What are some things you do in the morning to kickstart your day?
For the longest time I was never a morning person so naturally I never had a morning routine. My “morning routine” basically consisted of me waking up, rolling out of bed, doing necessary hygiene, and going on about my day. That’s it. Nothing less and nothing more. This was my morning routine from the day I started middle school up until the day I graduated from college (that’s normal right?).
That’s a lot of years of a very simple and not very productive morning routine at all. Looking back on it now I’m not proud of it. I can understand why my morning routine was like that, but I also wished I had people in my life at the time encouraging me to do more with my mornings.
Flash forward about a year after graduating college and all that changed. I took a huge interest in the morning routine of some people in my life that I consider to be very successful and super productive during the day. At the time that this was happening was also the time when I started to take an interest in the health and wellness lifestyle, and wanted to improve my health for the better.
Little did I know that it all started with the kind of routine for yourself that you have in place the second you wake up. I would have never thought in a million years that what I did and didn’t do in the morning would have such a huge impact of what I was and was not able to accomplish during the day. It also has a ripple effect for what you are and are not able to accomplish in your life overall.
Connecting the dots on what makes their lives so amazing (in my eyes anyway) and taking advice from these people inspired me to make necessary changes in my life. I would start with my morning routine and the way I greeted the day. The main goal in the beginning was to increase my confidence, feel amazing in my own skin, have more focus and motivation during the day, and to offset any potential health problems I could eventually be at risk for as I navigated through my adult years.
Now I just want to be my happiest and healthiest self for the rest of my life. In order to get there, I had to change the way I greeted each day. I was committed to the process and the desired results so that’s exactly what I did. I no longer followed a lazy morning routine where I covered the basics and started my day. Instead, I started to take the time to really allow myself to focus and make my intention for the day clear and specific.
What’s my secret? Well today I’m going to share with you 8 morning habits that will help you have a successful day, and accomplish everything you set out to do in life overall.
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Why should I have a morning routine?
So why is it so important to have a morning routine? Honestly there are many different reasons for this as it may take on a different meaning other people. However, here’s my take on why a morning routine is necessary.
When we wake up in the morning, we are already greeting the day. This is the start of it all. Our mindset, our actions, our thoughts and feelings, they all start to form and come alive the second we open our eyes. What we do afterwards will have a significant impact on how we move through the day.
I can honestly say on days when I take the time to do my morning routine, I’m much happier, more motivated, and I get a lot of things done for the day. When I just roll out of bed and start my day nothing really gets done, I’m cranky, my anxiety is through the roof, and I feel like I’m always rushing for no reason.
I believe that a morning routine helps us to set our intention for the day, get clear and specific about what we want to accomplish, give us time to check-in with ourselves, and really prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for whatever the day brings us.
It is because of these beliefs that I take the necessary hour and 30 minutes every morning to take care of myself.
I want you to be your happiest and healthiest self so that you can conquer life without any hesitation. That mindset, internal motivation, and relentless determination starts with how you take care of yourself the second you wake up in the morning. Let’s take a look at some morning habits that I find to be super effective in helping me be successful for the day, and conquer life in my own way.
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1. Meditate
I personally believe this is the best thing that you can do for yourself every morning. I’ll admit meditating is not as easy as it may seem. It really requires you to focus your mind and energy on everything that is happening in the present moment.
You have to train yourself to pay attention to how you feel, the small things that are happening in your environment, the thoughts that are floating around in your head, and the way your body responds to certain things. Meditating is all about being present and aware.
I choose to meditate in the morning because I’m starting from zero. I can spend that 10-15 minutes right after I wake up really allowing myself to get ready for whatever the day has to offer. My mind is free of clutter and I’m able to better practice being mindful in that moment.
2. Do some yoga
I love yoga! There are so many positive health benefits to doing yoga. However, the main reasons why I love yoga is because I’ve found that I get a 2 for 1 special with this activity. Yoga to me is a combination of a cardio workout and a meditation session.
There are different levels of yoga. However, I do beginner’s yoga every chance I get and that alone works up a really good sweat for me. Yoga forces you to listen to your body. If you’re like me and you don’t consider yourself to be flexible, in order to make sure you’re not hurting yourself you have to listen to your body. Listen when it is telling you you’re doing too much, or not enough, or when something just doesn’t feel right.
