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Do you have a morning routine?
Let me rephrase that…do you have a morning routine that looks something like snoozing your alarm 7 times before actually getting out of bed, throwing your hair in a ponytail, and rushing out the door at the very last second?
Our morning routine sets the stage for the whole day, and if you don’t have a solid morning routine, you could be starting your day stressed and overwhelmed.
Here are 10 easy ways to start your day off the RIGHT way. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, and prepare to rock your morning routine’s socks off.
1. Wake Up An Hour Early
You may want to curse me for suggesting such an outrageous thing, but hear me out.
I understand that you may work long hours and go to bed late. I understand that if snoozing an alarm was an Olympic sport, you would get the gold.
However, can you imagine what your morning would look like if you weren’t rushing?
What if you woke up before your kids instead of being woken up by them? Giving yourself an extra hour allows you to take the morning nice and slow and squeeze in some time for yourself.
This may mean going to bed an hour earlier. It may mean having less time for yourself at night, but you will learn to love this time for yourself in the morning.
2. Drink a Glass of Water Right When You Wake Up
Hydration is key, baby!
Chances are, most of us don’t drink the proper amount of water each day.
Consistently having a glass of water right when you wake up will get you in the habit of drinking more water.
Besides, drinking water will help with fatigue and that mind fog that we all seem to have in the morning!
Tip: Add some lemon for some extra health benefits.
3. Exercise
Moving our bodies in the morning is so important.
We just slept for 6, 7, 8, 9 hours (bless you if you are able to get 9 hours of sleep), and our bodies are so stiff and tired in the mornings.
Getting some exercise is not only healthy, but it will wake you up! This exercise can look like taking your dog for a walk, going for a run, doing yoga, or going to the gym, but be sure it is something that you enjoy doing.
It may seem a little difficult to exercise in the morning at first, but after a few weeks, it will become a habit that you can’t imagine you ever lived without.
4. Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude in the morning can put you in a positive mindset to start your day.
Gratitude can come in many forms such as meditation, writing down things you are thankful for, telling someone you love them, or yoga, but it should be meaningful to you.
This helps remind you of all the things you do have, instead of the things you don’t have.
You can continue this practice throughout your day as well!
5. Get Some Fresh Air
Taking a breath of fresh air allows us the opportunity to slow down and feel refreshed.
I don’t know what the psychology behind this is, but I do know that we feel more connected to the world and more at peace when we spend a few moments outside.
Even if this just means rolling down your windows on your ride to work or drinking your coffee outside, spending a few moments outdoors will help you start your day off strong.
Besides, the fresh air will make you feel more awake, and isn’t that all we want in the mornings?!
6. Layout Clothes the Night Before
Let’s be honest…mornings are NOT when we are at our best.
Well, most of us anyway.
If you can jump out of bed and immediately crank out some life-changing work five minutes later, more power to you (and please, share your secret!).
But for most of us, we can barely function before that first sip of hot coffee.
Save yourself time, stress, and energy by putting out your clothes for yourself the night before.
Bonus points if you lay out your workout clothes AND clothes for the day ahead of time!
7. Listen to Upbeat Music
Taylor Swift, Beyonce, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Drake…whatever upbeat music is to you, blast that stuff!!!
It’s hard to be in a bad mood when your favorite songs are playing.
Listening to upbeat music will, in fact, put you in an upbeat mood (imagine that??).
8. Eat a Healthy Breakfast
I know I know, breakfast is SO easy to skip.
You’re not even hungry in the morning and you don’t have time, right?
Wrong!
Remember what I said earlier? We are going to exercise and work up an appetite AND wake up extra early so we have time to eat breakfast.
Choose something filling and delicious like fruit, yogurt, and granola, oatmeal and fruit, or eggs. Whatever floats your boat!
Besides a healthy breakfast, it’s also important to regularly visit your doctor. For one, if you have a burned scalp, it’s best to consult a medical professional as soon as possible to get burned scalp treatment.
9. Plan Out Your Goals For the Day
I live and swear by having 3 main tasks to accomplish during the day.
Planning out these three things will ensure that by the end of the day, you can at least state 3 goals you crushed.
This helps you to stay motivated and focused on what actually needs to get done.
Besides, it will ensure you don’t stay up late binging that show you love (again) until you cross off your 3 main tasks.
10. Have Something Positive to Look Forward To
It’s Monday, you’re stuck in traffic, oh, and it’s raining. Goodie.
Do you know what would help?
What if you had something to look forward to every single day?
Maybe on Mondays, you make your favorite meal for dinner, Tuesdays you meet up with one of your friends for lunch, Wednesdays you have a date night…you get the point.
It could change week to week, but always having something to look forward to can transform your mindset.
