There is so much more to health than just what and how much we eat and exercise. In fact, the lifestyle component encompasses over 50% of our total health which is definitely a component to pay attention to. That is why I wanted to talk about how to create a healthy morning routine.
While everything in life seems to spin at the speed of light, we struggle to maintain a schedule, find time to live healthy and make everyone happy in our lives. We often forget that the very thing making our life happen is the breath inside of us. I’m not opposed to pouring energy into work, family and things you love, in fact I am so for it I want more of you to give, but the only way that you can be, do and give more is if you have more.
You have to fill yourself up in order for that to overflow abundantly to other things. So often we forget that. We forget that without restoring our own personal body, spirits and minds we will run ourselves into the ground or worse, live a passive, complacent life.
Today we’re just talking about how to fill you up so that you can fully do, be and give more to the things you love and cherish of this world. We’re talking about creating a morning routine.
being habitual
Habitual literally means the regular, usual, constant, persistent and continual things you do. The habits you have.
If you’re like me, you’ve been striving to create healthy habits for what seems like your entire life. Unfortunately we live in the do this, be better, do more society that has really crushed all confidence that we can be that disciplined, happy and healthy individual you occasionally see roaming the earth.
We’ve fallen into the trap that habits are excruciating to create and just leave you deprived, restricted and feeling totally rebellious.
So I’m challenging you to put your foot down, end those thoughts and look at habits in a new light. Not a negative one telling you that you’re not enough. No my friend, you are more than enough and you are most certainly capable enough. Here’s the deal though, creating habitual routines takes discipline, but not the scary discipline we think about when we’ve done something wrong.
the mindset shift
Before we can even begin to jump into creating a morning routine we have to have an epiphany, and complete change in thought because the last thing you need in your life is finding that you don’t measure up or adding just another daunting thing to your to-do list. No, I really don’t want this to be one more thing you have to do to achieve health.
Instead, I want you to have a mindset shift from feeling like you have to do this, through the pain and years of failure to you WANT to do this. Not just a want that will leave you hopeless, but a hope-filled want, one that has a deep down desire, passion and excitement for the lasting changes you could experience from this.
Maybe I need to prime you and remind you that there is no failure here. There is no restriction or deprivation here. There is no starvation or beating your body into submission. No this is a safe place, of stepping into yourself, accepting yourself and learning, growing and ultimately longing for the hope filled life that is waiting for you.
It’s time for you to put away the thoughts that you don’t add up, this is just another ‘thing’. It’s time to end the diet mentality, the fear of failure and past regrets and let what happened in your past not prevent you from living your future. Instead, would you embrace the morning routine as a way to awaken your soul, your mind and your body to a new way of living?
It’s a simple mindset shift that takes the bad thoughts about discipline and instead changes them to positive thoughts that show you where discipline could get you. It’s called discipline in love.
the morning routine
There are so many values to a morning routine that far exceed most diet and exercise choices you will make in a day. Not to mention a morning routine is something you should enjoy, value and cherish. Research has shown time and time again that how you start your day is typically how you end your day.
Can we all agree there is nothing worse than waking up 15 minutes late, because you hit snooze six-times, leaving you to frantically rush around your house to get yourself ready for the day, only to show up a few minutes late, unable to contain composure of your mind and scrambling to focus. It is a really horrible way to begin any day.
Even if you didn’t wake up late but you skipped breakfast or just popped a few muffins in your mouth on the run, you can probably expect that your biofeedback markers {hunger, energy and cravings} are going to be thrown out of whack as well. This again leaves you tired, sluggish, unmotivated and craving all of the things.
The bottom line, how you start your day is typically how you end your day. If you want your day to go well. If you’re looking for success, drive, joy, happiness and peace of mind, there is no better way to kick that off than starting your day with a well established morning routine.
It is critical to remember a morning routine is not a habit I want you to strive for but a discipline you do daily, and there’s that pesky D-word coming out.
what it looks like
There are a million different ways you could create a morning routine. From length of time, to what you do, where you do it to what you wear. Yes, every detail could vary. That is the fun part, creating “you” time, alone time, time to regroup, refresh and restore to start your day.
You can do whatever you like and need within your morning routine as long as you stick to the one and only rule. That rule is simply this; just do it and do it daily.
