How To Become a Morning Person
Even the noon snoozers have likely admitted at some point that it must be pretty nice to be a morning person. Oh, to manage to get so much done by 10 a.m.! To have time for an unrushed shower! To fit in meditation, yoga, a trip to the gym, all before work! I'm here to report it's actually everything it's cut out to be. Being a morning person rules.
Lucky to love the mornings, I have always struggled to stay in bed past sunrise and am usually up before anyone so I can sit with the quiet of a sleeping house. But that doesn't mean it hasn't required some discipline to make the most of early mornings and set myself up for a productive day. A warm bed is a warm bed, after all, and especially in the winter cold it can be tough to convince my drowsy a.m. mind to actually, physically get up.
Since having an intentional morning routine that includes things like meditation, stretching, exercise and a healthy breakfast set you up for better focus with more energy throughout the day, here are some tools to better ensure that you'll actually pull off the covers and roll out of bed instead of hit the snooze again.
First, consider your morning needs.
Start by considering what it is you really need from that precious morning time-including basic needs but then moving beyond them, from hydration and exercise to setting structure. Think as small as helps you really wrap your mind around what it is will most benefit you in the morning. Think about what it would really take to help set you up for your best day. These are likely some variation of:
-I need to physically wake up.
-I need to calm and cleanse my mind.
-I need to stretch and strengthen my body.
-I need to detoxify my body.
-I need to set structure and intention for my day.
-I need to clean my body and tidy my space.
Then, make a list of how you might meet these needs.
Be realistic about the time you have in the morning, and the time you'll be willing to spend on each one.
Start small-you don't need to meet every need all at once, especially if you're used to hitting snooze 4 times and jumping out of bed 5 minutes before you have to leave the house. Your new routine can start with one or two new to-dos and work up to more, prioritizing the most important.
Below are my favorites-use these to put together your own to do list, adding anything else that fits for you.
I suggest writing down your list and keeping it by your bedside, then giving it a once-over before you go to sleep. This is about you finding ways to feel as fabulous as you already are, so be real about what will help facilitate that in the a.m.
There are endless ways that any given person might best meet these needs, and hundreds of blog posts out there detailing new alternatives for the best morning routine. For me, the below have been the most indispensable.
A few options:
1. Meditation (10-30 minutes)
2. Yoga (try an online class, or establish a sequence of postures that you do every day)
3. Lemon water (1 lemon to a liter of room temp water will get digestion going before you shock your system with food or caffeine)
4. Exercise (try a YouTube HIIT workout, go for a short jog, or establish a short dumbbell lifting series)
5. Breakfast (keep it rich in protein and healthy fats)
6. Writing/Journaling (try searching for prompts on Pinterest if you need some inspiration)
7. Rebounding (mini trampolines are great for detoxing, effective for building bone mass, and freakin' FUN.)
8. Dry brush, shower (use a natural bristle brush and brush continuously toward the heart all over your bod before showering. End your shower with 1 minute of cold water to pump circulation.)
Those are the things I've decided are most important for me every morning.
This is what my morning looks like:
6:15 a.m. alarm
6:20 a.m. get out of bed
6:30 a.m. sit down to meditate
7:00 a.m. start 20 minute YouTube yoga class (chosen night before) or self practice
7:30 a.m. jump on rebounder for 5-10 minutes with timer and music
7:45 a.m. dry brush, shower, get dressed, brush teeth, etc.
8:30 a.m. make green protein smoothie for breakfast
8:45 a.m. review day's schedule, leave house
With these tools, what can your morning become? Start small, take tender loving care of your beautiful self, and commit to giving a new morning routine a try!