Change your morning, change your life

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

bmorningroutines

What is the first thing you do in the morning? I’ll bet for many the answer will be check their phone: email, facebook, instagram, etc. Maybe before you even got out of bed.

Now think about this, and be honest with yourself: do you feel energized to tackle your day after that? Does it make you feel less stressed? Do you wake up looking forward to all a new day holds for you — or are you dreading what the day will bring you?

Start as you mean to go on
Everyone is busy; I get that. We all think we don’t have enough time to stop and smell the roses — or start our days with a little self care. What do you think you’ll regret most at the end of your life — not checking your email the minute you wake up or having a peaceful morning that sets you up for a great day?

I loved this quote I found in this post (here) on morning routines:

How you start your day is how you start your life.— Drew Canole

I believe it’s true. If you’re rushing around like a crazy person, feeling stressed, can’t remember what you meant to bring with you — how do you think the rest of your day is going to go?

What if you spent a little time on gratitude before you got up. Breakfast was ready for you to grab. Your workout clothes were laid out. You spent a few moments visualizing how you want your day to go. How do you think your day would actually go if you started it that way?

Yes, you, even YOU, have the time
Right about now I bet you’re thinking “but Judy, I just don’t have time to do all those things”. I know a lot of people hate this saying, but it’s the truth — we all have the same 24 hours in a day. It’s up to us how we use them.

What are you really telling yourself when you tell yourself you just don’t have the time? That you’re not worthy. You are not good enough. You are not important.

Maybe you have kids, and I understand, with kids, you have so little time for yourself. What do you think you’re teaching them by not taking care of yourself? How do they act in the morning? Get them involved. Try to set up a morning routine for them, too, so they start the day happy.

You set the tone. You have the power.

Spend a few minutes at night to set up your mornings
Let’s face it, I know you’re going to resist this. You’re too busy, you’re too tired, you just don’t have the time. How much time do you spend on your phone again? Is it really helping you relax?

Give up a little online time. Spend a few minutes on the weekends or the night before making yourself a breakfast you can just grab. Write down your to-do list (you’ll remember it better if you physically write it, but at the very least have one on your phone) so that you know exactly what you need to take with you the next day — and then get it ready so you don’t have to think about it.

GO TO BED EARLIER. Yes, I’m shouting at you! Go to bed earlier, and you will have the time to get up a little earlier. Consider actually physically shutting your phone off — if it’s not on, there’s no Facebook meme hole to fall down and keep you up all night.

Maybe I should have titled this “Change your evening, Change your life”, because taking a little time the night before frees up time for you in the morning.

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For many years Gizmo was a big part of my morning routine

What my morning routine looks like
Let go of your perfectionism here — this is supposed to make you feel better, not just one more thing to tick off your to-do list. Some mornings it just won’t happen, and that’s ok. It doesn’t make you a failure; it makes you human. Believe me, there are mornings it doesn’t happen for me.

My best mornings start with my routine, though, and this is what it looks like:

  • Make a glass of warm lemon water with a little ACV (apple cider vinegar) in it to sip on
  • Do a short — or longer, if I have more time — yoga session
  • Guided meditation — generally about 5-8 minutes
  • Reading from several spiritual books, roughly 5 minutes: Louise Hay’s Heart Thoughts and Inyanla Vanzant’s Every Day I Pray (Amazon Affiliate links) are favorites.
  • Make/eat breakfast
  • After breakfast, read a magazine while sipping my tea

That’s it. It doesn’t have to take a long time. And while Gizmo was still alive, the first things I did in the morning were scoop the litter boxes and feed him. Don’t start with all of this. Pick one thing that would make you smile in the morning, and start with that. Or pick something from the resources below. Small steps to a happier you.

Final Thoughts
A few minutes in the evening, a few minutes in the morning — give it a try. A real try. See if it makes a difference. Do the things that make you happy. Because you’re worth it.

What does your morning routine look like? How does it make you feel?

What do you do in the evening to make the next day go smoother?

More morning routine resources:

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Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with Running on Happy, Suzlyfe, Crazy Running Girl, and Coach Debbie Runs each week for the Coaches’ Corner linkup

coachescorner

28 thoughts on “Change your morning, change your life”

  1. LOVED this post, Judy! You are absolutely right, how we start our day is how we start our life. When I was teaching I woke up at 4:30 so that I could run or swim before school. I bolted down breakfast at school while trying to talk to kids in the morning before classes started and was stressed all day. Now my mornings look something like yours, and I am so much calmer and happier.

