Try This Mindful Morning Routine To Start Your Day Off Right

Does your morning routine consist of hitting snooze on your alarm multiple times, staying in bed as late as possible, and barely making it to work on time?

If you’re like a lot of people, your morning routine probably looks like this:

• Alarm goes off
• Hit snooze (at least 3 times)
• Lay in bed thinking about how much you don’t want to get up
• Finally drag yourself out of bed
• Jump in the shower, brush your teeth, get dressed
• Run out the door with a piece of toast (or nothing) in your hand

For years, my morning routine followed a similar pattern, and it was making me feel stressed out before I’d even started my morning commute.

This type of morning “routine” (or lack thereof) can negatively impact your entire day. Honestly, how can you expect to have a great day when your morning is in chaos?

Starting Your Day With Intention

According to the authors of My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired, having a morning routine allows you to start your day with intention, which helps you to “bring your morning “wins” with you into the rest of the day.”

Imagine how different your life could be if, instead of your mornings being chaotic, you developed a mindful morning routine that evoked a sense of calmness and excitement for the day ahead.

A good day requires preparation and a solid foundation, and formulating a mindful morning routine that works for you is one of the best ways to do that.

The Mindful Morning Routine That Changed My Life

A well-thought-out morning routine can have a significant impact on your life, happiness, and success.

Below, I’ll share with you my own mindful morning routine. This routine has changed my life for the better, allowing me to start my day with intention and in a state of calm, with this energy then flowing through the rest of my day.

Of course, a morning routine can (and should) be individualized. Everyone’s situation is different and what works for one person may not work for the next.

If my morning routine appeals to you and aligns with your lifestyle, then by all means adopt it as your own. Otherwise, I encourage you to use aspects of my mindful morning routine to create your own.

Here is my mindful morning routine:

Set My Alarm for 6am

Waking up at 6am used to sound like a nightmare for me – probably because I used to stay up until at least midnight, often later. Unsurprisingly, going to bed earlier makes it easy to wake up earlier.

I use downloaded the “Alarm Clock Sleep Sounds” app for a gentle wake up alarm, instead of getting jolted awake by a loud, irritating alarm.

Get Up Immediately

When I say I get up immediately, I don’t mean I jump out of bed the second my alarm goes off. What I mean is that I don’t roll over and hit snooze 3 times. Instead, once my alarm goes off I open my eyes, switch my alarm off, sit up, stretch and then get out of bed.

Drink a Glass of Water

It’s important that you rehydrate as soon as possible in the morning. You’ve likely gone 8+ hours without a drink, leaving you feeling parched and dehydrated.

Meditate

Once I’ve hydrated, I then do a short morning meditation. A 5-minute morning meditate allows me to calm my mind and set my intentions for the day. It also allows me to have a few minutes of important “me time.”

Exercise

Next I’ll make the time to exercise. Depending on what time I need to leave my house/finish my morning routine this could be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes in length.

When I only have 15 minutes, I generally like to do a couple of workouts from the free 7 Minute workout app.

Otherwise, I love to do one of the many trainer-led workouts on Aaptiv. My favorite is the Kettlebell Conditioning Program, which allows me to get a full-body cardio and weight workout using one piece of equipment.

Take a Shower & Get Dressed

After exercising, I’ll take a shower. Showering is the perfect time to repeat positive affirmations to yourself, so I try to do that every time I shower.

Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Instead of racing out the door with a piece of toast like I used to, my mindful morning routine now includes making myself a healthy breakfast.

To be honest, I’m not a huge breakfast person – I don’t really have a large appetite in the morning. I usually make myself a healthy smoothie or some smashed avocado toast on sourdough. Breakfast is also a great time to repeat positive affirmations.

Review Goals for the Day

After breakfast, I take some time to review my goals for the day. Goals that are reviewed regularly are far more likely to be met so I make this a priority.

Start My Day

Now I’m ready to start my day. As you can see, my morning routine is pretty simple. All up, it takes about 60 minutes. However, on days I have less time, I can complete my morning routine in as little as 40 minutes, by substituting my Aaptiv workout for the 7-Minute Workout app.

This is my mindful morning routine, and it’s what works for me. It’s important that you find a routine that works for you so feel free to use mine or come up with your own. My mindful morning routine changed my life – it can change yours, too.

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