My Daily Health Routine - What Keeps Me Grounded And Healthy No Matter What!

I’m always a little curious about what some people’s daily routines look like, especially those that have habits and have accomplished things that I’m progressing towards as well. What are you doing? What works well for you? Now, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably curious, too. And you might even be wondering what my own daily routine looks like. But instead of just walking you through my day and saying, “OK, now go do that!”I want to be very intentional and careful here, so that you don’t get obsessed or feel unnecessary pressure to have a perfect routine. You’re going to walk away from this episode totally inspired to create your own routine that works for YOU, and is actually helpful not burdensome.

Travel Back In Time With Me...

Travel with me for a moment back in time, 20 years ago. And zoom in on a 17 year old high schooler that is insecure in her body. She was a bit of a late bloomer, and while all the other girls in school were developing curves and womanly shapes, she felt like she still looked like a boy - flat and boxy. Totally unattractive. Finally as a senior in high school, she’s starting to get a couple tiny curves, but she feels like maybe, if she was a little skinnier, it would create more of an hourglass figure.

So she commits to trying to create that hourglass shape. And once she commits, and that train has left the station, she’s on a roll that nobody can stop. The routine develops.  

She puts in place a plan that includes running every other day, gradually building up her mileage. On top of this, she scours fitness magazines and pieces together an exercise routine that includes sit-ups, crunches, butterfly crunches, side to side stuff for her love handles, and even some donkey-kick style movements for her butt.  

This exercise routine happens every single night in her bedroom in her pajamas. She finishes her homework, gets ready for bed, and then gets to work. Start to finish, this nightly routine probably takes her about 30 minutes. She follows it up by winding down and reading her Bible in bed and eventually turning the lights off.

Her commitment to her routine starts working a little and she’s seeing changes. She’s even dropping weight - about 15 pounds lost total. Those results are making this little routine even more important and non-negotiable.

She starts doing more and more, and pretty soon people are commenting on how skinny she looks. (which she likes). BUT! Somehow that hourglass shape isn’t happening. She’s still shaped like a square. And now that she’s so skinny, all of her curves have almost completely disappeared. (Not to mention her menstrual cycle.)

For this high school girl (that doesn’t realize is a Mesomorph), her obsession with an outcome compels her to create a routine that she is 100% dedicated to. Come hell or high water, those runs and that nightly exercise session is going to happen. Perfection and obsession at its finest.

That high school girl was me.  

I’ve always been a very routine person, but it has taken form in many different ways.

• Back then, in my self-centeredness, brokenness and immaturity, my routine looked like perfection and obsession, aimed at achieving something that was fleeting.
• Fast forward to now, I still am committed to a very regular routine, but it involves flexibility and grace, zero-obsession and is aimed at achieving something that is lasting and life-giving.

Today I want to share with you what my daily routine looks like now. But this backstory was important, because so many of us start by trying to slap a rigid routine on top of a broken person.

We WANT that perfect routine that will finally get us those PERFECT results, create that perfect household, and finally make us feel accomplished and complete.

• But you need to know that a routine will never save you. Having the best morning routine in the world, or winding down your day by doing everything the experts say will not solve all of your problems or finally make you happy.

But being organized and following a routine does help.

So, I’m going to share with you:

• Why having a daily routine is helpful, and what the purpose of your routine should be.
• I’m going to describe each step of my own daily routine, based on my history and personality
• And then I want to give you suggestions on how to create a daily routine that will work for you.  

Why is having a daily routine helpful?

• Commitment = "a pledge to being dedicated to a cause in a way that restricts freedom of action."
• When you say that you’re committed to something, you no longer have the liberty to do what you want
• If you say that you’re committed to eating healthier, you don’t have the freedom to eat whatever you want, when you want
• If you say that you’re committed to regular workouts in order to improve your health and your fitness level, you don’t have the liberty to just do a workout whenever you feel like it.  
• A routine demonstrates your commitment to the cause. When you have some sort of a routine, whether it’s elaborate or very simple, it shows that you’re willing to sacrifice some part of yourself for something more important.
• Having a routine gets you organized.
• Your action steps and habit expectations are clear and you know exactly what needs to be done each day
• Having a routine establishes your expectations and creates daily benchmarks to help you know that you’re on track

What should the purpose of your routine be?

• It’s simply an organized plan to help you accomplish the things in your life that are non-negotiable so that you can make progress toward your goals (if you have any) or simply maintain a certain level of health.
• It should NOT be a source of shame, feelings of failing, high expectations, perfectionism, obsession, or worship.
• It should be just a structure. That is it. There is no morality with it - it’s not good or bad, and you are not good or bad when you follow your routine.
• It should be helpful, not constricting. If at any point, your routine isn’t working...switch it up.
• Keep in mind that you can STILL follow through with healthy habits even if you don’t have a routine:
• Sandi - meal plan vs. no meal plan… still eat a healthy meal!

A Breakdown Of My Daily Routine:

• Monday through Friday:
• 5:30/5:45 - Workout
• 6:30-7 - Sit in solitude, devotions, pray, think about my day
• 7-8: Breakfast for everyone and shower
• 8-12: work
• 12: lunch
• 12-3: work
• 3-4: afternoon break, read a book, take a nap
• 4-5 / 6: work
• 10: Bedtime routine
• Weekends: more random/spontaneous
• Reasons for pieces of my routine:
• Health and fitness
• Adequate energy and mental clarity throughout the day
• Stress management
• Why this rigid structure works for me:
• My personality type
• A large majority of everything else is chaotic - so having some stability with certain things is really helpful and healthy for me.
• It means I say no to some things
• I’ve learned to allow flexibility and grace

More Resources:

• The FREE Body Type Quiz
• JUMPSTART 30 – Get on the waitlist HERE! 30 days of accountability and guidance to help you finally gain consistency!

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