Many of us have had the same early morning routine since childhood – Waking up, rushing to get dressed, grabbing a quick breakfast, and heading to school or work.
We think it’s time to reclaim mornings for yourself because you deserve to start everyday with a healthy, relaxing routine.
The rising sun, fresh air, and quiet of the morning offer a wonderful opportunity to carve out time that only belongs to you. By creating a healthy, low-stress morning routine, you can kickstart the day on a calming, nourishing, and rejuvenating note.
5 Powerful Benefits of a Morning Routine
Beginnings are always special. Whether you’re working towards a goal or kicking off a new hobby, taking that first step can feel so rewarding.
And here’s something beautiful: mother nature gives us a chance at a new beginning every day – with every sunrise! Here’s why morning routines are important.
1 – A Morning Routine Sets The Tone For The Day
The way we start our day can dictate how we go through the rest of the day as well. So if we begin our mornings feeling fatigued or hurried, we can carry this emotion with us. Instead, kicking off the morning at a relaxed, calming pace can put you in the right frame of mind for long after.
2 – Puts Us In Control
We often can’t control the things we need to do in the day – we may have chores, back-to-back work commitments, or personal responsibilities on our to-do list. All the more reason to take charge of your morning! Following a morning routine on your own terms can give you an empowering sense of control needed to prioritize yourself for the rest of the day.
3 – A Great Morning Routine Can Help Lower Stress
The human mind and body can get thrown off by unpredictability, while a well-established routine can bring comfort, familiarity, and a sense of calm. Scientific studies have shown that following a regular daily routine can make us more resilient in the face of unpredictable situations, and lower our stress levels. With a regular morning routine, you know exactly how you are going to start your day – this can play a vital role in easing anxiety and keeping us calm.
4 – Boosts Energy
If you feel lazy and tired even after a night’s sleep, following a morning routine can help you turn that around. Contrary to popular opinion, waking up early and following a morning routine can increase, not deplete your energy levels. A healthy morning routine can give you the physical and mental nourishment needed to recharge, rejuvenate and take on the day!
5 – Improves Emotional & Mental Wellness
No matter how busy we are in our lives, everyone needs self-care and time all to themselves. Enjoying me-time first thing in the morning can do wonders for our mental and emotional health. This can, in turn, not just enhance your own well-being, but also improve your relationships.
The Easiest 5-Step Morning Routine to Start
Now that we’ve spoken about the wonders of a morning routine, let’s share one with you! Here is the revitalizing morning routine that you can adopt:
1 – Hydrate Yourself With A Glass of Water
Yup, the first thing you do in the morning can be as simple as drinking a glass of water. We suggest starting this habit by leaving a full glass on your bedside table the night before. This means your hydration is well within your reach as soon as you open your eyes.
This small but crucial habit will hydrate you and help flush out toxins from your body. Plus, it’s a lovely way to ease back into the world after a night of dreams.
To enhance the detox effects of this habit, add a squeeze of lemon and a slice of ginger to warm water! This simple brew cleanses the kidneys after it worked a full night of repair and detox while you slept.
2 – Morning routine stretches
Now that you’re hydrated, let’s add gentle morning routine stretches to invigorate your body and ground yourself. Stretching first thing in the morning relieves tension from your muscles and gets your blood circulating.
You can stretch anywhere you want, from your bedroom floor to your favorite yoga mat. Doing the sun salutation yoga stretch (if you’re familiar with it) is wonderful to energize your body! Looking for something simpler? Follow this:
- Stand up straight, with both feet evenly ground on the floor.
- Interlock fingers and extend both the arms above your head as high as you can.
- Take deep slow breaths, while holding the pose as long as you comfortably can.
- Gently lean to the right, hold for a few seconds before coming back to the center.
- Then lean slowly towards the left and follow the same process.
- Next, gently bend forward – your head towards the floor as low as you comfortably can. Hold for a few seconds before moving back up to a neutral position.
