Maximize Your Morning Routine
Mornings are designed to be challenging! Yes I said it. Every morning you wake to a new day full of uncertainty, adversity, and to-do lists. With an effective routine, you can face all of the uncertainty and adversity of each morning with confidence.
It's true — the best morning routine starts in the evening. Which means it is imperative that you wind down properly at the end of the day. Try these easy tips:
Avoid screens at least 30 mins before bed (if you're feeling even more ambitious try 1 hour and your eyes, brain, and body will thank you!)
Perform strenuous activities or exercise at least 3 hours prior to bedtime. For all of you evening gym-goers, if you must go to the gym late to keep up with your program, make sure to perform a cool-down involving static stretching, diaphragmatic breathing, and/or soft-tissue mobilization (foam rolling, massage gun therapy etc.)
We believe that there are three main elements to any routine — behavioral, psychological, and physical — and the art is in optimizing each. Now let's dive deeper into each to maximize your morning routine!
Behavioral
If you must snooze set an earlier first alarm and give yourself a non-negotiable snooze cutoff.
A few extra minutes of mediocre sleep won't do your body any good, but if you have an automatic reaction to hit the snooze button, hold yourself accountable with a non-negotiable snooze cutoff each morning. Tip: set a secondary alarm time 10 minutes after your first alarm. This way, you technically allow yourself to snooze a bit, but when you wake up at your non-negotiable snooze cutoff of 10 minutes, you're up timely for the start of your day.
Avoid screens for at least the first 10 minutes of waking
If you immediately grab your phone, computer, iPad etc., you aren't allowing your brain to be in its most creative state with high levels of theta wave activity; additionally, you're rushing wakefulness and potentially exposing your body to stress-inducing content to start your day. Tip: put your phone on airplane mode. Now your alarm will wake you, and you won't be distracted early in your day by phone notifications.
Have a go-to ritual
Don't mindlessly move into the day. Have a brief list of things you need to accomplish before heading out of the door. Tip: keep your go-to ritual short and repetitive day-to-day, involving: personal care, pet care or child care, to give yourself plenty of time for your psychological and physical elements.
Psychological
Perform at least 5 minutes of mindfulness
Mindfulness is a must in any successful morning routine! The goal of mindfulness is to give yourself time in this chaotic world to enhance your awareness and center yourself while acknowledging your thoughts and feelings as they present. Tip: use helpful apps like Calm, Headspace, or Insight Timer for guided mindfulness practices.
Create an affirmation practice
The way you think of yourself influences everything around you. Think of affirmations as little seeds of positivity that you want to plant as early in the day as possible. Tip: write down affirmations for topics like — health, happiness, relationship, career, wealth — repeat them throughout your morning.
Develop a gratefulness practice
Your "why" extends beyond you. Take time to think of what and who you're thankful for. Tip: Close your eyes and think of three things that you're grateful for. Hopefully you feel a rush of gratitude, warmth and the formation of a smile begin.
Physical
Drink a glass of water
Start your day with an 8oz glass of water and to start your day off right, prevent dehydration and enhance physical and mental performance. Our body comprises of 60% water and requires 8 glasses per day to maintain adequate levels, so start early and often! Tip: drink a glass of water as you wind down in the evening and refill it for the am, placing it on your nightstand for convenience.
Eat a well-rounded breakfast
Most understand the importance of eating for energy but still fail to give their body what it needs to start the day. Without adequate calories and healthy sugars you're forcing your body to run without fuel. If you regularly feel lightheaded, dizzy or "foggy" your breakfast probably needs work. Tip: make sure to have a healthy protein (eggs, yogurt, turkey sausage), carb (oats, shredded wheat, quinoa), and sugar (yogurt, berries) to balance out your breakfast.
Perform a morning mobility routine
Every single person can benefit from a simple morning mobility routine. Whether young or old, you're waking your body after a prolonged period of immobility, and it's vital that you prime your body for the stresses of the day. Tip: gently perform active mobility exercises with adequate variability to move each joint throughout their range of motion.
Walk
It doesn't matter how fast or how long; getting some morning steps regulates your blood pressure, improves cognitive function and boosts your metabolism. Tip: get outside by yourself, with your partner, or with your dog and get steps in; your body will thank you.
Optional: take a cold shower
This one is for the bold and brave! Numerous studies have supported the use of cold showers. Not only are they effective in waking you up, but cold showers also decrease stress levels, reduce inflammation, and less muscle soreness and fatigue. Tip: try this out in the morning if you haven't, and see how your body responds. Some try it once and never go back to hot morning showers — to each their own.