3 Daily Practices to optimize your mornings
incorporate these habits to start each day connected to your body, centered, and calm
1. Don’t touch your phone until after you’ve woken up, gone to the bathroom, brushed your teeth, and taken a few deep breaths
The first thing you want to connect with in the morning is your body. Keep your phone in another room to charge overnight. This will help prevent you from reaching for it first thing when you wake up. Look out the window: how is the weather today? Cuddle your animal, kiss your partner, stretch. Wait to check your phone until after your morning routine.
2. Eat something, especially before a workout
A banana, smoothie, or piece of toast will suffice. Eating at the beginning of the day helps kickstart your metabolism. It will provide instant energy and improve your mood. The glucose will help you make the most of your workout. Eating helps prevent brain fog and may help you cut down from 2 cups of coffee each morning to 1. It will wake up your system, give you needed energy, and help facilitate your mind-body connection.
3. Practice gratitude
Whether you meditate, do yoga, or journal, find some way to express gratitude to and for yourself in the morning. I choose to meditate for 5-10 minutes each morning, focusing on being grateful to be alive and to experience the day ahead. If you prefer to journal, write 1-3 things you’re grateful for at the start of the day’s entry. If yoga is your thing, dedicate your practice to yourself. Maybe none of those activities are for you. No problem- while you brew your coffee or steep your tea, note one small thing you’re grateful for. Practice adding a gratitude moment as a step in your morning routine, and after a few days, it will become a habit that helps you stay connected to a greater purpose. I promise you will feel happier and kinder as a result.
