Pain shot through my back.
Shocking, excruciating pain. The kind that takes your breath away.
It started mid-spine and radiated outward, wrapping around my ribs, then upward toward my neck.
I gasped for air, dropped my dumbbells, and collapsed to the ground.
It felt oddly good to lie there on the cold concrete of my basement exercise room. If I stayed still, I could regroup and take account of what happened. But the slightest twitch brought immediate suffering.
Even breathing hurt.
Had I warmed up before working out, I could have avoided twisting my back muscles into a tangled hammock. But I dove right in, curling heavy weights completely cold.
Over the next two weeks, while my back muscles healed, I’d live to regret it.
Moving as deliberately as I’ve ever moved in my life, I attempted to get up. And, with every painful move, I could hear my trainers’ voice in my head: “You’re old as fuck bruh. You gotta spend the time getting your muscles ready so you don’t hurt yourself.”
Lesson learned.
Are you warming up your day?
If you’re not warming up before working out, you’re not preparing your body for the intensity to come. You’re putting yourself at risk for injury. You’re not priming yourself for maximum gains.
Similarly, if you’re not warming up in the morning, your not preparing your body and mind for the day to come. You’re putting yourself at risk for distraction. You’re not priming yourself for maximum productivity.
Of course, I’m not talking about warming up with an exercise routine. I’m talking about preparing your mind and body for the day to come so you can avoid distractions and get shit done.
After all, that’s what your morning routine is all about.
There are a thousand articles on morning routines. Most of them push specific things to do: wake up early, drink water, eat protein, meditate, journal. All great, but they miss the point.
Your morning routine isn’t some to-do list. It’s a warmup for your day.
It’s a way to avoid lying in bed because you’re dreading what’s to come. It’s a way to kill the anxiety that comes from not knowing what you’ll do to kick-start your day.
Perform the correct activities in your morning routine, and you’ll be primed to hit the ground running and make progress toward your goals. Do the wrong things or skip your morning routine altogether and you’ll risk burnout, stress, distraction, and chaos in your life.
Here’s the thing though…
Most morning routines are bullshit
Join the 5 am club. Exercise. Journal, meditate, read. Eat protein, take a cold shower, plan, schedule, review your goals, blah, blah.
Good God, who’s got time for it all? Or energy?
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve tried these morning activities, and love doing most of them. But only in moderation, and only when the time’s right.
When I get to bed early enough, for example, I can wake up early and get some time to myself before the days’ battles begin. Just this morning I journaled and found some direction for this otherwise lost article. Occasionally, when I meditate, I find it a nice way to be a nice way to wake up.
But the second I have to travel, everything gets fucked up. The second my Nats are playing in a world series game, which doesn’t end until 1 am (go Nats!), I know my morning isn’t going to start early. Kids get sick, a bad email comes in, just about anything can kill my favorite morning routine before it even starts.
And this is the number one problem with morning routines. They are prescribed by people who pretend to know more about your life than you do. Prescriptions set in stone because they’re “backed by science.” Prescriptions that you’re supposed to follow regardless of circumstances.
But what if you need the sleep and can’t wake up early? Should your day go to shit?
What if you injured yourself working out and need to take a rest day? Should you exercise anyways and risk further injury, or skip it and feel bad for “falling behind?”
What if you travel or meet someone for breakfast or have to take care of a sick kid? Should you feel guilty all day for breaking your perfectly crafted routine? Should your productivity be destroyed? Should your day fall apart because things didn’t go as planned?
Fuck no it shouldn’t.
Your morning routine should be a source of inspiration
Yes, you need a morning routine; something to give you momentum and gear you up for the work to come. But your morning routine (or lack thereof) should never be a source of guilt that drives you to feel anxious about a change of plans.
Your first activity every morning should be something that excites you right out of bed.
For me, that’s brewing coffee. I love the smell, the sound, and the time it takes to fill the pot. It gives me a moment to myself to wake up before downing a half-cup of hot energy.
Every activity after that should get you up and running and ready to take on the day.
If you don’t need to meditate, don’t fucking meditate.
If you always enjoy a cup of coffee, chug that shit.
If you need to stare at the wall for 30 minutes (like I do) to let your thoughts settle and your brain warm-up, stare that bitch down.
For those other mornings when you don’t have time, or energy, or willpower, that’s okay. Do what you can. There’s no reason to feel guilty for screwing up some perfect morning routine crafted by Elon Musk and scientists who know what’s better for you.
Find the routine that’s right for you
Not all days are created equal. Therefore, neither should your morning routine.
There are a thousand “science-backed” techniques for starting your day off right. I’ve listed a few of them here (meditate, wake early, eat protein, etc).
The point isn’t to do them all. It’s to pick the ones that inspire you to get going. It’s to choose the ones that warm up the right muscles, body, and mind, for the day to come.
So OMG, can we stop with the morning routines already?
Just experiment. Figure out what works best for you in different circumstances. Find an inspiring routine that gets you out of bed regardless of time, energy, or willpower. And whatever you do, don’t kick yourself for not starting your day like some highly productive internet celebrity.
If you warm up with the right routine for you, whatever that may, you’ll be preparing your mind and body to avoid distractions and get shit done. There’ll be no need to compare yourself to someone else who doesn’t live in your shoes.
What’s more, you’ll never feel guilty again for not following the so-called “perfect morning routines” created by self-proclaimed productivity gurus. Those routines may work for them, but they’re not going to magically make you successful.
Only the routine that works best for you will.
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