Wellness Makeover: Morning Exercise

Photo: Love this web of roots along my downtown walk route

Getting back on track with good wellness habits has been on my mind for a while. I kept shifting it down my mental to-do list as more pressing items seemed to take priority. Of course in the long run, I would only become less efficient and less able to deal with the high stress levels. Inadequate diet and exercise leads to worse sleep quality, which is especially important when you have chronic pain and injuries. Each day you wake up in more pain, less effective and more prone to throwing planning out the window.

When you are exhausted and stressed out planning can seem overwhelming, so I looked for a few strategies to focus on that were doable and would have maximum impact. In addition to making sure I start off with a good breakfast everyday, I’m setting my alarm earlier and exercising before breakfast. At first exercising on an empty stomach didn’t seem like a good idea, but then I decided that trying up to 30 minutes of exercise seemed doable. Yesterday we brought out an old favorite DVD: 7 Minutes of Magic, doing the 15 minute version of the AM routine which includes core strengthening exercises. Today I went for my 25 minute neighborhood walk route. On both days, I didn’t have any problem with being hungry during the exercise and I felt energized from it. I plan to alternate these morning workouts for most days of the week.

The morning exercise routine is great for the hot summer weather and I’ll be setting my alarm a bit earlier as we get used to our new schedule. I’m also looking forward to the positive impact of  kick-starting my metabolism in the mornings. As I adjust to the new routine, I’ll be adding more exercise especially when I get my new electric-assisted bike and start using as alternative transportation. There are also some yoga classes we would like to start going to on a regular basis.