1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,199 Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, Welcome back to on Purpose. Today is about 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: how to reprogram your mind before eight am. I want 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:10,039 Speaker 1: to share with you the most practical, science backed morning 4 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 1: routine that I could find, and I actually tried myself. 5 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 1: Here's something nobody tells you about your morning. The first 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: sixty to ninety minutes after you open your eyes is, 7 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:25,959 Speaker 1: neurologically speaking, the most programmable window of your entire day. 8 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: Your brain is literally in a different state. It's transitioning 9 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: out of theta and alpha brainwave patterns, the same frequencies 10 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 1: used in hypnotherapy, into the waking beta state you'll spend 11 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: the rest of your day in. And what do most 12 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,160 Speaker 1: of us do with that window? We hand it over, 13 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 1: We pick up our phone, We scroll through someone else's priorities, 14 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: someone else's outrage, someone else's curated highlight reel, and we 15 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: wonder why we feel behind before the day has even started. Today, 16 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: I want to share the most practical, simple, gen only 17 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: achievable morning routine. I found one that I tried myself, 18 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: one built entirely on neuroscience and peer reviewed research. And 19 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 1: I promise you there's no ice baths at four am, 20 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:16,279 Speaker 1: no two hour rituals that require monastic training, just six small, 21 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: surprising science backsteps that take about forty five minutes total, 22 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: and that anyone night Owls included can start tomorrow. And 23 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,320 Speaker 1: here's what I love about each one. There's a clear 24 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: reason why it works at a biological level. When you 25 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: understand the mechanism, you're not relying on motivation. You're working 26 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: with your brain, not against it. Let's get into it. 27 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: I know mornings are something we all struggle with, and 28 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: I want to be honest, I've struggled with them as well. 29 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 1: It's not easy for me to wake up energized and early. 30 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: Sometimes I want to stay in bed. Sometimes I want 31 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:54,639 Speaker 1: to scroll too, and end up doing that as well. 32 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: And so I've worked really hard on developing some of 33 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 1: these habits that have changed the way I feel. I 34 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: want you to go through your day feeling ready, energized 35 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: and prepared, and I've found that when we do certain things, 36 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: we actually end up doing the opposite. So let's start 37 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: with the most controversial thing I'm gonna say today. Hitting 38 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: the snooze button is one of the worst things you 39 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: can do for your brain in the morning. Here's why. 40 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: When your alarm goes off, your brain is finishing its 41 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: final sleep cycle, usually rem sleep, the phase critical for 42 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 1: memory consolidation and emotional processing. When you hit snooze and 43 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: drift off for another nine minutes or nine times, your 44 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: brain starts a brand new sleep cycle that it cannot 45 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: possibly finish. You're essentially fragmenting your sleep into useless chunks. 46 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: Research on sleep inertia, that's the scientific term for that groggy, 47 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 1: disoriented fog you feel after waking, shows that fragmented sleep 48 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: from snoozing actually worsens cognitive function. We're talking about slower 49 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: reaction times, impaired memory, and reduced executive function. You're not 50 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: getting rest in those extra minutes, You're creating neurological confusion. 51 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: The internal clerk, controlled by a tiny brain region, gets 52 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: conflicting signals, and the grogginess can linger for hours. So 53 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:20,639 Speaker 1: what do you do instead? I'm gonna share something with you. 54 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 1: It's a little weird, but I want you to try it. 55 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: I want you to try something called the future You 56 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: is calling alarm. Now. I've never loved the word alarm 57 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:32,839 Speaker 1: because we think about alarms as a fire alarm. When 58 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: there's an alert, when there's some danger. Imagine you actually 59 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: shocking yourself to wake up out of danger. But try 60 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: the future you is calling before bed, record a ten 61 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: to fifteen second voice memo pretending you're you from six 62 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 1: months in the future. It could even be that morning. 