Creating a Morning Wellness Routine Part 2

In Part 1 I discussed some simple tips for calmly waking up your mind and body without leaving the comforts of your bed, and why you should not look at your cell phone first thing in the morning.

Now I will detail my morning wellness routine to give you an example of what yours could look like. Your ritual may be totally different, but there are some great wellness tips I’ve found that you may want to try.  Here we go!

After allowing myself to wake up while still in bed and not checking my phone, the first thing I do is give myself a quick head massage.  It sounds funny, but I first started doing it to grow my hair faster.  I continued to do this because it feels great and gives me a burst of energy.

After that I boil water for my morning drink.  While the water is boiling, I do my morning exercises.  These are very simple and quick.  In fact I use my cell phone as a timer (acceptable cell phone use!) for each one.  I set each one for three minutes and depending on how much time I have I may do all my exercises or just get a couple in.  Do what you can!

My first activity is just lying on the foam roller which I find helps improve my posture.  I lie on it the long way on my back and let my shoulders droop off the sides.  This feels great especially since I tend to hunch forward from too much computer use over the years.

Then I do three minutes of simple yoga stretching (mainly sun salutations), joint exercises, some posture exercises (rounding my shoulders back while standing up) and lastly I role a tennis ball under my bare feet to loosen them up.

It’s also important to make this stress-free.  If you’re rushing to do all of your exercises and feeling pressure to get it all done, then the routine is not doing its job.  The purpose of your routine is so that you start your day in a relaxed, calm and stress-free state.  Remember this isn’t necessarily about getting a workout in the morning.  It’s about waking up your body physically and mentally in a positive way.  You’re setting the tone for the rest of your day.  Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get to everything, just be happy that you’re able to get some of it done.  That’s all it takes.

After about fifteen minutes of morning exercises, the tea kettle is usually whistling.  Now it’s time to take it down a notch and cleanse.  I usually drink hot water with a squeeze of lemon and a teaspoon of honey (stevia works if you don’t eat sugar) before I ingest anything else.  I drink this slowly while sitting down and relaxing.  I try not to do anything else, in fact, sometimes I use this time for a  five or ten minutes meditation session, sipping this hot drink before and after.  I just set the timer on my phone, sit in my living room, close my eyes and breath.  That’s it.  I am not a meditation master.  I don’t even try to clear my thoughts.  I just breath deeply and let thoughts drift into my mind.  I have to say this usually gives me clarity to things that have been bothering me or inspires some great ideas.

After the meditation is done my day is ready to begin.  I can start working and finally check my cell phone.  I find that I’m in a much calmer mood.  The things that seemed so urgent when I first wake up don’t seem that important after my morning routine.  I’m less apt to get stressed and anxious and more apt to take things as they come with a positive outlook.

If you’re short on time in the morning, just do what you can.  My routine usually takes about 30 to 40 minutes.  I try to get up earlier to ensure I have enough time for it.  It doesn’t always happen, but I always try.  Even if you can take ten minutes to wake your body up this way, you may find it makes a world of difference!