Simple and actionable tips on how you can start your day with a healthy morning routine
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How do you start your day?
- Do you wake up to an obnoxious alarm yelling at you and ripping you from your precious sleep?
- Are you used to starting everyday with the sound of “MUM?… MUM? …MUM!!!”
- Or do you simply wake up, grab your phone and scroll through Instagram, then eventually start the day but don’t really accomplish anything until close to lunchtime?
- Do you often begin the day feeling unproductive and frustrated?
My friend, it’s time to start embracing the morning!
The morning is the time of day when your batteries are fully charged
You are at your most rested and most relaxed just after waking from a good nights sleep. I know finding time for yourself in the day can sometimes feel impossible (especially if you’re a mum!) That’s why the morning can be a quiet and sacred time just for you!
Getting up a little earlier and dedicating that time for some peace and solitude is so precious! Once you’re used to it, that extra time in the morning feels so indulgent and lovely, you will want to get out of bed and start your day ASAP!
Having a morning routine isn’t just good for your mood, its actually great to enhance your productivity for the rest of the day!
Most successful people today and throughout history often have some sort of order to the way they started their day.
- Oprah starts her day with meditation
- Richard Branson dedicates his morning to quality time with his family
- Barack Obama exercises first thing in the morning and won’t check his emails before 9am
- Benjamin Franklin would wake every day and ask ‘What good shall I do this day?
All these amazing people found a way to use this time for themselves. They get their bodies and minds ready for a productive and purposeful day ahead. They own their mornings, and when you own the morning you will own the day! Here are some ideas of how you can own your morning and start the day off on the right foot:
Get up a little earlier!
A common theme with most successful people is that they wake up EARLY! There are only 24 hours in each day, but when you start your day an hour or two earlier, it feels like you’re getting bonus time!
- You are at your most rested state
- You’ll have fewer distractions surrounding you
- You have better focus
- Level of willpower is at its highest as your energy hasn’t been drained through the day
And getting up earlier it’s actually not as hard as it sounds!
It all starts with the night before
Try going to bed a bit earlier and read a book instead of scrolling through Insta. It’s pretty tricky to change your sleeping habits at first, but once you’ve had one or two mornings getting up early, you’ll find that staying up till midnight watching Netflix isn’t possible and you’ll want to crash into bed sooner than usual. Try using a diffuser with some essential oils to help you get to sleep faster.
You don’t have to get up at 5am if that’s not achievable for you. (I get it! Waking up at 5am sounds yuck!) You could try getting up 15mins earlier, then try making it another 15mins earlier, and then another, until you find a time that works well for you. Once you’ve found a time that suits you, now you can decide how you’re going to use your bonus time!
Get moving!
Just like in the ‘Eiffel 65’ 1999 less popular follow up hit sang, ‘Move your body, every everybody!’… didn’t get that reference? That’s fair, saying it was a ‘hit’ was a bit of a stretch, but the message is correct! We need to move our bodies! You’ll likely be feeling stiff and slow after a good night’s sleep so we need to wake that body up! It doesn’t have to be anything crazy like a 10km run the minute you hop out of bed (unless that’s you thing then otherwise go for it!)
- You could just start by just rolling your head and shoulders around to get the blood flowing.
- Then follow it up by doing some gentle yoga or some lightly stretching.
- You might even like to hop on YouTube and find a nice, low impact morning workout to try.
Anything that helps you shake off that sleep and makes you feel awake and alert for the day.
Don’t forget to hydrate!
Once you’ve finished your exercise, make sure you drink plenty of water to re-hydrate and flush out those toxins! Maybe add a squeeze of lemon juice to your water to help alkalize the body and for further hydration.
Sit quietly with your thoughts
I like to do to this step after exercising as you’re usually breathing more heavily and it really helps to get some fresh oxygen into your body. Whether you like to meditate, set intentions for the day or write in a journal, the morning is a beautifully quiet time to reflect on your thoughts before the craziness of the day begins.
Personally, I like to write in a journal. This really helps me to dump all those busy thoughts onto a page and to get focused. (I’ve actually written a whole article about journaling so check it out here). You might find that when you write things down, you hold yourself accountable to getting it done! It could be just the push you need to get something accomplished! Plus ticking something off your list feels so satisfying!
Focus and Gratitude
If writing isn’t your thing, you might like to try meditating or just simply getting comfy and do some deep breathing. (A floor cushion is a good idea to help get comfortable and relaxed). It’s amazing how calming it is to just slow your breathing down.
If all this ritual stuff is new to you and you don’t want to dive right in, why don’t you just start your day with 10 slow and deep breaths to relax the body and mind. When you start the day in a peaceful and purposeful way, the rest of the day will follow in the same manner. Practice gratitude by listing in your mind what you are thankful for in your life. For further info on gratitude and mindset check out 3 steps to a positive mindset.
Enjoy your mornings and find a beautiful way to begin each day!
Thanks for reading!
For more tips on self care check out:
Learning to love an accept you post baby body
and
8 Easy Ways You Can Clean Your Space While Clearing Your Mind