…. Morning Glory or not! What does your morning routine look like? If you’re like most people, it goes something like this:– Hear the alarm. Tap snooze for an extra 10 minutes sleep. Repeat alarm routine a few times…. Suddenly, you’re late for work, so you rush to have a quick shower…. Have a quick breakfast (if at all) and then rush to work.

Morning routines can be a struggle even for those who are naturally “morning people.” If you’re facing a busy schedule finding the right attitude to get up and get going can be hard, but for an optimal day of productivity and positivity, it’s best way to take some time to ground ourselves and start the day on a good note.

Morning routines become ingrained. This also means that if we adopt the right morning routines, we can become happier and more productive. The best way to make changes to your life is through habits, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.

Starting with the moment you open your eyes you need to get your day on the best possible track. You can do this all before a workout, shower and breakfast, or build these activities around those essentials. First two minutes: Positive thoughts and no phone. Many of us (myself included) use our phones as our alarms. That’s fine — so long as you can resist the urge to read any missed messages or emails once you’re awake. If not, get an old-school alarm and keep your phone elsewhere. It’s critical that you’re not distracted at all during this routine.That split second when you wake up counts the most, because right then and there you can set the tone of your new day for how you want it to be.

Set your intentions after waking up and getting out of bed right away (yes, right away! Don’t lay around in bed for any length of time. Get up and start the day!), spend a few minutes thinking about how you want your day to look.We often wake up filled with anxiety and fear for what might happen as if we are at the mercy of our calendars and clocks, bosses and responsibilities, but the truth is that we can have any kind of day we want to have.We don’t have to dread our lives if we are intentional about how we spend our time.

Hal Elrod is on a mission to elevate the consciousness of humanity, one morning at a time. As one of the highest rated keynote speakers in America, creator of one of the fastest growing online communities and author of one of the highest rated, best-selling books in the world, The Miracle Morning which has been translated into 27 languages, has over 2,000 five-star Amazon reviews and is practised daily by over 500,000 people in 70+ countries.

While breakfast is not mentioned by Elrod, (maybe due to the assumption that this already in your routine) this should be added as we all know now that breakfast has many positives that goes towards being the best you and having your best day.

Breakfast…

Improves your energy levels.
Improves metabolism.
Provides many beneficial nutrients, and boosts your fibre and calcium intake (compared to no breakfast).
Reduces you chance of over-consuming high kilo joule foods later in the day.
Stabilises your blood sugar levels.
Improves memory and concentration.

Also did you know that drinking water first thing in the morning has many health benefits? In your everyday work, your body has exerted energy and power. That’s the reason why you are trying to soothe yourself through hydration. Your body is craving water when you wake up in the morning. As soon as you get up, grab and quench a glass of water (2 to 3 glasses) and your health will be more than rejuvenated in more ways than you can imagine. Add lemon juice to your water for to further antioxidant and vitamin C benefits.

Water…

Immediately helps re hydrate the body.
Increases your level of alertness and enhance your physical performance.
Helps fuel your brain in memory and performance.
Can help you fight sicknesses and strengthens the immune system.
Helps get rid of the toxins in your body.
Jump-starts your metabolism.
Healthy weight loss as you will feel less hungry.

Six Practices of the Miracle Morning

Here’s a summary of Hal’s morning routine practices. He says they’re “guaranteed to save you from a life of unfulfilled potential.”

SILENCE

Silence meaning Meditation which has a nearly endless list of proven health benefits for your body and mind, from less stress and anxiety to more creativity and clarity. You could try a Meditation app like Calm or Headspace of you may what to search out your favourite Yogi or spiritual guide on You Tube.

AFFIRMATIONS

An affirmation is a sentence in alignment with what you want to accomplish and who you need to be to accomplish it. Elrod suggests repeating your affirmation daily, ideally out loud. “They immediately make an impression on your subconscious mind,” he explains. “They transform how you think and feel so you can overcome your limiting beliefs and behaviours and replace them with those you need to succeed.” You may want to write this down and place them on the bathroom mirror and even at work to support you throughout the day.

VISUALISATION

Using visualisation, you train your brain to see things as you would like them to be instead of as they are. Elrod says that for five minutes, you should “visualise living your ideal day, performing all tasks with ease, confidence and enjoyment.”

READING

This practice fast tracks transformation in any part of your life, Elrod says. “Don’t reinvent the wheel,” he reminds us. “The fastest way to achieve everything you want is to model successful people who have already achieved it.” He recommends a minimum of 10 pages per day total and suggests choosing a personal development book or a religious text.

In the morning you may want a book that has inspirational short stories or has clear messages in each chapter like ‘What If?: Short Stories to Spark Inclusion and Diversity Dialogue’ by Steve L. Robbins, 10 stories that help gain deeper insight into the role our brains play in shaping our thoughts and actions and what we can do to be more curious and open-minded in our diverse world.

WRITING

This could be journaling, jotting down ideas, making a gratitude list, planning your goals, your bucket list, putting whatever is on your mind on paper. There are so many books around to help you to do this. If you decide on a Gratitude Journal and are short of time try ‘The One-Minute Gratitude Journal by Brenda Nathan’. In this journal, you have flexibility to write down the dates of entry and not feel guilty if you miss a day. There are also pages in this journal where you can just draw something beautiful.

Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation for what we have so write down three to five things you are grateful for and turn your ordinary moments into blessings.

EXERCISE

“Exercise” can be something as simple as a 10-minute yoga routine or set of body weight exercises you do on your living room floor. You just need to get moving and get the blood and oxygen flowing to the brain.

Again there are lots of apps and Fitness gurus on You Tube to support you and keep you going. Our favourite Yogi is Yoga with Adriene who has 5.9 million subscribers, she provides free yoga for everyone at all levels which includes practices from 5 to 35 minutes. or try Cassey Ho who is an award-winning fitness instructor, entrepreneur and personality based in Los Angeles, she is the creator of Blogilates. Fusing pop music together with her classical Pilates routines, followers love her innovative choreography.

Putting it in to action

There is no doubt that having a healthy Morning Routine is beneficial however if you are starting from scratch try integrate 3 or 4 into your routine at first, any change is a positive one as these practices will enhance your life by boosting your productivity and improving your well-being. When you accomplish things soon after waking up, however small the activity, your brain produces much-needed dopamine, insufficient levels of dopamine can lead to a wide range of serious symptoms, including:

Depression;
Inability to focus;
Loss of motor control;
Reduced sex drive;
Cravings or addictions;
Lack of motivation;
Compulsions;
Loss of pleasure or satisfaction.

If you start the day in a reactive mode (reading your Facebook or Instagram feed or replying to emails), you’re less motivated to start your productive activities and gain the right mindset to fulfil your potential throughout your day. It may be difficult at first but if you persist it gets easier and becomes a habit.

If you would like to know more about habits and the impact they can have on your life, read Atomic Habits by James Clear. People think when you want to change your life, you need to think big, but world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions, doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call. He calls them ‘atomic habits.’

Have a wonderful day!