Doing yoga can help you wake up and get energized, release any tension you may have built up while sleeping, and it clear your mind so that you’re able to get through the rest of your routine without having a bunch of random thoughts floating around in your head.
3. Exercise
This is an everyday must for me. My morning is not complete unless I get in a good 15-30-minute workout. While I do encourage a workout at whatever time of day works best for you, I personally have found the morning time to be the best time for me.
Exercising as soon as I wake up makes me feel energized. Sometimes I’ll exercise before I meditate and I’ve found that doing so is a good cool down session for me. However, I usually like to exercise right after meditating and before doing my hygiene routine.
Exercise is also the perfect way to wake up your brain. You have to focus on what you’re doing, what part of your body you’re working, how many repetitions you’re doing, and ensure that you’re not being lazy with any of the moves. Exercising in the morning can also help you have better focus throughout the day.
If you have already set yourself up to do everything with a clear intent then carrying that same energy with you as you move the day makes focusing on other activities easier.
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4. Go for a morning walk
Not something I do too often but I do find this to be helpful. Going for a morning walk is the perfect time to really gather your thoughts and plan your day. It’s also a great time to check-in with yourself and get your blood circulating.
I like to keep my morning walks anywhere from 15-30 minutes. I feel like that’s enough time for me to wake up, take in my environment, plan my day, and plan the order in which I’d like to finish my morning routine.
This is also a good time to take advantage of a quick cardio session by speed walking instead of casually walking. If you exercise in the morning think of this as a head start on your workout for the day.
5. Have a light breakfast
I regularly practice intermittent fasting. There really is no rhyme or reason for why. I’ve just found that engaging in intermittent fasting helps me regulate when and how much I eat in a day. I always try to eat a light breakfast so that I’m full enough to eat lunch later, but not full enough to go into food coma.
My light breakfast usually consists of either a bowl of cereal, a bowl of oatmeal, or a smoothie of some sort. I always pair these meals with a cup of green tea just because that is a part of my daily morning routine. Although I’m not eating much in the morning, I don’t feel empty or hungry.
Instead I feel full enough to focus on other activities, and energized enough (with help from my other activities in the morning) to officially start my day. This will vary from person to person so it’s important to know your body and understand what it needs in the morning in order to function as it should.
6. Journal
I usually like to journal at night but the morning time has been a game changer! With journaling in the morning, you will be able to set your intention and write down your goals for the day. You can also take this time to check-in with yourself and make note of how you are feeling. This is time can also be used to write down any key details from your dreams.
Journaling in the morning can help you empty your mind of all the things that may have come to the surface while you were sleeping. This is also a great time to get a clear vision on what you would like to accomplish for the day. That way, if you do like I do and journal again at night, you’re able to engage in self-reflection more effectively.
7. Do 1-minute activities
Plain and simple do some type of activity for 1 minute. Whether that’s a specific exercise like squats, sit-ups, or jogging in place, or maybe you brain dump in your journal. Whatever that activity is try to do it for one solid minute.
There really is no reason for doing such an activity. I have found that again, it’s something that can help you wake up your brain and begin that process of focusing your attention. When you engage in a one-minute activity you will have to focus on two things. Time and your breathing. This sets the stage for you to move on to the next activity in your morning routine with a focused mind and the energy to keep going.
8. Listen to a podcast
This is something that I’ve been doing more of lately and honestly, I can’t believe I didn’t start sooner! In the morning when I wake up, either while I’m in the shower or after I’ve done everything else for my morning routine, I like to listen to a podcast episode.
I love podcasts! My main goal for listening to them is to be informed, to escape my reality for a while, and to learn more about the world that I live in and the people that make up this world. I’ve also found podcasts to be a great source of inspiration for projects I’m working on, or making little changes in my life to grow into a better version of me.
There are tons of podcasts that you can listen to. My top two favorites that I currently listen to faithfully are Listen Hunnay with Jeannie Mai, and Pretty Big Deal with Ashley Graham.
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Conclusion
There is no secret sauce to creating the perfect morning routine. However, over the past couple of years I have found that my morning routines help me to accomplish more in my day. This ultimately helps me accomplish a lot of my personal goals in my overall life.
While having a morning routine is not necessary you may find it to add value to your life. It’s just something to think about and keep in mind as you navigate through life and tackle your personal short-term and long-term goals.
Do you have a morning routine? What do you do to help set your intention for the day and strive to be as successful as you can be for 24 hours? Let’s share them in the comments below!
-Xo
Kimora