Noodles (tickled) and Hoops (Hula-ed)
a walk through my only-slightly-flawed daily practice
Consider me your guinea pig.
I’m experimenting with different daily practices then reporting back to you about my experiences.
Time hacks? I’ll give ‘em a try. Fresh take on a self-care modality? I’ll check it out and fill you in. New must-read self-help book? I’m on it, ready to write my book report. Quirky creative project? I’m all in! New Deepak 21-day meditation challenge? I’ll go there.1
To be fair, the best morning routine is grounded in pretty basic practices: meditation, journaling, reading, exercise, introspection, positive self-talk. There are no “new-fangled” ways of approaching these things. But for each practice, there are many schools of thought regarding different methodologies and techniques. And each of us has our own unique buttons pressed by our own self-care needs as well as threshold of time we can devote to this.
I’m investigating all of this stuff to share with you. My aim is to help you with your daily practice, to make it smoother, easier and more fulfilling.
I’ll share everything from life-changing products (like the Bluetooth outlet that allows me to turn my kettle on from bed as soon as I wake up) to links to specific podcast episodes that really resonate and tickle the noodles in my three-pound meat lump.
What I won’t do: I don’t do fad diets, I don’t run or jog, and I won’t do MLM or any kind of pyramid scheme situation. I’m also not a fan of anything that has me awake and outside in the dark when it’s cold.
So, without further hoopla, allow me to share the latest iteration of my morning routine with you. I’m changing it up on the regular to incorporate different variations.
My current morning routine2:
Alarm: 6:55 am, iOS birdsong.
Snooze button at least once. Maybe turn on kettle via Bluetooth-- if I remembered to set it up the night before. Try oh-so-very hard to not look at my phone notifications and get sucked in.
Reading: 10 minutes.
Not just anything, a carefully chosen book or passages that massage my brain and send my thoughts on a flourishing path for the day. Right now, Professional Troublemaker: The Fear Fighters Manual by Luvvie Ajayi Jones. This book is a pep talk for speaking your mind, following you heart and not taking any shit. It’s a high energy primer for dumping your comfort zone. Also, a beautifully tender peek at the life of the author’s Nigerian grandmother and her lively Nigerian family. Jones’ love of the poem Desiderata inspired today’s illustrations.
Was I inspired by the book? Yes. Did it change my life or my way of thinking? I don’t think so. Do I feel like a better person for having read this book? Yes. Would I recommend it? Sure. Biggest takeaway: The author proposed a Ted talk she was sure would get rejected. She felt the idea wasn’t fully fleshed out, but pre-accepting what she perceived as inevitable rejection, she went for it anyway and submitted her untested talk. Not only did they embrace her idea but made her the keynote speaker for the event. Note to self: done is better than perfect.
[Head downstairs, drink large glass of water with lemon, wonder who’s the slob who left the kitchen such a mess, turn on kettle, or if its boiled, pour water on teabag in mug.]
Movement: Hula hoop to one song.
Yup, every morning for a month, I head out on my back deck, (note to self: turn off security alarm), pop in my ear buds, slip hoop over my head and hoop3 to one song. I hope I haven’t messed myself up by trying my favorite morning exercise first, at the beginning of this project. Hula hooping is really gentle exercise, probably because my poor skills keep it from being too crazy or aerobic, but I get energetically supercharged listening to high-energy music (look for a playlist in your midweek snack break). My back deck is surrounded on all sides by fences, so I don’t have that self-conscious concern about being seen. (Although if I had truly absorbed what Luvvie Ajayi Jones was telling me, I wouldn’t give a damb).
Do I feel more fit? Nope, I just feel like I get to listen to a cool song every morning. Did my hooping skills improve? Nope. One morning I startled the squirrel who’s been digging up my herbs and roses. He didn’t run off but sat atop the fence and side-eyed me until I finished. He waited for me to leave so he could continue digging up my bougainvillea. Jokes on him, I plopped on the wicker setee on the deck and went straight into meditating.
Meditation: 5ish minutes, with a timer.
I’ve been creating my own self-guided meditation—kind of a guide-as-I-go. Sometimes I last beyond the timer. Sometimes my monkey mind can’t quiet down. It’s all good. More on meditation in a future issue.
[Back inside, squeeze lemon in tea. Head to couch.]
Journal: 10 minutes, timed, typed into computer.
Sometimes writing from prompts, sometimes just writing about what I’m working through.
Mostly the end: then I go on to read my emails. (More on this in a future issue, I subscribe to a lot of emails). On paper this should take about 30 minutes. It rarely does. I’m working on tightening my transitions.
What’s working for me:
Reading while still in bed. It’s a naughty feeling like I get to indulge in a few more snoozy minutes but am really activating my brain for the day.
Hula hooping to supercharged morning music. I love how it wakes my brain up with an instant hit of music that I really get to inhabit, while my body does some gentle movement.
Meditating outside. The temperature is perfect, birdsong filters in, and I pretend that the rumble of cars on I16 a few blocks away is a distant ocean roar.
What doesn’t work:
I really suck at my transitions, the spaces between activities. Sometimes I can’t decide on my hooping jam and scroll though my music library for a bit too long. One time there was the incident of accidentally setting the security alarm off, which I couldn’t hear howling because of hooping with ear buds and also I’m half deaf. Sure, I can go straight from hula hooping to meditating—that's 3 paces, but walking through the kitchen, fixing tea, before grabbing my computer is fraught with distractions—things like accidentally looking at phone, pooping, thinking about breakfast, etc.
My breakfast game needs work. The body I inhabit requires a highish protein meal early in the day. I don’t want to devote a ton of time to preparing and eating —as in no time. I’m a professional chef who should be able to nail this down, but I’ve had some setbacks. We’ll discuss soon.
I suck at following a proper bedtime, and as a result, suck at waking up in the morning. My ideal bedtime is 11. Let’s just say that my success rate has been shockingly low.
This is a constantly evolving process.
I’m up to try anything new, so send your ideas/suggestions/conundrums my way.
And I’ll tell you if they do that thing around day 10 where you have to start your own circle and recruit a bunch of other people—which is more like creepy MLM a la Herbalife or Lularoe than finding inner calm and gratitude.
Current situation: no kids, no pets, partner is away
I use a 2.3-pound hula hoop with thin foam padding. I wanted to try an actual performance hoop. These differ from the ones you find at the toy department of Target. Sized for adults, they weigh slightly less than the “fitness hoops” in sporting goods shops but have a bit more heft than the $3 kiddo version. Performance hoops start at about $40, and I’m not sure I want to make the investment just yet.
You're my hero!