Daily to-do list getting you down? We’re all guilty of it - even renowned GP Dr Rupy, who struggles to find time for a coffee in the garden some days. Sound familiar?
Show yourself gratitude, take time to enjoy life’s simple pleasures, and create space for yourself during the day as we sit down for a conversation with the creator of The Doctor’s Kitchen.
As someone with an analytical mind, Dr Rupy ‘loves a framework’ – his morning routine is the foundation of his day:
1
'I wake up pretty early – around 5.15am. I started doing it after I read The 5am Club by Robin Sharma. I've found myself with a lot more space in the day – that feeling of having done most of my work before most people even get out the door.'
2
'First, I drink a ton of water – it’s a habit I've had for years since my junior doctor days, when we’d never get a chance to stop on the ward rounds. I’d end up more dehydrated than my patients.’
3
'I got into meditation during my teenage years. My parents instilled in me this idea of stillness and making sure one was calm, particularly around exam season. If your mind is racing, a guided meditation is a really nice anchor to start your day.'
4
‘I've a long-standing back problem from when I used to play tennis competitively at school. If I don't stretch every morning I stiffen up.
‘It’s a great thing to do when you've been lying still for eight hours-plus. I also do cat cows, morning sun salutes: all the yoga moves my mum taught me as a kid.'
5
'On the Notes app on my phone I have a list of things I want to remind myself of. They include making sure I remember I am loved and seen by my loved ones. And regardless, that I love and respect myself. It literally takes 30 seconds. But it's an important part of my day.’
6
‘I'm usually at my desk by 6.30am, which is amazing because I have uninterrupted work time for a couple of hours. By giving myself that space, I'm a better colleague and partner.’
A doctor for over 17 years, Gemma Newman has worked in many specialities as a doctor including elderly care, endocrinology, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, general surgery, urology, vascular surgery, rehabilitation medicine and General Practice.
Dr Newman's specialist interests are in holistic health and plant-based nutrition as well as lifestyle medicine. In her practice she has come to understand that body, mind and soul are not separate, and that it is only in addressing the root causes of stress and disconnection that we can truly heal, from the inside out.