There's a LOT of talk about "morning routines" in the health and fitness world.
My guess is you’re sick of hearing about it, and I don’t blame you.
People are made to believe they need an hour to journal, meditate, play some mystical instrument, journal some more, chant, drink 300 oz of lemon water, and drink their bullet coffee before they do one lick of anything else with their day.
You don’t need to do any of this.
The purpose of a morning routine is for you to have time at the start of your day that fills YOU up.
So if you don’t like journaling or yoga, don’t do it. If you’ve been wondering what it’s like to journal, then give it a try. See how it makes YOU feel. Don’t rely on anyone else to prove to you that “it works,” because the only thing that works, is what works for you.
Here are some tips if you'd like to start a new routine or fine tune your morning habits:
1. Start small - pick one or two things that take just 5-15 minutes. Yes, even just 5 minutes counts as a morning routine!
2. Pick something that makes you feel happy, at ease, and excited to be awake. Looking for ideas?
Movement ideas: stretching, walking, or rolling out (here are some ideas)
Reflection ideas: journaling or meditating (journal prompt ideas) + (I recommend the Insight Timer app to meditate)
Creative ideas: drawing, writing a story or poetry, singing, dancing
Here's an example of a quick morning routine that combines movement and reflection: 10 min video of yoga + meditation
3. Schedule this into your day or put a note up somewhere so you remember. Give yourself a cue, such as, “After I brush my teeth/After I start the coffee machine, then I do (my morning routine).”
4. Make sure you enjoy the routine and it's something that leaves you feeling happy to start the day! Give one routine a try for at least 2 weeks, ideally 3-4, before deciding to make big changes to it.
Let us know in the comments what kinds of things you start doing in the morning, it will be inspiration for the rest of us!