How do you spend the first hour of your day?
When I was sprinting up the corporate ladder, my mornings were all about caffeine, hard core exercise (for the calorie burn), and conference calls WHILE applying my morning make-up on my drive into the office. (OK I know but mostly I applied while sitting stationary on the 101!)
Then I had a health crisis which inspired me to change my life. My mornings became about getting centered and calibrating my energy and attitude for the day ahead.
I love this simple powerful quote. The first hour of your morning is much like a boat’s rudder as it determines the direction of your day. This time has a powerful effect on your mood, mindset and energy for the remainder of your day.
An EXPANDED morning leads to an INSPIRED day @Terri_Cole {CLICK TO TWEET}
Even if you can’t spend the first hour unplugged completely, maybe you can incorporate some of the suggestions below. As little as ten to fifteen minutes of any mindfulness practice can increase your focus, energy and lift your mood for the day ahead.
Meditate
Meditation is always my first morning activity. Any amount of time spent in stillness and silence daily will positively impact the quality of your life and relationships. It provides you with a more reflective and less reactive stance to bring into the interactions of your day. For me, morning meditation is like taking a shower, it washes my mind clean of any mental ‘dirt’ from yesterday.
Want to join me and more than 2000 of my friends? Join the FREE Meditation Integration and get daily guided meditations delivered to your inbox. CLICK HERE to sign up
Move
For Good Mental Energy Move Your Butt Every Morning @Terri_Cole {CLICK TO TWEET}
You don’t need 60 minutes of anything to get your blood flowing. Spending as little as 10 minutes taking a quick morning walk around the neighborhood can clear your mind and elevate your mood. Don’t let your own imposed rules and beliefs about what it really means to ‘exercise,’ get in the way of doing something.
Eat and Hydrate
Calories are key. After getting seven to eight hours of sleep your body is ready to refuel. Start with a warm cup of lemon water followed by eight ounces of regular water. If you drink coffee or tea it is best to consume it with food to keep your blood sugar levels stable. Some of my favorite morning meals include fruit, millet or oatmeal, avocado toast or a green smoothie. If you’re on a tight schedule try to prepare your breakfast the night before but don’t skip it!
Always running late? 3 Tools to get you back on time
Journal
Write to make space. Consider trying a morning, Mind Dump, where you write without editing just to clear brain congestion to make way for intentional thoughts. (Kind of like morning pages, from Julia Cameron’s, The Artist’s Way.) Then spend some time writing down your intentions and goals for the day.
When you prepare yourself in the morning, both mentally and physically, you control the rudder of your life. When you start your day consciously, your results are intentional.
Now I’d love to hear from you. If you are a morning disaster, what will you do differently this week? Do you have any non negotiable morning practices that set you up to succeed? Give me some of your best tips, as I am always looking for new ways to spice up my morning routine. 🙂
To another week dedicated to as always, taking care of you.
Love Love Love
Terri
*image courtesy of Dave Dugdale
Terri,
Thanks for this reminder! I know no phone or computer the first hour is a great thing, always allows me to fill my bucket, but I haven’t been doing it lately and I have been tired all the time. Thanks for your great wisdom and energy. I am printing off this blog, putting it by my bed and will use it for inspiration the next week to get me into a better habit. Much love, Alison
Hi Alison! I am so happy this post served as such a powerful reminder for you. We all fall off sometimes with the habits that are good for us. Well done getting back on track! Lots of love, Terri
Also you may like this post as well 🙂 https://terricole.com/what-to-do-when-you-set-a-goal-then-fall-off-the-wagon/
100% agree Teri. I resist the urge to get on my computer or look at my phone. First thing I go for a 20 minute run and then stretch and meditate afterwards. I have this whole ‘yomed’ practice down that I talk about on my blog. This practice has changed everything for me and, while I start the day a bit later, I feel more in control with a fresh focused mind.
Right on Sara! It’s amazing how great a morning routine can make you feel. Keep up the good work!
I started the day at 5.30 am.Practiced meditation suggested by you?Terri. Woke up my daughter who to write her exams.Bless her.Then walked around my garden.Listened to Louise Hay affirmation for 30 min.Feeling fresh to start the day.
That sounds like the perfect start to the day 🙂
Terri,
I love the practicality of today’s post. These practices feel deliciously doable and oh so self-loving. I’ve been getting myself back into a morning routine of meditation and chanting, and I’ve found the Meditation Integration super helpful. My favorite guided meditations and chants are on my phone, however, so I’m thinking this week of putting my phone in Airplane mode so that I’m not distracted by notifications. Or perhaps deleting Facebook and Twitter from my phone, so I can continue to do the guided meditations for this week’s Integration. Thanks so much!