63 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: Not motivational fluff, make it oddly specific and slightly dramatic. 64 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: For example, Hey, it's you. I'm literally standing in the 65 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: kitchen of the life you wanted. Don't hit snooze. Today 66 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: is one of the days that got me here. Also, 67 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: you still hate rushed mornings. Right, that's just an example. 68 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 1: Set that recording as your alarm. And here's why this works. 69 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 1: Your brain doesn't expect your own voice. It breaks the autopilot. 70 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 1: Future you creates curiosity instead of dread. It reframes waking 71 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: up as time travel, not obligation. And you can put 72 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,279 Speaker 1: your phone outside your bedroom and only allow yourself to 73 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,719 Speaker 1: hear the ending of the message if you stand up 74 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: and walk to it. What I find fascinating about this 75 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 1: example is that we're completely tricking the brain. Right. Usually 76 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: you think we have to force ourselves out of bed. 77 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: Usually we have to find a way to get that energy. 78 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: When you hear your own voice in the morning that 79 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 1: says it would mean so much for us to wake 80 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: up right now, because if we wake up right now 81 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: now will actually be really happy because guess what, there's 82 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: a voice in your head telling you go to sleep, 83 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:05,919 Speaker 1: go to sleep, go to sleep, and we're not strong 84 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,039 Speaker 1: enough to fight it in our head. And that's why 85 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: the alarm does that for you. Right Having an alarm 86 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: that's your voice telling you the reasons you want to 87 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 1: wake up, the amazing day, you want to have, the 88 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: life you want to build, to encourage you specifically, is 89 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: actually allowing you to externalize that powerful voice, that motivated voice, 90 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: that conscious voice before the subconscious takes over. The subconscious 91 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 1: is saying, just lie in, hit the snooze button, sleep 92 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: in more. It doesn't matter, It won't make a difference, 93 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:36,720 Speaker 1: and your conscious mind at that time is switched off. 94 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 1: It doesn't have the ability to fight back. So use 95 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: your conscious mind to create a conscious alarm. I also 96 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 1: want you to seriously consider moving your alarm across the 97 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: room if you need to. The physical act of standing 98 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:54,159 Speaker 1: upright triggers a blood pressure change that signals wakefulness to 99 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: your brain. But the voice no alarm is key. It's 100 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:01,719 Speaker 1: a micro decision that becomes a macro habit step number two. 101 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: Now you want sunlight in your eyes the free drug. 102 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,840 Speaker 1: This might be the single most impactful thing on the 103 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:14,159 Speaker 1: entire list, and it costs you absolutely nothing. Within the 104 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:17,720 Speaker 1: first thirty to sixty minutes of waking up, get outside 105 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: and expose your eyes to natural sunlight for ten to 106 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: twenty minutes. Now, I know that sounds like a long time. 107 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 1: You could have your morning coffee, You could do a 108 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: small workout outside. You could pace and take a phone 109 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: call if you wanted to, not through a window, ideally 110 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: not through sunglasses. Outside with the light hitting your retinas. 111 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 1: Here's the science, and it's genuinely fascinating. Your eyes contain 112 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 1: specialized cells called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells or ipRGCs, 113 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: if that makes it any easier, that have almost nothing 114 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: to do with vision. Their job is to detect ambient 115 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: light and send time signals directly to the parts of 116 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 1: the brain. That's the masterclock I mentioned earlier. That signal 117 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 1: does several things simultaneously. First, it triggers a healthy pulse 118 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: of cortisol. Now before you panic, cortisol gets a bad 119 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: reputation as the stress hormone. But the morning cortisol awakening 120 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: response is not the same thing as chronic stress cortisol. 