Have you experienced this? You wake up in the morning, all cozy and maybe still a bit tired. Instead of getting out of bed, you either reach for your phone and check emails or scroll, or you simply lay there and drift for 30 minutes. If you have children feel free to scroll to the bottom where there is a special note waiting just for you.
I used to wake up and jump out of bed ready to start the day. But, having my phone right there has changed that pattern. Now I’m luck if I am out of bed within 20 minutes of waking.
Yes. I know all about leaving the phone in the other room at night. I am not quite set up to do that because sometimes I use the alarm to make sure I don’t oversleep.
The thing I am noticing about having access to the internet on my phone is that I can feel like I am still starting my day without getting out of bed. But it’s kind of an illusion.
My brain may feel like the day is starting. But my body still thinks it is in sleep/rest mode.
Our bodies do well when we are up with the sun and even outside catching some of those first rays that are still lower on the horizon. Everything works better. Our digestion flows more smoothly. Our blood sugar regulates better. Our sleep can be more consistent.
I am not a fan of a huge, long morning routine of journaling, yoga, gratitude, cold shower, meditation and green juice. My mornings are my high energy time of the day and I want to use that energy doing things that are more suited to taking action. Not things that are more suited to the inward energy that happens later in the day.
The rhythm of the day has a natural cycle. As the sun is rising our energy is moving up as well. I do best when I am doing something active.
My 10-Minute Mornings
Three things that have worked for me to get my day started with good, solid energy.
I do at least one of these as soon as I wake up and use the bathroom. No laying in bed.
Staying in bed for more than a minute or two is the start of the lay in bed for an hour pattern. As soon as I wake I am on it. In my experience if I delay at all I lose the momentum.
1. 10 minute walk outside, before doing anything else except going to the bathroom. No delay. I have been known to take this first walk of the day in my pajamas. It’s 6 or 7am. No one is up. It’s 10 minutes. Just do it. You might be shocked with how much a difference it can make for your whole day.
2. 10 minutes of yoga. Get on the mat immediately after using the bathroom. I set the timer for this one. I am on the mat for 10 minutes. If I want to do more that’s okay, but if I haven’t done any standing poses up to that point I switch to those.
3. Get into the kitchen, put a pot of water on the stove. Cut some vegetables. Get going with breakfast and your vegetables for later in the day. You can use a double boiler, slow cooker or Instant Pot to get your morning grain going without needing to watch it. Then you can go about the rest of getting ready for your day. You don’t need to eat right away, but getting out of bed and getting some vegetables prepped always makes the energy of my whole day better. Also start cooking any beans or grains you had soaking overnight. You would be amazed how much you can get done in the first 30 minutes of the day.
Those are the three things that consistently move the needle for me and help get my energy moving upward, ready to tackle the day.
I went for my 10 minute walk at 7 am. I walked until 7:40 before heading home. I caught the sunrise and thousands of geese flying overhead. Magic. And my whole day was better.
PS: If you have children who live with you getting out of bed and starting your day is likely not an issue at all. Congratulations! You have a built in cheerleader getting you out of bed and starting the day. However, you may still find benefit in trying a few of these things even to feel like you carved out 10 minutes for yourself. And I find number 3 is helpful regardless of your situation.
Love,
Teresa
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