SUCCESSFUL MORNING HABITS

Over the past few months I completely changed my mornings. Mornings went from being my least favorite part of the day to my favorite. The habits I've created have made me happier, more positive and more productive during the day. Here are some of the habits that make me more successful every day.

Growing up I was never a morning person. I wanted to be, but I could never wake up before 10am on weekends. When I would wake up I would still be tired and spend the next few hours laying in my bed. I'm also a night owl and I tend to stay up until 4am which is when I have the motivation to write a whole book, Marie Kondo my whole house and workout for 4 hours. By staying up so late, on weekends and weekdays, I was left exhausted and unmotivated in the mornings. On schooldays I would get up at the latest possible time for the most sleep, run around my house to get ready quickly (usually pretty grumpy) and dash out the door. The extra little bit of sleep wasn't making me feel any better in the mornings and I would go around my day feeling groggy.

I'm not exactly sure what motivated me to change my mornings. I don't remember what my first steps were. However, within a few weeks I had created new habits that had transformed my mornings. I'm still perfecting my routine by prioritizing certain habits while I discover new things I want to include or replace. I'm not perfect. I'll skip some of my routine to sleep longer on certain mornings; I'll spend longer on a few things and totally cut others out. I'm learning what works best for me and I'm allowing myself to be flexible as not every morning is the same.

One of my favorite videos to watch on YouTube are routines. Whether they are morning routines, night routines, skincare routines, etc. I'll watch them. I would watch productive and healthy morning routines, shocked that people could a. wake up so early and like it and b. fit that much into one morning before work or school. Of course plenty of Youtubers work from home and have more flexible schedules. However, once I started changing my mornings I realized it was possible. Recently I noticed some Youtubers had morning routines titled "REALISTIC morning routine." When I watched those videos a lot of them were middle schoolers, high schoolers and college students having a similar routine to my old morning routine.

I've come to realize that my new morning routine is entirely realistic. It just depends on the motivation to go to bed and wake up earlier which was easier for me once I realized the benefits of my routine. I now look forward to my mornings and I'm excited to set the tone for my day. My morning routine helps prevent feelings of anxiety or stress throughout the day. When running out the door my whole day felt rushed while I struggled to feel awake and attentive before 1pm. Now I feel more motivated and I'm more productive and attentive before I've even left my house. Here is what my typical morning routine looks like.

Set an alarm

Something obvious but important that I changed in my routine is getting up earlier. To fit so much in my routine, I had to give myself more time. To get up earlier, I had to go to bed earlier. Instead of going to bed at 1-2am, I now try and be in bed by 10-11pm. Of course on weekends or special occasions I bend the rules. This also depends on my homework loads and time management.

One of the best tools I've found is the bedtime feature on the clock app. I now set my bedtime - when I want to sleep and when I want to wakeup. It turns my phone on do not disturb so I'm not interrupted by texts, snaps and calls. It reminds me of when to go to bed so I know when to start winding down. *I set the reminder 15-30 minutes before bed so I know when to start getting*

I tend to wake up anywhere from 6:30-8:30am. This depends on my day. I live in a tiny apartment on the Upper West Side in a family of four, so I have to accommodate everyone else's schedules and times as well as when my classes start. It is more difficult to wake up really early without being interrupted by my parents who are also trying to get ready for their day.

Meditation

The first thing I do when I wake up is meditate. As I do a guided meditation on an app on my phone, I sometimes get distracted with messages. Checking messages even if they're good morning texts from my boyfriend is influencing my mindset and shifting the effectiveness of my meditation so I try to wait until afterwards to check my texts.

By meditating first thing, it helps to get the deepest meditation and I am alone with my thoughts. I choose a meditation based on what I'm feeling or how I want to feel. Some mornings I am feeling anxious or upset from the previous night. If that is the case, I want to let go of that old stress as it is a new day and will choose a meditation that will help me. Other mornings I want to feel motivated, energized, peaceful, etc. By meditating first thing I get to set my intentions for my day.

I will have another more in-depth post about meditation coming up soon where I have more factual information, tips and details.

Studies have found that 20 minutes of meditation can give you 5x the amount of rest than sleeping through the entire night.

Meditation rests the mind and body. You are present but resting so when you meditate overtime, old stress leaves your body. You will be happier and overall less anxious. How I intend to feel that day impacts what I put into my routine that morning. This affects how I feel not only in the morning, but how I feel throughout my day.

Kippy

Petting a dog can increase levels of the stress-reducing hormone oxytocin and decrease production of the stress hormone cortisol.

One of my favorite ways to start my morning is cuddling with my 5-year old schnoodle, Kip. In the mornings after my parents have gotten up to start their day, he tends to come into my bed and sleep next to me. After I've woken up and meditated, I'll spend a couple minutes with him.

No matter how I'm feeling in the mornings he always lifts my spirits. He also is a good alarm clock. If I fall asleep during my meditation, he will come over and stand on my chest and lick my face until I wake up. I always feel less anxious and in a better mood by spending time with Kippy. He is a valuable part of the morning routine.

Stretch

The first thing I do when I get out of bed is stretch. These are simple stretches such as rolling my shoulders, reaching from side to side, swinging my arms, touching my toes and child's pose. I don't always have time for yoga or working out as some mornings I want to do multiple meditations or one longer meditation. I also have sciatica so some mornings I can only manage these simple stretches. If I have more time I also do stretches that are specific to releasing tension in the back where I have sciatica.