121 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 1: Research published in multiple peer reviewed journals shows that this 122 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: natural morning surge, which peaks about thirty to forty five 123 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: minutes after waking, promotes alertness, supports immune function, and sets 124 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: the emotional baseline for your entire day. About seventy seven 125 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: percent of healthy people experience this response, and light exposure 126 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,880 Speaker 1: amplifies it in the right direction. Second, that same light 127 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:55,720 Speaker 1: signal tells your pineal gland to start the fourteen hour 128 00:07:55,840 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 1: countdown to melotonin production. That means morning song unlight doesn't 129 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: just help you wake up, it directly programs better sleep tonight. 130 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 1: It's a twenty four hour investment disguised as a fifteen 131 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: minute walk. Third, and this one surprised me. Research on 132 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 1: office workers found that those who got significantly more bright 133 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: light exposure before noon scored substantially higher on cognitive performance 134 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:28,560 Speaker 1: tests after just five days. Five days, and separate work 135 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:32,319 Speaker 1: from Northwestern University found that people who got the majority 136 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 1: of their light exposure earlier in the day had lower 137 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: body weight compared to those who got light later. So 138 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,840 Speaker 1: here's the practical step. Walk outside for ten to twenty 139 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: minutes after waking, Combine it with your coffee, your dog walk, 140 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,880 Speaker 1: or just standing on your porch on overcast days, you're 141 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:55,559 Speaker 1: still getting significantly more LUX that's the unit of light intensity, 142 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,320 Speaker 1: than any indoor light provides. If it's pitch dark when 143 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 1: you wake up, use a ten thousand LUX light therapy 144 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 1: lamp positioned at eye level for twenty to thirty minutes, 145 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: and skip the sunglasses during the window. Regular glasses and 146 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 1: contacts are fine, but your eyes need that full spectrum 147 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: light input. Obviously, don't stare directly at the sun just 148 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 1: to point it out, but light exposure is huge. It's 149 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: it's helping you sleep better, it's helping you wake better, 150 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: it's helping you have better energy. And here, I know 151 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: what you're saying, Jay, how do I get ten to 152 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: twenty minutes? I get it, even if you can start 153 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 1: with one or two, If you can start with one 154 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 1: or two minutes, it will make a huge difference in 155 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: your life, and I hope you'll give it a go. 156 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: Step number three, the ninety second cold shock. I promise 157 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 1: you know four am ice baths. But stay with me 158 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: before you skip ahead. I'm not going to tell you 159 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 1: to take a twenty minute ice bath. I'm going to 160 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: tell you to do something much simpler and honestly, much 161 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 1: more interesting from a neuroscience perspective. At the end of 162 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: your normal shower, turn the water to cold for sixty 163 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 1: to ninety seconds. That's it. Here's what happens in your 164 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: body during those sixty to ninety seconds. Cold water activates 165 00:10:06,679 --> 00:10:10,320 Speaker 1: your sympathetic nervous system the fight or flight response, which 166 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 1: triggers a rapid release of neuropinephrine and adrenaline. These are 167 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:19,680 Speaker 1: the same neurotransmitters responsible for alertness, attention, and mood elevation. 