10 Tips To Set Yourself Up For A Great Day
Your morning routine impacts the rest of your day...
I know it's tempting to hit the snooze button, especially at this time of year.
Here are a few tips to make sure you get out of the right side of the bed and set yourself up for a happy, productive and successful day.
1- Early Rise
Getting up early means you can have enough time to gently start the day and create a healthy, positive routine. There's nothing worse than waking up late, rushing round the house and leaving in a stressed out whirlwind. If you're not getting enough sleep, try and get to bed earlier- you can save the next episode of Nashville for another time (note to self!)
2- Move
After being horizontal for 8 hours (hopefully!) your blood needs to get circulating again. So speed up your metabolism with some gentle exercise.
You'll feel refreshed, more alert and less sluggish later in the day.
There are some great gentle morning yoga routine's available online, so you won't even have to leave the comfort of your own living room!
Try this gentle morning 'Yoga for flexibility' routine with Tara Stiles- it's under 10 mins, so no excuses!: http://youtu.be/dRsC1YdXqOc
3- Hydrate
I don't always manage to stick to a good morning routine but the one thing I do without fail is start the day with a cup of warm water and fresh lemon. Rehydrate, get a shot of vitamin c and potassium and help keep your body PH balance right.
See more of the benefits from Ashley PItman on Mind Body Green
4- Mediate
If you've been following my blog and social media you'll know I am a big fan of meditation- also known as mindfulness. I don't work for them (although I probably should) but I highly recommend headspace for simple guided meditations. I love headspace for the easy to follow no nonsense approach to meditating. There's a mediation series for everyone from beginners to you seasoned zen master yogis. There's even an SOS pack for those meltdown moments. Get the app!
For thousands of years meditators have seen many benefits from their practice from better focus, creativity and stress management to better sleeping patterns, managing addictions and general wellbeing. See what evidence scientists have found to support these claims: Science
5- Clean
Hopefully this is a no-brainer! I've added this in to remind you to take the time to care for your skin. I hope you are keeping clean for obvious health and hygiene reasons but are you being mindful about looking after your body's largest organ? Products we use on our skin can be quickly absorbed into our blood stream, so it's worth being mindful of what's in them. When was the last time you looked at the labels? Make sure the products you're using are kind to you, animals and the environment. See my post on where to look for some great cruelty free, botanicals based brands here
For more info on what to look out for and avoid see here
6- Break Your Fast
Kick start your metabolism and eat something! Even if you can't face much first thing in the morning, have something light to give yourself some energy and avoid mid-morning snacking. Breakfast is called that because you are literally breaking your over-night fast.
I love juicing and if I'm not very hungry will have a healthy home-made juice or smoothie to get the nutrients and food my body needs. Get some goodness packed juice and smoothie recipes from Jason Vale, Juicemaster.
7- Leave with love
It's never a good idea to sleep on an argument, so don't leave the house on bad terms either. If you're anything like me you may need quiet time and space in the morning to wake up, so make sure you're clear with whoever you live with and give each other the space you need to get on with your own morning routines. Be kind and leave with loving words.
8- Commuting Connections
How could you use your time wisely on your commute? What could you learn? Could you use the time to read, write or listen to an audio? I know it's not popular to make eye contact on the tube but maybe you could learn something from striking up a conversation with the person next to you!? Or perhaps you can help them? As our social network connections increase we are losing real life connections, especially with strangers. I love the idea behind: http://italktostrangers.co.uk/ Turn your commute into an education.
9- Cheerful Greetings
Greet people with a smile and bring light into your place of work! Even if your colleagues don't return your cheerfulness, you will help lift the energy. You never know what's going on in other's lives, so always give people time, courtesy and positive attitude.
10- To Do List
I love a list and find writing everything down helps me to focus. If you're not doing this already I highly recommend writing a daily 'to-do' as soon as you get to your desk... or if you're really organised, the evening before. Then tick off/ cross out as you complete each task and turn your 'to-do's' into *ta-das!*
Create a healthy morning routine that works for you. Don't beat yourself up if you do hit that snooze button, just make one positive change at a time and find out what feels good for you.
How do you start your day?
