Building a Morning Routine

This is going to be a little series to help those who are struggling with developing routines.  As we approach the winter months and holidays it can be a lot harder to stay in a routine, but hopefully with these tips and guidance it can be a smoother transition into the holidays and into the new year.

Go Without Your Cellphone as Long as Possible

As we start the day with rolling out of bed, with an alarm or not, we should all try to stay disconnected from our cell phones as long as possible and take the time for ourselves in the morning. These moments when we can “just be” are important for checking in with ourselves and spending a little time on reflection/meditation before starting the day.

Cold Shower Exposure, Exercise or Both.

The goal here is to increase core body temperature within 30 minutes of waking up; this also helps to set our sleep/wake rhythms day to day. We can get in some exercise that allows our core body temperature to rise; this can be something light or your normal training. A cold shower will create the same response by increasing our core body temperature - when we cool down the external body temp, our bodies will increase our core temperatures. In the morning, our body temperature needs to rise & at night it needs to cool down in order for the best sleep.

Delay Caffeine.

Using the cold shower or exercise to help us tap into our natural energy rhythms is great, but sometimes we need a little bit of extra help.  Delaying our caffeine 60 to 90 minutes is helpful for maintaining our daily rhythms but still gives us the benefits of the extra energy boost :)

Early Morning Light Exposure:

In the summer months, less than 5 minutes of natural light exposure on the eyes (unobstructed but not staring at the sun) in the morning can signal to our body that is time to get going for the day and help set our natural sleep/wake cycles.  In the winter months or more extreme longitudes it can’t take a little bit more exposure.  Cloudy days require a bit more time in the sunlight as well.

• If you are unable to get outside right away, turning on all of the brightest overhead lights can do similar things but not to the same magnitude as sunlight.

Routine is about rhythm and accessibility.  Figure out if one of these things seems and apply it.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, it won’t be, but it just has to be a bit more than what we are currently doing.