2011--Year of Change. My New Routine

With the new year comes new routines. Like many writers, we read other people's writings to gain inspiration. This morning during my prep period I read Gala Darling's artilce about her morning routinesand felt inspired to write my own. Two Thousand and Heaven I have decided is going to be my big transformation year since I am not getting any younger and some things I used to do just do not work anymore. With that said, here is my new morning routine, even though my patterns and routine do change as I do not want my brain or my body to become bored.

I wake up during the week at 545am, just before the sunrise. I need to be at work by 8am and I am a mass transit girl so I need to be at my bus terminal in Jersey City, NJ no later than 640am. On Saturdays and Sundays, I will admit, I do tend to sleep in til 10am. When I wake up, the first thing I do is go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. Something about brushing my teeth really wakes me up. I can not explain it. I also wash the crud out of my eyes, check for any hairs on my face and pluck them, and go back to my room and get dressed. The night before I set out my clothes for what I want to wear that day. Even when I do not have work, I do this. After I do
this, I pack up my lunch for the day and then either have fruit salad or an egg white omelette with a glass of lemon water. When I get to work, sometimes I have an ice tea.

Speaking of food, I have learned that I have become lactose intolerant. The other night I felt like indulging in some black cherry ice cream and before I knew it, my stomach was in a cramp so bad I laid down in the fetal position. Being an Italian American, dairy is a big part of my lifestyle of eating. I did tell my mother who has agreed to only get me soy milk as well as use only goat's milk cheese. Goodbye Starbucks fruit and cheese plates...Goodbye Starbucks Vanilla Chai with whole milk. It will be an adjustment. Also, I need to limit my carb intake. I have noticed that the more carbs I eat, the less energetic I feel and with the job I have (3rd grade school teacher) I need to be Ms. Perky for 8 hours out of my day. I need to be always on. So I will go back to only having 1 carb a day, whether it is bread or cereal. Again, my family has agreed to this. Also, I think I will do another cleanse in the next week or so. Any recommendations please?

As with a lot of people, I am truly learning benefits of water. Another thing I need to up is my intake of water. Also, I started to put lemon slices and lemon juice from the fruit into my water. It tastes really yummy and it helps with my stomach which seems to be getting upset at me more now. I start my day with a glass of water in the morning and drink water throughout my day. I am always speaking so it is best to get hydrated. I have started to carry a water bottle to school/work now and put a
lemon slice in the bottom of my water bottle and fill it up overnight.

Also, I have given up soda. I used to be a big soda drinker. I remember the days of being addicted to Mountain Dew and the heart palpitations that came afterward. I learned that sods wreaked havoc on my stomach as well as putting on 50 pounds of weight! That will simply not do. I as well do not drink coffee anymore. Now I was not a big coffee drinker to begin with, but sometimes while at a coffee shop I would get a latte or a cappuccino. After drinking one, I would get so jittery and the shakes that I looked like I was spazzing. Not a good look. I still drink tea every day but it is a herbal tea or green tea.

On the point of exercise....well I am on my feet 8 hours of the day and I am constantly walking around. Granted it is not a continuous movement or a circuit workout, but it is still working out. I am thinking about getting those tone-up sneakers for work and I need to incorporate crunches/ab work into my days. I travel to work every day by bus and while on the bus I try to listen to some uplifting music or some heavy metal and I get off before my bus stop to add more walking into my day.

Another thing I have noticed for my day to be a good day is a good nap right after work. I normally come home at 330pm so I immediately change into my pajamas, get under my covers, get all nice and cozy and take a good 2 hour nap. I usually get up at 600pm, sometimes 700pm, and I feel so refreshed! Do not worry, I still get my sleep at night, which is a good 6-7 hours.

Here are some small things that I need to do to make sure I have a great day: Take apple cider vinegar pills before I eat. Here is an article about the benefits of apple cider vinegar: Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar, writing in some form whether it is for my blog or for my work, spending only 3 hours a day on the internet, reading for 30 minutes in the morning before work actually starts, petting and playing with my dogs, making my bed every day, having a lot of laughter throughout my day, and finally sending texts to David in the morning to say hello and I love you.

These are some things I would like to incorporate into my daily routine and that it will make my days (and life) better: Dry brushing my skin before I take a shower, meditation of some kind and stretching, putting lotion on my skin to keep it soft, doing more facial masks and facial scrubs during the week.

What is your routine?