How to Build YOUR Best Morning Routine

Don’t let the wellness gurus fool you. A good morning routine doesn’t happen naturally. It’s something that you have to experiment with over time and build.

Back-to-school season/Fall season is here! That means most of us are seeking a little more structure or reconsidering our morning routine. Since my son started school in early August, I’ve had a few weeks to play around with my morning schedule to see what works best.

I’m experiencing several transitions right now. Christian is has begun Kindergarten! That’s right; I have a Kindergartener! I’ve been taking on more freelance writing jobs.

And to make things a little spicier, I plan to up my posting frequency on the blog. I know: I’m either super ambitious or downright nuts.

Either way, I need routines (and a lot of help) to keep life flowing at a manageable pace.

5 Tips for Creating a Healthy Morning Routine

1. Consider your goals or intentions before adding an activity.
2. Keep it simple. 3-5 activities are a good place to start.
3. Plan your wake-up time to allow you to reasonably complete your routine with a few minutes to spare. There’s nothing helpful about rushing through the first part of your day.
4. Be realistic. It’s ok if you can only have a 2- or 3-step morning routine.
5. The little things count. Small items such as drinking water or getting dressed can also be considered part of your routine. Anything that moves your closer to your goals or intentions is an excellent addition to your morning.

I can typically keep these same activities for the majority of the month. However, there are some adjustments that I make luteal phase and Menstrual phase.

Morning Routine Ideas

Now that you have a baseline for things to consider when building your morning routine, here are some suggestions:

• Tongue scraping and brush
• Warm water with lemon or lime
• Meditation
• Prayer and devotional
• Journal or gratitude list
• Read
• Make your bed
• Cup of tea
• Morning movement
• Morning walk outdoors
• Plan your day
• Tidy up

So far, my mornings look something like this:

5:30-5:45 am- Wake up/ Get 16 oz of water to drink throughout my routine

5:45- Meditation/Prayer

6:00- Work out

6:30- Get dressed/ Prep Christian for school

It covers some of the significant areas in my life that I want to prioritize: My body (hydration and movement), spirituality, and my responsibilities to my family.

After experimenting with my time, here are a few things I’ve realized:

3 Ways to Adjust Your Morning Routine for Your Cycle

1. Move your wake-up time. My energy sometimes drops the week before my period and menstrual phase. I find that my body needs more rest during these weeks, so I wake up a little later to accommodate that. This brings me to my next point.
2. Adjust the length of some or all of your routine. For example, waking up a little later means that I might have to shorten my workout. Or maybe a longer meditation is just what the doctor ordered.
3. Change the intensity or type of exercise. For example, during menstrual phase, I tend to feel satisfied with a light 10- or 15-minute flow or a leisurely morning stroll.

The most important thing to remember when crafting a morning routine is about creating habits that are most fruitful for you. Routines are supposed to help ground, bring you closer to your goals, or energize you. Of course, they can even do a little of all three.

Below are some ideas for building a morning that serves you: