Well, hello Wednesday. Here you are, letting us know it’s already the middle of the week. Let me guess, you’re feeling a bit stiff, and prefer to hit the snooze button a few times to give yourself the extra time to wake-up… sloooowwwwwly. Or, you can choose to rise and shine and get this morning wellness routine in order right away, because you know your morning wellness routine will make you feel accomplished, successful, and beautiful!
Early AM wake-up
When my alarm went off at 5:25 a.m. today I was already woken-up from my daughter climbing-in from a middle-of-the-night bad dream about tornados. I was well aware that she’d be awake before me (5:05am usually). Our cat Arrietty C was sleeping in the corner of the bed, soundly, and our other cat Professor Albus was meowing with his prey in his mouth – a small felt toy that seems to make him loud and proud.
All that, in turn, had me rise up out of bed.
Just a little bit of household activity in the wee hours of the morning.
From there, I moved through the corner basket to pick-up the pile of clothes that I needed to get suited-up for my morning wellness routine; nothing more than my cozy pants and long-sleeve shirt I wore the night before.
Although I have a drawer full of amazing Lulu Lemons and workout gear, none was required for this easy morning wellness routine set-up. I was ready to roll-out my yoga mat, put on a pair of comfortable socks, and move into a few yoga poses. I still had to get my coffee started, which I prepared my grinds for a pour-over the night before. My daughter was also ready for breakfast so I managed to get her organized too. This took me less than 15 minutes so I could sit at the table with my affirmations journal ready to read, have a few sips of my coffee, and then I could move over to my yoga mat to stretch and wake-up my body.
My early-morning wellness routine does not include a 6:30 a.m. BODYPUMP class at Goodlife Fitness. Not necessary. My morning wellness routine involves a gentle stretch routine that allows my mind and body to integrate and be in flow for the day. I’ll sometimes get my meditation in then, or wait till mid-morning after my daughter’s in school and I’ve done a bit of work in my office.
As I wrapped-up my affirmations, my first cup of java, and a 10-minute yoga routine, I started thinking about how I’m able to get-up and go so easily in the mornings, even when I’m still feeling tired. I’m not always able to get up right away at 5:25am either but today felt like a great start. My kid and cat probably played a role in that. I was grateful in that moment for that little boost.
First of all, admittedly, I’m not necessarily a morning person. I definitely love the feeling of being an early riser but it doesn’t come as naturally as it does for my 10-year old daughter. I wonder if it’s because I named her after the sun, in French (Soleil). I much prefer to wake-up around 6:30-7 a.m. On a good day, I usually wake-up before that, and often wake up before my alarm.
These days, my morning wellness routine is vitally important to do right after I wake-up. My neck and back have been irritated from a car accident I had a few months back. I still fit in my weights and gym work-out at different times throughout the week, but I always attend to my wellness routine immediately. I just feel better, and more grounded, for the rest of the day!
However, back in 2020, I stuck to a very regular early morning writing routine for almost two years straight. I would wake-up at 5:25 a.m., and get straight to coffee, affirmations, and writing at the kitchen table. I had it down to a science, and I loved that it gave me the early boost of creativity. I then did my yoga and stretch routine around 7am, to work out the kinks in my neck from writing. I’ve now made the change to an early morning wellness routine and find it’s a really important part of my powerful daily habits.
How to wake up early to create wellness with intention
As I said in 3 ways to build a healthy routine , preparation is key.
Set out your workout space the night before
Put everything together. If you’re doing yoga, have your mat and blocks, etc… organized, including headphones, a charged iPod, a towel. If taking off to the gym, plan your gym bag, your wallet and keys, etc.
Plan what you are going to eat or drink the night before.
Although I’ve experimented with many early morning eats, my current pre-yoga regimen is strictly a cup of dark roast decaf-coffee. I’ll then have a protein shake around 7am or some Greek yogurt. If you’re going to the gym, plan to bring a post work-out protein shake, in a mason jar (ditch the plastic).
You don’t have to eat before an early AM work-out if you don’t want to. Oftentimes, you will be okay doing cardio on an empty stomach, which sometimes increases fat burn. However, if you are doing an extended work-out, resistance training or anything high-intensity, you want some fuel in your belly to burn. When I was training with a personal trainer, I was having a protein shake first thing in the morning, with greek yogurt a few hours before my high intensity workout.
Organize Your Workout Gear The Night Before
If your morning wellness routine involves a more intense morning workout, or leaving for the gym, have your change of clothing ready. The best part of a morning work-out is that feeling of being ready. On the flip side of that, the worst part is feeling the rush to get ready for your day ahead. Instead of rushing, take care of the details the night before, and let the power of intention make your life easier. Sometimes you forget that you needed to change the clothes in your gym back – ewwww.
Also, if you are doing yoga at home – get your mat ready. Mine is always rolled-up in the corner of my bedroom.
Working-out in the morning is not for everyone, but everyone should have a wellness routine that supports their mind and body before the day begins. Even if you think you don’t have time, make time. An extra 5-minutes to lay out your yoga mat, stand on it and do a few forward bends and stretches are vitally important for joint and spinal health.
If you go to a gym, you’ll probably find it’s less busy in the early morning hours which makes the routine fly by more quickly. And, you often walk out of the gym feeling amazing, giving you a boost in mental clarity to be more productive throughout your day.
Is it better to work-out in the morning or evening?
Whatever the time of day that you choose to include personal wellness or fitness doesn’t really matter, as long as you fit it in. I don’t personally get to the gym as often as I’d like, but I always lift my weights at home throughout the day.
But if you want to try creating an early morning wellness routine, might I suggest you spend some time preparing yourself, and also, be sure you do it with a smile. Your wellness routine might also involve reading affirmations, spending a few moments in gratitude and doing a short meditation with some stretches in the shower. Gratitude is one such method to boost your vibrations and open-up your mind to different opportunities and possibilities. You may opt-out of having a yoga mat entirely. Just be sure to set the intention to move the energy in your body. Your body and mind will thank you for it later.
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