How you start your day says a lot about how you go about your day. I have always been a morning person, but I haven’t always made the most out of the first hours after I wake up. As of recently, I kept waiting until Jesse and I moved outside the city to give myself the permission to do all the wonderful things I have wanted to do to get my day started. My routine has grown over time and now it’s at a point where I can say it no only gets me going but also sets me up for a productive and happy day.
Before you even consider addressing your morning routine, I strongly suggest that you make sure your night routine is down pat. If you don’t have this in place yet, I have made it really easy for you. Just read this post to get some amazing tips on how to set up an amazing evening routine and have the ultimate sleep. When you create a better evening routine it should allow you to not only go to bed earlier, but also have a better quality sleep. If all goes right, you should be able to wake up rested in the morning and ultimately have more time in the morning to create your very own routine. The goal is to find the sweet spot time of going to bed and waking up at the same time everyday. We all have different demands on us during the day, so you need to find the timing that works best for you. What I suggest is that you get up at least twenty minutes to one hour earlier than your regular time to start implementing some new routines before or during sunrise.
The difference this will make to your energy, focus and productivity should be night and day. I strongly believe that if you don’t allocate time for yourself during the day, then you miss out on much needed self-care. I recommend doing most of this in the morning, because once you have taken care of you first thing, then you can show up at your best for everyone else in your life. Whether this is your partner, your kids, your workplace and even the other people you interact with during the day. You will just be a better person. I am really big on self-care because I neglected it for so long, so setting up a morning routine that serves my needs is the best possible way I can do this.
To give you an idea, here are some of the things you can start considering to implement in the morning – hydration, meditation, yoga, movement, journaling, healing therapies and nourishment.
What my morning routine looks like:
6:30-7:15 am Elimination and Hydration: I get up somewhere in this range. I do not use an alarm clock, so my body is conditioned for this time range. I am a very regular in the bowel department, so you know where my first stop is! Then my pup Goji is always up with me, so she gets fed first thing in the morning. While she is eating her raw meat, I make my morning elixir which is all about hydration. I drink a glass of water with sea salt and then I make another glass with one with part filtered water from my Berkey Water Filter and part coconut water, 1 tbsp ormus super greens, 1 scoop amazing grass energizer or new rootz, moringa powder, sometimes ketones and liquid light.
7:15-7:45 Self Care: I bring this drink with me downstairs to my basement sanctuary where I turn on my BIOMAT and sit on it as it warms up and then I journal. This can be just using my 5 Minute Journal and writing out what I am grateful for, or I go more in depth with writing in a notebook. I am not going to to lie, this is also when I go on to my instagram and just check things out and sometimes post a picture. It is my goal over the next few months to push getting on my phone back another hour. But right now I am not condemning myself for it, it’s just part of my routine.
7:45-8:30 Movement: This is when Goji and I go for a morning walk outside and throw the ball, do sprints or just get a brisk walk in. She gets her exercise and I get mine. The length of time we go varies, so sometimes I come back a bit early and do some body weight training and conditioning with some free weights or put myself through a yoga flow. Then I always do some stretching on a yoga mat.
8:30-9 am Nourishment: Time for me to get some food in my body. I can easily go a few hours without food in the morning as long as I have my morning drink when I get up. But by this time, I am ravenous. For breakfast I am often whipping up a beautiful smoothie loaded with good quality fat, protein and antioxidants. Here is a typical smoothie bowl that I make. If it’s not a smoothie, it could be an elixir like this paired with a grain free muffin or something grounding and savoury like this! Whatever it is, it’s got to be something filling, hearty and balanced. I need something that will keep me going for hours without any spikes in my blood sugar.
After breakfast, I then get into my work day. If I don’t have somewhere to be, I am usually right into emails or creating content for my a new program, social media, blog or podcast.
I don’t expect that everyone has 2 hours to dedicate in the morning to their routine. I have built up to this. With a shift in my lifestyle (details coming in a future post) this has allowed me the time in the morning to create my day. For you, it may just be about getting up earlier so that you are not in a scramble when you walk out the door. It could be mean and extra 10 minutes to sit down and eat breakfast or do a small stretch routine. Really, anything that is meaningful to you and helpful to get your day going would be a great addition to upgrade your morning routine!
To get more inspiration on morning routines listen to The Ultimate Health Podcast as this is a common topic of conversation with our guest…these episodes in particular are worth checking out!
Watch Me Live!
Join me on Friday July 14th at 10 am in The Ultimate Health Community. I will be doing a live video talking about my morning routine and sharing some of my favourite products and moving supplements.
