The Benefits of Being 'Selfish'
Discipline, it's what's for breakfast.
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I’ve been thinking a lot about my conversation with Les Alfred, host of the Balanced Black Girl podcast, from earlier this week on discipline. When I was chatting about it with a friend yesterday, he asked me where I think I’m the most disciplined in my life. To no one’s surprise, I said my morning routine. My daily schtick generally takes me from whenever I wake up (let’s say between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m.) to 9 a.m. During that time, I drink Nespresso, journal, meditate, listen to Up First, work out, shower, get ready for the day, shake up AG1, and make breakfast. Of course, this varies if I’m not in my own space. But for the most part, the discipline within my morning routine is the thing that makes me feel truly like my best self. This routine makes me more capable for the rest of whatever the day throws my way.
Still, for a long time I felt a guilty about the boundaries that I was setting around my routine. Generally, I don’t reply to messages (texts or DMs) until it’s all done. I intentionally save this time for me and only me (unless others are involved in that work out component). To an extent, it also impacts (during the week) what I get into at night. To be more specific: I’m not one to be out late on a “school night,” because I know it’ll mess with my mornings.
To each, their own.
I got to a place, though, that I realized how beneficial being a little selfish was for both everyone else AND myself. And ultimately, that exercising discipline wasn’t really being selfish, at all. Was it hard to stick to it at first? For sure. But it’s bettered me throughout the entirety of my day on the regular.
Perhaps your discipline is best-exercised in the morning, too. Maybe it’s expressed through a mid-day work walk break or a nighttime skincare ritual. Whatever it is, own it. I firmly believe that we can all improve from getting over the “ugh this change is so hard” hump, and integrating some firm practices on the regular.
Keep hurdling,
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
What I’m Reading:The How: Notes on the Great Work of Meeting Yourself by Yrsa Daley-Ward
A friend gifted me this book, and I’m really excited to dive in.
What I’m Watching: More like, what SHOULD I be watching?
I feel as though I’ve worked my way through most of the recent trending shows, and I’m on the hunt for something new. (Yes, I’ve done all of season 2 of Love Is Blind and I’m currently watching the two new episodes that release weekly of Mrs. Maisel.) Leave a comment with some recs for your girl, will ya?
What I’m Listening To: Fitness Flipped from Peloton
In this week’s installment of “it was only a matter of time,” Peloton finally released a podcast, hosted by favorite (and past Hurdler!) Tunde Oyeneyin. Excited to follow along as Tunde explores this new avenue for expression, and I really liked her most recent convo with Dr. Jagu Anadkat, a neonatal intensive care doctor in St. Louis.
Gear I’m Loving: Altra Running Women’s Mont Blanc
I’ll be the first to say that this is a pricey sneaker at $180. But WOW is it comfortable and superb for conquering trails. I wore it on a run last weekend and really, really loved the extra room in the toe box, (Altra is known for what they call a “Footshape” toe box, which gives more room for your toes to splay and feet to sit naturally when you’re pounding pavement — or dirt.) Plus, dare I say it, this is the best-looking sneaker the brand’s ever released.
Quote I’m Loving: “If it’s out of your hands it deserves freedom from your mind, too.” — unknown
Thank you to WHOOP for sponsoring this week’s newsletter!
Meet WHOOP: A digital fitness and health coach that tracks key physiological metrics and provides detailed, actionable feedback to optimize your performance via a monthly membership. I’ve been wearing my WHOOP strap for over two years now, and to put it simply, it makes me want to be a better me and focus on healthier habits.
Among my favorite features is the Sleep Coach, which analyzes sleep duration, quality, efficiency, and consistency every single night, then provides ideal bed and wake times to help improve my sleep routine and performance next day. Thanks to WHOOP’s Journal feature, I also know what habits — like eating too close to bedtime or slacking on my daily hydration intake — can really impact my overall recovery score. Honestly, the gamification is fun and keeps me honest.
I’m hooked on my WHOOP data, and I know you will be too. Get in on WHOOP today with this exclusive offer for hurdlers: Head to Whoop.com and use the code “HURDLE15” to unlock 15% off any WHOOP membership, plus get the WHOOP 4.0 device for free.
🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE: 197. Ali Krieger, Pro Soccer Player
To kick things off (pun intended) for season NINE, I'm brought in Ali Krieger, a pro soccer player and two-time Women's World Cup winner with the USWNT. We talk about her outstanding soccer career spanning 16 years, including the tough hurdles along the way involving injury and essentially being fired from the USWNT for about two years. She also shares the joy she felt returning to the team in 2019, and the elation that came with getting her 100th cap, which in soccer lingo is how many international matches a player has partaken in.
We also talk about her being a huge advocate for the LGBTQ community, something she’s super passionate about alongside her now wife and teammate Ashlyn Harris. She shares what it was like coming out to their teammates and coaches, a little bit about her hesitancy at first, and her best advice for anyone who may be feeling some kind of way about coming out, too.!
🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE: #HURDLEMOMENT: How to Be More Disciplined
Discipline: It’s not always easy, but it can be a game-changer. Cue Les Alfred, host of Balanced Black Girl podcast and certified yoga teacher, to chat all about it. (Spoiler: Her voice is perhaps the most calming thing I’ve listened to in months next to my 3-minute Headspace meditations.) We talk about how to have it, when to let go, and tools to harness when it feels like your discipline is waning. We also talk about where we can both be more disciplined in our own lives, and where discipline has made a major difference. For me? That’s within my mornings.
🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE: BONUS EPISODE: Emily's Story — How I Lost 70 Pounds, Fell In Love With Running & Finally Invested In Myself
I've been thinking about re-recording this with some fresh perspective for some time. And, thanks to a season break, I had some extra time to do just that. Especially after hearing all of your awesome listener questions a few weeks back, I wanted to bring my story back to the feed — four years after recording it for the first time. On this special bonus episode, I'm sparing no details — talking about my journey to self love through weight loss, therapy, and learning to love running. Plus: How I got to starting this podcast and the important lessons I've learned along the way.
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Another (weekly) Hurdle conquered. Catch you guys next week.
If you haven't watched Ted Lasso, it's totally worth it! It's such an enlightened show that Ten Percent Happier did a whole meditation series about it.
TV show recs: my husband and I are currently loving Severance (Adam Scott, AppleTV) and The Dropout (Amanda Seyfried plays an astoundingly good Elizabeth Holmes in the story of the rise and fall of Theranos). I would also highly recommend Maid (Netflix), Insecure (HBO Max), and Mindy Kaling's The Sex Lives of College Girls (HBO Max) :)