A morning routine is very important for me. It gives me a purpose to get up early and do my desired tasks. Whenever I get up, I like to do certain tasks and take out some peaceful time for myself. It is my ‘ME’ time. It is a time when I want to give all my energy to myself. It is the time which I devote to myself. I have always believed in a very structured routine especially morning ones. It keeps me sane and gives a fresh start to my day. It is a time when I am the happiest and high on energy.
Earlier I would hardly wake up before 9am. But now from the past few years I have started waking up between 7-7:30am every day. So what happened suddenly and why did I change my timings? Back to those days, I was someone who would eat a lot and won’t exercise and then also crib about my weight gain. This viscous cycle continued until I decided to put an end to it. I decided to start working out. But then I realised that my evenings were not free because of my classes and then I decided to give morning workouts a chance( Not that I had any other option).
Slowly it became a habit to wake up early. I realised that before I started working out in the morning I didn’t have any purpose as to why do I have to wake up early and follow a routine. Now I had something to look forward to. It was my workout schedule which made me stick to my timings. Slowly I developed some habits I would do everyday in the morning.
Why are morning routines so important?
We all are so busy all day. We are either caught up with work, family, studies and kids. We don’t get time for ourself usually all day long. But having a morning routine ensures some time for oneself. Giving yourself time is very important no matter in what form it is. Prioritising yourself will make you feel less stressed and you will get to know yourself even better.
Not everyone’s morning routines are same because not all individuals are same. We have different habits, likes and dislikes so how can we have the same morning routine. For some people it could be to walk their dogs, for some it could be to read a book, to go for walks or even to sit with a cup of coffee in the morning. To get into a early morning routine it’s important to first analyse why you want to get up early morning. You must have a purpose because merely waking up and scrolling through your phone in the bed is not enough. You need to set your purpose which needs to be achieved early morning. Next, to work on it. Initially it will be difficult to wake up early and you might feel cranky for first few days but slowly you will realise that it makes you feel better to accomplish things you really love doing in the morning before the hustle-bustle of life starts. So don’t give up on yourself.
Let’s now come to my early morning routine. Here are few things I do every morning-
1. Practising Gratitude as soon as I wake up–
The first thing I do when I get up is practice gratitude. I thank God for a new day. I feel gratitude for having a roof on me, having the basic amenities, food on my table. I also thank this life for always supporting my body. I also thank my body for doing so much for me everyday. Last but no the least, I thank God for my family and friends.
Practising gratitude early in the morning gives me a a lot of energy to get through the day as I remind myself each day that and be thankful for every new day I get to see. With regular practice you will see that you are more thankful to this life and how much it has given it to you.
2. Soaking in the Sunrise-
Next thing I do is that I draw out the curtains which leads to natural sunlight in my room. It is also the time when I witness sunrise and is my favourite part about waking up early. On days when it’s cloudy I miss the sunshine but also I try to make the most of the sunny days. The natural sunlight in my rooms makes it look bright and ready for the day.
The early morning sunlight is an instant mood lifter. It is a moment I would never miss because I am a sunrise person. It is also a good time to soak in the vitamin D without the risk of sunburn.
3. Stretching my blues away-
The next thing that I do is that I perform some basic stretches to realise the stiffness and stress in my body. When you wake up from a deep sleep your body gets stiff due to lack of moment for so many hours which can increase the risk of injuries. So in order to relieve myself of the stiffness in my body I do some basic neck, back and leg stretches which takes about 5 minutes. I perform each stretch for about 30 seconds.
These 5 minutes are magical and they change the way I feel. It makes me feel lighter and more mobile. It is also good to stretch as soon as you get up to increase your blood circulation.
4. Making my bed-
Now this may seem so basic and small but it’s not. Making your bed as soon as you get up is a form of self discipline. It is the first thing which you must do in your house as soon as you get up. In fact making your own bed is an activity in hostels and camps in order to install discipline and organising capabilities. Not only this, but also a neat bed is something we all like. Once you start making your bed in the morning you will feel even more organised.
You surely do not want to come back home to a messy bed. This will not only put you in a bad mood but will also make you feel irritated and restless. Once you get into the habit of making bed everyday then there is no going back.
5. Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate-
Water is very important for our bodies. Practically, our body consists of 72% water. Hydration is important throughout the day but it is most important early morning. Our bodies become dehydrated overnight. So it’s important to hydrate and drink at least one litre of water when you wake up. If you don’t fill up on water then you might experience dizziness and feel sluggish. So I drink at least 5 glasses of water to wash out the toxins from my body collected overnight. Also having water has limited my caffeine intake early morning. I am glad I switched to water than relying on caffeine as my morning drink.
6. Time to Workout-
Since I already mentioned that my early morning motivation is to workout. I look forward to moving my body every morning. It gives me instant energy and makes me feel more productive. Not only does it help in weight loss but has also made me stronger. Doing a workout in the morning makes me check it off the to do list for my day. I don’t leave my workouts for evenings since I am mostly occupied and sometimes impromptu plans are made which keeps me busy in the evenings. So after doing all the above things, I change into my workout clothes, roll out the mat and start with my exercises.
My early morning routine is very simple. I don’t do anything out of the world. But it is a routine that suits me the most. It is the routine which keeps me sane. It is that routine which I follow no matter how I am feeling because I know that I’ll feel better after doing all of this. Not only does this routine makes my day productive but also makes me feel that I am in more control of my life. This routine might not suit you or others. So don’t worry if your routine does not look like this. We all are different and so are our routines.