6 Things To Add To Your Morning Routine

Hello readers!

We're back with the blogs and we're pretty excited about this new chapter we are entering.

I think it's safe to say that everyone has been going through something lately... whether it's a breakup or a big move or getting back into the social scene after 2 years of being a couch potato, everyone is feeling it.

We are no different (which is why we've been a little MIA the last little bit) and we thought that coming back into the blog game with some tips and tricks to make your mornings and days better would be the perfect way to ease into it.

Before I dive into the 6 things that I am going to be adding into my routine, I wanted to open up a little challenge. My mentor has been doing a "30 Day's Of Consistency" challenge with her clients, and to be totally honest I have not participated even one day.

Why?

In total truth, I've been stuck in some deep healing and some sticky situations. That's not to say that I should excuse my growth, but instead, find the growth in itself to be aware of where I'm at in life.

I think we can all agree though, that eventually sitting in your yucky feelings just makes it worse and worse over time.

So now that I've felt what I needed to feel, I am going to be challenging myself to 30 days of consistency by adding these 6 small things to my morning routine. If you want to join, share on instagram and tag us!

Okay let's get into the juicy part of the blog.

A full glass of room temperature water upon waking up

Doing this in the mornings has a couple benefits. First, it lubricates the joints to help your body wake up and get moving. It helps form saliva and also delivers oxygen throughout the body. Kind of a given that we should be doing these things first thing in the morning, right?

Stretch/light workout

I like to do this upon waking, after a glass of water and before breakfast. The workout shouldn't be intense, just a few minutes of movement to get your body warmed up, or pick a flow/stretching sequence that you can do when you get out of bed, or even in bed before you stand up.

Meditate

This is something you'll hear from every single mentor or life coach or anyone working on their personal development. You will hear this in ancient practices and traditions and you will probably never stop hearing about it either. Meditating first thing in the morning has proven benefits for your mental and physical health, including reduced anxiety and stress, more positivity and focus and overall increased wellbeing. When we take the time to check in with ourselves this way, it gives us a sense of clarity and peace not only in that moment, but eventually throughout our whole day.

Write down what you're grateful for

So you can take this and add to it or change it however suites you best. Essentially, it's taking time every day to journal. For some people it can be hard to write down how they're feeling and articulate it well, and for others it's really effective. Personally, it depends on the day. So what I like to use is a my 5 Minute Journal because it has prompts for me to use so I don't really have to think. I write down what I'm grateful for and what my intensions are for the day, and the best part is that there is an evening spot, too, so you can do the same thing every evening. We'll write a blog about your night routine soon, too.

Eating breakfast

There are a lot of different opinions out there, and I am not here to claim that I am a nutritionist. In fact, I struggle with my eating habits on a daily basis, which is why I am so excited to add this into the challenge.

Eating breakfast upon waking up, at least for some of us, is very important if you're prone to anxiety in the mornings. Studies show that cortisol levels rise through the night as we fast, especially as women, and that can lead to increased anxiety in the mornings due to low blood sugar and high stress levels. Eating a small meal, some fruit, or a smoothie once you start moving around can help kickstart your appetite and alleviate any morning stress you might be feeling. Of course, talk to your nutritionist or doctor before making any major health changes!

The "Opening Shift"

This is a concept that we just heard about on TikTok, referring to the closing shift at the end of the night. We made it our own for the sake of this post, and it will seriously change things for you if you're consistent. Spend a few minutes in the morning after you've had a snack and act as though you're the opener for the morning shift. Put your laptop, notebook and pens at your chosen workspace. Make sure your water bottle is full and close to where you'll be spending most of the day. Put the clean dishes away and put aside the ingredients you'll need for lunch and dinner. I like to use the term "putter" when I do things like this, but it's something that can bring a lot of peace and joy to your day if there is some intention behind it.

I've written out these 6 tips in the order that I feel is best for the most optimal morning, but you can switch these around in whatever way suites you best.

Remember that it's not necessarily about doing these all perfect, it's about putting in the effort where it's most important and understanding yourself enough to know what you need.

Signing off for now, but we'll be back next week with some more tips, advice and anything in between.

Love you!

Syd