How to Ease your Morning Routine !
How to Ease your Morning Routine !
Are you not a morning person? Don’t panic, you are not the only one!
Already from our very first few days in middle school, as we begin reaching adolescence, we are taught to wake up early to go to school. And this, even when it’s not in agreement with our circadian rhythm (our biological clock). The problem is that we start creating bad habits around our morning routine: we might hit snooze on our alarm, potentially skip breakfast, quickly brush our teeth and shower (or not?!) and obviously leave the house in a hurry. This feeling seems familiar, doesn't it?
But as this world is forever changing, there are some tips and tricks you can apply to your morning routine to be at your very best even at the earliest hour of the day. Hopefully this will help you to avoid the 'zombie' look! Well, maybe until at least you have had your third morning coffee anyways ;)
Here are my 5 steps to kick start your morning routine and have a great day:
1. Get a good night's sleep the night before and prepare yourself for the next day.
The first one might sound obvious for some of you but getting a proper night's sleep of at least 7- 8 hours is essential to feel rested and fresh in the morning. This will dramatically improve your mood and energy as soon as that alarm goes off. Even in the absence of scientific evidence, going to bed before midnight can improve the quality of your sleep and encourage you to feel ready to attack the day when the birds sing. Make sure you have everything prepared the night before. What I mean by this is to ensure you go to bed having organised and prepped your home: ensure you clean your dishes, prepare your outfit, do your laundry, vacuuming, to list but a few of the usual tasks. This way you know that you are minimising your stress levels ahead of the morning, allowing you to wake up to a clean and organised space, creating the ultimate 'feng shui' ambience.
Meditate in such frame was a privilege.
2. Move your body and try some meditation
The alarm rings, you open your eyes and hopefully you don’t snooze! First and foremost, congratulations! You’re officially awake. However your body isn’t awake yet. Why don’t you take a few minutes to simply focus on movement? Moving your body in the morning will increase blood flow and the mind/body connection and leave you with a feeling of peace and energy. So, take 5 to 10 minutes to stretch a bit, do some mobility work, maybe some yoga or Pilates. The most important thing is to move all areas of your body to make sure your soft tissues (muscles, tendons, etc..) are loose and flexible.
Now that you have taken care of your body, you also need to take care of your soul. We are living in a hectic world and from the moment we open our eyes in the morning we are bombarded by texts, emails, IG notifications...shall I continue? Take control and allow yourself to take this time for you. Sit down or even lay down on your bed and breath. You can refer to some guided meditation on YouTube to help you or simply just focus on your breathing pattern for a couple of minutes. Be present and let the magic happen.
3. Take a shower (should I really say it?) and incorporate a beauty routine into your day!
Let’s be honest... is there a moment you feel more confident and beautiful than after a shower? When you are clean, fresh and smelling good? I really don’t think there is anything to top this feeling! Treat yourself like the king/queen that you are because nobody will do it for you. And yes gentlemen, we are in 2022, we also have the right to focus on our self care. Invest in some products that make you feel good: a nice body soap, an exfoliating facial cleanser, even a quality toothpaste. Make sure you take this time for you and use good wholesome products. That’s an investment in yourself. And do not forget about the perfumes, colognes, deodorants and endless amount of beauty products for your skin. Create the time in your schedule for these, and make sure you are always nourishing your skin. Taking care of yourself shouldn’t be an obligation that you do quickly in the morning. It should be a mark of respect and love of our own individual self and make us feel beautiful, proud and confident, ready to conquer the outside world. While we all wish to look good for the office, first and foremost we should look good for ourselves as inner beauty comes from within, not from the outside.
Feed yourself and your loved ones.
4. Hydrate and fuel yourself
As you are probably already aware, your body is composed of 60% water (which is quite a lot!). The first thing you should ingest in the morning is water. Grab a big glass, add some lemon juice for taste as well as vitamin C and sip it while you are cooking your delicious breakfast. I see you coming, I know eating in the morning is not for everyone but remember that you are burning energy throughout the day and you need a constant supply of it. Also, I assure you that if you follow these steps and get your water in to start your system, you will actually realise you have an appetite. You don’t need to eat a lot or make it super complicated, your breakfast choices can be salty or sweet. What matters the most is to prepare a breakfast rich in nutrients, proteins (better assimilation in the morning), carbs and fat (for the energy). Don’t forget your coffee, you don’t have to drink coffee to be healthy, but just between us, coffee is absolutely delicious ;)
Feed also your mind.
5. Read a book
This last step is essentially not mandatory for your morning routine but I think it’s a great opportunity to actually work on yourself, learn new things, focus on something different than just your screen as our brain is still fresh and not overwhelmed by a day of work. It doesn’t have to be super long, it can be only 5 or 10 pages or even a chapter a day, depending on your level, time and interest. By following this routine, you will have done something for your body (movement, hydration, food), something for your soul (meditation, shower and beauty rituals), so why not finish with something for your mind by reading a good book!