avatarAlex Parker, Ph.D

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The Most Powerful Morning Routine I’ve Found After 2+ Years of Experimenting

A practical, evidence-based, adaptable, and extensively trialed morning routine.

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This article is anything but your typical morning routine piece.

After 2 years of diving into Reddit rabbit holes and experimenting with 20 different routines, I finally found the perfect combination. It took another 6 months to refine and systemize everything, but now I’m thrilled with the results!

The impact of this routine is so significant that it has become the sole priority in my daily life. By simply checking off this routine, everything else seamlessly falls into place without any effort (as you will soon observe).

I’m not joking. This routine has consistently prevented me from falling into the trap of endless scrolling and has helped me power through a week’s worth of work days numerous times.

Rather than blindly following the hype and presenting 5 cliché habits, I will invest time in conducting research and offer a more substantial perspective.

This routine is devoid of any magical elements.

The divine concentration and drive of mornings, which our smartphones dissipate, are solely captured, exploited, and magnified by it.

My productivity, well-being, and happiness have been completely revolutionized by this morning system.

I wish for it to have an equally transformative effect on your life. Before we jump into it, there are a couple of points to address:

  • The routine’s effectiveness relies on the sequential flow of each step — as they work together harmoniously to enhance its power. Altering this synergy will impair the routine’s potency and increase its difficulty to adhere to.
  • It is not advisable to skim through this extensive article. Paying attention to the details, tailoring it to your needs, and making progress are just as essential as following the actual steps. If you’re unable to allocate 15 minutes right now, save this article for future reference by bookmarking it.
  • This routine should not be seen as a strict regimen; instead, it offers flexibility and can be tailored to suit individual preferences. Adjust the routine according to your lifestyle and specific requirements by minimizing or customizing certain aspects. Furthermore, progress at a pace that suits you using the provided progressions and roadmap.

Building Blocks of this Routine: The 5 Key Dimensions

Work. Body. Mind. Breath. Soul.

P.S. Let me clarify that when I mention the Soul, I am not alluding to a translucent phantom that hovers away from our corporeal existence after passing away. Rather, I am describing our internal guidance system, conscience, or intuition that we commonly identify as the Soul.

In general, looking at the bigger picture:

So Soul > Breath > Mind > Body > Work.

In our society, work is revered while the body is overlooked, the mind is strained, shallow breathing prevails, and the concept of the soul goes unnoticed.

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Through a carefully designed sequence, our routine awakens the body, mind, breath, and soul in a specific order. This synergistic approach allows each habit to build upon the previous one, creating a seamless flow of energy and maximizing their impact.

The Overlooked Habit Modern Society Finds Unappealing

Good sleep is essential for a morning routine to be effective, no matter how well-planned it may be.

Romanticizing the late-night grind at midnight, the wild festivities at 2 in the morning, and the early risings at 5 AM, we have transformed into a society plagued by sleep deprivation.

The consequences are anything but glamorous — exhaustion, hazy recollections, crankiness, imbalanced hormones, scattered attention, weight gain, hypertension, unease, and a higher chance of death.

Two dreadful episodes of insomnia relentlessly reminded me of the significance of sleep. Diving headfirst into the pursuit of optimizing my sleep, I meticulously crafted a practical checklist for achieving restful nights.

Invigorating the Body and Heart

With 8 hours of sleep under your belt, you are primed and prepared for a workout.

However, before we begin, let’s go through the pre-workout routine. For me, it’s quite straightforward: Start by drinking three glasses of water to kickstart your metabolism and get your digestive system moving. Then, splash cold water on your face to cleanse away any dirt, oil, and tiredness from the night.

Next up is a salted black coffee, which combines natural caffeine and sodium to outperform any pre-workout supplements. Grab an apple or banana for a quick source of carbohydrates to fuel your workout. And of course, take care of any bathroom needs before getting started.

To warm up your joints, release tension in your muscles, and increase blood flow, spend some time foam-rolling. Now that we’re ready for the workout itself…

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In a typical week, my schedule looks like this:

  • On Monday, I focus on Muay Thai and engage in intense heavy bag training.
  • Tuesday is dedicated to working out at the gym, where I focus on strengthening my legs through power exercises.
  • Wednesday is back to Muay Thai, but this time I focus on stretching and strengthening my body.
  • Thursday is another day at the gym, where I work on building upper body strength through power exercises.
  • Friday is all about intense Muay Thai training to improve my overall intensity.
  • Saturday is back at the gym for leg-focused hypertrophy exercises.
  • Finally, on Sunday, I wrap up the week with another leg power workout at the gym.