168 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:23,720 Speaker 1: It's essentially a natural stimulant. But the more interesting research 169 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:27,440 Speaker 1: is about what happens after the cold exposure. A study 170 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: looking at cold water immersion found that quartisole levels and 171 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 1: negative mood ratings were both measurably lower three hours after 172 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 1: just fifteen minutes of cold exposure. So the initial shock 173 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 1: wakes you up, but the downstream effect is actually a calmer, 174 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:47,200 Speaker 1: more resilient baseline for the rest of your morning. And 175 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:50,960 Speaker 1: here's the really compelling finding. Research on people who did 176 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 1: regular cold exposure just two to three times per week 177 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: for twelve weeks showed that their quartisole response to the 178 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:03,439 Speaker 1: cold drops significantly. After only four weeks, the body's adapted, 179 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:09,440 Speaker 1: but critically, researchers believe this adaptation generalizes, meaning your body 180 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:14,559 Speaker 1: may also become better at managing cortisol responses to other stresses, 181 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:19,320 Speaker 1: work stress, relational stress, the daily chaos of life. You're 182 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: essentially training your nervous system to be less reactive. There's 183 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:27,319 Speaker 1: also a neurological angle that fascinates me. Your skin has 184 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:31,679 Speaker 1: a significantly higher density of cold receptors than warm receptors, 185 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 1: especially on your face, where you might have ten or 186 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 1: more cold sensing spots per square centimeter for every two 187 00:11:38,559 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: warm sensing ones. Cold water on your face activates the 188 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 1: vagus nerve through what's called the dive reflex, which shifts 189 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 1: your nervous system toward the parasympathetic the rest and digest mode. 190 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:55,720 Speaker 1: It's a reset button. Here's the practical step. At the 191 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 1: end of your regular warm shower, turn the doll to 192 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:01,439 Speaker 1: cold and stay in for just six to ninety seconds. 193 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:06,959 Speaker 1: Focus on breathing slowly and steadily through the discomfort. If 194 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:10,360 Speaker 1: a cold shower feels too extreme, start with just splashing 195 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 1: cold water on your face and the back of your 196 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:17,079 Speaker 1: neck for thirty seconds. Even that partial exposure activates the 197 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 1: vagus nerve and triggers a nora penephrine response build up. 198 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 1: From there, the goal isn't to suffer. The goal is 199 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 1: controlled brief discomfort that rewires your stress tolerance. Now I've 200 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 1: been trying all of these out. The voice alarm in 201 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:37,160 Speaker 1: the morning worked incredibly well for me to sunlight. I 202 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: haven't been able to do ten to twenty minutes, but 203 00:12:39,679 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 1: even just doing the one to two minutes. I did 204 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:43,559 Speaker 1: ten to twenty minutes when I first tested this out 205 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:46,480 Speaker 1: for like thirty days, but my schedule's got busier, so 206 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: I'm trying to do one to two minutes at least 207 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: of direct sun exposure. And this one, the sixty to 208 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:55,199 Speaker 1: ninety seconds, is an absolute game changer. These are all free. 209 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:56,840 Speaker 1: You don't have to download an app, you don't have 210 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 1: to learn anything new. Step number four moved for seven minutes, 211 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:25,920 Speaker 1: not sixty. One of the biggest myths about morning routines 212 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 1: is that you need a full gym session to get 213 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 1: the neurochemical benefits of exercise. You don't, and the research 214 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 1: proves it. A study published by the American College of 215 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:41,079 Speaker 1: Sports Medicine validated what's now known as the seven minute workout, 216 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 1: a high intensity circuit of twelve body weight exercises thirty 217 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:50,680 Speaker 1: seconds each with briefressed intervals. The findings showed that this 218 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:55,360 Speaker 1: short burst of activity was sufficient to trigger meaningful cardiovascular 219 00:13:55,679 --> 00:14:00,320 Speaker 1: and metabolic benefits, comparable in several measures to much longer, 220 00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: moderate intensity sessions. But here's what I want you to 221 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,720 Speaker 1: focus on from a brain perspective. When you move your 222 00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:11,440 Speaker 1: body in the morning, you're not just burning calories. You're 223 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: doing four things neurologically. One, you're increasing blood flow to 224 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:21,080 Speaker 1: the prefrontal cortex, the seat of decision making, planning, and 225 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: impulse control. This is the part of your brain that's 226 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: slowest to come fully online after sleep, and movement accelerates 227 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:33,920 Speaker 1: that process. Two, you're triggering the release of BDNF brain 228 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: derived neurotrophic factor, which is essentially fertilizer for your neurons. 