the value of daily routine
our cells, our organs, and our bodies are like well made swiss watches. we are a part of nature and therefore move like nature— just like the 24 hour cycle of a day, or the seasonal transitions of the year. we perform best when we maintain organization through routine.
by nature, we have evolved to operate much like energy-efficient appliances. both sleep-time and wake-time having a part in our cellular repair and organ recovery. but in this modern time, it’s quite tough to find balance through something as simple as daily routine.
how do we “make time” when time is money and popular concepts of “self care” looks a lot like vegetating in front of the television? start small, and remind yourself that just a few minutes of intentional practices make a world of difference in your rhythm.
routine and digestion
our digestion, or our agni, is like a furnace that has peak times and down times. our body adapts to when nutrients are introduced to the body and begins to plan accordingly. before food even hits your tongue, your body begins sending hunger signals the the brain and primes the gi tract for food introduction. when we eat irregularly, it leaves our body in a state of being “on call”, which fatigues the signalling systems and may also contribute to indigestion and poor assimilation.
as the day turns to night, our furnace starts to cool down— rerouting the energy towards healing and higher level digestive processes (think small/large intestine). if you continue to take in food, the workload gets backlogged and you end up with fermenting food stuffs in your gi. gross.
eating at regular times everyday sets your internal clock on a path of success (big bonuses if you eat most of your nutrients before 5pm and cease intake after).
meals and bedtime
we don’t get the privilege of learning much about sleep other than the high level “get 6-8 hours of sleep” and “sleep is good for brain health”. sleep is this incredible adaptation that allows our body to shut us down just enough to preserve energy used to reharmonize our organs and heal from metabolic waste product accumulation.
part of what makes mondays so unpleasant culturally is the misunderstanding that “8 hours of sleep” equates to great sleep, no matter what time you head to bed and wake. so when the weekend comes around, it’s compelling to indulge in later nights (culture of alcohol notwithstanding) and later mornings. in essence, this pattern sets us up for weekend-jet lag and dysregulates our sleep hormone balances.
as it pertains to routine, meal times, and sleep— keep it simple and plan to go to bed and wake within a two hour window every day (yes, even the weekends), and plan to get in bed no sooner than 3 hours after eating your last meal.
contemplation and mindfulness
at minimum, giving yourself time to connect with the world around you in an intellectual way works wonders to stabilizing the outcomes of poor routine. conscious awareness, mindfulness, has an incredible way of slowing time down. taking just a few moments to expand your perception or sense experience attunes you to the infinite nature of the now.
not to parrot this popular/toxically positive narrative that “there is only now”— what has been and what will be hold significant places in your present tapestry. reconnect with time to begin with the end in mind, to set your highest goal and then try to reach it locks your sights on a tangible target, instead of simply floating along to the rhythms of the world around you.
explore how your day unfolds when you start and end your day with yourself, a moment of appreciation, enthusiasm, or pride in something you have (or hope to) create hits like a jolt of lightening and lays the groundwork to your most successful behavior changes.
