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Having a healthy morning routine has been transformative for me. I’ve found that a solid morning routine brightens my mood, reduces anxiety, and boosts my productivity.
When I first started incorporating healthy morning habits I was feeling insanely overwhelmed and stressed. Just the thought of adding even more items to my to-do list felt impossible.
What I’ve learned since is that a healthy morning routine isn’t about adding to your to do list. It’s about being kind to yourself and filling your morning with activities or stillness to help you rejuvenate and reset for the day ahead. Don’t get me wrong there are still plenty of days when I would rather snooze my alarm and stay in bed but, what I can say is that I feel happier and healthier than I ever have before and I credit it mainly to these consistent daily habits.
Keep scrolling for some simple but highly effective ways to create a solid morning routine and improve your day.
Get a Morning Workout In
Exercise is beneficial for your body, mind and spirit. Depending on the type of workout, exercise can strengthen your muscles and bones, improve your cardiovascular system as well as elevate your mood, energy level, and improve your sleep.
Benefits of working out in the morning are you can check it off your list right away. This can add to your sense of accomplishment for the day and set you on track to make other healthy decisions for the remainder of the day. Exercise also warms your body up which helps wake you up and makes you more alert and focused. Exercise can also help spike your cortisol level early in the day as opposed to later in the evening which can ultimately help promote better sleep.
If you’re looking for a cute workout outfit to help motivate you to workout (I know this always helps me) I love this one from Amazon. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and I’m really loving matching workout sets right now.
Make Time For Mindfulness
Most of our day is filled with emails, notifications, calls, social media and various demands from people in our lives. Setting aside a few minutes for intentional peace and being in the moment can make a world of difference. Studies show even 1 minute of mindfulness a day is proven to provide significant benefits like increasing concentration, decreasing stress, increasing happiness, and even decreasing inflammation in the body.
If you’re interested in learning more about mindfulness and meditation I recommend this episode of the “Happiness Lab” with Dr. Laurie Santos. I discovered the podcast last year and have been listening to it religiously ever sense. It’s full of great science backed information on how to be happier.
Start A Gratitude Practice
Finally, the last part of my morning routine is to write in my gratitude journal. Every day I list at least 5 things I’m grateful for. I try to go into detail and really reminisce on things that bring me joy. When I initially started this practice it felt a little repetitive in terms of listing the same few things I was grateful for like, “my family, my health, my house, etc.” but I learned that you should also focus on the small things as well like the rare sunny day in winter and the warmth of the sun on your skin, or someone holding the door open for you or a really delicious meal.
Taking time to reflect on the small moments joy in your life can really help improve your mood. I find this practice particularly useful for me help when I’m struggling with feelings of comparison. When these feelings creep up I can easily grab my gratitude journal and reflect on all the things I currently have to be grateful for. This practice also helps to recenter me to the present and focus on where I’m at now rather than wishing I was somewhere or someone else.
Here’s an gratitude journal that has an inspiring daily quote and prompts for morning and evening gratitude.
I hope one of my strategies resonates with you and encourages you to explore your own morning routine and see what works for you. I have faith that the more invest in yourself and stay consistent with your healthy habits the better you’ll feel all around.