Hi Agressivefatloss.com lovers,
The morning time is precious time to set the pace for your day.
I could give you some lame morning routine that everyone else on the internet likes to do, or I could give you pragmatic things that you can put in place to scientifically level up your day.
Keep in mind, you don’t have to do all of these things:
Getting Sunlight First Thing in the Morning (or red light)
I had always noticed that when I go for a run in the morning I feel more invigorated. I used to think it was just the running, but then I realized that I did not get the same effect running on a treadmill or indoors…
It dawned on me when I was doing research on red light therapy that perhaps the reason I was sleeping better, feeling more awake and not needing caffeine was because of the light wavelengths I was receiving in the morning.
Of course, you can use a red light to simulate this effect, but natural light when the sun in low on the horizon (reddish) is definitely the best.
Basically, this aligns your circadian clock and expresses genes that are associated with being awake and feeling your best. It’s crazy that it only takes a few days in a row before you notice a difference.
Try 10-15 mins of red light therapy or low-gazing sun exposure first thing in the morning.
Get Ready to Laugh… Trampoline Jumping
Okay, you think I am nuts now. But I discovered this one by accident.
A lot of times I love to jump on the trampoline in the morning with my son. I go for a run, or workout and I had found (personally) that jumping on the trampoline helps restore some athleticism back to my feet after pounding pavement (beside the point).
In doing this, I started finding that I was really invigorated after jumping on the trampoline. So I looked into it…
Turns out that it allows the lymphatic vesicles to open a bit more, therefore allowing the lymphatic system to work and flow a bit more (even Tony Robbins has talked about this).
This could be a bit of a stretch, but our brain may actually be able to dump some of its waste through something called the glymphatic system. The changes in gravity when we jump might help create pressure that flushes this. Almost acting like a mild detox.
So if you don’t have time for a full fledged workout in the morning to get an endorphin rush, you could just jump for 5-10 mins with your kiddos *or solo* and get a cool effect.
Try Taking a Nootropic instead of Coffee
Coffee is awesome, but a lot of times it is about the ritual. I recommend switching it up, and trying something different from time to time.
Occasionally swapping out the consolidated caffeine for a Nootropic can be a nice way to hit your brain with some of the right powerhouse ingredients that it needs to operate at its best.
I’m a huge fan of Neurohacker Collective’s Qualia Mind, BUT it’s pricey… It’s not something I would necessarily recommend for the average person.
Luckily, their naturopathic led science team decided to take the 14 most essential nootropics in Qualia Mind, and create a more budget-friendly formula called Qualia Focus that works nearly as well at a fraction of the cost.*
Right Now it is less than 20 dollars for an entire month’s supply, so that’s a pretty awesome bargain.
It has a few ingredients that I have become increasingly obsessed with over the past few months:
- Celastrus plant, known as “intellect plant” for centuries in the Himalayan highlands.
- Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract to support mood and neuroprotection.
- Ginseng Root Extract to support stress resilience and working memory*
- +11 other equally well-researched nootropics in LEGIT serving amounts.
Click here to get a month’s supply of Qualia Focus for just $19.50 and if you use code at checkout, they’ll knock another 15% off.
Cold Showers (You Don’t Always need a Cold Plunge):
I think we live in a world where social media makes us want to push everything to the extreme.
I definitely understand the merit of an ice plunge, and I do it frequently, but not everyone has access to a cold plunge, nor does everyone want to go THAT far.
If you’re looking for the mental aspect (building resiliency) and a bit of a hormetic stressor, taking a nice cold shower can be pretty darn awesome too.
It’s about overcoming stressors and allowing your body to adapt, but it’s also about allowing your BRAIN to adapt. And sometimes that is just doing simply difficult things.
If you can simply get yourself to the point of being cold for a period of time, you’re on the right track. There have even been studies that look at putting people in cold rooms and the effect that that can have on brown fat activation, etc.
Just allow yourself to get cold for 7-10 mins in the morning!
Eggs. When all else fails. Eggs.
I go back and forth. Sometimes I feel like fasting gives me the biggest mental boost, and sometimes I feel like eggs give me a boost.
This is purely anecdotal here, but I notice that when I put cheese or anything on my eggs, I do not feel as mentally sharp as if I just eat plain old cooked eggs.
Most of the research I can find points to choline being the reason here. The choline in the eggs seems to be a nice precursor to acetylcholine and really does fire my brain up (and evidently a lot of others).
I think people get too hung up on making these big robust breakfasts (or just skipping altogether).
I am all for fasting and skipping breakfast, but occasionally, a small volume breakfast with decent caloric density can be great for the brain.
So I will do 3 eggs cooked in some ghee, suet, or avocado oil on some of my filming days and I find that my brain is just on fire. Its like the caloric density, choline, and fats in the eggs satiate me enough t feel good, but the volume is enough to NOT weigh me down and demand a ton of digestion.
These are just a few of the newer things I have been drawing conclusions on in my head. The more that we can reduce the dopamine spikes that have to do with rituals that we get overly excited about, the better. It’s one thing to have routine, it’s another to become overly obsessed.
Have a rolodex of different morning tactics to pull from so that you don’t become a person that does the exact same thing every day. Routine is good, but intention is better!
As always, I will see you tomorrow!
Agressivefatloss.
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