Why You Should Embrace A Morning Routine
Image via I Love Linen
At this point, I’m sure you’ve all heard about how important routines are for our health, but if you haven’t, let’s talk for a minute.
Why do you think parents are so crazy about making sure their babies and kids are on some kind of a routine? Because it’s good for them. Both mentally and physically. When our minds and bodies know what to expect and when to expect it, they function more optimally. Over the years, I’ve had many morning routines that have varied from sweet and simple to long and methodical. I’ve had periods where I’m consistent with my morning routine for months and others where I can’t be bothered to get up 5 minutes earlier than normal let alone 30 or more… but overall, a morning routine is something I have really embraced and has enhanced my overall wellbeing immensely.
Now that fall is upon us (I’m really feeling the fall vibes this year, anyone else?), it’s the perfect time for us to change up our routines as we transition from summer to fall. Fall has always just felt like a chance for a clean slate for me. So, why not give a morning routine a try?! Not sure why or where to start? Here are 3 reasons you should start implementing a morning routine ASAP, and 3 ideas to get you started:
1. Easing into the day sets a positive tone for the rest of it. We all know that feeling … our alarm goes off and wakes us up from a deep sleep and we hit snooze. And then the alarm goes off again… and we hit snooze again. And again… and again. We wake up at the last possible minute, take a hurried shower, get dressed, throw our sh*t in a bag, inhale our breakfast and run out the door. But starting our day off in a stressful, rushed manner is going to set a pretty negative tone for the rest of it.
Right now, I like to set my alarm for about 15-30 minutes earlier than I need to be up, and allow myself at least an hour to get ready so I don’t feel rushed. Of course, this doesn’t always happen, but on the days it does, I feel so much better when I head out the door. What do I do with that extra 15 minutes?
TIP #1: Meditate! Starting your day off with a quick 10-15 minute meditation can do wonders. It’s as easy as sitting (or laying) in your bed, turning on some meditation music (I love Krishna Das) and being completely still for a few minutes. Studies have shown that meditation has a positive impact on how the brain functions, so it’s a great way to get you into the right headspace before beginning your day. If the idea of meditating freaks you out or you’re not really sure how to meditate, there are tons of guided meditations out there… YouTube is great place to start!
2. Looking at your phone first thing in the morning is bad for your brain. It’s probably not new information that the blue light given off by our device screens seriously effs with our eyes and our brains. Waking up and immediately going to our Instagram or Facebook feeds isn’t going to help us set a positive tone for the day ahead. When you don’t have a routine in place, it’s so easy to grab your phone and go straight to email, texts, Instagram or whatever app you’re into these days, so …
TIP #2: Buy an alarm clock. Invest in a real alarm clock and put your phone facedown on your nightstand or across the room (or not in your room at all) when you go to sleep the night before, so that you aren’t as tempted to wake up and check it immediately. I promise you, whatever it is, it can wait. Try to go phone free for at least 30 minutes after waking up.
3. When we wake our bodies up in the right way, all of our systems start to regulate. Sleep is something that our bodies need in order to function properly. Sleep has a huge impact on all of our systems… digestive, lymphatic, circulatory… literally everything our bodies do require sleep to do it right, but giving them a little jumpstart won’t hurt! How can we do this?
TIP #3: Wake up your system with skin brushing or give your metabolism a head start with hot lemon water! Dry skin brushing is a great way to wake up the lymphatic system first thing in the morning (I typically do this right before hopping in the shower as it’s also a great way to exfoliate) and drinking a mug of hot water with the juice from half of a lemon and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper before eating breakfast will give your metabolism a little boost after it’s been at rest overnight.
Getting started with something like this can be daunting, especially when we feel like we’re losing sleep. I highly recommend starting slow… that’s where I started and what I’ve ultimately come back to - right now my morning routine is simple: meditate, make my bed, and listen to a podcast while getting ready for work, while waiting until 8am to check my texts, Instagram, emails, etc. Some days I cave and check my phone after I meditate… and some days I don’t do any of this. And it’s all okay because there is no such thing as perfect!
As I’ve said before, start small! Go out and buy an alarm clock and start waking up just 5 minutes earlier than usual for the next week to meditate, or to read or journal. The following week, try 10 minutes, the next week, 15 and so on. Once that’s feeling good, get up a little earlier so you can add in skin brushing, hot lemon water, or a walk around the block. And you can keep building it up if you want, or keep it short and sweet! The change doesn’t have to happen overnight. As always, baby steps build habits, extremes don’t.
Do you have any ideas for creating a morning routine that I didn’t mention here? Share them in the comments so we can learn from each other and get some inspiration for changing up our morning routines!
xo,
Kelsey