I have decided to do five basic thing every morning before my daughter wakes up. To do this I wake up at 5am each morning. I know more than half of you are probably thinking, who is this chick and what does she have against sleep? But I don’t compromise sleep to make it happen, I just get to bed earlier. I’ve realized that much of what I do past 9pm (browse Instagram, bing watch a Netflix series, rewatch Friends for the 18th time), isn’t worth staying up for when I have big business goals and big wife goals and big mother goals.
There are the five things I do each and every morning.
1. Exercise
I never regret sweating a bit in the morning, and I’ve realized over some trial and error that it doesn’t necessarily have to be an hour long to make an impact on my day. I move my body purposefully everyday. I raise my heartbeat. The amount of time isn’t what matters most. This could be a minute of squats or an hour bike ride. It could be 10 minutes of yoga or burpees on repeat. This might not even be your full workout for the day (although I suggest you try to make it that if possible, more on that later). The movement will wake you up and energize you.
2. Drink 32 ounces of water
Have you ever woken up in the morning with cotton mouth? Me! Do you keep a glass of water next to you bed because sometimes you wake up thirsty? Me too! I am a firm believer of drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces everyday. And to jumpstart that I always drink a 32 ounce water bottle before I get into the office. I have definitely been that girl chugging in the parking lot before heading up the stairs, but hey, I’m ok with that habit.
3. Eat something good
I am always shocked at how many people don’t eat anything in the morning. Starting the day with some calories actually helps you body (and your metabolism) get going. I usually don’t eat something huge. At the very least I have my bulletproof coffee, which is actually packed with some good fat calories.
p.s. if you’re not familiar with bulletproof coffee, here’s my recipe and why I drink it every morning.
4. Meditate
Meditating is really hard for me. I put it in the same camp as yoga. I think because it’s so hard for me, it’s probably something I need. I am naturally competitive and drawn to high intensity workouts and productivity. The slowing down is my biggest challenge. But I know it’s important. I give myself tension headaches, I grind my teeth, I need to find a healthy way of clearing my brain and decreasing the stress I usually don’t even realize I have.
If you’re new to meditation like me, try out the app Headspace. I did a 10 day basics series that made meditation feel less intimidating. I still usually stick with the lowest time commitment — 3 or 5 minutes — for my meditation, but hey, I’m doing it!
5. Learn something
I am a huge learner. Sounds silly, like a cheesy commercial, but I truly love to learn. I’m still embarrassed to admit that I was voted teacher’s pet high school, but I truly think it’s because I did all of my work and loved homework. I am constantly find new ways of continuing my learning. I read a bunch, take online courses, and I am obsessed with podcasts. I mean, aren’t podcasts every productive person’s dream? I can fold the laundry and learn how SoulCycle started? Brilliant.
Complete in the order you want and the time you want
What’s great about these five things is that, the order of them can just be customized according to how you like to operate. I like taking a shower right after working out so I usually exercise first, shower and then do the rest of my things. I have found that I don’t meditate well in bed because I’m too tempted to fall back asleep. You’ll find the rhythm that’s right for you —do some trial and error!
Many people have asked me, how long does this take you every morning? For me it’s normally about an hour if I get my 30 minute cycling session in. But what’s awesome about these five things is that they can be done in 10 minutes if you were in a rush. 1. 60 seconds of jumping jacks, 2. Chug, chug, chug!, 3. Grab a banana a Luna bar or microwave one of those egg muffins you made, 4. 3 minutes of Headspace, 5. Listen to a podcast through 1 – 3. BOOM you’re done.
What else could you add to your morning routine?
I have been doing these five things for a while now and I am ready to trial out some new things. Other things I have thought about adding include: journal, affirmations, visualization, complete a tasks for the day, shower.
You likely read that last one, “shower”, and thought “duh, I always shower” or “dang it, I don’t always want to shower”. I’ve noticed that not showering or not having the time to shower has been used as a badge of honor for moms on social media. It drives me a little nuts because taking a shower is the smallest of luxuries you can do for yourself, but it makes a HUGE difference. I do not always wash my hair, but I always shower, even if it’s just a “body shower” (washing your body and keeping your head and hair out of it) as my family calls it. More to come on showering. If you aren’t doing it everyday, take note of how you feel when you do and when you don’t. I think you’ll start to notice that you get more accomplished when you shower to start the day.
What else would you want to see added to this morning routine list? What are somethings that you do every morning?