Last week I wrote about The Three Secrets of How I Stay Fit And Healthy . This post covered what I’ve learned and practice to help me reach my best fitness state ever. No, I’m no Hercules, and I can’t run a 5k in 20 minutes. I can’t even run one faster than 29 minutes, but I’ve learned what I need to do for my body to make it its best and strongest ever. I want to walk you through a typical day in my life and point out exactly what I do for my health. My healthy day actually started last night…
9:30pm (Last Night)
– I stopped eating and drinking anything with calories at 9:30pm. This is the time I start the no-eating portion of my 16:8 Intermittent Fasting practice.
5:10am
– I wake up this time every day, except for Saturday and Sunday (my sleep in a little days).
– I hit the bathroom and perform 1 set of one exercise. This can be pushups, sit-ups, squats. This morning was Toes to the Ceiling With a Twist.
– I get myself a big glass of ice cold water and sip on that as I start my day.
5:30am
– I begin with my work out routine. This consists of a 5 minute jog on the treadmill followed by a full body weight routine. I’m considering switching up my weight routine in July, to focus on specific body parts each day, but for the last year or so, I’ve been completing full body routines.
– After my workout, I take a hot shower followed by a 3 minute cold shower. And I mean cold.
– I don’t work out every day. I work out on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Mondays and Thursdays, I would start work at 5:30am and get an extra 90 minutes of work in.
7:00am
– I start my work day. I have my cup of ice water and am ready to go.
– If this wasn’t a workout day, I would have just completed 90 minutes of single-minded, focused work. It would be time to stand up, use the restroom, refill my water and perform some stretches.
– I have about 5 stretches I perform throughout the day after each 90 minute work cycle.
– I also use the breathing app on my watch and perform 1 minute of focused breathing during this time.
8:30am
– Finished another 90 minute, focused work window. Time to stand, use the restroom, refill my water, perform my stretches, and complete my 1 minute of focused breathing.
10:00am
– Another 90 minutes of focus time has completed, so I hit the rest room, and then get something to drink. But not just water this time.
– This time I grab a cup of coffee (with sugar-free creamer) and more water. I know, the creamer technically breaks my 16 hour fast, but I’m okay with it. I use to drink the coffee black during my fasts, but I really don’t like it that way and since I have reached my fitness goals and target weight, I don’t really care about the few calories and just want to enjoy my coffee.
– I also don’t stretch or complete the focused breathing now because at 9:45am, I stretched and meditated for 15 minutes.
11:30am
– 90 more minutes of focused work completed, so the typical bathroom break, water refill, stretching, and breathing occurs.
– I also grab a cup of apple cider vinegar (with the Mom) mixed with water and drink that as I start my next 90 minutes of focused work.
1:00pm
– 90 more minutes of focused work completed. Nothing special here. I hit the bathroom, refill my water, stretch, and 1 minute of focused breathing.
1:30pm
– Lunch time is finally here. Today I will have two bananas, 5 scrambled eggs, a bowl of sliced tomatoes with a tablespoon of mayo, and 3 slices of lunch meat (ham).
– I have this meal every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have 2 bananas, a can of tuna fish with a tablespoon of mayo, family style chicken noodle soup, and maybe a couple slices of lunch meat with a couple slices of cheese.
– This is where my drinking of only water becomes a water and sweet tea mix. I fill my cup about 97% to the top and then put a splash of sweet tea in. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but after drinking all the water I’ve drank, I can really taste the sweet tea.
4:00pm
– Over the last 2.5 hours, I ate my lunch, checked email, had a 15 minute meeting with my team, and then worked a focused 90 minutes.
– I take my bathroom break, refill my water/sweet tea mixture, stretch, and complete 1 minute of focused breathing.
– If I am hungry, this is where I will eat a cup of mixed nuts. If I’m out of mixed nuts, I’ll have some honey twisted pretzels.
5:30pm
– Finished another 90 minutes of focused work. I take my bathroom break, refill my water/sweat tea mixture, stretch, and complete 1 minute of focused breathing.
6:30pm
– This is my typical dinner time with the family. My wife will make some sort of lean meat, vegetable, and maybe a potato or some kind of healthy rice.
– I will wash the dishes, since my wife did the cooking, and then spend some time with family.
– I will also knock out any chores that need to be done.
8:00pm
– This is when I get my hot bath followed by another 3 minute cold shower.
8:30pm
– I’ve finished my shower and am ready to retire to my bedroom for the night.
– My fast will be starting again at 9:30pm, so I grab a protein shake with mixed nuts and an apple.
– I also refill my water/sweet tea mixture.
9:30pm
– I start my 16:8 Intermittent Fast again.
10:45pm
– I say my prayers and hit the sack.
The Takeaway
I wanted to share with you my typical day because this is what works for me. I don’t expect you to start doing everything I do. What I do hope is that you look at some practices that I consistently do and be inspired to find the practices that will help you be healthier and repeat those practices on a daily basis. I know this can seem too specific and too boring. It’s even been referred to as “robotic” but it works and I like it. I know what I’m doing throughout the day for my work and health. I don’t have to make many decisions on what to eat and what to do. I have been operating this way for a couple years now and I feel great and am in my best shape ever.
Seriously look at what I do, how I do it, and identify what will work for you. Then do it. Do it consistently and watch how your health and productivity take off!!!