I really enjoy sleeping. Any opportunity to sleep a little longer and I'll grab it, no questions asked. But I've realised recently that my day can be dramatically improved if I make the most of my mornings. I adore breakfast - so many yummy choices to choose from! Eating my breakfast at my desk is fine every now and again, but I don't really get as much enjoyment out of my brekkie as I'd like to. I also feel like I don't have enough time to really wake my brain up and warm my body up for the day. So, I'm trying to change all that, little by little, to make my mornings not necessarily more productive, but set me up better for the rest of the day. Here are my tips for doing just that. Enjoy!
1. Go to bed earlier and read.
Okay so it's not morning, but this fits in nicely with number two, and it's important. So often, I hear people complaining that they never read anymore, and I sometimes find myself complaining too! Grab a good book, snuggle up and have a good read before bed. Even if you still end up turning your lights out at the same time as you did when you didn't read, you'll feel so relaxed that you'll most likely nod off quicker than usual.
2. Get up earlier.
Ouch, right? So it sounds terrible, even to myself, but think of all the wonderful things you can do for yourself that you wouldn't have time for otherwise. Gradually set your alarm earlier and earlier (try 5 minutes every other day) until you're able to get up about 40 minutes earlier than usual. Now for the fun stuff!
3. Forget you have a phone/laptop/tablet/etc.
This is DIFFICULT! There's just something great about looking at your phone first thing and seeing a message or a bunch of new insta followers, but it can also make for a terrible start to the day if you lose a bunch of followers or you get an email with some bad news. Eliminate the chance of ruining your day by not looking at your phone until you've eaten your breakfast, by which time you'll be in a better place mentally to deal with anything rubbish that has happened overnight. Use the time to read a magazine, read the paper, listen to the news, talk to your family, ponder the meaning of life, and you'll notice how much you enjoy the tech-free time.
4. Drink water.
Right, so has it ever occurred to you that when you're awake, you're pretty much drinking constantly, but when you go to bed at night, you don't drink anything for a reallyyyyy long time? I'm no scientist or anything, but to me this screams DEHYDRATION. When you wake up, have a big water-based drink, whether it's tea, hot water with lemon, plain old water, whatever you really enjoy.
5. Move.
I'm loathe to use the word exercise here. For me, it sounds like a chore, and I don't like doing chores first thing in the morning. If you love exercising then that's amazing, good for you, go for it! But for me, I like to think of it as simply a lovely morning stroll. You can Google the benefits of walking, and the benefits of a morning walk, apparently it does great things. For me, a 10 to 15 minute stroll is a great way to get the grumps out of myself if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and a great way to gently wake up (I'm the ginger zombie shuffling along first thing in the morning ha!)
6. Do yoga/stretch/meditate.
Again, I like to keep it brief, and I don't do all three every day. It really depends on what I feel like doing. If you don't feel like doing any, close your eyes and point, and do the one your finger lands on. You'll thank yourself afterwards. Headspace is an amazing app if you're looking for guided meditation/mindfulness. It's just 10 minutes a day so it's really easy to fit in. Rachel Brathan AKA Yoga Girl has shared a morning wake-up yoga flow on YouTube which I adore. And as for stretching, gently fling yourself around, have fun with it!
If you simply can't wait to eat after your walk, then swap numbers six and seven around, easy.
7. Eat breakfast.
I LOVE BREAKFAST! Did I say that already? It's because I really do. I love it so much, sometimes I have breakfast for supper! Use the extra time you've given yourself in the morning to make yourself a super yummy meal. Check out my 'In the kitchen' board on Pinterest for some drool-worthy breakfasts.
8. Write down your goals for the day.
Take a few minutes to think about what you want to achieve each day and write them down. It's a great way to focus your mind and get you excited for what you're going to do with the rest of your day. At the end of the day, take a look at all the things you've done, and for goodness sake don't beat yourself up if you didn't tick everything off, just focus on what you DID do.
Struggling to imagine what your new mornings will look like? Here's my typical morning routine:
8am - Wake up. Moan and groan a bit. Pull on some leggings, a hoody and some trainers and stumble downstairs to put the kettle on. While the kettle boils, stare out of the window for a bit and then make a big glass of ice water with cucumber and mint leaves. Make a big mug of green tea (half hot, half cold water, I hate burning my tongue). Sip tea and glug water. Ahh, so refreshing!
8.10am - Drag myself out of the house and go for a stroll wherever my feet take me. Start to realise what a lovely day it is and feel jolly/splash around in the puddles and feel jolly.
8.20am - Do some yoga/meditate/stretch. Feel good.
8.30am - BREAKFAST TIME! I usually have a massive fruit salad with coconut yoghurt, muesli with fruit and coconut yoghurt, or a croissant. I also love bacon, avocado and eggs. Sit down, relax, read the newspaper or Vogue, and think about what I want to achieve today. Write it all down and do some doodles to jazz things up a bit.
9am - By 9am, I'm dressed and at my desk ready to start work. I'm lucky as I work from home, but of course you can adjust the timings to take into account when you need to leave for work/school.
Usually I would wake up at 8.40am and everything would be a complete rush. Turns out I don't mind getting up earlier if it means I have a super chilled morning that makes for a happier day.
What's your morning routine like? Will you be incorporating any of my tips into your routine?
Much love,
Bemsy xxx
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