My Morning Routine

This is the smoothie that I posted on Facebook at 6:15 a.m. The rainbow of colors struck me before I hit blend, when it seemed that my day was off to a pretty good start. Keeping to a fitness routine and healthy diet while working full time and trying to balance all of the other demands of life is not easy. Here is what my Facebook post did not tell you about how the rest of my morning went down. 

With smoothie in hand, duffel bag, purse and tote bag over my shoulder, lunch pack slung on my wrist and work clothes flung over my arm, I left my house at 6:19 a.m. As soon as I stepped into the humid air and locked the front door, I realized I forgot my umbrella. With no hands, arms, or wrists free, I decided to load up my car and go back in for it. As I opened the door to reach for the umbrella in its stand, I was startled by my dog, wagging his full behind at me, wanting to go outside. With no sign of waking activity from my husband or step-daughter, I grabbed his leash and walked him quickly in the dewy grass and darkness and quietly let him back in the house before locking up and setting off for the city - seven minutes late.

Still dark out, the roads were slick and the sky was foggy. My navigation app said I would arrive with eight minutes to spare before my 7 a.m. weights and cardio class began. Not a lot of time, considering that this would undoubtedly make me the last person in the room, scavenging to find adequate weights, set up my step bench, and lay out a mat in the only remaining spot in the room with harsh glaring sunlight bouncing off of the mirrors. With a sigh, I reached for my smoothie, which I had propped in my tote bag with my spinning shoes when I loaded my car. It was tilted on its side and oh, yes, it had spilled, right into my left spinning shoe. I drank what was left as I sat in building traffic and contemplated how I would clean my shoe once I got downtown. Dawn started to break. I hit 15th Street and a garbage truck attendant stopped and signaled for me to wait for the truck to back up an alley. I now had four minutes to spare before class. I was so screwed. 

I pulled into my parking garage at 6:58 a.m. and poured the contents of my water bottle into my spin shoe and wiped it with the one lone Starbucks napkin that I found in my car. I decided I would wear the shoe wet and full of kale and blueberry remnants if I had to. Since I am the relatively new kid in class, I wasn’t sure if it was a spin cardio day or a track cardio day. Fortunately, it turned out to be a track cardio day and I was able to stash the now rotten smelling shoe in my gym locker. 

Last in the room, the instructor greeted me cheerfully and I grabbed what weights I could find, threw them into place, and ran up to the track. I was the last to start laps. 6 laps, 60 mountain climbers. 4 laps, 40 mountain climbers. 2 laps, 20 mountain climbers. Repeat with squats. My friend Alexis waved and said hi as she lapped me. I was in it, and already felt like I had climbed a mountain to get to that point. 

After the track, we headed downstairs to the studio. With sun glaring in my eyes, the music kicking in, sweat literally spritzing off of my face onto the hardwood floor, I did my best to keep up with the box jumps, dead lifts and renegade rows. Nothing had gotten me there except my own discipline and dedication to wake up to my early morning alarm and kick my own butt out of the door, and I was there to give it my all. 

I quietly did my thing, focused, trying not to feel like the least fit person in the room, channeling my inner fitness warrior and challenging myself to do my best. Looking back, I am certain that my morning workout helped me face the other unexpected obstacles that encroached on my best intentioned day. My morning routine, as flawed as it may have been, was all mine, all for my health and well being, and totally worth it.