#32: My Daily Routine for Optimized Energy & High Performance Habits for Success

Posted on by Wes Wise.

In Episode 32, we’re dishing up my daily routine for optimized health and productivity. I’m going over my full routine that promotes high performance, energy, and mental clarity. These are the exact behaviors I follow every day in order to improve health and achieve goals. While there are some day-to-day fluctuations, many of these habits are constant, non-negotiable aspects of my daily life.

Episode Timestamps

  • Wise-Eats.com/Episode32 for the show notes, YouTube video, and more! (0:00)
  • My daily routine for optimized health and productivity (0:20)
  • Why the greatest predictor of success is a strong foundation in health and fitness (0:30)
  • Early morning 5-7am: Tom’s Toothpaste, Weigh-In, Hydration, Journaling, Meditation (2:00)
  • Hydration first thing every day! Berkey and reverse osmosis (3:00)
  • Journaling, meditation, Headspace app, 6×6 breathing (3:30)
  • Caffeine, Starbucks Instant, Hagen Decaf (4:30)
  • Fasted Workout: Weights, Walking (5:30)
  • Using the Cell Phone, Podcasts (6:00)
  • Packing my lunch for work, Mrs. Wise & Dogs (7:00)
  • Fasting the morning and my breakfast (7:45)
  • Lunch break: Exercise, journaling, meditation, “me” time (8:15)
  • Performing on the Job (9:00)
  • Home from work: Workout, Dinner (9:30)
  • My Pre-Workout (10:00)
  • Working out in the sun (10:45)
  • Post-Workout, Dinner, Dessert (11:00)
  • Pre-Bed Routine: Cold shower, mobility, ice baths, reading (12:30)
  • Hitting sleep hard: Tips for better sleep (13:30)
  • Tips for getting back to sleep (14:00)
  • All Day, Every Day: Water, Exercise (15:30)
  • My TV habits (16:00)
  • Supplements I Take: Vitamin D, Fish Oil, CBD and more (16:50)
  • More on journaling (17:30)
  • Talking poop! My story and the squatty potty (18:00)
  • Treat others with respect, kindness, generosity (19:00)
  • You have an opportunity to change your life! (19:45)
  • Non-negotiable aspects of my routine, even with baby Wise on the way! (20:00)
  • Wise-Eats.com/Episode32 for show notes, YouTube video, pictures, transcript, and more!
  • Blooper Reel / Outtakes (22:00)

Recipes Mentioned in This Episode:

Articles/Brands/Products Mentioned in This Episode:

Movie Clips

Website Design Thank You: DoeringDesign.com

Logo Design Thank You’s: @this_show, MGSignsDesign.com

Editing Animations Thank You: Darin Roberts aka Misteredit1 on YouTube

The Wise Eats Podcast is written, filmed, edited, and produced by Wesley Wise, and shared by YOU. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Submit questions, comments, feedback to WiseEatsPodcast@gmail.com or to @weswisefitness on Instagram. Thanks for watching, listening, reviewing, liking, subscribing, and sharing. Be good to yourself, be good to others, and make wise choices!

ANOTHER Daily Routine??? Come on Wes!

I know these days everyone has a daily routine that they’re sharing but I still want to put mine out there because there could be something in this episode that could be a game changer for you in your life and fitness. These are the exact habits that helped me lose 90lbs and completely change my life.

No matter what your goal in life is, I believe the greatest predictor of success is a strong foundation of health and fitness. I was 90lbs overweight, with no direction in my life, addicted to drugs, food, and alcohol. By implementing the habits I’m going to share today, I completely turned my health around, got in the best shape of my life, earned a master’s degree in Finance, have my own fitness website and podcast, am starting a family, and crushing every day with energy I never had before. The habits I incorporate each day fuel me with the power to pursue all my passions instead of holding me back like they were before. So, I may not be rich and famous, but I’m able to live each day to its fullest and be the best, most happy version of myself, because of this daily routine.

I’m going to include some things I’ve heard in other people’s routines that I don’t personally do, at least not yet, but maybe you’ll want to consider including them in yours.

Contact Me!

Also, if you feel that I left something out of this routine that myself or others could benefit from, please leave a comment on the YouTube video or drop me a DM @weswisefitness. I’ll continue to update the show notes for this episode as I improve my routine and add new habits.

Shift Worker

Lastly, one final note. I’m a morning shift worker, so this routine is based on that schedule, but it can be re-arranged to fit anyone’s schedule. I worked an afternoon shift for 7 years and these habits stayed intact during that time. The fundamentals do not change, regardless of your schedule. So, without further ado, let’s get into the routine. It’s time to wise up.

