Wake Up To Win - How To Make The Perfect Morning Routine
Creating A Morning Ritual
Healthy Morning Routines
Do you hate getting out of bed?
How many times do you push the snooze button?
Does your phone have 10 different alarms set every morning?
If you’re like most people, you likely answered with “yes” to all of these.
I’m going to tell you that having a good morning routine will not only change that but will also make your entire day better.
In this blog, I’m going to go over what my recommended morning routine is. I will also explain to you what I believe your morning routine should consist of. That way, you can remove and add other things you hear about or want to try to create your own perfect morning routine.
It’s important to note we are all different, and you won’t know what works best for you without trying new things.
On top of that, I will tell you some things you should not do right in the morning.
The perfect morning routine should consist of 4 or 5 elements.
1) Practice Mindfulness
Starting this can be easy, but not for everyone. Regardless, you should try.
You need to do something to calm and organize your mind - go through your thoughts.
What do you want to do today? What do you want to do in your life? How fast is your heart beating? Let your mind wander.
Meditating is my choice of preference, but some prefer to journal. You can also do both.
You don’t need to do this for a long time. I would recommend 5-15 minutes.
The fun part is you will notice you will start to remember your dreams better when you do this. Not only that, but you’ll also feel more at ease going into the day.
A quiet mind is a peaceful mind.
Start the day off with some peace.
2) Get Your Heart Pumping
You need to get your heart going and get the blood in your body flowing.
Doing a quick 10-minute workout is an excellent way to do this.
Morning sex never hurt anybody either. You don’t need to go too hard (pun intended).
Riding the bike, going for a brisk walk, or doing some squats and push-ups.
Whatever your exercise of choice is, as long as your heart starts pumping a bit. This will give you some energy and get rid of some brain fog.
3) Change Your State
Next, you need to change your state. This will hit you better than a cup of coffee (which you should avoid too early).
Taking a cold shower is an incredible choice.
Cold showers are better for your skin than hot showers and lower stress, reduce muscle soreness, boost your immunity, combat symptoms of depression and wake you up!
Another good choice is doing breathwork.
The Wim Hof Method is a popular breathing technique which increases your energy, improves focus and increases your immune system. That and a whole load of other benefits.
This may not be your method of choice. I recommend scrolling through youtube videos to find breathing exercises that work for you!
4) Gratitude Practice & Planning
There are a few notable ways to do this but the most popular would just be to write in a journal. Many people use the Five Minute Journal as it guides you through this simply.
If you don’t have this journal, take an open notepad, and write 3 things you are thankful for, and 3 things you want to get done.
When you write, you have to really feel it.
Allow yourself to get into your heart and truly feel what you are grateful for and you’ll feel happier all day. If writing is not for you, a meditation on this can also work well.
Bonus:
I can’t go without saying that getting 10-20 minutes of sun exposure without sunglasses on is always awesome if you can incorporate this into your routine.
Dr. Huberman explains that this helps you get your first dopamine release of the day. It’s a simple behaviour to add in and is well worth it. (If you don’t follow Dr. Huberman on Twitter, I highly recommend it)
Now at this point, you’re probably asking… “Well if you know so much about morning routines, what do you do?”
Glad you asked!
For the past few years, I have been testing different morning routines for a couple of months at a time to see which I prefer. I have a passion for researching what high achievers do and trying it out to see how it works for me.
Currently, this is my morning routine:
1) I wake up and put meditation music on.
2) Do 3-5 rounds of the Wim Hof Method
3) 10-15 minute meditation
4) Journal (I use the five-minute journal)
5) 10-minute walk (only during the summer)
6) I say out loud 10 things I am grateful for in the car.
7) Go to the gym
8) Sauna & cold shower
I don’t force myself to complete all of these things and you shouldn’t either. On average, I likely do 6 or 7 of these and I would call that a good morning.
On Sundays, I often do all 8 and then I feel amazing!
“At the end of the day, the last experience you have is coming back to something that you’ve accomplished. It’s hard for me to overstate how important this ritual has become, but number one: Make your bed.” - Tim Ferriss
Something Tim Ferriss recommends is making your bed no matter what. It’s simple but meaningful.
If all else fails in your day, at least you did one thing right.
That’s how I look at each of these things I do in the morning. If I get 6 of these things done, and the rest of my day went bad, all of it… at least I got these 6 things done.
Your Routine
Examples of a few other things that are great to do in the morning:
- Stretch for 10 minutes, or do yoga
- Chug 500ml of water to speed up your metabolism
- Talk with someone you enjoy
- Write in your dream journal
Things you shouldn’t do:
- Coffee within 90 minutes of waking up (messes with cortisol levels making you more tired)
- Go directly on your phone. Don’t clutter your brain with notifications right away.
- Eating a high-carb breakfast. Far better to go high protein!
- Hitting snooze 100 times. Commit to waking up when you are supposed to
My recommendation is that you should mix and match the things that suit you best. Test out your routine of choice, if you don’t have a part of it after a couple of weeks, switch it out, and try again.
Eventually, you’ll end up with a morning routine you love and do every day!
You are now equipped with the tools to create your own morning routine!
If you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to experiment - feel free to try my routine!
Remember, before deciding if your new routine works for you or not, try it for a few weeks. Allow your body and mind to adjust and then try a new one if you aren’t happy with the results!
Thanks for reading!
If you already have a morning routine, comment below! I’d love to hear it.
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Be Love.