229 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:44,080 Speaker 1: BDNF promotes the growth of new neural connections and strengthens 230 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 1: existing ones. It's one of the most important molecules for learning, memory, 231 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 1: and cognitive flexibility. Three, you're flooding your brain with endorphins, serotonin, 232 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: and dopamine, the trifecta of mood regulating transmitters. This isn't 233 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,720 Speaker 1: just f feeling good. These chemicals directly affect your capacity 234 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:09,840 Speaker 1: for focus, motivation, and emotional regulation for hours afterward. And four. 235 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 1: Physical movement, especially if done outside, creates a state that 236 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: neuroscientists call optic flow. When you walk or run and 237 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 1: the visual world streams past you, it activates circuits in 238 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: your brain that reduce activity in the amygdala, your threat 239 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:30,320 Speaker 1: detection center. It's one of the reasons walking feels so calming. 240 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: It's not just the exercise, it's the visual processing. Here's 241 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: the practical step. Do seven minutes of body weight movement 242 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:43,320 Speaker 1: push ups, squats, lunges, jumping, jacks, anything that elevates your 243 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: heart rate. If you want structure, search for the scientific 244 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 1: seven minute workout, and it's free and widely available. If 245 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 1: seven minutes feels like too much, start with three. Do 246 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 1: it in your pajamas. If you want, the barrier to 247 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 1: entry should be almost zero. You're not training for a marathon. 248 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: You're telling your brain that the day has begun. I 249 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 1: think for so long, we've just put so much pressure 250 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: on needing an entire workout. And I know what you're thinking, Jay, 251 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,320 Speaker 1: what's seven minutes gonna do. Here's what it's gonna do. 252 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: It's gonna give you the energy and the motivation to 253 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 1: do fourteen minutes, to do thirty minutes, to try and 254 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:19,840 Speaker 1: invest more time. I think as humans we get into 255 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 1: this perfectionist mentality. It's either all I'm either going to 256 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:25,400 Speaker 1: do an amazing workout or nothing at all. And I've 257 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:28,440 Speaker 1: realized that showing up and doing a simple workout is 258 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:32,160 Speaker 1: what gives us energy to do even more. Step number five, 259 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: the brain dumb journal. This is the step that changed 260 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: the most for me personally, and it's the one I 261 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 1: think most people underestimate journaling, but not in the way 262 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 1: you probably think. I'm not talking about keeping a diary. 263 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 1: I'm not talking about writing three pages of stream of 264 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:53,680 Speaker 1: consciousness every morning, although that's amazing. I'm talking about a specific, structured, 265 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: five to ten minute practice that is decades of peer 266 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:02,880 Speaker 1: reviewed research behind it. Foundational work comes from psychologist James 267 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:07,560 Speaker 1: Penbaker at the University of Texas at Austin. His research 268 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:12,120 Speaker 1: on what he called expressive writing demonstrated that writing about 269 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:16,439 Speaker 1: your thoughts and emotions, particularly stressful ones, for as little 270 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:20,680 Speaker 1: as fifteen to twenty minutes produces measurable improvements in both 271 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:24,480 Speaker 1: mental and physical health. We're talking about reduced blood pressure, 272 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: improved liver function, stronger immune response, and fewer doctor visits 273 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:36,320 Speaker 1: from writing. Neuroimaging research from UCLA helps explain why expressive 274 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: writing activates the prefrontal cortex, your executive control center, while 275 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:45,679 Speaker 1: simultaneously dampening activity in the amygdala. So the act of 276 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:51,960 Speaker 1: translating chaotic emotional experiences into structured language literally rebalances the 277 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 1: relationship between your thinking brain and your fear brain, and 278 00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 1: it gets better. Research has shown that regular journaling practice 279 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:03,600 Speaker 1: can reduce cortisol levels by up to twenty three percent 280 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 1: in consistent practitioners. A study on people with major depressive 281 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:13,280 Speaker 1: disorder found significant improvements in depression scores after just five 282 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:17,520 Speaker 1: days of expressive writing, and a meta analysis of twenty 283 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:22,680 Speaker 1: randomized control trials confirmed that journaling is an effective adjunct 284 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: intervention for anxiety and PTSD. Here's what I also find fascinating. 