3 – Breathe in Fresh Air
With your body hydrated and your entire being energized, let’s greet the outdoors and take in the fresh morning air. Enjoy it by an open window at home – or better yet, step outside on your balcony or backyard to embrace the fresh air. With significantly fewer suspended particles and more oxygen content, getting a dose of morning air is sure to rejuvenate your senses!
Getting fresh air has been shown to boost oxygen levels, reduce stress hormones and stimulate the release of serotonin. This promotes feelings of well-being, stability, and happiness.
4 – Add An Intention For The Day
Our intentions turn into our thoughts, which then transform into our actions! This is why setting an intention for yourself in the morning can shape your mindset for the remainder of the day. While you enjoy fresh air or perform your morning stretch, think about what you hope you accomplish during the day. Your intention is entirely personal to you, and it could be anything you wish for.
Here are a few intentions that help us start our day on a positive note:
- “I intend to do my best today to accomplish my goals”
- “I will be kind to myself and others today”
- “I will enjoy myself as I go through my day”
- “I will care for my body and mind, even as I go about my day”.
5 – Enjoy a Clean, Nourishing Breakfast
Photo by Jan Sedivy on Unsplash
Finally, let’s wrap up our morning self-care routine with a light, nourishing, and cleansing breakfast. Contrary to conventional opinion, the first meal of your day doesn’t have to be a very heavy, protein-rich one. Instead, a green smoothie is a great way to pack in those essential vitamins, antioxidants, nutrients, and fiber to rev up our body and mind for the day.
Plus, a veggie smoothie is light and doesn’t overwhelm our digestive system first thing in the day – giving it room to cleanse and detox before consuming a heavier meal a little later in the day.
Your green smoothie can be a blend of organic veggies and fruits to make it wholesome as well as delicious. Here’s a revitalizing detox smoothie that you can try out!
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed spinach leaves
- 1 cup packed kale leaves (without stems)
- 1/2 cucumber (deseeded)
- 1 apple – cored and diced
- 1/2 lemon (peeled and deseeded)
- plain water
Directions
Roughly chop the spinach, kale, apple, and cucumbers. Squeeze in the lemon juice and simply blitz all ingredients together on a high setting – until they’re nice and smooth!
Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash
How To Stay Consistent With Your Morning Routine
We know that not everyone is a morning person. Staying consistent with any new habit is a slow and steady process. So here are a few tips on how you can show up every day for your morning routine.
Make It Work For You
How long a morning routine should be is completely up to you – all the 5 steps we’ve shared with you can take anywhere between 30 to 90 minutes or longer – depending on how much time you wish to set aside. If you only have time to squeeze in a 5-minute stretch, then so be it – as long as you’re committing to it!
Want to spend a little longer getting fresh air? Go for a morning walk! There are no wrong answers here – your morning ritual needs to be personalized according to your needs, preferences, and commitments. That’s the beauty of this golden time of the day – you get to set the ritual.
Don’t Overcommit
Let’s face it – we have all been in situations where we’ve wanted to transform some aspect of ourselves overnight. Then we get overwhelmed and give up soon after.
To avoid that, stick to simple, easy morning habits that you know you will be able to show up for day after day. Once you get comfortable with a simple morning routine, you can always add new steps to it to enrich it more and more.
Enjoy The Journey
When it comes to your morning routine – you’re the boss. While a morning routine is a great way to care for your mind and body, don’t forget to enjoy your daily morning ritual! In the long run, we usually only stay consistent with things that we see as enjoyable, rather than something we have to enforce day in day out.
Good Things Take Time
As we wrap up, we just want to say that we’re proud of you. By reading this exploring this blog and the tips we’ve shared, you’ve already taken the first step towards starting your personal morning routine!
And remember, all good things take time, faith, and consistency. So while the first few days of waking up early may take a bit of commitment, we promise that it will be one of the best investments you can make. Because this is an investment in your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
If you’d like us to share more such self-care habits, eco-friendly tips, and knowledge resources with you, then we’d love for you to join our steadily growing New Habitz community! Drop your email id below to join <3