Absolutely you should still live in the moment; however, if you aren’t completely enjoying your present, you can look forward to the future!
Final Thoughts
I hope this post inspired you to change up your morning routine in the best ways possible.
If not, I challenge you to give it a shot.
Spend two weeks following these ten things and see how you feel. See if you are more relaxed and more focused throughout your day. See if it becomes a routine instead of a chore, and maybe even figure out if you ENJOY your morning routine! I have a good feeling that you will!
Michelle Gagliani
Owner & Founder
Michelle is the Founder of The Balanced CEO and a Holistic Nutritionist + Health Coach. She was born and raised in St.Thomas, U.S.V.I., and is currently living in Austin, TX. When she’s not running this blog and online business, she is cozied up at home watching TV, taking long walks in nature, or trying out new healthy recipes.
These are great! I already do most of them. I found that a good morning routine helps me have a good day. I admit, my first drink of the day is coffee, not water. I practice mindfulness as part of my self-care and can atest that it is a great way to start the day. Thank you!
That is so great that you already do most of these Shelly! I agree a good morning routine does set off a good day. I am so off and unproductive if I don’t follow my morning routine.
Love this!! This is similar to the “Miracle Morning” but modernized a bit. I’m struggling to get up any earlier during the week but weekends I get up an hour before my son does and do a little routine like this. Thank you for sharing!
Miracle Morning is such a great book. Thanks for reading Britni!
Waking up an hour early was the best change I made to my morning routine. I love having the time to drink a coffee and scroll through Facebook before the kids are up and asking for thing. That hour is my me time, and it makes my morning so much calmer.
I definitely agree with you, Heidi! Morning me time makes the day so much better.
Wow this was so helpful! Right from the beginning I felt like this was meant for me haha! I have heard of a few of these before, but I will definitely be giving them another try so I am not always dragging myself out of bed every morning. Great insights! Thank you!
Yay! I am so glad this was helpful. Let me know how it goes when you try them again. Thanks for reading Monica!
This was a great article. I really like #10. It’s something I would like to put into practice.
Thanks Kandice! I definitely recommend doing it! 🙂
Love these ideas… especially getting up an hour earlier. Having that hour, when the house is quiet and everyone else is still asleep is essential in my own self-love practice, and helps me start the day by taking care of myself first.
Taking care of yourself is definitely important mentally and physically. I am glad you do Naomi!
Great advice! I have found that doing more prep at night for the next day really helps my mornings feel less stressful. Thanks for sharing!
Agreed!! Thank you for reading Cindy!
Looks like a good routine to me!
Getting up 2 hours earlier than my littles lets me get a good start to the day (drink water, exercise, Bible time, work on my blog…).
Sounds great Cora!
These are fantastic suggestions to add to your morning routine. I need to add music into mine!
Thanks Kinzy!! Music definitely helps kickstart my day.
These are such great tips! I am an early riser, but there are a few tips that I think will really make the morning routine much smoother. Thanks for sharing!
Kudos for being an early riser Chrissy! I am glad you enjoyed the tips. Thank you!
I do a few of these, most notably I’m guilty of hitting the snooze button a few million times hehe. These are great tips and very doable!
LOL! Sometimes it is tough to get out of bed! Following Mel Robbins, 5-second rule definitely helps. Glad you liked the tips Natalie!
Love all of these suggestions! Listening to music helps me tremendously and also reading a devotional to start my day.
I so happy to hear that you loved them Jill. I love reading and music to kickstart my day too.
enjoyed this very much and already do much of it (I can’t switch my coffee for water as need my morning jolt), but question how long do you think a person should exercise in morning?
Hey Rhonda! Glad you enjoyed it. With exercising in the morning I think it should all depend on your schedule I would say 30 minutes minimum but highly recommend at least 45 minutes to 1 hour. I do 45 minutes because I get a good workout in and then I am not exhausted and have energy to go on with my day. As long as you stay consistent with getting up every morning to work out your energy, body, and mind will thank you throughout the day.
I have GOT to start getting up earlier! I love the mornings that I don’t have to rush out the door at the very last minute. And I could try doing some yoga and/or light stretching in the mornings. It sounds like it would feel good. I better go to bed now, so i can wake up!
Thanks 🙂
Hey Katie! It is such a relief getting up earlier because you have more time and you don’t feel so stressed. I love to sleep and used to sleep in A LOT. But, I am so happy I changed my habits. Getting up earlier has helped me be more productive and gave me time to work on myself. Thanks for reading! ????
Great ideas. I will definitely try and incorporate a few of them into my morning routine. Thanks!
Anytime Loretta! Thanks for reading!
Great post! Waking up an hour early is a game-changer for mornings.
Thanks Emily! I agree! It has helped me tremendously.