Routines are at the core of our daily lives, connecting one day to the next and bringing a sense of cohesion through the chaos, which is essential for keeping us grounded and present from day to day. Mornings are particularly important when it comes to these routines, as how we choose to start the first few hours of our day has the power to set the tone for the entire rest of the day, impacting our mood, energy, and how we respond to the world around us.
The problem is, social media has built up morning routines to be this intimidating and elaborate process that requires countless hours of your time and leaves you always feeling like you’re never doing enough - when that was never the point! It’s not about how much you do, it’s about how what you can do makes you feel. Quality over quantity always.
It doesn’t matter that your friend takes 3 hours to meditate every morning, or your favorite influencer follows a perfect 20 step morning routine every day, but rather it comes down to finding what actually feels good for you and works with your schedule.
Start by asking yourself, what makes me feel good? What calms me? What grounds me into my body? What helps me show up as the best version of myself? From there, you can start to build your own, unique morning routine that aligns with your needs, your lifestyle, and your goals to help make you feel unstoppable as you head into the rest of your day.
Need some inspiration? Here are some of our favorite habits to try incorporating into your morning routine to help you show up as your best self.
#1: Water first thing
Before bed, fill a water bottle with at least 30 oz of water and place it on your bedside table to set yourself up for success in the morning. Then when you wake up, before you do anything else, grab your water bottle and drink the whole thing, maybe pausing between chugs, but make yourself empty the bottle. And yes, while drinking water in the morning seems to go without saying, a lot of the time we underestimate truly how beneficial morning hydration is for waking up the body. Putting water into your system first thing helps flush out your body, waking up your digestive system for the day, kickstarting your metabolism, and promoting healthy bowel movements. Think of this as a reset to begin your day, washing away all the old from yesterday and your night of sleep, leaving a fresh slate for you to begin again today.
#2: Journaling
Keep a journal in your night stand so that you can reach for it when you first wake up, without even having to move from your bed. When it comes to journaling, some people crave structure, while others love to free write and let their thoughts just pour onto the page. If you’re the type of person that needs more than a blank page, try thinking of 4-5 questions or statements you can jot down each day and then answer or complete for yourself. If you’re looking for some ideas, here are a few of our favorites to try:
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I am grateful for… (list 4-5 things)
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Three goals for today: (list 3 goals)
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I want to feel… (list 4-5 feelings you want to embody)
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Sending love to… (list 3-4 people in your life)
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I am…. (list 5-6 things)
#3: Ice rolling
Try placing an ice roller (or even DIY a large ice cube in a bag) in your freezer overnight and then pull it out to use on your face every morning after washing your face, but before applying your skincare. It only takes a few minutes and comes with so many amazing benefits for your skin health, such as helping to boost circulation, reducing bloat and puffiness, and improving skin redness and overall texture. Especially if you wake up groggy most mornings, this is a game changer for making you feel instantly more alive and awake to take on your day.
#4: Stretch and positive affirmations
When you get out of bed in the morning, grab and roll out your yoga mat, put on some headphones, find a positive affirmation playlist, and do some light yoga stretches. The act of physically moving your body while internalizing affirmations generates a powerful mind to body connection that deepens your body’s ability to take in what you’re hearing and channel it into your cells. When we speak positively to our body, we encourage a state of wellness, which can manifest in various ways including immune function, balanced hormones, reduced stress, and self love. There are tons of free positive affirmation videos on Youtube, as well as playlists on Spotify that are perfect to throw on while you're moving through your stretch routine. If you don’t know where to start when it comes to stretching, try child pose, downward dog, cat cow, pigeon pose, forward fold, and lizard pose to begin.
#5: Get your steps in
Early in the morning is a beautiful time to go on a walk, especially if you can go on one outside and catch some morning sun while you’re at it! Most people underestimate the power of walking and fail to realize that it’s still a form of cardio, without being high impact on your joints or spiking your cortisol levels. Because of this, it’s an ideal way to get your weekly cardio session in with little effort. Studies have shown that walking is one of the best forms of cardio for fat loss as well, and works wonders for sculpting toned, lean legs. On top of that, morning steps also help boost digestion and metabolism, enhance mood and well-being, increase energy levels, improve nightly sleep quality, and decrease chronic muscle and joint pain. Try aiming to walk at least 20 minutes a day to begin with, and then slowly try building up your time.
#6: High protein breakfast
What you decide to eat for breakfast has a direct impact on the rest of your day, which is why it is often called our most important meal. If you break your fast from the night before with empty calories, such as cereal or pancakes full of simple carbohydrates and sugar, you’re unintentionally giving yourself a crash mid morning and will feel jittery and hungry within hours. Choosing a high protein option will actually set you up for success, as protein helps stabilize your blood sugar levels, preventing energy crashes, and properly fuels your muscles, which helps you stay satiated and satisfied for longer. Think of your protein breakfast as the base of a building, with everything else you eat serving as the building blocks to make the full structure throughout your day. Without the strong base, the building will collapse, which is why protein is so important to prioritize first thing.
You don’t need hours upon hours to boost your morning, sometimes all it takes is 10 minutes dedicated to yourself to completely transform the rest of your day. Take the time to actually discover what habits make you feel your best and align with your lifestyle, and then see where you can carve out time to implement them into your day.
Feeling short on time? Try habit stacking. Drink your water while you do your gratitude journaling. Listen to your positive affirmations while you stretch and get your morning steps in. By stacking your healthy habits together, you will not only save time, but you’ll naturally make them an inseparable part of your wellness routine, ensuring they become habits that LAST.