Daily Routine Summary

5am-7am

  • Weigh-In, Hydration, Journaling, Goals, Gratitude
  • Breathing, Meditation, Walking, Cell Phone, Podcasts
  • Caffeine, Mobility, Foam Rolling, Weight Lifting

7am-12pm

  • Hydration, Steps, Perform Optimally at Work
  • Treat Others with Respect, Integrity, Overdeliver
  • 9am Breakfast, Organic Decaf Coffee/Tea

12-1pm

  • Writing, Exercise, Journaling

1-6pm

  • Work Hard, Stay on Task
  • Deliver Value, Be a Team Player
  • Afternoon Workout, Work on Wise Eats

6-8pm

  • Play Time w/ Family, Dogs
  • Dinner, Dessert, Family Walk

8-10pm

  • Quality Time w/ Mrs. Wise & Family
  • Reading, Journaling, Note Taking
  • Shower, Mobility, Optimize Sleep

All Day, Every Day

  • Movement, Hydration, Exercise, Quality Sleep
  • Good Nutrition, Gratitude, Goal Setting

Morning Routine 5am-7am

Wake Up: Usually, I wake up some time between 5:30-6:30am. I set my alarm for 6:30am but almost always get up ahead of it naturally. Back when I was unhealthy, I would be lethargic, low-energy, having the “here we go again” mentality. Today, I wake up each day with an incredible amount of energy and excitement, ready to attack my goals. Despite this, most days I will lay there for at least 30-60 seconds, take a few intentional deep breaths, almost like a mini-meditation, quickly set my intentions, THEN I go about crushing the day.

Make the Bed: I don’t follow the make your bed right away rule because Mrs. Wise takes care of that. But, if you don’t have a Mrs. Wise at home, I suggest making that bed for your first win of the day!

Brush My Teeth: You might not think your choice of toothpaste isn’t important, but it is! The mouth-body connection is a real thing. Poor oral health can contribute to heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other conditions (Burhenne, 2019). For this reason, we use Tom’s toothpaste, and here’s why:

  • Conventional toothpastes contain many harmful ingredients, such as artificial coloring, sweeteners, pesticides, abrasives, preservatives, parabens, pesticides, and other synthetic chemicals. Fluoride has also been shown to be toxic in the body and actually do more harm for your teeth than good, although Tom’s does contain fluoride (Burhenne, 2019).
  • There are a ton of natural toothpastes out there you can shop for. You can even make your own homemade mineral powder toothpaste.
  • Another tip I have heard is coconut oil pulling every morning. I’m not there yet but that’s an option if you’re looking to go all natural.

Weigh-In: Next thing I do is my daily weigh-in. By tracking my weight, I’m always aware of trends in my body composition. I like to take my average weight for the week and keep an eye on it that way. Tracking your weight can become obsessive for some people, but it’s a strategy I use because it helps keep me motivated.

Hydration: Roughly 48oz or more of purified reverse osmosis water. Room temperature and most days plain, but sometimes I will add some combination of lemon, apple cider vinegar, MSM and Himalayan pink salt. We purchase reverse osmosis water from the local water store but we also have a Berkey home filtration system.

Mobility, Foam Rolling: Quick stretching session with some foam rolling and deep breathing.

Journal: Write down three things I’m grateful for, three goals for the day, and review goals for the week. Every single day. I love journaling and often advocate it. It has helped me stay on track with my fitness, finances, and help me achieve goals in all areas of my life. I probably do an excessive amount of journaling, both in a physical notebook and digitally in Excel. I record previous day’s events, exercise, meals, gratitude, goals, and finances. Journaling serves so many worthwhile purposes:

Benefits of Journaling

  1. Keeping thoughts organized
  2. Releasing negativity
  3. Improving writing skills
  4. Setting and achieving goals
  5. Setting and prioritizing tasks
  6. Recording thoughts, ideas, and reminders
  7. Relieving stress
  8. Help fight depression
  9. Reducing anxiety
  10. Enhancing self-awareness
  11. Tracking progress
  12. Boosting memory
  13. Improving creativity (Ackerman, 2020)

Meditation: After journaling is where I’ll do some meditation using either deep breathing, the Headspace app, or some 6×6 box breathing. I don’t always do the meditation, sometimes it’s as simple as some intentional deep breathing as I go about my morning routine or on the drive to work.