This means you have discipline to set your alarm and actually get up without hitting snooze. You have to be disciplined to put away the distractions, not work or get bogged down by your to-do list. Discipline to own this time as restorative, healing and revitalizing so ultimately you have more of yourself to give.
how to create one
There are a lot of ways to create a morning routine. It may take some trial and error before you find something that works for you. By all means, remember we’re not looking for perfection, because you won’t find it. Instead just focus on the morning routine you’ve created and accomplish what you can that day. Here are a few tips to creating the perfect routine:
- Start by writing out what an ideal morning looks like. This could be your dream morning. What you wished you could do and accomplish in the morning hours before the world wakes up.
- Take that list and make time commitments to each activity. That means jotting down how long it will take you to shower, workout, pray, read, or whatever activities are on your dream list.
- Determine what time you would have to wake up to complete your dream morning. Is it realistic? Then do it. Set your alarm and make it happen. If it is unrealistic continue with the tips.
- Prioritize what you really want. If you’re stuck on time, just make a list of your top 2-4 things you really want to make happen and set your alarm based on that.
- Write it down. Not because you have to keep the exact schedule, but just so you know, you get comfortable with and you mentally plan to make the most of this sacred time.
my morning
I can tell you, I’m a morning person. To me there is nothing better than waking up to watch the sun rise and cherish the stillness of the new day. On the other hand, I’m raising a family of young children, which means they also love to watch the sun rise for some absurd reason I’ve yet to understand.
Basically, my quite morning is pretty limited at this time due to my early risers and my need for eight hours of sleep per night, but I go with it, I cherish it and I know that this can change everything from my mood, my level of joy, how I eat and how productive I am.
Again, I’m warning you this morning routine is nowhere near my ideal but it is still a routine that I cherish. Like anything in life, it is not constant but flexible and subject to change.
- 5:30 am alarm goes off {I recommend this alarm clock to eliminate the stress spike of your traditional blaring alarm}
- 5:30 exercise If I’m not exercising that morning I extend my reading and journal time into this time.
- 6:15 read + prayer journal
- 6:45 Kids generally are awake {sometimes earlier} and I continue reading and praying if I can.
- 7:00 Get kids breakfast + I drink warm lemon water
- 7:15 Shower + Get Ready for the Day
- 7:40 Pack lunches, do kids hair
- 7:55 Drop off kids at school
- 8:00 Eat my own breakfast + plan for the day using my Nourished Planner
- 8:20 Start work
While I would love to tell you I have hours each morning to devote to quiet time, I don’t. I do cherish these two hours and any amount of each of those is a blessing, especially the hour I get in the quiet of the morning before the rush for the day.
the essentials
We’re not looking for perfection, instead just discipline to do it knowing overtime it will make all of the difference. Too often we overlook the little things by chasing something big when the little things will get us somewhere quicker than the chase.
Remember this isn’t something that you have to do but something you should desire to do knowing the immense benefits. You should always remember, the second it feels like work you must re-evaluate, because the last thing you need is more pressure and stress. Keep this enjoyable, easy, and flexible. Make it last and lasting health will follow.
Here are a few final points you must remember when making a morning routine work for you:
- Keep it simple. Don’t get overwhelmed in the details and times instead keep it clean and simple.
- Start small. If you’ve never established a morning routine and you can’t fathom having time to actually sit down and enjoy breakfast, then my encouragement is start small. Simply make time to eat and keep adding activities on until you find your sweet spot.
- Be flexible. Just like keeping it simple, we must also keep it flexible. The second we get overwhelmed because nothing seems to be working is when all the thoughts of failure creep in. Keep your mind and view positive, know things are going to come up, it isn’t going to happen every morning and cherish the times it does.
- Change it seasonally. I only say this because I’m a sucker for change. By changing it seasonally you can not only experience more of each season but you keep it fresh and exciting.
If you don’t understand why you need a morning routine or have a desire and passion for waking up, it won’t happen. Creating a clear vision of why you want this will be critical in beginning this simple change.
It doesn’t have to be complex. Just keep it simple and real and always remember that starting your day off on the right foot will change everything about the rest of your day. Fill yourself up so that you ultimately have more to give.
Don’t forget to download the tracker below to help you create your dream morning routine and make the most of your day.
