3 Simple Steps to Start a Morning Routine
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Want to know a secret? I wasn’t always a morning person. And honestly, I still have mornings where I’m like, “I. CAN. NOT.” Something about that sweet bundle of joy in the next room over and the realization that once she’s awake I belong to her, quickly forced me to make a choice. I can either be miserable, groggy and hit snooze until my daughter’s scream for milk and momma snuggles becomes ear piercing, or I can wake up with enough time to belong to myself first, ease into the day and happily watch my angel on the baby monitor slowly stretch and open her eyes as I sip on a cup of tea. Once I chose the latter, I became happier, healthier, and had a huge attitude shift about being a stay-at-home mom. I tried several combinations of things that the morning routine people online said I should do. What I learned is that at the core of all of it, are three things:
To eat
To drink
To be merry
Sure, there’s lots of other things like working out, meditating, taking a shower, reading, etc. but I didn’t have time for all of that when I first started out on this “morning person” journey. My daughter was finally sleeping through the night and I was ready to figure out something simple so that I could get back to “my normal” of eating healthy and feeling energized but as a new mom. Through my trial and error, I learned that I needed to eat, drink and be merry (read: take supplements) to thrive throughout the day. If you’re new to this morning routine journey and don’t want to feel overwhelmed with all the things someone says you should do to have a great day, let me put your mind at ease: you only need to start with 3 simple steps! Don’t worry about the other things you may think you should do. If you start with this foundation of eating something to fuel your body, drinking things that flush out your system every day and take a multivitamin at the least, you’re going to be well on your way to feeling happier, healthier and crushing your life goals. Today, my morning routine has more steps, but sometimes my body, mind and spirit need to go back to the basics and I always come back to these 3 steps no matter what. Follow along with me as I outline how I eat, drink and be merry in the mornings.
Eat.
There are days where I bask in the slowness of the morning and enjoy snuggling up on the couch with a plate of the most decadent bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on earth that is my husband’s speciality. MOST days, I’m hard on the grind and don’t have precious moments to waste before my daughter wakes up in the morning (and my husband has to go to work, so no bacon, egg and cheese for me). It’s those mornings that a smoothie is best for me because it’s quick and packed with nutritious ingredients that I might not normally consume raw on their own from day to day. After reading In the Flo by Alissa Vitti, I was enlightened to the essential need for our bodies as women to eat and live cyclically with our menstrual cycle. After implementing this lifestyle of eating, I have maintained my weight, have clearer skin and have a clearer mind. I don’t feel bogged down or sluggish and I feel fuller longer. Y’all, seriously. Eating this way has been a total game changer because I finally feel like I have the energy I’ve always wanted in the mornings. It’s definitely contributed to me becoming a morning person which has directly impacted my ability to accomplish my goals. When I’m starving or feel so full I just want to go back to sleep, I can’t focus (read: a clouded mind). When I’m satiated and have regulated my blood sugar for the day, I have built a foundation on which my goals can be built upon.
Drink.
Water, water, water. I do this before anything. There’s this cup of water on my bedside table that I sipped on the night before and that’s waiting to greet me, still cold, in the morning once my feet hit the floor. I carry her with me to the bathroom and sip while I wash my face, brush my teeth and put up my hair. She then follows me downstairs as I sip while I make my morning tea. I drink a mix of lemon ginger tea and turmeric tea out of this mug so I don’t have to worry about reheating my tea a million times before I can finish it. Why do I drink all this stuff? Drinking about a half gallon of water a day aids against dehydration, flushes a lot of yucky stuff out of the system, and helps things move along the digestive tract. The same things ring true for the lemon ginger tea and turmeric tea mixture in addition to reducing inflammation and boosting the immune system. These drinks also support gut health which is directly linked to the health of the mind which is directly linked to the overall health of your body. Drinking this combination of fluids ensures that I’ve covered all my bases first thing in the morning so I don’t have to be concerned if I don’t reach the intake of nutrients I was hoping for throughout the day with a lot of different foods. I can tell a huge difference between the mornings I drink all the things and the mornings that I don’t. When I do, I feel satisfied and strong in my mind, body and spirit and ready to take on my life goals.
