When I first started working full-time as a Health Coach, my first thought was, “Great! I can make my own schedule– get up when I want, stay up late when I want, the world is my oyster!” This grew old real fast.
I noticed that when I went to bed at a different hour each night and woke at different hours each morning, my body was growing tired and fast. I didn’t have the same energy that I used to when I had a consistent schedule of waking up at the same time. That’s because our body works on a series of circadian rhythms. These rhythms help give our body a system, a way to prepare itself to function at optimum capacity. If you wake up at 10am one day at 6am the next, OF COURSE you’re not going to feel good– your body still thinks you are supposed to be asleep. The more consistent you a re with your body the more efficient it will work, and the better you will feel. This is the same with food and exercise. For instance if you eat three square meals a day consistently, your digestive tract can begin to prepare to digest your lunch each day at 12:30pm allowing you better digestion, less bloat and more energy.
We are creatures of habit. Developing healthy habits you execute consistently can be key to making the lifestyle changes necessary to thrive. On top of this, how you start your morning usually sets a precedence for how the rest of your day goes. If you wake up anxious, oftentimes we have an anxiety-ridden day. If we wake up feeling calm, refreshed, and clear-headed we’re bound to have a much more grounded day.
Everyone’s morning routine will vary, but I thought I’d give you some insight into my own morning routine, and perhaps you can pick and choose parts to create your own!
The important thing to keep in mind, is that this is a process and it’s going to be different for everyone. Rarely are you going to get your routine down on the first try. It takes experimentation and awareness. So start playing. What works well? What doesn’t? In what order? And most importantly, what needs to be in place to ensure you follow through? Do you need to go to bed by a certain time the night before? Do you need to prepare your smoothie prior? Do you need to make sure your fridge is stocked? Or maybe that your gym clothes are laid out?
Here’s the routine that works well for me:
6:30am Rise and shine!
- Make my bed
- Brush teeth, floss, and tongue scrape
- Vitamins: I take these Isotonic Vitamins: Vitamin B, Vitamin D, OPC-3, and prenatal Vitamins (any woman in her reproductive years should be taking these, regardless of whether or not you want to get pregnant) with 8 oz of water. I recommend them to all my clients and you can check them out here.
7am Workout– Varies by day; More water during and after!
8am Dry brush (to scrub off old cells and get circulation going– this will help dry skin, get rid of cellulite, and brighten up skin; and shower!
9am Smoothie time!
Typical smoothie:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup almond milk
- cacao
- goji berries
- cinnamon, and…
- LOTS of mixed greens
9:30am Sit at Desk (with water)
- 10 minutes silent meditation with slow, steady breathing
- Draw an affirmation card (Louise Hay’s as seen above!)
- Review tasks for the day and week on To Do list
- Open computer and start emails
Notice I did not check my emails (even on my phone!) until I sat at my desk ready to work! I used to check my emails first thing in the morning on my phone, and it was an awful way to start my day. It usually resulted in me waking up to a feeling of overwhelm and sense of urgency to get to work right away. And if you know you’re going to wake up with that greeting you each morning of course you won’t want to get up.
What routine works for you? What morning rituals do you have in place? I’d love to hear them! Write below!