How to Create the Perfect Morning Routine

If you feel like you don't know where to start on your journey to improve your health and wellness, you're not alone! Making changes and creating new habits can be overwhelming, especially when you are being bombarded by so much conflicting advice about how to be healthy. If you start your day by taking time for yourself to do things that make you feel happy and energized, it becomes much easier to make healthy choices for the rest of the day.

Incorporating the 5 key components to your personal routine will ensure that you are beginning each day with balance and ease. Here are the 5 areas to focus on to create your perfect morning routine:

1) Wake Up Early

This might seem like it goes without saying, but the only way you will be successful in adding these important new habits into your life is to make the time. Going to bed earlier and waking up earlier is the foundation of every good morning routine. I am not suggesting you get less sleep, but rather make your well being a priority and make choices that allow you to get to bed just a little bit earlier.

2) Be Mindful

Learning to hit pause and take a moment to be mindful can be life changing. We are all living in a world that is so focused on constant movement and worry that it can be easy to go through an entire day without stopping to slow down and connect with the present moment. Adding a mindfulness practice to your morning routine will ensure that you take a moment to simply exist with your thoughts and emotions, and will allow you to start your day feeling relaxed and centered. Don't be intimidated by the idea of trying meditation - even simply sitting still in silence for a few minutes can be a great place to start. Also consider reading, or even paying close attention to the task at hand in an effort to keep your mind from wandering.

3) Be Grateful

Starting your morning with gratitude is a sure fire way to set a positive tone for your day. Many of us tend to focus on all of the things in our life that we want, but don't have. If you take the time to think of the things you are grateful for, you will attract more good things into your life. One of the easiest ways to implement a gratitude practice is to journal about all of the things, big or small, that you are happy to have in your life. This is also a great tool to use throughout the day if you find yourself having a hard time, or getting stuck in negative self talk.

4) Get Moving

Moving your body during the first part of your day improves physical and mental energy, and gives you a moment to connect with your body before you move into your busy day. Some of us find that it works best in our schedule to do a longer workout in the morning, and that's great! But regardless of when you are fitting in exercise, it is important to add even brief movement into your morning routine. This could be something as simple and quick as five minutes of yoga or stretching, taking a short walk, or even heading to the gym for your favorite fitness class.

5) Create Rituals

One of the main benefits of creating a morning routine is allowing yourself time to complete tasks that will add immense value to your life. Being more intentional about the simple tasks we complete each morning, allows us to squeeze in a lot more self care than we thought we had time for. Creating small rituals that bring joy into simple practices can create a huge shift in how you feel throughout your day. Some of my favorite simple morning rituals are tongue scraping and dry brushing. Try something new and see how it makes you feel!