Demystifying The Morning Routine

Since I was a teenager, I have been obsessed with the idea of perfecting my morning routine. As it turns out, the perfect morning routine doesn’t exist. Every time I open up my YouTube app, I see a new video titled ‘The Best 5 a.m. Morning Routine!’ or ‘My Morning Routine For Healthy Habits!’ When I open Pinterest, I see beautiful 15-step outlines to a successful morning. I get drawn into Instagram worthy lifestyles and forget my day-to-day reality. Throughout life, things ebb and flow. Our priorities shift, we live in different locations, we are in school, we are working, we stay up late taking care of our children, and our bodies go through drastic changes. My point is, waking up at 5 a.m. every morning and doing a 20-step morning routine by yourself with no distractions is nearly impossible and it will not guarantee your professional or personal success. However, no matter what phase of life you are in, there are key elements to a “Morning Routine” that should always remain consistent. 

A Healthy Diet

No matter what time you wake up, if you have an unhealthy diet throughout the day, you will not be your best self. Sugary drinks and foods are known to cause high and low levels of energy really quickly. Don’t go for the chocolate bars, chips, and energy drinks in the office. Every morning, or the night before, try to pack some grab-and-go fruits or vegetables. If you can’t pack fresh fruits and vegetables everyday, keep things at your desk like some healthy nuts or canned veggies you can warm up in the microwave.

Also keep in mind that skipping meals does not mean you are embracing a healthy diet. I know we all have days where we may forget to eat lunch because of back-to-back meetings or obligations with clients off-site. However, it is very unhealthy to skip lunch and breakfast! Not to mention our energy levels would plummet. If you know you are going to have a busy day, take some time to eat a filling breakfast with complex carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. That morning, also prepare some quick and easy snacks to eat in-between those hectic meetings. It will be worth it!

When I was working in New York, I was living in a shoe-box studio with barely any fridge space. Instead of skipping out on breakfast or resorting to frozen meals during lunch, I made fresh oatmeal at work everyday for breakfast and bought fruit from the nearby market to eat for a snack. I didn’t have long lunch breaks or two hours in the morning to make an acacia smoothie with aesthetically pleasing avocado toast, but I did prioritize an adaptable and healthy diet.

Exercise

Who seriously has time to workout for an hour at the gym every morning before going to work or class?! I know I don’t! The reality is, if you are not working out in the gym everyday, that is okay. What we all need to do is exercise every day. This can take many forms. It could be a 30-minute walk during your lunch break while you talk to your co-worker on the phone. It could mean a 15-minute High Intensity Interval Training (HITT) routine every few hours. It can be a leisurely walk with your dog coupled with some bike riding afterwards. It doesn’t matter! Getting exercise is so much more than working out in the gym. Get creative, do what you can, and be very consistent. If you set the intention every morning to get some exercise in, you will have a healthier lifestyle overall. 

An Organized Environment

Let me clear, your office or home does not have to be absolutely spotless for you to be productive getting ready in the morning. However, your mental and physical environment must be organized. If your head is cluttered with a million other things while you are trying to feed the dogs, make breakfast, and pick out your outfit for the day, stress is going to sink in before you even walk out of the door. If you are at work and see coffee stains on your desk, old files from the month before under your keyboard, and sticky notes everywhere, nothing is going to get done efficiently. Take the time to get your environment organized and you will be much more successful in your daily routines.