Listen, I know mornings are tough enough without placing extra demands on our time. I was a perpetual snooze-button pusher all my life…and every so often I hit that damn button again. Plus, I am a night-owl by nature. But, gradually, grudgingly, miraculously, I have become a girl with a morning routine. That routine has become more involved over time, but there are 3 parts of my morning routine that I consider a must- the big 3.
Having a morning routine is an act of self-care. It’s making time for habits that are important to you and good for your overall wellbeing. And it can be key in making changes in any area of your life.
Some days my morning routine is glorious, serene, fulfilling. Some days it doesn’t happen. Most days I get it all done, but it may drag on or it may be rushed.
On the glorious days (after the bluebirds pull back my blankets) my routine is 20 ounces of water, 30-45 minutes of exercise, 10 or so minutes of meditation, a short reading for the day, writing in my gratitude journal, writing in my vision journal, and reading a personal development book while I drink a nice hot cup of black coffee. (I’m lucky to get 1 of these glorious days a week)
On my half-assed days, it’s water, exercise, short reading, and gratitude journal. Notice I drop the habits at the end of the order first. (Not the coffee, though. The coffee is a must. It just might not be hot.)
On my “oh crap, it’s morning” days my routine is water and exercise. With an attitude. Then straight to coffee. Maybe I’ll get to that other stuff later during the day, maybe I won’t.
And then there are the hot-mess mornings or the I-have-to-be-out-the-door-crazy-early-hell-no-I’m-not-exercising-first mornings. Then nothing gets done! At least not in the morning. But these days are few and far between.
The End of the List Stuff…
For this post, I’ve gone ahead and lumped the end of the list together into “mind stuff.” “Mind stuff” includes all the reading and journaling stuff as well as the meditation. If you can drink your water, exercise, and pick one habit from the “mind stuff” list, I’d say that’s a good start!
But don’t dismiss the end of the list stuff entirely. Mindset is so important in every other aspect of life. Want to lose weight? Get healthier? Find your true purpose? Make a big change? You need to work on your mindset. Maybe the end of the list should be at the beginning after all…but exercise was the spark of my life changes, so I keep it first.
You can also just pick one of the Big 3 to start with…work your way up to a longer morning routine as you get more accustomed to this whole Godforsaken morning thing!
Water
The easiest and most self-explanatory of the big 3! Drink some water.
I try to drink 20 ounces right away. Or if I’m exercising right away I’ll drink the water during the workout and finish it at the end.
I find it easier to drink water at room temperature (especially in the morning). So I’ll fill my water bottle the night before.
We all know how important water is…starting the day with 20 ounces replenishes your body after sleep and starts you off on the right foot. You’ll be more likely to keep drinking water for the rest of the day!
Exercise
Why, oh why would anyone get up early to exercise? How do they do it? Who am I kidding, getting up before my children wake up?? Who would wake up before their children? Before they have to?
These are all questions I used to ask myself…and that was after I had gotten used to the idea of exercising at all. (Because for the first 37 years of my life exercise, in general, sounded like a pretty outlandish concept.)
Once I made exercise a non-negotiable part of my life (like, I needed this shit so I had to find a way to get it done) and I found myself struggling to fit it in, I knew I’d have to come to terms with the whole “working out in the morning” thing. It just became too hard to get it done later in the day…I was tired, I was busy, I had four children who needed me.
As a health and fitness coach, I understand exercise in the morning can be a tough one to wrap your head around. You have to commit to it on your own; you have to want it. This might not happen until you’ve already become an exercise person. It might not happen until you realize it’s the only way you’re going to get it done each day. Or it might not happen at all if your schedule allows you to do it later.
So when I say “exercise” within a morning routine it can be a full exercise routine or just a little movement. But I do think doing something physical first thing is a good idea- it wakes up your body, makes you feel more ready for the day, is good for your mood and your confidence, and makes it more likely you’ll keep making good choices.
If you’re not exercising-exercising, go for some stretching or a few minutes of calisthenics. Get your blood flowing and start your day off with movement…
Mind Stuff
“Mind stuff” is a little broad, I guess. But there are so many choices! And if you’re not quite warmed up to the idea yet, I don’t want to scare you off.
So here are some choices…
♥a gratitude journal…jot down some things you’re grateful for. (For more on gratitude, read this post!)
♥a vision journal…I learned this one from a Rachel Hollis book, which I lent to a friend, so I can’t quote it, but it’s basically picturing what your life would look like in 5 or 10 years if you could design it. Get specific. Make a list of the top ten things you want to see in your life then and write them down every day.
♥meditation…oh, what a great way to start the day. You can start small- just a few minutes with your eyes closed, taking deep breaths, and trying to focus on your breath. Or get a free app and use a guided meditation. Insight Timer is my favorite.
♥read something positive…a personal development book, the life story of someone you find inspirational, an affirmation. Pick something that will help you grow as a person, something that will deepen your awareness (of yourself and others) or broaden your perspective. (There are some ideas in this post!)
Start simple…
A morning routine doesn’t have to be overly complicated or long. “My Big 3” are the 3 things that are most important for me, but maybe for you, it’s something else.
Starting your day off with a routine is a great way to create a healthier, happier life all around. Habits are not only good ways to get things done, they are also good for our minds.
If all this sounds too far-fetched, maybe aim for just getting up when your alarm goes off the first time. Make kicking the snooze-button habit your first routine. Then maybe you can start getting up 5 minutes earlier…
In an earlier post about my morning routine (you can read it here) I write something important- Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Any step in the right direction is a step in the right direction!
Do you already have a morning routine? Have you been trying to create one? I’d love to hear from you! You can comment here, email me (mary@stayathomefit.com), or on Facebook or Instagram.
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I love everything about this post! I like the way you laid out your morning routine. It is so important to have the right foundation to starting your day right. I’m still practicing on it, but I will definitely include some tips that you put in here. Thank you.
I’m so happy you loved it! Routines make it easier for me to tap into discipline and stick to things I’ve committed to- something I struggled with before. Good luck with your practice 🙂