Routines

As I got up before dawn this morning to do my exercise routine, I was muttering under my breath about the DST change last week.  Getting up to exercise can be difficult at any time, but this week has been particularly hard. However, I do know that keeping my routines will help me to adapt to the change.  (See my earlier post, Time to Change.)

During my warm up exercises I began to reflect on the importance routines for our overall health.  An exercise routine implies to me that I have a specific time and procedure to exercise, not that I do the same exercises all the time.  By having a routine, I make sure that my exercises get done.  If I leave it till I feel like it, I likely won't exercise.  For me early mornings work.  If I exercise in the evenings I have more trouble getting to sleep.

Likewise, I have a routine for taking supplements.  The containers are in a certain order in the drawer so I don't forget any and I have a specific time when I take them.  Occasionally I take a product that doesn't effectively work with my routine.  That supplement often gets forgotten.

In the evenings, my routine before bed helps me to unwind and calm down.  I understand how important my sleep is.  If you ask my wife, she'll tell you I'm usually asleep in less than 10 minutes (often much less).  If I don't have this time to unwind, I toss and turn for sometime before sleep is possible.

It's sad how things that are most beneficial for us to do are usually the first things we let slide.  Maybe it's because the important things are not always the most fun things. This is particularly true when it comes to our health.  Having established routines helps to make sure the important things get done.  And routines will help me adapt to this accursed time change.