Morning Primers

If you’re like me, winter takes some pep out of your step. Less sun and a little less vitamin D paired with the cold weather makes it a little more challenging to be that “full tilt” version of yourself that you are in those warmer months. It’s taking me a long time to figure out what works for me and what doesn’t but over the course of my life I am getting better and better at honing in my “Toolbox”. My Toolbox is the list of resources I have acquired that I utilize whenever I need to regain focus on personal work/development or maintain a desired baseline of my mentality and well-being.

Recently, I have really been focusing on my morning routine and priming myself for the day. I have tried things like going to the gym early but that one is still a question mark for me as I would like to get it in and out of the way but something just doesn’t feel right. Not sure why yet, to be determined. So I try to keep it simple with three key things that have been foundational to a good day for me. A “gratitude stretch”, ice bath, coffee/read/eat. I also try to prioritize a big glass of water with some Celtic sea salt but my addiction to Nespresso makes me bypass that some days.

I started my gratitude stretching back in 2018. I take about 2 minutes after getting out of bed to do a quick vinyasa flow with my own combo of light kinetic stretches touching on most of my core joints and muscles. At the end and this is the most important, I will take a brief moment to think of whatever I am grateful for. Sometimes its pretty simple, like being grateful for my coffee, my boogie van/dirtbike or more intimate like the people in my life or that I woke up for another day with access to an abundance of opportunity. Its always the best when the little gratitude session would snowball into all these amazing things I hold near and dear in my life where I would sit for a minute or two and be so full of warmth and love.

The ice bath was difficult in the mornings for a bit but got to a point where it was second nature. I never took ice baths seriously over the years other than for recovery after training or hot summer motos. I had read or watched lots of content over time that was pumping it like its religion. The big sell for me was what it did for your nervous system and how your mental health benefited. I finally gave it an honest shot and gained enough discipline to push through that discomfort when I once was down in the dumps and looking for a little something get the ball rolling again. Gurus and online professionals like Dr. Andrew Huberman describe how it resets your dopamine (feel-good hormone) levels and even elevates your baseline. Wim Hof, known for his extreme cold practices, said embracing the cold was key in transforming his life after being riddled with trauma. There is many more touted benefits from aiding in weight loss, upregulating immune function and improving cardiovascular health, etc. I love jumping in every morning, it’s a rush and for 3 minutes it’s that first challenge of the day. I think its important to challenge yourself and push your limits so this is a good daily practice to remind your subconscious and conscious mind that you are capable of achieving hard things and tackling tasks in your day that may come to you less daunting. You can do hard things!

The next is a difficult one, especially if I am in a rushed state but this is to my point that I believe being rushed screws my productivity. There is also a difference between operating with urgency versus operating with timely efficiency. I will slap some eggs and bacon on the pan, make my cup of joe and read while the bacon crackles. I choose a simple breakfast full of protein and fat as I know its going to keep me satiated throughout the day with a more stable fuel source and I’m still fasting from carbohydrates which are just going to be packed on and metabolized into fat anyway. I hope my research and understanding of science checks out and the bacon haters can get bent! LOL I grew up with my Dad who is a beast when it comes to having work ethic but always had a sense of urgency whereas my mother is always go with the flow and stuff “will get done when it gets done". Ying and yang. Made it difficult for me to figure out which one I should be. Patient and composed or impatient and get shit done quick. My latest life lesson is trying to stand grounded in that the world doesn’t demand me but I have to show up regardless. My little practice of slowing my morning down to give some of my time to a book is reassuring myself that the world can wait and that I am important. I don’t need to please the world right away to be worthy. It’s a time to learn something and maybe apply something different to my day. A new train of thought perhaps? But I can’t fuck around all morning reading, the world is still at the door waiting for me to get some shit done. An extra little practice I try to have is not to touch my phone until my first three day primers are done and dusted. I spend all day on the phone for work and I need to have some healthy distance from that thing.

Honestly, this will all go to shit if I don’t set my intentions for the day the night before. I have to know what I’m getting after the next day and if I’m honest, I am quite useless if I don’t. She will be a long day of procrastinating in that case. A to-do list is key. The first three things on the list are: gratitude stretch, ice bath, coffee/read/eat. Bang those off, I’ve done something, the ball is rolling.

I purchased my ice bath from Nurecover and it works great. I was skeptical at first with it being inflatable and questioned its durability but I have had it for a year now and it has stood the test. I am a big boy and its still quite spacious for me to squat down into. Prior to this I was using a horse trough but that didn’t fit on my apartment balcony in the city. I add a heaping amount of salt to prevent it from freezing in the winter. Since I am a health nerd, it’s Himalayan sea salt which is probably counter productive to how long that grungy water will sit in there for, but salt kills bacteria, right? Also, yes I know Himalayan salt is expensive and no I am not rich, I am just an idiot that justifies expensive purchases as investing in himself. But can I get some cred for the salt idea? Brilliant!

*For a discount on products at www.nurecover.com, use the code “BENT15” to get 15% OFF.

If you guys like this, I can do some more write ups on products I like to use for my athletic and life endeavors. Let me know.

Thanks for reading friends and have a great day,

Keylan