Morning Routine
The first sixty minutes after you wake up sets the tone for your entire day. Choose how you spend this first hour with intention, purpose + meaning.
A healthy lifestyle starts from the moment you wake up. What are the first few things you do as soon as you open your eyes? Do you reach for your phone to check your emails or social media? Do you hit snooze two, three or even four times? Creating a routine starts with creating good habits so your body naturally adapts to positive lifestyle habits with ease.
Now let me preface this with saying every morning is not going to start this way, believe me. There will be nights where we just can’t fall asleep, you can’t shut our mind off, your kids keep you up all night or maybe you were just up watching the newest series on TV and couldn’t turn it off. Theres good days and bay days, but creating will allow our body to be able to get through those not so good days much better and fall right back into our routine.
Our bodies need 21 days to adjust to a new habit and about 90 days to turn those habits into a lifestyle. Writing down your 1 month, 3 month and 1 year goals helps to turn your goals from a dream into reality. When you see it written down it is scientifically proven that you will more likely work to those goals.
Morning Routine:
1. WATER - your body is going through a deep detoxification while you sleep. It’s important to flush it out and start fresh in the morning with a FULL glass of water. I also love to have a small mug of warm lemon water. Warm fluids in the morning helps your digestive system to start working for the day ahead. Fuel your circulation and kick start your metabolism with straight up water!
2. FEED your mind - read for 15 minutes in the morning to get your brain working. It can be a few pages of a novel you’re currently reading, listening to a podcast or a magazine. Some of my favourite podcasts to listen to:
The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER
The Ed Mylett Show
The goop Podcast
Super Soul Conversations
The Model Health Show
The Plant Proof Podcast
Oprah’s Master Class
3. FOCUS - meditating or focusing on your objective for the day. It’s important to clear your mind of clutter. Try writing down your goals for the day or write a gratitude list by writing down five things you are grateful for. This can be as simple as a delicious cup of coffee. Or try sitting in a comfortable position, close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose for 4 counts and out through your mouth for 6 counts. Try this for 2 minute, working up to 5 minutes. Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and try try to clear your mind of negative thoughts and just sit in silence for up to 10 minutes.
4. FIRE up your metabolism - you create your energy - start with some movement (walking, workout, yoga, light stretching or foam rolling). Even if you have your full later on in the day, take 10 minutes to move your body. This gets your cortisol levels up to a balanced level to kick start your day.
5. FEED your body - the first meal of the day is an important one. Breakfast, literally means breaking your ‘fast’ from your sleep. I have a whole section on healthy breakfast foods including delicious banana bread pancake, greens smoothies, tofu scrambled eggs are just a few. Eating green veggies elicits Leptin, a satiety hormone that tells your body it’s full which prevents snacking and overeating. I also love to start my morning with adaptogenic herbs like lions mane to reduce brain fog, cordyceps for energy or ashwaganda to lower stress (info on these under supplements).
