I’ve always been an early bird.  I love to get up early with the sun in the summer at 4.30am and before the sun in the winter around 5.00am.

Not long after I’m out of bed I drink two large glasses of water with seaweed salt and colloidal minerals, I paint iodine on my wrist and jump into my morning ritual.

It starts with meeting friends at my local early-morning coffee shop. We shoot the breeze and sometimes we do breathwork, other times we just walk.

We then head to the beach at 6.30 am to swim with The Mooloolaba Beach Bums in all weather and all temperatures.  There are days we have to call off the swim due to huge surf or dirty water (due to rain and the river nearby), but my aim is to get into the ocean and put my feet on the sand every single day.

On the days we do swim, we aim for a kilometer out and back. The rule is we swim as a group so occasionally we need to wait for people to catch up, this is when I take the opportunity to rinse my mouth with salt water, gargle a couple of times and take 2 large gulps.  Salt is very important for the flow of blood through the body, so I make sure my salt intake is optimum. I’ve been swimming with the Mooloolaba Beach Bums for 10 years now and they have undoubtedly become my community, my friends, my fun.  Before I started swimming with the Beach Bums I walked 8 km along the beach with a dear friend, we did that from the time our little ones were babies, they are now in their 30’s.

Once I’ve dried off I then go home and get ready for work or play with my grandchildren. Fastidious with the quality of my food, I always pack a late breakfast or lunch to bring with me on my day.  Eggs, liver, gelatin, slow-cooked last night’s meat, and the occasional quinoa porridge is my go-to.

I’m a stayer with my morning routine, my habit, my non-negotiable, because for me it becomes an addiction and a good one at that.

What does your morning ritual look like?