285 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 1: A study published in the journal Mindfulness found that people 286 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:35,359 Speaker 1: who practiced mindful journaling for just ten minutes each morning 287 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: showed greater self control and were less likely to abandon 288 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,199 Speaker 1: their other habits throughout the day. So journaling doesn't just 289 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:47,679 Speaker 1: help you process emotions, it strengthens the neural infrastructure for 290 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,199 Speaker 1: discipline itself. And I know what you're thinking, Jay, What 291 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:53,240 Speaker 1: do I write about? Maybe I won't have anything to say, 292 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:57,160 Speaker 1: maybe I'll get lost or stuck. I found that even 293 00:18:57,200 --> 00:18:59,640 Speaker 1: just trying to remember my dreams was an incredible place 294 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: to start. I remember just writing about how I felt 295 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: in the morning, whether I was tired, upset, worried about something, 296 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 1: was just useful. It didn't have to be perfect, it 297 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:10,399 Speaker 1: didn't have to be something that I'd have to hand 298 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:12,440 Speaker 1: in for an exam or And it's weird, isn't it, 299 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,200 Speaker 1: How we've all programmed ourselves to think, Like when you're writing, 300 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:16,879 Speaker 1: it's like it's a test, it's an exam. It's going 301 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:18,639 Speaker 1: to be amazing. No one's ever going to read this. 302 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 1: It's for you. Here's the practical step. Every morning, spend 303 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:25,720 Speaker 1: five to ten minutes writing by hand. And yes, by 304 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:30,639 Speaker 1: hand matters because handwriting engages different motor and cognitive circuits 305 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 1: than typing. Answer three simple prompts. One, what am I 306 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:40,160 Speaker 1: genuinely grateful for today? Gratitude journaling has its own body 307 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:45,200 Speaker 1: of evidence for boosting positive effect and counteracting depressive thought patterns. 308 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 1: Two what's the single most important thing I need to 309 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:54,600 Speaker 1: accomplish today. This forces prioritization and activates your prefront or 310 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:58,959 Speaker 1: cortex for planning. And three, what's one thought or worry 311 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 1: I need to get out of my head. This is 312 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:06,680 Speaker 1: the expressive writing piece. You're externalizing intrusive thoughts so they 313 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: stop consuming working memory. You're literally freeing up cognitive bandwidth. 314 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:18,040 Speaker 1: Three questions, five minutes the reset says it works. Step six, 315 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 1: delay the scroll. Protect your first hour. This last step 316 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:26,399 Speaker 1: might be the simplest to understand and the hardest to 317 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:29,800 Speaker 1: actually do, and it might also be the most important. 318 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:33,919 Speaker 1: Do not check your phone, no email, no social media, 319 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 1: no news for the first sixty minutes after waking up. 320 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:41,359 Speaker 1: Here's why this matters so much from a neuroscience perspective. 321 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:44,000 Speaker 1: Remember that I mentioned your brain is in a highly 322 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 1: programmable state in the first hour after waking. The transition 323 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 1: from sleep to full wakefulness involves the shift from theta 324 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:56,640 Speaker 1: and alpha brain waves to beta. During that transition, your 325 00:20:56,680 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: brain is exceptionally receptive to external input. It's forming the 326 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:05,800 Speaker 1: emotional and cognitive framework for the entire day. When you 327 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 1: immediately check your phone. You're doing something very specific to 328 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:14,879 Speaker 1: your neurochemistry. Every notification, every email, every social media post 329 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:21,960 Speaker 1: triggers microdoses of dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with rewards seeking behavior. 