Before jumping to conclusions and stating that this workout routine is too extreme, take a moment to reflect on its intensity level.

Exercising completely revolutionized my existence, forever engraving a special spot in my heart and life. You need not exert yourself excessively or for extended periods of time.

Start by following this progression until you reach your desired sustainable level:

P.S. If you already have an effective workout routine that you enjoy, stick with it and disregard this progression.

Level-1 (L1): Begin with the 15-Minute-Bod home workout and gradually increase from exercising three days a week to five times per week. As recommended, progressively add more sets and weights.

Level-2 (L2): Transition to Alpha Destiny’s FB-3X program at a gym facility.

Level-3 (L3): After three to six months, switch to either Reddit PPL (6 or 5-day variations), Layne Norton’s 5-day PHAT, or my own four-day P.H.U.L routine.

Level-4 (Advanced): Once you have been consistently following a workout routine for a year or two, advance to Lvysaur’s 5-day routine or rotate among the other routines offered by The Aesthetic Vault. If weightlifting becomes monotonous, consider incorporating a sport or martial art into your fitness regimen. Regardless of the level, choosing to maintain consistent and self-motivated L1 workouts will prove more effective than sporadic and forced L3 workouts.

Don’t let life’s demands overpower your fitness goals — kickstart your morning with exercise! Not only will it invigorate you, but it will also prevent any interruptions later in the day.

For those who prefer working out at a different time, try jumpstarting your body and heart with a quick 5-minute full-body circuit.

If that feels overwhelming, opt for a gentle 5-minute stretch or push yourself with a tough set of pushups instead — both options are equally effective.

Jolt: Stimulating the Mind and Energizing the Body

Engaging in physical activity generates a warmer core, accelerated blood circulation, and creates an ideal environment for invigorating cold showers. Out of all the confirmed advantages offered by cold showers, the activation of the Vagus nerve reigns supreme by boosting feelings of joy, infusing positivity into one’s life, and diminishing stress levels. To quote PMC,

The relationship between depression, inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease might be mediated by the vagus nerve. VNS deserves further study for its potentially favorable effects on cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, metabolic, and other physiological biomarkers associated with depression morbidity and mortality.

While exercise may help alleviate the symptoms of a cold, it is not ideal to subject yourself to a freezing shower as it can drain your limited willpower, unless you want to experience a shock from the cold. Instead, try gradually transitioning from hot to cold water in the shower. Start by decreasing the initial temperature and increasing the speed at which you turn the knob.

Another option is to wet your body with warm water before exposing yourself to the cold jets. Decrease the temperature of these warm jets over time.

When it comes to direct cold showers, take a deep breath and step under the deluge without delay or hesitation, as prolonging this process will make it feel even colder. For those seeking more advanced techniques, explore Wim Hof’s methods, which involve ice-cold immersion and cryotherapy.

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Supercharge Your Self-Awareness

Now that your body and mind have been revitalized, it is time to embark on an exploration into the vast ocean of pure consciousness.

For those who are not inclined towards spirituality, this refers to reaching a state of heightened self-awareness known as the superconscious state.

However, relying solely on meditation will not suffice in achieving this goal.

The easiest way to gain mastery over your own mind

Our minds can often resemble untamed monkeys that refuse to be controlled or restrained in any manner imaginable — try as one might!

If you attempt not thinking about something as simple as the color blue, images of majestic blue whales spouting water amidst waves painted in various shades of blue will inevitably infiltrate your thoughts. This is precisely where breathwork comes into play.

Allow me to provide a live demonstration: Take a deep breath, allowing the air to fill your belly completely. Hold this breath for a mere two seconds before exhaling slowly.

Repeat this process once more. Can you feel the calming effect wash over you? I am willing to bet that thoughts of blue whales did not intrude upon this exercise either.

Such is the immense power harnessed within each breath we take. In addition to serving as a preparatory step for meditation, breathwork boasts numerous proven benefits including stress reduction, improved immune function, strengthened lungs, and detoxification.

Take action now and create the highest potential return on investment asset of your lifetime.

Thank you for spending your time, hopefully 30 seconds or more, reading my story! I am grateful for your comments, highlights, claps, and engagement. Wishing you the best day ever!

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Self Improvement
Morning Routines
Productivity
Inspiration
Habits
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