Morning Routine & Self-Care
Every time you wake up, your body must restart its engine.
How we meet ourselves in the morning sets the tone for the day.
According to Business Insider, after studying hundreds of people, author Tom Corley revealed the number one thing self-made millionaires do when they wake up: they invest in themselves.
Reading. Brainstorming. Meditating. Working out. All self-care routines before they start their day.
88% of people always or often have a morning routine. Highly productive people were more likely to have a very specific morning routine. What can you build into your morning routine?
43% of Americans view drinking coffee as the most crucial part of their morning routine. I’ll drink to that! ☕
32% say exercising is the most important part of their morning routine
26% say their shower is crucial to their morning
I asked my friends: what kind of shower do you take & when do you take your shower? Warm or cool showers? Morning or evening? Very few take a cold shower. However, when the cold spray hits your body, it shocks you. In other words, the cold water increases oxygen intake, heart rate, and alertness.
You don’t have to stand under cold water for fifteen miserable minutes, though. At the end of your shower, at whatever temperature you like, ease the temperature back until it chills you. This will increase your oxygen and heart rate, and your alertness, so it’s best for morning showers.
When you’re moving through your morning routine, be thinking about intention. You’re just like those self-made millionaires, building a successful morning routine, developing healthy habits for your self-care.
Sometimes the best way to ensure a smooth morning routine is to look at your evening routine.
Set out your clothes for the next day. This will save you time in the morning so you can focus on other things!
Open your window or open your door and breathe in: “Oh well,” and release and exhale: “So what?”
Let it go. It’s a new day: a clean slate. As you inhale and exhale, you might want to keep the window open to breathe in fresh air. You might want to think about one or two things you’re grateful for that day, maybe set some kind of goal or intention for the next day. Or reframe a scenario that you were saying to yourself and state a positive affirmation.
In the morning, avoid the phone. According to research by the IDC, the International Data Corporation: 80% of smartphone users check their mobile phone within 15 mins of waking up in the morning. As a matter of fact, some people sleep with them! This primes your brain for distraction. Reading something negative right after you wake up can set a dark tone for the day, or even trigger your stress response. Before you even get up out of the bed, your body has gone into fight or flight mode!
Drink a cup of water: warm water, warm water with lemon, cold water, room-temperature water, any kind of water. It flushes the stomach and balances the lymphatic system. When we stabilize the lymphatic system by drinking our water, we build stronger immunity!
Restart your engine. Start your day by putting energy into it so that you have reserve for what’s going to happen.
Movement!: Some of this takes time and if you’re already in the habit of hitting the snooze, if you’re already getting your family ready to go, you see how the evening routine can influence the morning routine. So maybe we need that five or ten minutes earlier to build our routine! Add some movement: stretches, yoga, weight training. It could be 5, 15, 20 minutes each morning. For who? For you.
Build the capacity for mindfulness. Move with intent. Stay positive. Acknowledge joy. Feel peaceful. Inviting your day to inspire and fulfill.
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