I often get asked what my healthy morning routine is. I definitely have one, but it changes depending on the season.
Morning routines aren't requirements, but if you're trying to create a new habit, it's much easier to make it part of a morning routine because it's the best chance of following through. As the day progresses, we're interrupted, plans change, or we get tired. Someone else's agenda may become our own. We may get decision fatigue, which leads to reduced willpower. We may decide to postpone that habit, run, healthy meal, or Duolingo game one more day.
Here's my routine in September 2022, which will change a bit as the weather gets colder and we lose light in the mornings and evenings.
Healthy Morning Routine
- I naturally wake up between 5:15-6:15. If it's past 6:30, it's highly unusual, and I feel like I've missed part of my morning if it's a weekday. I rarely use an alarm unless I have somewhere I need to be or am traveling. I don't start my meetings until ten on most days, sometimes nine. Marcey Morning Magic time is in the morning, and I'm most productive. I don't give those up for regular meetings or coaching calls.
- I check my Oura ring and see how my numbers are trending and what kind of workout I can do that day. If it tells me I need a rest day, I do a lighter activity. I compare that to my 8Sleep data. The #1 thing I've done for my sleep is get an 8Sleep mattress cover.
- I work out for an hour. Sometimes I'll split it up, or if I'm riding my bike later in the day, I'll still do something in the morning. Every day for at least five years, I've done 100 kettlebell swings, 75 push-ups, 50 pull-ups, and 25 burpees. It takes me about 7-8 minutes and is my minimal effective dose. I mountain bike and run, but more often than not, I jump rope using the Crossrope system and do a Daily Burn workout.
- Depending on my schedule for the day, I may do 20-40 minutes in my infrared sauna. I like to do it at the end of my work day on most days, but if I have to be somewhere in the evening or get home past 6:30, I will do it in the morning. If I do it too late, my core temperature is still too high, affecting my sleep. I'll do self-hypnosis or meditation in the sauna. I may also do a crossword puzzle or read if it's evening.
- Then, I'll take a shower if I've been in the sauna. If I'm waiting until the evening, I may just wash my face if I've done an indoor workout. If I've done an outdoor workout in the NC humidity of the summer, a shower is a necessity!
- I typically have one of two breakfasts. A smoothie bowl consisting of frozen spinach and berries, almond milk, chia seeds, protein powder, cacao nibs, and grain-free granola. If I have this, it's the only breakfast I have at my desk. It takes me about 30 minutes to eat the smoothie bowl, and it feels weird to just sit at the table with a smoothie. The other breakfast I'll have is a salad. Usually shredded cabbage with tahini, nutritional yeast, spicy pickle juice or balsamic vinegar, and bone broth on the side. I always ensure I get 20-30 grams of protein as my first meal to stabilize my blood sugar response. I also eat one Brazil nut. They are super-high in selenium and contain about 96 mcg per nut! Be careful not to eat too many.
- Then I brush my teeth. I'll put on some makeup and fix my hair before or after breakfast. I keep lipstick beside my desk to swipe on throughout the day to feel presentable. I also have a Mario Badescu facial spray with chamomile, aloe, and lavender that makes me feel refreshed and fancy.
- At home, I just dress up from the chest up. I'm often in yoga or running tights or knit skirts. I have blazers and scarves nearby when I need to dress myself up a little for a Zoom call. I also always wear earrings or some jewelry, so I feel human.
- I have an iced coffee at my desk in the summer and a hot coffee in the winter. I brew a big pot of Teeccino on Sundays, make iced cubes, and have a 1/2 Teecinno and iced coffee concoction. In the winter, I just do a 1/2 brew of each. I may start with tea in the winter and graduate to coffee as the morning progresses. I only drink Good Earth Sweet and Spicy tea. I buy it by the case on Amazon.
- Then, I write in my journal the three things I'm grateful for that morning, what I'll do to make today great, and today's mantra or driver. I used the 5-minute journal for years but recently created my own journal, so I have precisely the prompts I want. I have written my top three priorities from the night before and what I'll complete in my first work block. This way, I can get right to it.
- After my first block of work, my husband is awake, and I take a break to hug him. We started this routine about a year ago, and I love it. It keeps him from interrupting my flow when he wakes up, gives me a nice break, and provides us with an oxytocin release in the morning.
That's it! It changes a little depending on the time of year, but that's pretty much my every morning. If you have a habit you wish to start, think about how you can stack it with something you already do in the morning to give you a better success rate of completing it.
Oh, and I DON'T check email or scroll on my phone in bed. My bed is for sexy time, sleeping, and Kindle reading only. I don't want the internet, someone else's agenda, or the news between my sheets.
If you desire to create a healthy morning routine, reach out and schedule a Discovery Call and see if private coaching is the right fit for you.
