Our bodies LOVE routine.
The importance of a daily routine continues to come up for me. I see it on social media, in health news and it has been common in conversations with friends and clients. While it is always important, I think it has been a focus because we all lost our daily routines when Covid-19 hit almost 4 months ago (WHOA!) and our lives changed dramatically. We were pretty much forced to find brand new homebound routines.
For many, that was overwhelming. Myself included, we formed some poor habits which comforted us…such as overeating, making fun but poor food choices and drinking alcohol more frequently. While in the short term this felt good, the long term effects were/are not ideal. For me, those included weight gain, feeling bloated, being puffy, and a loss of energy which cumulatively led to having ‘the blahs.’ It was tough to get out of bed in the morning with my usual pep. I went through my daily commitments (which were WAY less) will little excitement and motivation.
Well, we’ve had some fun, then maybe reigned it in for a bit and now SUMMER. How do we find our balance? I do my best to operate by the 80/20 Principle. This means following my ideal sleep, diet, and exercise routine 80% of the time and being okay going off of that routine due to time with friends and family or travel 20% of the time.
Our bodies LOVE routine. It helps us process our sleep, activities, and calories more efficiently. When we have a solid routine, we don’t have to make so many decisions throughout the day, which creates the space to flow through our day with a little more ease. I share my general routine below in hopes that you will be inspired to find a routine that works for you.
6:30-7:30 Wake Up
7:00-8:30 Coffee and Light Breakfast
1:00-2:00 Lunch
7:00-8:00 Dinner
8:00-11:00 TV, Read, Journal
11:00 Bed
Our old routines are out the window and our new normal is here to stay for a while. We may as well settle in for this ride and feel the best we possibly can while we experience this historic time.
Stay Safe and Let’s Do This!
