I’m a morning person. I’m sorry if that makes you angry, but I am. I love getting up early. With my current routine, I wake up at 5:30 am.
Now, I don’t always hop out of bed when the alarm goes off and jauntily go about my business (sometimes I do, but not always). I often think “I can’t believe it’s time to get up already” or “I didn’t sleep well last night, I should reset for another hour.” It’s not until I’m up, drink a little water, and change into my exercise clothes that I start to feel happy to be awake.
As soon as I’m up, I start drinking a lot of water. I spend most of my day sipping coffee and trying to remember to stay hydrated, so the more I can ingest in the early morning, the better.
After I’m feeling hydrated, I go into the basement where my wife and I have cobbled together a shoestring gym made mostly from equipment that other people were throwing out. I do some light yoga-inspired stretching–forward fold to flat back to mountain a couple of times–and then I warm up by hitting a heavy bag. I do this for about five minutes and then get on the treadmill.
I run on the treadmill for a mile or a mile-and-a-half while watching boxing or MMA (I am an unapologetic combat sports enthusiast). Then I do some lifting–just a couple sets with dumbbells–or I do sets of push-ups and pull-ups (which I’ve always found to be much more effective than lifting weights, but not as fun).
I keep it light and don’t push too hard. In my previous existence, I’d often exercise much more intensely than this, pushing it a little further every day. But steady improvement of my body is not the goal while I’m attending Tech Elevator. My exercise at this point is intended to raise my energy levels and keep my mind alert. Pushing too hard physically can sometimes turn me into a zombie in the early afternoons. I can’t afford that.
Next, I meditate.
Yup. I do.
Or, at least, I have been since the program started. I’m not entirely sold on it. I’ve tried meditating in the past but I’ve never felt much benefit from it. Concerned about stress, I thought I’d try it again.
Basically, I turn off all the lights in the basement, set a timer for ten minutes, and count my breaths, one to ten, over and over again. When thoughts of the outside world creep in, I try to to refocus on the breathing.
I barely ever make it to ten without having other thoughts. Maybe I’m not so good at it. I’m going to keep doing it because my stress levels have been pretty manageable so far and I can’t say for certain that it’s not the meditating that’s helping.
After grasping at Zen for ten minutes, I take a shower and get ready for the day. I eat a bowl of high fiber cereal, eat a banana, and take a multivitamin. I live with the constant terror of getting a cold, so I make sure to take my multivitamin and I wash my hands like an OCD OR nurse.
I leave for Tech Elevator some time between 6:45 or 7:00. I start pounding coffee as soon as I walk in the door. Like, a lot of coffee. I should cut back. Class doesn’t start till nine, so I either catch up on work if I’m behind or talk shop with the other .Netters if I’m caught up.
And that’s it. I’ve been doing almost the exact same thing for every day of class. I feel it’s kept me organized and my energy levels high.
From Retail to Programming 