Dose of Caffeine: I drink some combination of black coffee and tea, always organic when possible. 1-2 servings of caffeine max, which I’ve reduced recently from 5-10 servings per day. My coffee of choice is Starbucks Instant Colombia, which is not organic, we just really love the flavor and it’s our favorite coffee. My favorite instant organic blend is Mount Hagen. If I’m buying whole beans or fresh ground, I look for organic, single-origin coffee. Nowadays, I always cut off caffeine by noon and switch to decaf from there, or just water and caffeine-free teas. Since doing so, I have noticed a positive impact on the quality of my sleep. Plus, it was definitely time to lower my caffeine dependence.

Fasted Workout: If I have enough time in the morning, I do a fasted weight lifting session. This is my preferred way to start the day because I love the way I feel after a good morning workout. Really sets your day up for success. In between sets, I’ll work on some personal things like finances, Wise Eats, or whatever other tasks I have for the day. This is possible because I work out at home. A home gym is highly recommended!!

If I’m not doing the weight lifting session, I typically start my morning with a fasted powerwalk. Either way, I’m getting plenty of steps throughout my day at work and random walks sprinkled throughout the day. My daily goal is usually 10,000 steps, but I always exceed that and get between 10,000-20,000.

Cell Phone Use: Not until I have hydrated, reviewed my goals for the day, and begun to exercise is it permissible to look at my cell phone. Once I’m working out, this is where I’ll start checking e-mails, texts, voicemails, and listening to podcasts. Take care of yourself first and set your day up for success before you adhere to someone else’s agenda. You should make serving others part of your day but also set aside time for just you. Once you’ve aligned your mindset, you will be better able to serve others.

Podcasts: My favorite podcasts are MMA-related shows (I’m a big UFC fan), inspirational, motivational, and health/nutrition, of course. Here are some of my favorites over the years:

  • The Mike Dolce Show
  • Mind Pump
  • Morning Kombat
  • Joe Rogan Experience
  • Model Health Show
  • Muscle for Life
  • The Dave Ramsey Show
  • UFC Unfiltered
  • Entrepreneur on Fire

Leave for Work: Pack my meals for work, which is always healthy food that I have prepared ahead of time. I generally have 2-3 meal prep days per week, where I prepare several days’ worth of breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Packed for work, I kiss Mrs. Wise goodbye, love on the dogs for a minute, then on my way!

On the Drive to Work: Listening to podcasts, traveling safely, setting intentions for the day on my performance, envisioning goals, deep breathing, hydration, gratitude.

Work Day: 7am-4:30pm

Arrive at Work: 7-7:30am get to work. Go above and beyond wherever possible, deliver value, be the best co-worker and employee that I can. Crush it, learn and improve at every opportunity.

Exercise at Work: Get as many steps as possible. I work a mostly desk job, but will frequently get up and answer calls and texts while I walk. If I’m on a virtual call, I’ll often go for a walk while participating in the meeting.

My work does not have a gym, so I pack dumbbells, kettlebells, foam rollers, or other equipment in my car so I have a mobile gym and can get some exercise at lunchtime. Equipment is not necessary though! Look around for places to do pull-ups. I love taking a quick break from my desk and ripping off a few sets of pull-ups for a jolt of energy. A pull-up break beats a cigarette break any day!

Fasting in the AM: My first meal is around 9am, which means I fast for about the first 3-4 hours of the day (12-14 hours total). Fasting works great for some, not for others, and all depends on your personal preference and goals. Personally, I love the way I feel and perform both mentally and physically when I’m in a fasted state.

Meals at Work: Just about every meal I eat contains some high-quality protein, complex carbs, and essential fats to build lean muscle and maintain weight.

  • My 9am breakfast is almost always the Wise Eats Energy Bowl or some form of it. There’s also the Power Oatmeal, Instant Oatmeal, and the Sharpshooter Breakfast Salad, all of which are available at Wise-Eats.com/Recipes.
    • Lunch will be a salad made up of some combination of spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, chicken, sardines, ground turkey, beef, fish, eggs, quinoa, jasmine rice, olive oil, avocado oil, spices, and many other whole food ingredients. If you need some ideas, check out the list of Wise Eats Approved Foods.
    • Snacks, if I have any, will be something like nuts and fruit or simply more of what I had for breakfast or lunch.

