My Morning Routine

What's going on this morning? Do you have any kind of morning routine that you like? I love sleeping in but I find that unless I get straight into my morning routine when I wake up, the day gets away from me so fast. I recon having a morning routine is so important, whether it’s something that wakes you up physically, a routine that gets your brain switched on or even one that gives your brain a moment of peace before the world comes rushing in.

I’ve been a big fan of morning routines for a long time now and mine is always changing. I’ve gone through stages where every day I would sit in silence for 20 minutes, then I went through stages where I only gave myself 5 minutes. My morning routine used to mean that no matter what I would make the bed, but these days there’s someone still sleeping in it when I’m heading off to work which is a win because I hate making it. I still brush my teeth before I do anything, I still drink about a liter of water right after that, I’m not doing my Qi Gong anymore but I still have a couple Foundation Training moves that I’ll feel out before moving on to other things.

Regardless of what your morning routine is, I think it’s important to have something you can go to because it primes and preps you for the day ahead. No matter what, life gives us challenges that are beyond our control. Having a morning routine prepares you for those challenges and helps you build the confidence to face them again and again. So a morning routine is a low hanging fruit to start a productive and positive day. Not only is it a well-documented way to build a healthy habit and make you feel accomplished but it sets the tone for the rest of the day and is a great motivator for other positive habits as the day goes on. It might make you want to exercise more, it might make you want to choose healthier food, it may give you a sense of calmness that helps you tackle the daily stresses or it might just be the only bit of physical activity you do all day.

Right now and for the past 10 months or so, my current morning routine hasn’t changed that much. It’s about combating the 8 hours I spent still in bed with some healthy movement for my joints, providing health and nutrition to areas that can’t get it without movement. Everyone knows that we need to warm up before sport, but I’m about warming up for the whole day. That’s where my head’s at these days and I spend about 15 minutes each morning, being entirely present and going through each of my joints, one by one, moving them in a slow and deliberate way. This practice gives me a great idea of how I’m feeling both mentally and physically and it gets my mind and body very switched on, very quickly and provides a tone of energy too.

I think everyone can benefit from having a morning practice, no matter what that practice is and so I have put together a short video taking you through my morning routine. It’s nothing flashy. I filmed it on my iPhone one morning whilst doing my own routine and if you want to try it out, you can get it for just 5 bucks here. You’ll have it forever and my hope is that you do it every day that you can. I consider it to be as important as brushing my teeth now but for my joints. These days, this practice is probably my best piece of general advice I can give that is suitable for everyone. So if you do buy it, copy the link once you have it and send it to your Grandma even, I would be stoked to see all the grannys out there getting their movement back too.

Let me know what you think.