Yesterday I posted about my morning routine. In the middle of my routine, the inspiringly languid and health-ful Dan Buettner emailed me, so I asked him to share his.
Three things you should know about Dan:
* He’s the world expert on how to live longer and wrote Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest.
* He’s spent his life as an explorer and, ok, looks a little like Indiana Jones. Which I just know he won’t like me saying. He travels the world working out what makes people happy, healthy and live longer.
* He’s a top bloke. Walks his talk.
* We met via this blog about a year ago. Common interests. Weird happenstance.
* Signs off on emails with “Live large” or “largely”. Which always makes me stop and think…”Ok, then”.
So Dan’s morning routine, from Dan:
The following three will verifiably boost your mood:
1. At breakfast, eat fruits and grains, eschew meat. I’m a smoothie fan during the summer months (blueberries and soy milk) and oatmeal (with walnuts and brown sugar) during the winter months
2. Twenty minutes of exercise will give you an eight-hour bump in well being. I either do yoga or bike to work.
3. Say something nice to the first person we meet. A Harvard study shows that behaviors are contagious so if you do it to your neighbor, it’s likely to come back to you.
I know some readers commented yesterday about finding it so damn tough to establish a routine, due to crazy work hours and kids. I really do get it. My schedule is all over the shop. Some days the filming schedule dictates I start at 5:30. And I’m a bad sleeper and might get to sleep around 4am.
But, I share this:
* build a structure and life will slip in around it nicely…to a large extent. That’s how life rolls. When you stand firmly in the river, diary appointments, early meetings etc, they all sift and filter and flow around you, no complaints. Even kids. This tip-sheet gives some ideas how to upgrade your morning… and deal with the kids thing, too.
* I find being inspired by what other people do helps most. If anyone can, you can. The daily routines of writers fascinates me.
* in some ways it doesn’t matter what the routine entails. It’s the routine that matters. Your routine might simply be to sit down to eat breakfast. Or to walk the kids to school. Or to write down three things you want to be mindful of today. I find the simple act of honouring SOMETHING for yourself is enough.