12pm-1pm

Lunch Break: At lunch break I take a little me time: Writing, journaling, cardio, stretching, lifting, bodyweight routine, walking, mobility, sun exposure. Don’t waste your lunch hour driving to get carry-out or sitting in a fast-food drive-thru. Enjoy your healthy, home-prepared meal and use your lunch to work on something you’re passionate about.

1pm-6pm

Rest of the Work Day: Stay on task, deliver results with integrity, be a team player, try to go above and beyond at every opportunity.

Home from Work: Once I get home, I kiss my wife and dogs hello, and if my workout wasn’t already completed in the morning or at lunch, I quickly get dressed in workout clothes so I don’t get into that relaxed mindset. Once I’m dressed, I hit the garage and start my workout.

Pre-Workout: First thing in the morning, the only pre-workout I’m using is oxygen, hydration, and black coffee. For an afternoon workout, my pre-workout is the well-balanced breakfast, lunch, and snack I had at work. In the past, I have taken some pre-workouts like Legion Athletics’ Pulse, but these pre-workouts are often loaded with natural flavors, caffeine, and artificial ingredients. You truly don’t need any of that stuff. If I’m feeling like I need a boost before the workout, I’ll have some fresh fruit, frozen fruit, or a light protein shake like the Wise Eats Muscle Milk.

Afternoon Workout: 1-2 Hour weight lifting session. If it’s my off day, I’ll do some HIIT cardio, stretching, foam rolling, walking, or biking, and do it all in the sun, if possible.

6-8pm

Post-Workout: My post-workout meal is either a protein shake or right to dinner. This depends on if I’ve already had a shake or not. I try to limit myself to one protein shake per day so I can get most of my nutrients from real food.

Dinner: A well-balanced meal containing lean protein (chicken, fish, beef), fresh or frozen veggies, essential fats, and complex carbs. This will be something like the Chokeslam Chicken Salad or a stir fry.

Post-Dinner: Walk with Mrs. Wise and the dogs.

Dessert: My last meal before bed is usually some kind of dessert like the Fully Charged Chocolate Protein Smoothie, the Blueberry Yogurt Bowl, some protein pudding, or something simple like some peanut butter with an apple.

8pm-10pm

Pre-Bed: Cut off using electronics, put on blue blocking glasses. Shower before bed, often cold. I love doing cold showers and they have shown to have many benefits like reduced stress, more alertness, increased immunity, increased willpower, and weight loss (Hof, 2020).

Pre-Bed Exercise: I always incorporate some sort of movement before bed almost every night. Some combination of foam rolling, stretching, or mobility.

Bedtime: Reading a book, taking notes, reflecting on the day, time with Mrs. Wise before sleep.

Optimizing Sleep

  • Stop eating at least 1 hour before bed.
  • Blue blocking glasses at least 1-2 hours before bed.
  • Aim for at least 6-8 hours of sleep.
  • Cut off all electronics 1-2 hours before bed.
  • Put cell phone on silent, on charger, in a separate room.
  • No electronics in the bedroom. No TV, nothing that emits light.
  • Use black out curtains to make the bedroom pitch black.
  • Keep sleeping temperature as cool as possible. The optimal range is 60-67 degrees. We sleep at anywhere from 63-65 degrees.
  • If you wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back to sleep as I sometimes do, here are a few tips:
    • Deep breathing. A few big deep breaths with a focus on the body softening during exhalation almost always relaxes me back to sleep.
    • 6×6 breathing. 6 seconds in, 6 seconds out, focusing on the counting and body relaxing.
    • Counting backward from 300. I usually can’t make it to 270 without falling asleep.
    • Reading a book. Usually only a page or two before I crash back out, but if I get a few extra pages read, who’s gonna be mad at that? Eventually, this almost always gets me back to sleep. If reading doesn’t knock me back out, nothing will!

Side Notes

Water and Movement: These are constants throughout my day. I’m always drinking purified water, decaf tea, coffee, getting extra steps, staying active, and taking frequent breaks from my desk. Exercise is not confined to one hour per day. It’s all day, every day.

Television: I only watch TV maybe 2-3 days a week. If I do watch something, it’s usually on my phone while I’m multitasking like walking or doing the dishes. In my free time, I love to write articles for the website, record and edit videos, and spend time with my wife and dogs. We do enjoy watching movies together here and there, but TV is one of the last things on my to do list, which is a huge shift from the first 30 years of my life.

Supplements: Vitamin D, zinc, vitamin c, fish oil, spirulina, condensed greens powder, whey protein, and multi-vitamins daily. Magnesium tablets, broccoli sprouts, B-12, CBD oil, and other vitamins sparingly, as needed.