Make my bed

Usually when I start stretching, my dog also gets up and stretches with me. He sees I'm no longer sleeping so he knows it's time to get up. Since he is now up, I am able to make my bed. Plenty of mornings however, he doesn't want to get up and I have to wait until he gets up to make my bed. He can be grumpy when he is woken up and if he's sleeping on my bed, it's more of a hassle to make him get up. Instead, I have other rituals that I do in the meantime.

However, I always make sure to make my bed as soon as possible. When I don't have my bed made it encourages me to climb back into bed and go back to sleep. Also, surveys have found that people who make their bed everyday are 19% more likely to report getting restful sleep. Getting in the habit of making your bed everyday also has you begin your day with a small feeling of accomplishment and triggers you to adopt other healthy habits. The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg says making your bed every morning can translate to "better productivity, a greater sense of well-being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget.”

10 minute clean

Something newer I incorporated into my routine is a 10 minute clean. I don't always have time to do this and sometimes I do this for 5 minutes, other times 20.

I'll set a timer for 10 minutes and clean my room. This includes putting away clothes and shoes, cleaning my vanity and putting away makeup, and throwing out any trash or old daily contact lenses. I also set up anything I need such as packing up my backpack or a computer bag for the day. This way my room is clean so I can find everything, it's easier to get things done quicker and I can just grab my bag and head out the door when it's time to leave.

Sometimes my room is already pretty clean so I don't need the full 10 minutes. In that case, I just end the timer and move on. Some days my room is messier but if 10 minutes has passed and I'm not quite done, I usually will finish up what I'm doing and move on. Usually if I take the time to finish cleaning, I'll be late. This has helped me as it's nice to come home to a clean room and it makes my mornings run smoother.

Drink Water

I drink water as soon as possible in the mornings. If I'm feeling extra thirsty I will sometimes do this step as soon as I get out of bed. In the evenings before I go to bed, I fill up two swell water bottles and a few plastic bottles (that I reuse) with water and put them in the fridge overnight. I either drink one whole swell bottle or one plastic water bottle before eating or drinking anything. Drinking water first thing before eating or drinking anything else has a lot of benefits. Here are a few health benefits of drinking water first thing in the morning:

1. It immediately helps rehydrate the body.

2. It increases your level of alertness.

3. It helps fuel your brain.

4. It jump-starts your metabolism.

5. It helps get rid of toxins from your body.

Work Out

By working out in the morning you will see better long term results, improved productivity, a boosted metabolism, better sleep and a better diet.

I work out in the morning so I can get it over with. That sounds negative, but most of the time when I put something off for later in the day, I tend to forget to do so. We are busy throughout our days and I don't always plan correctly or sometimes my days are so hectic I don't have the energy by the time I've gotten home and done by homework. This way, I know I've worked out and I won't feel guilty before I go to bed when I realize I didn't work out.

I do quick and simple workouts. I do a 10 minute ab workout almost everyday. I do an intense 5 minute arm workout a few days a week. I used to do a more specific leg work out but I prefer to go running in the mornings or evenings instead. I only run a few times a week to give my body time to recover and it gives me more benefits than the specific leg workout. *I will have a separate post of my quick works outs coming soon.*

Most mornings I also try to include 10-15 minutes of yoga. Doing yoga not only helps with flexibility but helps stretch and lengthen our bodies. This prepares the body for movement throughout the way which prevents injury and achiness throughout the day. Yoga increases spinal flexibility and encourages better posture. The poses we hold when we first wake up, will set our muscle memory into effect for standing taller and walking easier as the day progresses.

Breakfast

It's no secret that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I used to not eat breakfast and it totally affected how I ate the rest of the day. First of all, my stomach would growl during class and it was embarrassing. I would rush around, shuffling papers, to try and cover it up.

It also caused me to get unhealthy snacks during the day or after school as little pick me ups. I would end up eating lots of snacks at odd times so I wasn't hungry at meal times. I wasn't eating proper meals and would snack again anywhere from 9-11pm. Then I wouldn't be able to fall asleep until later, ruining my sleep schedule. By incorporating breakfast into my routine I generally feel more energized and positive as I'm not spending my day hungry.

By eating breakfast in the morning you will improve your performance and productivity at school or work, and prevent gaining weight. Eating breakfast it gives your body essential nutrients to perform. You can also see the cognitive benefits of speed, concentration, and problem-solving skills. It helps avoid overindulging in high-calorie foods throughout the day as you won't be hungry as quickly. Eating breakfast of course gives you more energy and improves your memory patterns. Eating breakfast also makes you feel happier.

Typically for breakfast I eat bacon (anywhere from 3-10 pieces depending on how I feel), toast (what I want on my toast varies), breakfast froyo (a recipe post will be coming soon), eggs, and fruit. I always have a water bottle with me and I also make coffee. I make my own version of a Starbucks mocha frappuccino at home because I'm not spending $7 everyday on coffee. I try to make my breakfast as healthy as possible while also enjoying a coffee and occasionally a pastry from one of the breakfast carts around the corner.

Skincare

The next part of my routine is my skincare. This isn't neccessarily

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