Let’s explore our endless love/hate relationship with ROUTINE.
We pine for her when she’s absent; we love her when she returns. We despise ROUTINE when she hangs out too long then we miss her when she is gone. We complain about her to her face and gossip behind her back. Perhaps it is not ROUTINE that is fickle but our relationship to her that is. She is our servant and not our master, and we ignore her assistance at our peril.
When I was the mother of school-aged children, the arrival of fall almost always symbolized the return of routine. Those days are now in the rear-view mirror at a shocking distance, and my life as an independent consultant is anything but routine. Contrary to popular belief, healthy habits and rituals do not have to be predicated on by routine; it makes it simpler but not necessary. That being said, simple doesn’t mean easy.
The lives we live today are an accumulation of the habits and rituals we choose to embrace day after day. Taking charge of one’s own life involves some very simple and yet profound daily decisions. It is akin to brushing your teeth. No one brushes their teeth thirty times in one sitting and considers that their month’s worth of teeth brushing is completed. That is ridiculous. It is a daily albeit tedious habit that leads to a clean bill of health. It is that way with everything in life. The small, incremental decisions you make on a daily basis shape your future. We are, and forever will be, a product of our choices in life. That is why it is so critical to choose your habits wisely.
- Sleep: Life on the road can became full of late meetings and early mornings that came too soon. During the night, my mind often rehashes events, speeches, and conversations, wondering if there was something I left unsaid or I articulated poorly. However, rest is critical. A simple routine of no screen time, light fiction reading, a few yoga poses and a short meditation is this traveler’s key to the zzzzzzzzz’s. A lack of sleep is linked to depression, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Sleep protects the brain and helps process information. It allows not only your body but your mind to recover. Often times, a good night sleep can lead to solutions to the problems that have been eluding you.
- Exercise: A lack of sleep and a busy travel schedule is a challenge even for the most disciplined athlete. I often find myself either in a meeting, preparing for a meeting, driving to a meeting or recovering from a meeting. All of these involve some form of repose, including the latter, which can involve collapsing in a heap somewhere. I can be physically exhausted at the end of the day after having done nothing physically. Since sitting is considered the new smoking, physical exercise cannot be neglected. It is like fertilizer for your brain and in a world where your brain is the most important piece of equipment you have, size really does matter. Exercise helps with focus and cognition. Current research demonstrates that intelligence is positively correlated with fitness levels. As a consultant, you need all the smarts you can get! Since it is easier to stay in shape than it is to get into shape, make some time to be physically active. No excuses. You have the same twenty four hours that everyone else does. Getting fit is hard work but when it comes to exercise, there are only two uncomfortable realities: the pain of disciple or the pain of regret. Come to terms with that right away.
- Eating: Meetings, events, conferences, and social gatherings. Where there are people, there is food, and typically delicious food. We are not talking leafy greens, healthy fats, and lean protein. We are talking coffee, sauce-laden meats, gooey white buns, and endless sweets. The amygdala, a part of the brain that processes new information and is constantly scanning for danger, burns up a ton of sugar. That is the reason you can feel famished after sitting in a stressful meeting while doing nothing physically. Being a former wellness consultant, I know the importance nutrition has on every aspect of your life, including cognitive ability. Food can be either medicine or poison. The Canadian Cancer Society recently released a statement saying that people can significantly reduce their chances of developing cancer by eating more vegetables, fruit and fibre, having daily exercise, keeping a healthy body weight, drinking less alcohol, and by not smoking. Now, let’s talk about alcohol for a moment. This topic often makes people uncomfortable. Most people are drinking too much and rationalizing it. It is tempting to numb the anxiety of a long meeting or to socialize with your peers after meetings or at conferences. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these activities, however, little good comes from drinking too much. It is toxic to brain function and can disturb the little sleep you’re already getting. Pay attention to how much you are drinking and why.
Health and wellness is not a destination; it is a process.
I love the Tony Robbins saying “You get what you tolerate.” Don’t use the absence of routine as an alibi or a smoke screen. Make friends with your habits and make sure your rituals serve you. That way when you’re longing for your erratic friend Routine, your heart will stay strong while she is gone!
