I’m a big fan of having a morning routine. It sets the tone for the day. For me, not having a routine makes the day feel out of control and like nothing was accomplished. Anything important I absolutely want to get done, I do in the morning. That way if something else comes up, it’s done and I don’t have to worry about fitting it in later.
During the week, my morning routine consists of wake up, shower, exercise, eat breakfast, brush my teeth, fix my hair, take the kids to school and start work. Pretty simple. Weekends I swap out work for cleaning the house or cooking.
I exercise in the morning to make sure I get a workout in and don’t have to worry about it later.
I also try get up roughly the same time every day.
Some other morning routine ideas include:
- write in a journal
- meditate
- go for a walk
- read
- spend a few minutes cleaning the house
- make your bed
It’s important to start slow and add healthy habits to your routine a little at a time. Drastic, sudden changes will be harder to maintain over the long term, which is what a healthy lifestyle is all about: building healthy habits and having a daily routine that consists of things that are good for you.
Challenge:
Every morning for a week, sometime in the first hour after you wake up, take 5 minutes and walk. Go outside and walk, walk inside your house or just stand in place and walk.
References
https://www.nami.org/blogs/nami-blog/august-2017/the-power-of-a-morning-routine
https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/health-benefits-of-having-a-routine
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6378489/