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      2. When I worked outside the house & had to be at work by 5:30 am, I’d get up early & exercise & make myself breakfast (and scoop litter boxes & feed the cats). Of course back then there was no social media.

        The point isn’t really to do what I do but to take a look at how you spend your time & whether or not that makes you start your day feeling good.

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      3. Running would make me feel good. I used to play tennis before work. Times change. Now I settle for a good cup of coffee. Little pleasures.

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  2. I have thought about switching up my morning routine. My alarm is on my phone so once I turn off the alarmI do tend to spend a few minutes checking emails before getting out of bed. That time could be better spent stretching or meditating.

    One thing I do every morning is make my bed. I’ve been doing it for years and it;s just habit at this point.

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    1. I can’t make my bed because I get up before Mr. Judy. I do make it once he’s up. It’s not fancy, though, Lola likes to bring her Kongs (with peanut butter on them) onto the bed. So there’s just a sheet covering it.

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  3. My mornings are so much easier when I lay out everything I need the night before! And I’ve been trying to leave the screens downstairs so I don’t check email or anything right away. I do want to start trying to incorporate meditation into my morning routine though. I haven’t made time for that yet and I bet it would make a big difference.

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  4. I so wish that I could do what you suggest. I’d be lying if I could imagine it before I retire.

    But we all do what we can. I know it could be worse. I know folks who get up and run out the door and have coffee at work and then spend their evenings with a remote in their hands.

    I have breakfast at home every morning, check my email before I leave for work (even it means I get up at 5:30 am)

    After work, i run, do errands or meet friends before I arrive at home (which is around 7 pm). I have a small dinner and then I get my running stuff ready for the next day, catch up with the hubby, have a glass of wine and read a book before I turn the lights off.

    Just wondering, does anyone who works full-time and has a family and friends able to do what you suggest or is it just me???

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  5. I try not to check my phone when I get up in the morning. When I don’t run in the morning, I get up at 6, shower, get ready, and am out the door around 6:30. It does help that I have most of my stuff ready. When I do run in the morning, I am up at 4:30-4:45 so I can be back by 6. During the summer it is very different cause I don’t need to be out the door that early. 🙂

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    1. I really should get into the habit of making my breakfast earlier in the day — I often do protein pancakes & they’re better prepped the night before @0– so often I’m doing it right before bed & I’m really tired by that point.

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  9. This is great advice. When I do plan ahead the night before and go through a more purposeful morning routine it absolutely sets me up for a much smoother day.

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  10. This is so great!! I definitely set my things out the night before, prep the coffee pot, and will frequently prep (or at least start) breakfast. But, I am guilty of checking my phone almost right away when I get up. I need to stop doing that so much. But, on mornings that I go in and coach, it’s helpful to see if I’ve gotten a message that the gym is closed, etc.

    My morning routine varies but some things are standard. Get up, let the dogs out, scoop the cat litter and feed the kitties their breakfast, let the dogs in and feed them breakfast. On coaching mornings, get dressed, make coffee, go. On non-coaching mornings, put on running gear, run, come home, eat breakfast (or walk dogs. depends on my mood and the length of the run), COFFEE. 🙂

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  11. With my early classes fitness I don’t have time for a leisurely morning until I get to Starbucks. I pack my gym bag and get my lunch ready the night before. On 5 am OTF days, I only have time to tend to biological necessities before leaving the house by 4:45. On 6 am yoga days, I walk Scooby ~ 1 mile before leaving the house by 5:30. But, that’s why I need by Starbucks time — to chill and recover before jumping into work.

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    1. Your classes ARE part of your morning routine, and moving the body is important, too!

      I only get out early with the dogs in the summer, because as Lola ages the heat really gets to her.

      That’s good that you get to chill a little at Starbucks before tackling the workday!

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  12. My mornings have become much more leisurely now that the boys are both grown. I used to make lunches and breakfast for them. Now I get up, make coffee, watch the news, and play on my home decorating app. Kind of funny how things evolve.

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