Today, I am going to share with you all my healthy morning routine.
Monday through Thursday, I work in an office 9 to 5 so I am not always able to do this full morning routine because on these days I mostly get up and go right away. But on the days I get to sleep in a little more and wake up when I want to, this is the routine I love to do. Here is a complete run down, and hopefully some of these suggestions are inspiring to you!
8:30am: Wake up, jump out of bed, open up my curtains to expose myself to natural light.
Wash my face, brush my teeth etc. (*note: I only splash cold water on my face and my MotherDirt toner. That’s it. I don’t find it necessary to wash your face twice a day.)
9am: Prepare a concoction of BCAA’s mixed with warm water, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.
9:05am: Meditate for fifteen minutes.
9:20am: Put on my workout clothes and workout. I spend a good majority of time finding music that motivates me, warming up and then cooling down after my workout, so I usually spend a little over an hour total.
11am: Oil pull as I prepare breakfast.
11:30: Break my fast (I follow an intermittent fasting eating schedule).
These time frames are not approximate by the way. They can vary depending on the day, but I put them in for reference.
Now I’m going to explain all the steps in my morning routine, and why I include them.
The reason why the first thing I do in the morning is expose myself to sunlight is because what this does is regulate your circadian rhythm which is so, so important for good sleep. If it is not sunny outside, I use this blue light lamp which I got from Amazon.
I then like to have my BCAA’s because I’m about to do a workout, and since I’m not eating, the BCAA’s will be my source of fuel and recovery to ensure muscle growth. I love this one, it’s vegan and tastes amazing. I also mix in lemon and apple cider vinegar because these both give an alkalizing effect, and a great kick start to your metabolism and digestive system early in the morning.
I have been loving meditation recently, because it sets my day off on a positive note. The app I use to meditate is called Calm and I have been listening to the different 7 day programs they have. I have already completed seven days of happiness and seven days of self esteem, and now I am on seven days of gratitude. The voice over is so soothing, and I am finding these meditations allow me to find greater self-worth, and experience more gratitude for the things I have in my life that I often take for granted. I highly, highly recommend this app, especially if you are new to meditating and don’t know where to start.
Once I meditate, I like to get my workout done in the morning for several reasons. One reason is that if you push your workout for later, it’s more likely you will keep making excuses for why you can’t get it done, and then end up not doing it. If you just get it done in the morning, it’s out of your schedule and you won’t be worrying about it for the rest of the day. The second reason is that a morning workout sets up a healthy precedent for the remainder of your day. If you workout in the morning, you are more likely to make good eating decisions and adhere to a nutritious, wholesome diet. Lastly, those endorphins you get flowing in the morning are going to increase your mood, make you feel more positive, and give you a better outlook on the day, so you can be kinder and more productive throughout your day.
As I discussed in a previous blogpost, I have been following an intermittent fasting schedule of eating, and feeling super good. Intermittent fasting has enabled me to get more things done in the morning, and I also have felt far less bloated and tired. I go into more details on intermittent fasting and how I do it, even on days when I don’t have time in the morning to exercise, so be sure to go check out that post.
I usually enjoy my grain free paleo oatmeal for breakfast, as well as a bulletproof coffee. Some days I’ll have eggs and spinach, or other days I’ll have a big smoothie. I also oil pull as I’m making breakfast, because it usually takes me some time to get everything ready. I use Dr. Bronner’s organic coconut oil to do this. I explain more about oil pulling and all the benefits in this post.
Hopefully my morning routine has inspired some of you to make your mornings a little more productive and healthier! Of course, I’m not a perfect person and sometimes my mornings do not look like this at all. But, I strive to make this routine a habit everyday because I feel so good when I complete it!
Let me know what you think!