Be Merry.
Eating the things and drinking the things make me merry on their own, but I do add in a few supplements as well to make sure I’m feeling my absolute best all day long. First, I start with apple cider vinegar gummies. These are the best I’ve found because they don’t have a weird sticky texture or taste like I’m taking a shot of the stuff straight (YUCK. I used to do this when I was performing and PRAISE THE LORD someone decided to make this into a gummy). I have definitely seen a difference in my digestion and increased flatness to my belly by adding apple cider vinegar to my routine. I also take this multivitamin especially for women, a vitamin C, B12 and turmeric supplement to fill any nutritional gaps, support my immune system, give me an additional boost of energy and support my brain health. Over the years I have tried many different combinations of supplements and have found that what I take has to ebb and flow with the season of life that I’m in. As a retired professional dancer and a new mom managing postpartum depression, this combination is what supports me best right now and I’ll do whatever I can to naturally feel healthier and happier!
The kind of smoothie I “eat” (and that bacon, egg and cheese on the weekends!), if I have peppermint tea instead of lemon ginger and turmeric tea, and if I change up my supplements isn’t what is super important here. What is crucial is that I make a healthy breakfast choice most days, drink some water and get in a multivitamin. The other takeaway is that the foundation of a morning routine isn’t this rigid thing that has to be followed perfectly or that it’s only for people like stay-at-home moms or someone that works from home. If you are someone that aspires to be a little healthier, a little happier and have some life goals that would be nice to accomplish, this is the springboard from which you can jump! Will this basic routine get you ready to run a marathon? It can. Will this basic routine help you drop those 5 lbs you’ve been trying to lose? Maybe. Will this basic routine make your depression manageable? It’s a possibility. The beauty in your uniqueness is the same beauty that lies within what it is you want out of life and how you want to get there. The framework is just that, a framework in which you can create what serves you best and meets your needs. So, take what serves you and scrap the rest because this is YOUR morning and YOUR life goals we’re talking about! Use the frameworks you learn about to inspire your own roadmap for how you will ultimately achieve your life goals.
So, now what? The biggest factor in achieving your goals is creating a foundation of simple routines that set you up for success each day. I’ve got something just for you to help make that happen! In my free Morning Routine Maker, I show you just how quick and easy creating a morning routine actually is. Click the button below to get instant access to the life changing magic that is the morning routine. Brace yourself, you just might become a morning (read: routine) person!
To make our dreams happen, we’ve got to feel good, right? Our mind, body and spirit are all connected and if our body is out of whack, our mind and spirit aren’t going to be in tip top shape either. Something that is an important part of my intentional lifestyle to feel at my best is having a protein packed smoothie for breakfast. My Sunrise Smoothies are what I drink for breakfast every single day to pack in the nutrients needed for crushing my life & biz goals. Skipping breakfast because mornings are too chaotic to even think about eating something? Skipping breakfast because eating in the morning makes you feel nauseous? Skipping breakfast because you’re trying to lose weight? All of those are myths that can leave you feeling hangry and how can a hangry person achieve their goals? Let me show you the magic that are the Sunrise Smoothies and I bet all of those skipping breakfast excuses will fade away and your achievement will skyrocket.
How well do you know yourself? Do you know what really sets your soul on fire? Maybe you’ve taken a deep dive into getting to know yourself before but it’s been awhile. In the Happiness Helper, you’ll go through a quick and easy exercise to really dig into some parts of you that you may not have stopped to think about before. Once you’ve explored these areas of your likes and dislikes, you’ll experience clarity and may even be surprised at some of the things that make your wheels turn. Don’t live inside a tightly structured box of a narrative that you or someone else has placed on you anymore! Prepare yourself to feel empowered to go after the kind of life that YOU want to live; not a life that someone told you that you were destined to. Get ready to take a deep sigh of relief!
On Purpose Planning Method™ LIVE + LOCAL
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a catered networking lunch will be provided
With The Sunburst Strategies Co. Founder, Creative Director & Shine Seeker: Katie-Beth Schultz
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It’s time to put a completion date on your dreams!