Morning Reset

Waking up late, rushing through breakfast (if you eat at all), trying not to forget anything as you race out of the house…not a stress-free way to start your day.

I love the idea of a stress-free morning routine. A solid start eases you into the day with more energy and a better attitude.

Does a perfect morning exist? Maybe not. But there are a few things that you should fit into every purposeful morning:

• Water
• Light
• Movement
• Gratitude

Here’s how to reset your morning to make the most of your day.

Stop Hitting Snooze.

Your body has a sleeping pattern. When you hit snooze, you trick your body into thinking that it can return to REM sleep (the dream stage of your sleep cycle). When the alarm goes off again 9 minutes later, you’re jolted awake from a unfinished cycle, leaving you foggier and more exhausted than you were 9 minutes before.

Quitting the snooze button sounds hard, but it’s doable. To make it less painful, start with getting enough sleep. Shoot for 7 hours of sleep, minimum, per night. Be consistent. Go to bed at roughly the same time every night and wake up at roughly the same time – even on weekends. Your body will adapt to the time frame and finish it’s sleep cycle within those time limits. Get an alarm clock that, instead of blaring an awful noise at you, gradually wakes you up by lighting the room.

Wake Up Earlier 

While your at the rewiring-your-sleep thing, try waking up 15 minutes earlier than your norm. Why? Think about the mornings that you wake up late. You’re immediately stressed out. Time to shower and get ready? Forget it. Time to eat breakfast and pack lunch? Nope.

You don’t have to make a drastic change. If you normally set your alarm for 7 am, don’t be a superhero and set your alarm for 5:30 am. Start with 15 minute increments. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier (you might be surprised at how good this feels too). Don’t have a conversation with your brain when the alarm goes off, just get up.

Psst…I’m really excited about the Best Self Challenge launching January 1. Why? Well, if you can’t tell, it’s about being your absolute Best Self, and what’ better than that? This isn’t a fitness challenge, although there will be some exercise aspects. It’s about your all around happiness and health – we’ll be doing challenges revolving around nutrition, gratitude, thankfulness, sleep, water, exercise…And it’s FREE!

2019. A brand new year, a brand new opportunity to make your health the best it’s ever been.

Drink At Least 8 Ounces of Water

How often do you go 8 hours without a sip of water at work? Oh, never? But you do go 8 hours without water at night. We all do. When you wake up, you’re coming off of (hopefully) 7-8 hours of sleep – no food, no water. Your body IS ridiculously thirsty. Rehydrate.

Flush out toxins that have built over night, fire up your metabolism and re-hydrate your brain.

My favorite trick to making this habit one I look forward to is hot lemon water. Fresh lemon juice has a wealth of benefits: it’s antibacterial, it contains a good dose of vitamin C, it’s good for digestion, and it’s super refreshing. And a cup of hot water with lemon, and maybe a touch of honey, is so welcome on these cold winter mornings!

Soak Up Some Natural Light

Your body wakes, sleeps and runs to a certain rhythm. That rhythm, which influences everything from your metabolism to your mood to your energy level, is called your Circadian rhythm. Exposure to morning sunlight helps to reset your Circadian rhythm. Translation: sunlight in the morning signals your body to wake up.

Luckily, the next task in your morning routine goes hand in hand with exposing yourself to natural sunlight…

Move for 10 Minutes

Making time for movement in the morning is not about burning calories, although that can be an added benefit. Morning movement can be yoga, a walk, core work, a swim, some mobility work, plyometrics or a quick job. Pick something that you know you can reliably do. The point: simply move. It sets a precedent for the rest of your day.

Morning movement wakes up your brain, gives you time to focus on you (and only you), warms up your muscles, gives you energy and circulates oxygen and nutrients in your blood. Choose something that you look forward to doing and do it every morning.

Take a Cold Shower

Sounds horrifying, I know, but work your way into it slowly. By turning down the heat during your morning shower you gain surprising benefits. Obviously, the burst of cold wakes you up. Nothing alerts your senses like an upright polar plunge. More importantly, it teaches your body to respond to stress. Your body adapts and becomes more resilient.

Here’s how to make this one happen: start out showering at a temperature that you find enjoyable. Wash your hair, shave, so on and so on. Right before you get out of the shower, turn the temperature down for the last 30 seconds. Work your way to colder temperatures and longer stints under that running water. Believe me, when you get out you will be AWAKE.

Write in a Gratitude Journal

 There is nothing that says “reset” louder than a purposeful moment of thankfulness. How often do you stop to consciously express your gratefulness for something or someone? Oh, never?

Start a gratitude journal. Every morning, before you check your phone, answer e-mails, turn on the news…maybe even before you get out of bed, write down at least 3 things that you are grateful for. Sometimes that’s a friend who you went to dinner with the night before, sometimes it’s your partner snoozing next to you, some days it’s the gentle sound of rain, and sometimes it’s simply the ability to be grateful. 

Starting off with that kind of positivity can change the trajectory of your day.

Eat a Purposeful Breakfast

I use the word “purposeful” on purpose (ha). A purposeful breakfast doesn’t look the same for everyone. For some it looks like eggs and fruit, for some it looks like last nights leftovers, for others it might look like a bullet-proof coffee and a hard-boiled egg.

Treat yourself to what makes your body feel good. What that means: whole foods, unprocessed foods, a balanced meal. What that doesn’t mean: glazed or cream-filled. 

When you break your fast in the morning, give your body nutrients. Give your brain and stomach a fighting chance to last happily until lunch time.

Review Your Goals

Take 20 seconds to look at your goals and reaffirm their meaning in your life. Hopefully you’ve created some SMART goals that you are working towards. If not, check out my SMART Goals post to get started.

Give yourself a visual reminder so that you can make conscious decisions towards success all day long.

A lot to remember, I know. I created a checklist for you to get you started with your Morning Reset. Grab it below!