I didn’t always used to be a morning person. In fact, I was the girl who could and WOULD sleep in until noon or later if I didn’t have to be somewhere. I used to dread the ring of my alarm clock, and the taunt of the snooze button. I used to make any excuse I could to lie in the comfort of my bed just a little longer and further delay the start of my day. I was not the kind of girl to wake up early for a workout or yoga class and certainly wasn’t going to allow enough time to just take things slow. No, as far as morning routines were concerned, mine was nonexistent.
Day after day, morning after morning, I would go through the same cycle of thought- alarm goes off..” no, not yet… do I really have to get up?… I’m going to snooze for 5 more minutes, and then I will get up… okay, another 5 minutes… one more snooze.. I can get ready in 15 minutes…. okay now I REALLY have to get up.. 1..2..3.. go. Okay… now go!.. Looks at phone.. Oh shit I have 10 minutes to get ready.. I shouldn’t have snoozed my alarm! Guess I will skip my hair wash day today… thank goodness for hats.. wish I gave myself more time to make tea…great now i’m running behind.. so on and so forth. Most mornings I would feel rushed, puffy (yes I used to wake up super puffy in my eyes and face), groggy, and unmotivated.
It wasn’t until my junior year of college when I began to realize how much of a disservice my morning schnenanigans were to my overall health and wellbeing. Around this time, I was enrolled in a 200 hour yoga certification program which required me to attend a specific amount of classes each week. I started waking up earlier, around 7 or 8 am, to sneak in a morning yoga classes before school. After attending class I would drive home, shower, make breakfast, and prepare tea before I left for campus. Following this regime made me feel more energized, more motivated, more joyful, more connected, more productive and more excited for the day ahead. Gradually, I started to wake up earlier and earlier, and before I knew it, I was naturally rising early and felt like a completely different person.
I also discovered that I trained better in the mornings and made the switch from being an evening workout gal to a morning one. I was shocked at how much more productive I was in the gym, how much more energy and drive I had for my sessions, and how much better my results were from it!
Over the years my morning routine has changed but the ritualistic practice has remained the same. Now.. I’m going to keep it real… I still have those days where my body craves lying in bed a little longer, or where i’m dream chasing ( you know when you’re having a freaking awesome dream but then your alarm interrupts so you snooze for a few more minutes trying to get it back?), or when I want to cuddle with my boyfriend, and that is 100% okay!
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.
Currently, my routine looks like this:
- Wake up around 6/ 6:30am (unless it’s Monday or Thursday then i’m up around 3:50/4am to coach at Orangetheory Fitness ) *I wake up around the same time most days because my body and mind thrive off the consistency*
- Take 3-10 conscious, deep breaths before leaving bed
- Drink ~8 ounces of water
- Shower, brush teeth, tongue scrape, wash face, apply serums, and use ice roller (more on this later… absolutely love this product!)
- Workout (if my body is feeling it… my favorite time to sweat is in the morning)
- Put tea kettle on
- Partake in a few simple stretches while water boils/ check planner for the days happenings/ to-do lists
- Pour a small cup of tea/ lemon ginger water to sip on while I get ready
- Get dressed, and apply makeup (usually just mascara and a quick taming of the brows)
- Prepare a to-go cup of tea to bring to work
- Say hello to my birdie Ziggy
Did you know that some of the most successful people like, Oprah, Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Nir Eyal (habit changing expert), Michelle Gass (founder of Starbucks), Tony Robbins, and more, have consistent morning routines? Many billionaires, business-people, entrepreneurs, and celebrities have attributed a good chunk of their success to the productivity their morning routines provide them!
By having a morning routine you can reduce stress levels, boost productivity, increase energy and excitement for the day, and provide yourself with more time to accomplish tasks and practice self care!
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Happy Saturday!
I want to be a morning person!!
You already wake up at a decent time, now focus on how you want to begin your day! What is going to make you feel confident, happy, healthy, motivated, and ready to take on the world? Talk to Annie and make a morning plan to implement as a couple to start!