Rise & Shine - My Morning Routine
Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey! Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up to eggs and bacon every morning? I know it would make rolling out of bed a lot less painful for me Monday through Friday! Unfortunately, my mornings don't play out like they do in the movies. I don't have breakfast delivered to me bedside, so I've had to figure out over the years how to best motivate myself to rise and grind.
Oh how I wish I could have Elizabeth St. Cafe breakfast delivered to my bedside every morning! I'd wake in an instant for this! Wouldn't you?!?!
It's not always a breeze and I certainly still have days where I struggle, but I've found that having a morning routine allows me to start the day off on the right foot. It removes any room for questioning what I need to do first. It makes mornings automatic and eliminates the pressure of having to make decisions right off the bat first thing when I wake up.
A good matcha or a Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee are always helpful in getting me in gear in the morning!
While my routine may not fit your schedule or be exactly what's best for you, I am willing to bet that a morning routine would help your waking hours run more smoothly. . . even on those days when you'd much rather roll right over and throw the covers over your head.
For some inspiration, I've included my morning routine below. Take a look and try to develop a plan that works for you!
1. Hop straight out of bed! As soon as my alarm goes off I throw off my covers and jump out of bed before I have time to convince myself that I want to hit the snooze button. I don't know about you, but even if I've tossed and turned all night long, I always get my best sleep right before my alarm goes off. While this may be the case, I also NEVER, no matter how tired I might be, fall back asleep after my alarm's gone off in the morning. So really, if I stay in bed, I'm just wasting precious daylight. So, as soon as my alarm goes off I get my feet on the floor and start moving. Most days I head right for my workout clothes and tennis shoes to crush a workout before heading to the office so I don't have to try and fit it in after work. A tip for those of you trying to train yourself to workout in the morning. . . decide what you'll do for your workout the night before. Waiting until morning to make a plan can seriously slow you down and the need for one added decision can influence whether you get a sweat session in or not!
2. Drink 24 oz of room temperature water. Before eating anything, I like to drink 24 oz of room temp water each morning to kick start my digestion for the day and also to make sure I begin hydrating before the morning gets away from me. When the water is at room temp, it helps flush your digestive system and reduce bloating. In Ayurevda, drinking water first thing in the morning is also thought to increase your energy throughout the day. Who doesn't need more energy, right?!?!
3. Meditate or journal for at least 10 minutes. The length of my morning meditation/journaling often depends on how long my workout lasted, but I find that taking time for myself before the day starts helps me set my intentions and brings me into a grounded space. So quickly we can get caught up in what's going on in the world around us. Sometimes I don't even have one foot in the door at work and there's a line forming to ask questions or give updates. For me, this can be very overwhelming if I haven't taken the time to meditate on staying present and remind myself to tackle challenges as they come. Without my morning journaling or meditation, where I repeat affirmations and get focused on remaining calm throughout the day, I can get flustered pretty quickly. I'm sure you can relate to how things snowball and can get out of control too, so maybe adding this to your morning will help.
4. Hit play on one of my favorite podcasts. While I get ready in the morning I am always listening to one of my favorite podcasts. I'm not one for wasting time, so I see the moments I spend getting ready in the morning as an opportunity to grow my mind. Most of the podcasts I listen to are spiritual or self-improvement in nature and they always provoke thought, which I find is a great way to give to myself in the mornings. Some of my favorite podcasts are Oprah's "Super Soul Conversations," the Balanced Blonde's "Soul on Fire" podcast and "Balanced Bites." P.S. I'm always looking for great podcast recommendations, so feel free to comment below with your favorites!
5. Eat breakfast! Eat breakfast, eat breakfast! I can't say it enough, eat breakfast! When I don't have breakfast I am totally ravished when lunchtime rolls around, which means I gorge on whatever I can get my hands on. And with gorging comes that afternoon, "I just ate so much I'm so full and all I want to do is sleep" feeling, which drains my energy and often makes me useless for the rest of the day. One big combo for an unproductive day if you ask me! A.k.a. NOT COOL! When I eat breakfast I am satisfied enough to make it to lunch and I don't feel like I have to compensate for not having had a bite to eat all day long. I find eating breakfast is a way to bring balance and consistency to not only my morning, but also the rest of my entire day.
What's your morning routine? If you have one already, share it in the comments, I'd love to hear it! And if you're still working on figuring it out, that's ok too! It probably took me a year to figure out what works for me! Remember, tomorrow's a new day to try out something that could be life changing!
Light, Love & the Highest Vibrations,
Lon
