The Power of the Morning Routine

Admittedly - I wrote this blog post before I had a baby two weeks ago and currently I have ZERO morning routine as I am still navigating the waters of being a new mom. Right now my morning is just catering to Baby Jo and getting other stuff done as I can. BUT I look forward to reclaiming and establishing a new morning routine once I find my groove. Okay, now back to your regularly scheduled blog post.

I feel like I'm a little behind the bandwagon on this one. About six months ago it seemed it like EVERYONE was talking about how important morning routines are, and while I have believed in this for a long time, I didn't think that posting additionally about it at that time would be beneficial. In fact, I wasn't sure that it was worth writing about at all anymore because the interwebs was so well saturated with information.

Sunrise from my front porch - I've really come to love the desert.

However, it seems like lately we have gotten away from creating healthy habits that would instill better behavior (and therefore most likely generating better health), and people are reverting back to supplementation and trying to make that be the end all be all of solutions. Don't get me wrong, supplementation can be amazing but there are many other behavioral and lifestyle changes that I would tweak prior to sending my clients down that road. Here's my one quick note on supplements and then I'm gonna get back to my main point:

Mimicking what elite athletes take in supplementation is NOT going to mirror the results of an elite athlete. The reason for this is that the athlete is already dialed in in every other aspect of their lives. Their sleep, stress levels, nutrition, and workout regime is all managed at a very high level. When everything else is so fine tuned, it is really only then that supplementation is going to move the needle for performance that you want it to. If one of these key components is missing in your life and performing better is at the top of your priorities, I would highly recommend fixing that before blowing a lot of money on supplements. As always, there are caveats to this, but generally speaking this is advice I would give the general population.

Alright, moving on!

It has been shown time and time again, that healthy habits not only make your life easier, but that they also reap great rewards for you mentally, physically, and emotionally. You don't need to take my word for it, there are hundreds of books written on this topic and the psychology of it all. Granted, I haven't read them all, but one of my favorites is Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book addresses the small changes that you can make in your daily life to bring you more success and satisfaction as you move closer to your goals.

It's no secret that we are all creatures of habit. Once you start eating healthier, it's easier to stay on that track. People never talk about how easy it is to start working out again after taking a month off, because that's just not the way it is. But after you have incorporated it into your schedule for a few weeks, going just seems like something you do now. Same with adopting an earlier bedtime. At first it seems like the sun has barely set and you still have so much to do, but a month in as you drift off to sleep, you can't even remember how you filled those last 2-3 hours of your day. When I tell people that I am in bed by 8:30 pm every night, they look at me like I'm crazy, but when you tell me that you are up till midnight I feel the same way! Going to bed that early was a conscious decision because I wanted to be able to get a good amount of sleep, and also be able to get up and enforce my morning routine.

I've always been a morning person. I like how peaceful and quiet it is and how my brain feels calm and clear before the whirlwind of the day takes over. I've also always gotten up pretty early. A wake up time varying between 4 and 5 am has been standard for me for... wow... like 10 years now I guess. So it makes sense that before long, I had a pretty standard morning routine. It has changed a little bit over the years but by and large there are key components that have remained the same. I found that when these key components were missing, that somehow my day felt off, or I just wasn't as productive or focused as I usually was. My morning routine could be compared to a good warmup before lifting heavy. I felt primed and ready to take on the task at hand, rather than feeling stiff, sluggish and ill prepared.

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod and Win the Morning Win the Day by C.W. V. Straaten are two excellent books that teach you how to implement a morning routine and the wide array of benefits that it can provide you.

For me, there are a few essential things that I feel need to be a part of the routine to set you up for success for the day:

1. Movement: I'm not saying that you need to hit a 5am class at your gym to have a good day, but going for a short walk, doing 10 minutes of yoga, or even actively mobilizing your body are great ways to stimulate healthy circulation. Also, it's been shown that people who do a small amount of activity in the morning, are also more likely to move more throughout the day, and/or workout later on in the day, so if that's part of your plan- then score!

2. Journal, Prayer, Meditation: All these things allow you bring to the forefront of your mind what's really important to you and what you want to focus on for that day. It allows you to hone in on the challenges you might be facing, what is weighing on your mind, or other stressful areas of life. The difference is that you are thinking about these things in a calm and relaxed state. You are able to think clearly about the problems at hand, rather than in fight or flight mode, which allows you to actually think of ways to move forward and deal with these items, rather than feeling stuck and frustrated. No huge obstacles in your path? Awesome. This time is very well spent feeling gratitude for what you have and maybe an area of personal development. The point is whether big or small, we always have things on our mind, and creating space for them in the morning allows us to design the best path forward.

3. Visualization: This goes a little bit with the previous point, but is important as it takes a step further. You have in mind what you want to accomplish for the day, this is the moment where you see yourself doing it. For me, sometimes this is just creating a physical list of things I want to get done, and as I write each item I affirm to myself that it will be completed. Maybe you have a meeting you have to run that day - visualize how you want it go. Maybe you have to have a hard conversation with your partner - see how you want it to play out. Trying to eat better? Picture each meal you will be eating. This is time to take a few minutes to give yourself the confidence and the game plan to approach whatever it is in the best way possible.

4. Nourishment: I'm not just talking about food here, but really just something that feels good for you. So if that is eating a healthy breakfast, go for it. For me it is getting some coffee (decaf right now) and drinking about 20 ounces of water. I find it's a great way to get in some hydration to start the day, but also I enjoy it and I love how it makes me feel. So find something that nourishes your mind, body and soul in the morning. That thing that just makes you smile, and embrace it.

All those things being said, here is what my morning routine looks like on an average day:

Taking these two on their morning walk is sometimes my favorite part of the day :)

Wake up around 5 am and let the dogs out to potty. Putz around the kitchen and get the coffee maker ready, feed the dogs, and get my hubby set for the day. This involves me making and packing his lunch, making his breakfast, and getting his coffee ready. After I have finished prepping that, I do my daily devotional. As I do my devotional and prep work, I sip on water and tea or coffee, and think about what else I have to do that day (if it's a lot then I make a list). After the hubs leaves for work, I do anywhere between 20-40 minutes of yoga, followed by taking the dogs on about an hour long walk. By the time I get home from the walk it's normally right around 8 am. Sometimes I'll have some time before the dog walk to check email really quick, but most of the time it's when I return home from the walk that I check email and social media for the day. I like being unplugged until about that time. My morning routine is longer than most people's (like not with stuff but physically time-wise) but it's because right now I have the luxury of working from home and building my own schedule so I can.

And that's it. It is so simple, but I find that it's so much easier to approach the rest of my day once that all is done. I feel so focused, organized, and ready to tackle my day, and I find that my follow-through for the rest of the day tends to be much better than if I skip my routine. Getting up 30 minutes earlier might seem like a huge sacrifice right now to implement a morning routine, but you'll never know what you're missing if you never try.

Give it a go and see how powerful a good morning can make a great day.