (other than the World Series, of course!).

Sleep
My pre-bed/sleep routine is one area where I'm pretty disciplined because I have to get up so early in the morning.  I'm often asleep before the kids! I turn off my phone and leave it in the kitchen.  Since a lot of my books and my alarm are on my iPad, I put it on airplane mode so I'm not tempted to check email or social media.  All my devices are programmed to switch to warm light at sunset so they're easier on my eyes (and brain).  I'm usually in bed by 9:30 with my book and I'm asleep within 15 minutes.