  • Magnesium Oil: I used to rub magnesium oil on legs and soles of feet, a tip I got from Shawn Stevenson, but didn’t notice any tangible benefit from it other than my legs getting really itchy. Supposedly, topical magnesium has many benefits, so you may want to consider giving it a try, but it just wasn’t for me:
    • Helps improve sports performance and workout recovery
    • Improve the vitality of your skin
    • Helps prevent headaches/migraines
    • Helps regulate insulin
    • Decreased blood pressure
    • Helps to regulate neurological and physiological processes when the body is under stress
    • Relaxes GABA receptors in the brain and nervous system to help with anxiety and sleep (Ruggeri, 2018).

Poop: I know it’s weird to talk about poop, but it’s definitely an indicator of your health, and mine used to be really bad. Going to the bathroom used to be a STRUGGLE for me with my unhealthy lifestyle. With a constant diet of junk food, fast food, processed food and alcohol, my bathroom visits were painful, frequent, and irregular. I would be in the bathroom multiple times a day and it would be very unpleasant. Now that I eat clean and exercise it’s once, maybe twice a day, smooth, easy, and always a good time. I’m not spending more than a couple minutes in the bathroom. I’m in and out of there with more important things to do. Along with healthy diet and exercise, another poop tool I like to use is The Squatty Potty. I own one and if you don’t know what they are, Google it. They won’t cure an improper diet, but they can definitely make the pooping experience more pleasant.

Sun Exposure: If the sun is out, I am IN IT! I always get out in the sun while I’m working out, fetching with the dogs, reading, or doing laptop work. It’s so good for you to get that natural energy and vitamin D from the sun. Another huge shift from where I was when I was unhealthy and overweight. Back then, I avoided the sun like the plague! Today, it’s a whole different story.

Philosophy: Finally, a daily routine isn’t just about what you do, it’s HOW you do. I try to treat everyone I meet with kindness, respect, and generosity. I always come from a place of gratitude, show appreciation, and try my best to listen to others and show genuine interest. I try to over deliver in every aspect, whether it’s my career, home life, or family. Whatever it is, be the best you can be.

Conclusion

So, that’s my daily routine. I understand that some of it may not work for you in your particular situation, especially if you have kids or other responsibilities, but I can guarantee you that you have an opportunity somewhere in your schedule to make room for some new, positive habits that change your life over time. I’m far from perfect and am constantly searching my day for ways to incorporate new hacks and habits to optimize my day.

All days are different, and unexpected things happen, but this is a general template of how I live my life day in and day out. I also don’t have any kids yet but, with a baby on the way, this routine will certainly change, but I can promise you, most of the habits will remain intact. Some of these things are flexible depending on the situation and what that particular day calls for, but other things are absolutely non-negotiable, like hydration, exercise, and sleep. I don’t care what my situation is, I will never sacrifice those things because they impact all other areas of my life.

Even if a wrench gets thrown into my day and I can’t get my hour or so of regimented exercise, I will find places throughout my day to sprinkle in movement. Whether it’s walking on my lunch break, body weight squats in the bathroom, jumping jacks by the car, push-ups next to my bed, or pull-ups on a tree branch, I will keep my body energized through movement, because that’s when I’m at my best.

Thanks for Reading, Watching & Listening!

Thanks a lot for listening and watching. Don’t forget to drop a comment on the YouTube video telling me the favorite parts of your daily routine and anything you think I may have missed here. You can see the full write-up for this episode over at Wise-Eats.com/Episode32 where I outline my entire routine and dive deeper into each habit, the products I use, and more.

Remember – Your future success relies on the positive habits you start implementing today. Small, sustainable habits today will compound into major progress down the road. With that said, I appreciate you being here, and until next time, MWC.

References

Ackerman, C. (2020, November 8). 83 benefits of journaling for depression, anxiety, and stress. Positive Psychology. Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-journaling/

Burhenne, M. (February 28, 2019). How to avoid toxins in your toothpaste: 12 ingredients to ditch now. Experience Life. Retrieved from https://experiencelife.com/article/safe-toothpaste/

Hof, W. (2020, November 8). Benefits of Cold Showers. Wim Hof Method. Retrieved from https://www.wimhofmethod.com/benefits-of-cold-showers

Ruggeri, C. (2018, December 19). Magnesium oil: Does it really improve magnesium absorption? Dr. Axe. Retrieved from https://draxe.com/nutrition/magnesium-oil/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *