By Emory Liscord MD

Im a podcast junkie. Mostly all things related to health and longevity.

Bio hacking if you will.

One theme seems to keep popping up, the importance of a morning routine.

Tim Ferris, well know for interviewing the some of the most successful people in the world, is a morning routine fan.

Here is what I gather is the perfect morning routine:

Awake to natural sunlight.

Don’t set alarm as you must listen to your natural circadian rhythm.

Drink water with lemon immediately.

Meditate for 20 minutes.

Sip fresh coffee frothed with Bulletproof MCT oil, tea with lemon, or four stigmatic mushroom mix.

Journal for 45 minutes.

Hydrate.

Lift some weights for 30 minutes.

Start day working on start up, blog, or book. Make millions.

Here is a typical morning for me:

Alarm goes off at 4:20am.

Drag myself downstairs.

Put on cold work-out clothes while huddled in front of the space heater because I live in Maine.

Microwave coffee from yesterday.

Start car.

Throw clothes in back pack.

Forget socks.

Car is still cold but get in anyway.

Drink coffee in mason jar as I drive to the gym as I have lost all travel mugs.

Arrive to gym just as car becomes warm.

Shuffle on treadmill.

Contemplate doing a sit up.

Decide floor matt is too far from treadmill.

Finish run.

Put on deodorant as it is too cold to shower.

Curse living in Maine and forgetting Smartwools.

Get back in cold car.

Stop at Starbucks and get large black coffee.

Arrive to my shift at 6:50. Begin saving lives one ankle sprain at a time.

As much as I appreciate learning about the extremes of health optimization I feel there is something sorely missing in the health space …. reality.

It is easy to bio-hack when biohacking is your job.

How can we optimize our health when we have real, chaotic lives?

First:  lower expectations.

Second: lower expectations

Third: lower expectations

Finally: find moments of perfection where you can

Example: This morning is a rare one.

Its 6:30 and kids are still in bed. I don’t have to be at work until 2pm.

I made fresh coffee quietly (albeit while making lunches).

I’m sitting looking out at the sunrise embracing my creativity.

Maybe will even foam core role after this blog post is done.

Tara Brach teaches us to embrace “the pause”.

“Pause” in your daily life when you can.

Be intentional and notice the moment even if that moment is only 5 minutes.

Then …… lower expectations