To Have A Morning Routine or Not?

Is a morning routine necessary? You may hear health gurus, celebrities and yoga teachers talking about their life-changing morning routines. Whether meditation, a walk outside or a stretch session, they seem to be onto something.

The Power of A Consistent Morning Routine

Imagine that you have built the habit of a morning routine already, so when you wake up there is no question or talking yourself out of it. You have been doing the same routine every morning for the past three months. You wake up, brew yourself a cup of coffee, write in your journal and meditate for ten minutes. Then you either go to your favorite exercise class or jump into your work day.

Consistency builds habits and habits become your lifestyle. Once this routine becomes a lifestyle, you no longer need to wonder what to do with your mornings or talk yourself into pressing the snooze button a couple more times. You have got it down to a science.

Listening to Your Body

While some of us thrive on consistency and routine, others follow the signs of their bodies. If you did not get a good night’s sleep, you may give yourself a few extra minutes in the morning. Or if you are a woman in the second half of her menstrual cycle, you may feel more sluggish, physically and mentally. Cycle tracking to maximize productivity and self-care has become very popular and is worth checking out.

For those of us who are very tuned in to our bodies, this may work really well. However, this often is not the case, as we have so much external pressure to be productive, get things done and do things a certain way that we are almost too good at ignoring our bodies’ signs of stress and exhaustion until it is too late. When we claim to be listening to our bodies, it is important to ask ourselves if we are really tuned in or if we are using it as an excuse to sleep in or skip our morning workout.

Find Your Ideal Morning Routine

While morning routines are great to build consistent habits, they don’t have to look the same for everyone. And they don’t even have to look the same for you every day.

The beauty of a morning routine and the thing that all morning routines have in common is that it is time for you. Your morning routine does not have to be the same every day. You can commit to waking up at the same time to start your routine AND listen to your body.

If you wake up with your mind already running with thoughts, you may want to meditate then journal to get all the thoughts onto paper.

If you wake up feeling stiff or tense, a stretch session or yoga class would be a great way to start your day.

If you wake up and want to feel energized for the day, turn on some upbeat music and dance it out to start your day.

There is no perfect morning routine. Whether you choose to have the same routine each day or to switch it up based on how you feel, spending between ten minutes to one hour in the morning just for you sets the tone for the day and can lead to greater productivity, better focus, less stress and can ultimately lead to other healthy habits.