My Morning Ritual!

Hey! This is Dr. Foss. Hope you all are having a good day so far. Many of you have asked me about my morning ritual or routine and I would like to write about it and how essential it is to success.  My mantra is it’s not how you feel but how you heal!

What is your morning routine?

I usually get out of bed fairly quickly. I always make the bed and make sure everything is organized. It’s also important for me to get sunlight so as much as possible I open the blinds to let light in.

I try to meditate at least 10-15 minutes in silence. I listen to alpha theta waves on YouTube which have been found to help increase creativity and blood flow to centers of the brain for emotion and love. 

After a few minutes I’ll hit the shower and then head downstairs. I have two teenage children so I make sure that they are on the way to getting up as well. I usually start brewing organic coffee from Costa Rica. My favorite is Café Brit. As many of you know I practiced Chiropractic a year in Costa Rica. A beautiful country and beautiful place to wake up to as well. In my coffee I usually put about a teaspoon or tablespoon depending on my tolerance of organic unrefined coconut oil from Dr. Bronner’s.

Then I’ll hop in the car and take my kids to school and head to the office with my office manager and wife Margarita J

At the office I take the following supplements. The first one is Magnesium Threonate which I find helps give me mental clarity. Recent studies have found that magnesium threonate crosses the blood brain barrier and aids in neuroplasticity of nerves to improve cognition and memory. My father suffers from Alzheimer’s which runs in my family and I find that this supplement really has helped improved my mental performance. Now if only I could find those keys J   The other supplements I take are Omega-3’s, Vitamin D, and Probiotics. For me Omega-3 fish oils really help reduce inflammation in my joints and overall body inflammation. I lead an active lifestyle of trail running and weight lifting and helping many spine’s through chiropractic so my spine thanks me for the Omega 3’s. Vitamin-D is great for decreasing inflammation in the brain in fact current research has shown it to be effective and reversing dementias and mental illness. Probiotics are healthy bacteria for the gut and with the amount of genetically modified foods, toxins, and allergens in San Antonio I find it essential to have a great gut defense.

The only thing that I consume in the morning is the coffee and the coconut. I practice what is called Intermittent Fasting and have written a book about on Amazon.  Intermittent fasting has been shown not only to increase fat loss, but reverse the effects of aging, improve metabolism, and be neuroprotective for the brain.  Intermittent fasting also helps to put my body into ketosis which is a technical term for fat adaptation. If you want more information on fat adaptation check out my blog at fatadapteddoc.com.  

Usually at lunch time I’ll go for a run either outside on the trails or inside on the treadmill and lift weights. I use a heart rate monitor and run usually at heart rate 80-90% of the time. Currently I use the Garmin Fenix 3 watch but in the past have used the Polar M400. Both great watches to monitor your heart rate.  I’ve written more about fat adaptation and heart rate training in another book I’ve written Low Carb High Fat 101 on Amazon.  Also check out Dr. Phil Maffetone he is the guru who trained me on how to run with heart rate monitors and the benefits of fat adaptation. Check out his website here at philmaffetone.com and his Big Book of Endurance Training.

After exercise I usually have branch chain amino acids or tailwind and then go to lunch eating mostly protein and fats.  The amino acids provide an extra amount of protein so my muscles don’t waste from running and lifting. The tailwind is something I discovered recently which really helps when I’m on long runs to maintain my energy and electrolytes on the trail.

Then I get back to the office and see patients for the afternoon and evening.

How long have you stuck with this routine so far?

I’ve been using this routine for the past year and it has helped me in every aspect of my life. I have so much more energy throughout the day, my health has improved dramatically, my body fat percentage has decreased from over 20% to close to 14%, my mental clarity has improved, and I’m accomplished what I never thought possible running two 25K trail races and on the way to my first 50K ultra marathon.

Finding a routine that works for me has been the best thing I never did. It’s important that we all have our own individualized routines and work towards perfecting them.

How has your morning routine changed over recent years?

The only thing that changes is sometimes I’ll catch myself slipping away from the ideal morning routine and I’ll start getting lazy and less productive until I bring myself back on track. Other than that, I’m pretty happy with my current routine and think it can work for me for the rest of my life. Of course life changes and we must change and adapt with it!

What time do you go to sleep?

I go to bed at 10:00pm but I start winding down around 8:00pm, after dinner. I make sure that I don’t eat anything after 8:00pm which is part of my Intermittent Fasting eating window from 12:00pm to 8:00pm.  

Do you do anything before going to bed to make your morning easier?

The most important thing I do is keep my smart phone and computer downstairs and away from the bedroom. Also I avoid watching TV or any negative news and especially any TV in the bedroom. I try to read about 10-15 minutes and night something positive usually a biography on someone that I’d like to know more about.  Reading usually sets the tone for me to go to sleep easily.

It’s so important to go to bed positive and to really create a good space for you to sleep. I also use an eye pillow to keep things super dark. If you don’t have one try to find some dark blinds. Ambient light has been shown to have a negative impact on our circadian rhythms.  

Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?

I use a clock radio alarm set to 80’s music to wake me up.  I usually never hit the snooze but do enjoy a few 80s songs before waking up.

I remember being a teenager and college student and being able to sleep till 10-11am or sometimes 12 noon. Thinking back, I think that is part of growing up is having those years where we sleep and grow. Now looking back, I couldn’t imagine missing so much of the day.  The adage early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise is so true!

How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?

Around thirty minutes after I wake up I have my Organic Costa Rica Coffee Café Brit with Coconut Oil.

Do you have a morning workout routine?

I used to but not anymore but if I do I will usually go for a walk for 30 minutes. Most of my workouts are in the afternoon.

Do you have a morning meditation routine, and if so what kind of meditation do you practice?

I currently listen to alpha theta waves on YouTube. In the past I have taken advance meditation coursework in Anapana and Vipassana.  One of the CD’s I have is Deepak Chopra’s meditation guide. The Vipassana training I have taken was very intense. If you have the time it is an amazing course. It’s not for everyone but in a nutshell it is a silent retreat for 10 days, no speaking, no eye contact, delicious vegetarian meals, and meditation approximately 12 hours a day. The course itself is free in exchange for what is known as “meta” or “service” or a donation at the end. Here is more information on Vipassana.

Hope you enjoyed this write-up and feel free to forward it to a friend.

Be well, Dr Foss

www.fatadapteddoc.com, www.puravidasanantonio.com