Kick off your day with more energy by optimizing what you do first thing in the morning. How we start our day often influences how we feel for the rest of it.

Some of us have their morning routine down, every day, solid. And others might find themselves snoozing away and reconsidering that shower, to just spend some more minutes in the warm and comfy bed...

Which ever it is for you, let's learn a few things that might make your morning a little bit better. The morning is the start of your day, it's when we set the mood. Start by asking yourself: 'What kind of mood do you want to bring into the day?'  - stressed and rushed?  - overwhelmed?  -balanced and centered?  - Inspired and prepared?

Are you a parent? These tips might not feel attainable when adding in managing young kids, making breakfast for everyone and packing lunches, etc. Get inspired by the ideas and make it your own. We often have to pick and choose what we can do with potentially limited time for yourself. Even a short moment of mindfulness or stretch has benefits!

Here are the 7 tips to a more intentional morning routine:

Lose the snooze

And this does NOT go out to the one time snoozers, but the snooze addicts. You know who you are! If you start juggling numbers while still in bed to establish the maximum snooze time while still making it to work with pants on - than I am talking to you. 

More than one or two snoozes are not offering a relaxing and rejuvenating sleep experience and might just be more stressful and disruptive on your body. You also might deprive yourself of a proper wake up and a balanced morning before storming out of the house. 

It often feels better to make time in the morning to make yourself feel good and well put together and getting up 15 min earlier than doing the typical snooze dance. Give yourself some time to practice. It just needs 5 seconds to make the decision to get up - and once your are moving it get's better and you can ease into the day.

Try this - when your alarm comes on, count down 3-2-1 and just roll out of bed. Take out the thinking and weighting options and get up!

You can also move your alarm to the bathroom or far enough away from your bed, so that you have to get up in order to turn it off.

Come prepared: do you feel cold when rolling out of bed? Have a warm sweater ready to help that feeling. Feel unsure what to even do first? Establish that before going to bed. Set the automatic coffee maker to be ready by the time you enter the kitchen, etc. Set yourself up for success and work with the barriers that come up for you in the morning.

hydrate // lemon water

You have just been sleeping and probably not drinking a whole lot of water for hours. Water is an important element for all body functions and supports overall health and well-being. Fuel your body right out of bed and make it a new routine to drink plenty of water. 

Another great tip is to squeeze a lemon into your water, as your body detoxes over night and water and especially lemon water can help your body to flush out the toxins. It is a refreshing drink with tons of amazing benefits.

5 min breathing // meditation

However you want to call it: meditation or simply mindful breathing, an exercise of focussing on your body can help you stay calm and collected for the rest of the day. Often we get up and start running and 'doing' stuff straight away. Take just 5 minutes to check in with yourself! Take a few deep breath, close your eyes while you are sitting up or even still in bed and feel within. How do you feel?  What's going on for you today?

Direct your breath into your belly area. You can bring one hand onto your chest and one onto your belly to connect with the movement connect to every inhalation and exhalation. Set a timer for 5 minutes, so you don't have to look at your watch all the time. Need help kicking off that habit: check out my 10 day meditation program.

5 minute stretch 

My favorite tip!! A simple 5 minute stretch. This might look very different for all of us. Do you feel like a little dance? Great, put music on and shake it, move it and stretch your body. It is like a wake up dance. Do you feel like rolling around in bed and twisting your body and stretching it out? Awesome, do that. Do you have a yoga practice? Nice, ease into a few rounds of sun salutations and stay in any posture longer that feels good to you. Keep the deep breath that we have cultivated in # 3.

Journal

Once you are all set and you feel fresh and put together (Maybe you shower and make some tea or coffee) sit down for two or three minutes and write down the following:

Today I am ...   Today I am ...  Today I am ...

And fill the gaps. Fill them with how you want to feel today.  Remember, the mood that you want to set? Write it down like it is already in your life and it is already so. Next:

Today I am grateful for ... 

This quick exercise will help you direct your focus on the abundance in your life, the beautiful people, connecting and things you have already created for yourself. Feel into the gratitude as you write it down. It can be one things or multiple. And last:

What will you focus on today in terms of actual things or task you want to get done?Don't make this your daily to do list, just write down an area of focus or whatever task you want to tackle. Be honest and clear.

Fuel yourself

Eat nutritious food. It can be something light and easy like a protein rich shake, green juice, eggs or avocado toast. In case you leave your house super early in the morning, you can simply pack a healthy snack or breakfast for later. Having a prepared snack ready to go, will help you cope with unexpected changes in your day without running low on energy.

Get ready

Do you ever rush out of the house without having styled your hair the way you like it, or you realize the blouse you picked is just an inch too short or your shoes don't match your pants and are very uncomfortable? Being well-put together and prepared for the day means taking a few minutes to focus on:

- What will I need to pack / bring today? 

- What do I want to wear to suit my schedule / appointments today? 

Spending some time on getting ready will help you feel confident, comfortable and prepared. Organizing your outfit, appearance and additional items are the ground work for how you will present yourself during the day. If you have ever been in a meeting in a blouse that's too short and you find yourself pulling and stretching the fabric as subtle as possible while presenting to your colleagues, you know that something so 'small' can make all the difference. 

All these things together will make your start into the day more deliberate, more focussed around yourself and your well-being, as we often serve others during the day and only spend little time looking after ourselves. Add in anything that feels good to you and that will elevate your mood, energy level and over all well-being, like a wholesome and healthy meal?

Would you like to read about healthy breakfast options to fuel yourself for the day? Quick tips?

Leave a comment and I will use your recommendations for the next blog post.