Every morning matters – treat it with care

How do you start your day?

Coffee? Phone? A kiss from your partner?

The morning is the most precious time of the day. We awake from the night’s sleep, are hopefully rested and renewed, and want to keep this fresh energy as best as we can throughout the day. The morning really matters and should be treated with most care.

What do you want for your day?

• Feel energized,
• Be in a good mood,
• Get things done?

Structure and routine are key.

Structure your start of the day and make your morning routine a habit. (“Do less gain more.”) Stick to it, when it gets boring. Researchers found out, that the average person needs 66 days to form a new routine into a habit (Study by Philippa Lally, European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010).

What´s the difference? A routine is a usual order and way of doing something, whereas a habit is a behavior that starts as a choice and then becomes a nearly unconscious pattern. The trick is to make your routine a habit. Something which we perform daily without thinking about it, something which becomes a pattern.

We are humans, we love to walk a path with the least resistance. Stretching, Yoga, or going for a run means effort. For as long as we don´t internalize the positive impact of moving the body in the morning, the mind will refuse to take the action. (It´s not about Yoga, training your flexibility is key.)

If going for a morning walk has become a habit for you, you won´t stay home, if you are tired or the weather is bad. You get up, dress and go outside without hesitating.

It all starts with the intention to create a routine, followed by the intention to stick to it until your body will perform the action without thinking.

Happy morning – happy day

1. Intention: I start a morning routine TODAY (keep this intention for at least 66 days).

2. Keep your phone away (best in a separate room) and keep it on flight mode. (“Out of sight, out of mind”). This minimizes distraction and the urge to check your messages, emails, news, social media, you name it.

3. Make your bed. This gives you a sense of order and pride, that the first thing is done to finish off the night.

4. Go to the bathroom, get some fresh water on your face and splash away the fatigue.

5. Drink a glass of water (add lemon, if you like). Throughout the day, we often forget to hydrate the body. This is the first glass, which gets our body cells into the swing.

6. Open the window, take in some fresh air and do some light workouts (Stretching, Yoga, Qi Gong, morning walk).

7. Sit in silence for a couple of minutes/do a guided meditation. Prepare the mind for the day. Set an intention to keep this calm and relaxed flow throughout the day.

How long this routine takes is totally up to you. If you are a morning sports person, you may like to really heat up the body, as you might not find the time to do so during the day. Go for a run or on your spinning bike right away. You will see how energized and fresh you feel afterward. The trick is to stick to this routine (e.g. morning run twice a week + stretching the other days) in order to create a habit.

It´s just 3 + 4 points:

• Intention, no distraction, making your bed &
• Water your face, water your gut, get moving and calm your mind.

How have I found my morning routine?

I once started with a glass of water and a couple of minutes stretching, but over time, I some much enjoyed the time for myself that I got up earlier and expanded it. It now differs between weekdays and weekend days. During the week, I prefer to get up early, do some journaling, have a short Yoga routine to collect my energies and move my body and afterward sit in meditation for approx. 15 minutes to prepare me for the day and have a calm and peaceful start. No phone, no coffee, no talking (I say good morning to my husband, but that’s pretty much it).

On weekend days, there is no alarm and I give my body the choice to sleep for as long as he prefers. Normally, we still wake up early, open the blinds and stay in bed for a moment to welcome the day, before we get up and have a Yoga session together. Everything is a bit slower. I sometimes even skip the meditation to prepare breakfast for the hungry folks. Afterward, I grab a coffee and dive into the newspaper.

These days

There are other days, too. Days, when you wake up and JUST KNOW the day is grey. The night hadn´t been restful, too many thoughts, bad dreams, body tensions, or other issues, which have kept you awake. In addition, it´s raining or the sky is full of clouds. The best thing would be to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep, right? STOP – beat resistance!

Remember your routine:

• Intention
• Don´t touch the phone
• Get up, make your bed (first achievement!)
• Get some fresh water in your face
• Hydrate your body and drink water
• Open the window, do some stretching, until the fresh air gives you goosebumps
• Rest for a moment in a seated position and be thankful for the day and all the teachings which come along with it

On days like this it´s even more important to stick to the routine and make the best out of it. Hopefully, your routine has already become a habit by now.

It´s like running a marathon. Once you know, the mile is coming, where you want to give up you can tackle it up front. Greet it with an awry smile and say “I knew, this would come, but guess what? I don´t give in to it. I stick to my routine and make the best out of it.”

Remember: every morning matters and has to be treated with care.