Morning routine

It’s been some time now since I’ve integrated the dietary changes in my life enough that I don’t really have to think one helluva lot about how to put a meal together, or even a full day’s meals, or what to buy when we go to the grocery store. Exercise, too, is fairly well integrated, though there’s been a little adjustment since adding in biking to work sometimes.

Here’s how the morning routine looked today:

Got up at 5.00 AM. This is a couple of hours earlier than was my habit in the old days (pre-December), which didn’t leave me enough time for breakfast or making lunch. If I’m driving the car (usually only one or two days a week), I can sleep in until 6:00. But for a bus or bike day, as today, it’s up at 5:00.

First thing is always a few minutes sitting on the can with a book. Then: prepare lunches. If I’ve managed to prepared my meals ahead of time, all I have to do is to grab stuff out of the fridge & stuff them in whichever bag is appropriate for the day — a small red daypack if I’m driving or taking the bus, my black bicycle saddlebags when I’m biking, as today. But today I had to make meals: for second breakfast & first lunch a salad with kale, onion, pickles, nuts & seeds, & tuna; an orange as the carb for first lunch; & the second half of my morning oatmeal (not yet cooked) for the carb to go with second breakfast. Second lunch is a can of kippers with a couple of Wasa multigrain crackers, a couple of small carrots, a celery stalk, & a couple of radishes.

I’ve now taken to doing set-up for my (first) breakfast at the same time. My usual breakfast includes oatmeal porridge with a little bit of fruit — frozen blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries put on the bottom of the boil so they thaw when the hot oatmeal is dumped on them — along with a tablespoon or so of butter, with cinnamon & walnuts on top. With that, two eggs scrambled with onions & mushrooms. But right now it’s only setup: I don’t cook until after morning exercise.

This takes maybe 30-40 minutes to do all this, including packing second breakfast & the two lunch meals. Then I drink a glass of water & grab my iPod & dance for half an hour.

This morning’s playlist:

“Mountains o’ Things” by Tracy Chapman (4:39)
“Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel (3:52)
“My Island Home” by Christine Anu (3:50)
“Mzeo B” by Download (4:31)
“Nahkarouska” by Värttinä (3:08)
“Neighborhood Girls” by Suzanne Vega (3:21)
“Neitonen” by Värttinä (2:55)

For a total time dancing of 26:27 (minutes: seconds). The songs are in alphabetical order simply because alphabetizing all my iPod’s danceable songs into one long playlist was the easiest way to do a playlist that still has variety. Some of the songs might seem a little unusual — who dances to Simon & Garfunkel? — but they’re Mel-tested for danceability, & yep, I broke a sweat.

After dancing: shower & dress.

Then back to the kitchen to finish preparing breakfast: cook the oatmeal, scramble the eggs. I usually make enough eggs for Rozz too. Used to make oatmeal for her too, but she wasn’t eating it sometimes, so I either make half as much, or I take the second half of the oatmeal as the carb portion for one of my at-work meals, which is what I did today.

Then I finally get to eat, & I also take a couple of fish oil capsules & a good probiotic vitamin/mineral supplement.

I’ve tried eating before dancing, but that doesn’t work well, as my tummy’s too full. Full tummy doesn’t seem to mess with biking or walking to the bus stop, though.

Then back to give Rozz a goodbye kiss (she usually sleeps later than I do), & put on my coat & hat or, as today, bicycle helmet, & out the door.

It rather amazes me how much I do in the morning now than I used to.

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