This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2022. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcSBjRxiFt0&t=157s
Bob: So, we're going to talk about Brad's daily routine here, his morning routine.
Brad: And the anatomy, Bob, I'm going to break it down. We're physical therapists. We've learned anatomy, it's just part of us. We’re going to show you five steps to get you through the morning, so you wake up feeling charged and ‘strong like bull.’ So, this is actually what I've learned over, or I've experimented with over the last number of years with what to eat in the morning, what not to do, possibly. And then a short stretching exercise or two.
Bob: We're not recommending, we're just showing what you do.
Brad: Yeah, what works well for me. I don't want to get into this Keto diet versus Paleo and all that, because I do what works best for me, what makes me feel good and gets me going. So here we go. It's going to be a little different for you. Maybe a few things you could try. But the first thing to do is the night before, when you go to bed, decide what you need to get done in the morning. So, when you wake up, it's like, oh yeah, I need to do this, this, and this. It gives you that motivation to get out of bed. So, after I get through my five things then I've got the big picture.
Bob: You’ve got goals for the day.
Brad: Yeah, but the very first thing I always do is get into the kitchen and turn the faucet on, and I drink some water. Typically, 16 ounces.
Bob: Sure.
Brad: I'll fill my water bottle up and I'll usually finish it off within a minute or two or three. You know, maybe I shouldn't drink that fast, but I'm thirsty.
Bob: Right. Just to contrast, I drink probably five of those in the morning. Over a period of an hour.
Brad: Yeah. He's always got to outdo me.
Bob: I have to upstage him.
Brad: Whatever. But you're going to find yourself probably having to go to the bathroom not too long after that.
Bob: Right, right.
Brad: So anyways, get some water going. It just gets the system going. I read that in the book, but I forgot his name. He explained why it works.
Bob: I concur.
Brad: The next thing I always do is eat half of a grapefruit.
Bob: Do you do that before you do anything else? I mean, do you exercise first?
Brad: No. My body does not exercise out of bed very well. You know, I'm stiff. My back's a little painful.
Bob: So, you start off by eating?
Brad: Eating and I eat half a grapefruit, it does something to me. I feel “strong like bull.” I’ve been doing it for 10 years and I don't get colds.
Bob: We should warn you we know grapefruit does interfere with some medications.
Brad: I think primarily Statins. If it says you can't have it because of your medication, it’s
not an option for you.
Bob: Make sure you check that out with your doctor.
Brad: Now Bob, the next thing I do, I wanted to tell everyone exactly how I make this concoction. I think it is the best, healthiest concoction you can eat for breakfast. I take a bowl and add some yogurt. Now I use yogurt that has no sugar added. If it's got sugar added, throw it out. Get yourself some with no sugar added.
Bob: Is it Greek yogurt?
Brad: I don't care if I have Greek or not. As long it doesn't have sugar.
Bob: Non-fat, plain Greek yogurt.
Brad: I take flax seed and put about a tablespoon or two in the bowl. And then I take some Chia and I put about a tablespoon of that in there. And then if the season's right, I take these little morsels, Pomegranate. I love them. You can buy them already out of the fruit, if you do it by hand, it takes a little while. It's good though, it kind of gives you time to think about life a little bit. So do that. I put in some walnuts or any kind of nuts you want to put in there. I'll take a little clementine or nectarine or whatever, peel that, throw that in there.
Bob: You do a lot here.
Brad: Well, it goes quickly. Then I put in blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
All that goes in there. And then I'll put about half a cup of yogurt, mix it all up, and you have an absolute powerhouse of good food. And then I top it off with some raw unfiltered honey. It's important that you get raw and unfiltered. Otherwise, you lose benefits.
Bob: We did a whole video on this.
Brad: Yeah, and we explained there's just a ton of good, healthy nutrition. And that's my sweetener. I don't really need it, and you're not going to put half a gallon in there. You just put about a tablespoon. If you get honey that the bees made within 20 or 30 miles of where you live, that's Primo.
Bob: Sure.
Brad: Because of the pollination it can help if you have allergies. And then I eat that. If I don't do that, I'll take eggs, I'll put spinach on it, and then I'll eat an avocado. That's my alternate breakfast. Not quite as complicated as this. Now once you get that done, it's time to get your body moving.
Bob: Right.
Brad: I think you do this too.
Bob: I stretch first and then I get going.
Brad: Oh, before you eat?
Bob: Yes, before I eat.
Brad: See, it works differently for different people. This is one of the easiest, quickest ways to work posture, breathe, and get yourself moving. Stand up and do the W, squeeze behind your back.
Bob: You're squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Brad: Do five or 10 of those. Deep breath in your nose. Exhale. ‘W’ because you're going to win. You're going to do it. You know, if you're from Wisconsin, you’re a Wisconsin winner.
Bob: You’re going to win for the day.
Brad: Yeah, absolutely. For the next one, we're going to need a bar to hang on. I like this because once I started doing this, I realized it really woke me up and stretches my shoulders out. It decompresses my spine. I'll hang for about 20 to 30 seconds like this and think about life for a little bit. And it just feels wonderful.
Bob: If you wanted one just for your shoulders, you could use a stick, a Booyah Stick, a broomstick. I put it on the chair beside me. I reach it up as high as I can and I bend forward, and that puts some traction on your shoulder.
Brad: Right. And gives a little on your back. Put the stick between your legs and put both hands up there. That way you can get both at the same.
Bob: I learned something today.
Brad: We've done this before, a long time ago, for some other video. Now, we’ll move on to some pushups. If you don't like pushups, you can start out by doing some simple wall pushups. You're just getting your heart going. It's not like you're trying to bulk up. You know, 10 or 15. You can go onto the cupboard.
Bob: That’s a little harder.
Brad: Yep, and if you want to do the old traditional GI pushup, go ahead and do those. One way or another, get 10 or 15 of those going, just to get you moving.
Bob: And then some posture squats.
Brad: Yeah, get the legs working.
Bob: So, the first time you do these, you might want to take a pole or a broomstick and put it behind you. It's going to teach you to do these correctly. You want to keep in contact in three areas.
Brad: At the head, between the shoulder blades, and at the belt line, or the sacrum.
Bob: While you're doing the squat, you keep the contact. If you do it incorrectly, you’ll get a gap at one or more of the points.
Brad: If you don't want to deal with the stick, you don't have to, you can simply do some squats.
Bob: So start your morning out right. Good luck!
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