330 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 1: But it's not the satisfied content dopamine of accomplishment. It's 331 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:30,959 Speaker 1: the restless, craving dopamine of novelty seeking. You're training your 332 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:35,440 Speaker 1: brain in its most impressionable window to be reactive rather 333 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:39,440 Speaker 1: than intentional. Research are shown that checking email and social 334 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:43,119 Speaker 1: media first thing in the morning increases stress levels and 335 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:48,119 Speaker 1: fragments attention, reducing your ability to enter deep focused work later. 336 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:52,200 Speaker 1: You're essentially letting other people's agendas, their emails, their posts, 337 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:56,200 Speaker 1: their news cycles set the emotional tone of your day 338 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:58,919 Speaker 1: before you've had a chance to set your own, and 339 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:03,480 Speaker 1: there's a compounding of effect. Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman has talked 340 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:07,960 Speaker 1: extensively about the importance of staying within your own mental 341 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 1: frame during the first hours of the day. When you 342 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:14,280 Speaker 1: pick up your phone, you're stepping out of your frame 343 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,240 Speaker 1: and into everyone else's. The cognitive cost of switching back 344 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:22,359 Speaker 1: is real. It's called attention residue, and research shows it 345 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,040 Speaker 1: can impair your focus for the next task, even after 346 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:28,640 Speaker 1: you've put the phone down. There's also a lesser known 347 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:32,320 Speaker 1: benefit to delaying caffeine, which pairs well with this step. 348 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:35,399 Speaker 1: If you drink coffee too early, you interfere with that 349 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 1: natural clearance process and you're more likely to crash later. 350 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:42,920 Speaker 1: Delaying your first cut by sixty to ninety minutes means 351 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:46,119 Speaker 1: the caffeine hits when your body actually needs it, and 352 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: the effect lasts longer without a harsh drop off. Here's 353 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 1: the practical step. Put your phone in another room before bed, 354 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 1: or a minimum, keep it faced down with notifications silenced 355 00:22:57,359 --> 00:23:01,200 Speaker 1: until you've completed steps one through five. Use a cheap 356 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:03,800 Speaker 1: alarm clock instead of your phone alarm. If you need 357 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:06,840 Speaker 1: to ease into this, start by delaying your phone check 358 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:10,600 Speaker 1: by just ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes, and build 359 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:14,920 Speaker 1: from there. Replace the scrolling with your sunlight, walk, your movement, 360 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 1: your journaling. Fill the space with intention rather than reaction. 361 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:23,160 Speaker 1: And if you're a coffee drinker, experiment with waiting sixty 362 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:27,199 Speaker 1: to ninety minutes after waking before your first cup. I 363 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:31,000 Speaker 1: promise your afternoon self will thank you. Thank you so 364 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:32,960 Speaker 1: much for listening. I know that you might not be 365 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 1: able to do all six of these steps starting tomorrow. 366 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:37,840 Speaker 1: I don't want you to choose one that makes a 367 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:41,879 Speaker 1: difference and add one every week after you feel comfortable 368 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:45,119 Speaker 1: with the one you've implemented. I hope this transforms your morning. 369 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:47,600 Speaker 1: I hope it'll let you retake you back your time 370 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:49,879 Speaker 1: and your energy, and I can't wait to see what 371 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,600 Speaker 1: you go on to create with this new found resilience. 372 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 1: Thank you for listening. I'll see you soon. Thank you 373 00:23:56,720 --> 00:24:00,479 Speaker 1: so much for listening to this conversation. If you and it, 374 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:04,600 Speaker 1: you'll love my chat with Adam Grant on why discomfort 375 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:07,960 Speaker 1: is the key to growth and the strategies for unlocking 376 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,040 Speaker 1: your hidden potential. If you know you want to be 377 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:13,920 Speaker 1: more and achieve more this year, go check it out 378 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:14,680 Speaker 1: right now. 379 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:17,560 Speaker 2: You set a goal today, you achieve it in six months, 380 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 2: and then by the time it happens, it's almost a relief. 381 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,119 Speaker 2: There's no sense of meaning and purpose. You sort of 382 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 2: expected it, and you would have been disappointed if it 383 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:25,879 Speaker 2: didn't happen.