I’m on a streak everyone!
I didn’t think I’d make it this far without skipping a day, but here I am 21 days in and still going strong. I must admit though, that I don’t feel like I’m developing a solid morning routine. Having little kids who wake up at all hours of the night makes it really hard to practice at the same time in the same place. Habits require that kind of consistency, and unfortunately, I’m not being consistent.
Nonetheless, I’m proud of myself.
Week Three Results
Week three added in another breathing cycle, a meditation session and a longer cold shower:
- 4 rounds of deep breathing
- 1 round of breathing followed by pushups (as many as I can do)
- 10 minute meditation
- 1 minute cold shower –> warm shower (as long as I want) –> 1 minute cold shower
I said it last week and I’ll say it again. Power breathing is trippy. I can hold my breath for 90 seconds easily. It feels good and strange and I like all of these sensations.
I meditate and see lights and swirls and for a few minutes, my mind is clear. I do pushups and my arm muscles don’t feel any strain for the first 20 reps.
Getting into a cold shower continues to be painful. Every day I stand there in my boxing stance swaying from side to side; my hands in fists clutched against my chest, counting the seconds until I can turn the knob to warm. Cold water after warm, on the other hand, is so much easier. I can last for two minutes or more.
Feeling good
I wrap up week three not feeling dramatically different, but feeling pretty good. I’m enjoying myself. The cold, unpleasant as it is, leaves me feeling refreshed, energized and ready to take on the day. And when I feel like I’m heading down a negative path and need to shift my state, I turn to a few deep breaths. I’m not always able to snap out of it, but I always try, and it’s nice to have these tools in my back pocket.
Now, onto week four.
Check out the other posts from this series.
