A Morning Routine

I’ve started a new morning routine, and it’s been a game changer. I’m a weekday early-to-bed, early-to-rise person and would hit my laptop for work about 6 a.m. I justified this as being a good way to get a jumpstart on projects and put out any fires before most people started their own workdays.

But this was actually a pretty lousy way to start the morning. And weirdly enough, I accidentally fell into a change. Nate and I spent the month of July in Italy and started our mornings with a very long walk—mostly to help combat all of the pasta and wine we consumed. And then—I just sort of kept it going when we got back. Now, I chug a cup of coffee while making sure I’m caught up on emails and then walk out the door by 7 a.m. This gives me about two hours to walk the loop at Central Park.

Studies have shown that walking at least 30 minutes per day is enough to reap significant physical and emotional benefits. And can I tell you that this has made a huge impact on my daily mindset. I know that I’m very lucky to have this privilege of free time, but if I had to wake up even earlier to get this done, I think I would. During my walk, I listen to podcasts (today, I listened to one about the chemistry of hyaluronic acid and a WTF interview with Christina Ricci) or just zone to music and enjoy this nature-y part of our neighborhood.

PS: I love this NYT article on how to level up your daily walk. I can’t wait to try Nordic Walking this winter.