Finding time for a healthy morning routine when you’re busy tends to feel impossible. Until now! These morning routine tips will turn your dream AM routine into reality — even when you’re at your busiest. Read on!
Why a Morning Routine is So Important For Stress
Creating a morning routine may sound unnecessary and (even boring) at first. But really, using a morning routine can be incredibly beneficial to your health, boosting mindfulness, positive thinking, and productivity!
Here’s how it works: our bodies and brains actually crave normalcy, predictability, and routine. Having a set schedule, our body is completely acclimated to helps promote a sense of safety and stability, calming the nervous system and reducing stress. So, in a nutshell, having a morning routine allows us to start the day relaxed, increasing our energy, restoring our cells, and promoting more positive emotions. Perfect for a great day ahead!
9 Morning Routine Tips For Busy Schedules
Morning routine tips even for the busiest of bees! Managing a fast-paced lifestyle along with your self-care is very important to managing your energy and avoiding burnout. Let’s make it happen!
#1 Start Your Morning Routine the Night Before
Plan your morning workout outfit, prep your breakfast, pack your work bag and decide on tomorrow’s must-dos. Starting your morning routine the night before has some huge time management benefits. Wake up in the morning with ease knowing you’ve got a head start on your day!
#2 Drink a Glass of Water First Thing
Staying hydrated comes with some major benefits. But when your schedule is jam-packed, sometimes your hydration needs take a back seat. Rather than trying to keep up with enough water throughout the day, drink a glass first thing! You’re more likely to remember to drink the rest of the day — not to mention you start your morning off hydrated and energized! Exactly what you need when you’re busy.
And while you’re sipping away, try this healthy morning routine hack. Spruce up plain old water by adding some antioxidant-rich berries to your bottle! A hint of natural sweetness with a whole lot of nutrients.
#3 Don’t Look At Your Phone Right Away
If you’re looking for healthy morning routine tips that benefit mental health, start here. While it’s tempting, checking your phone right when you wake up can cause anxiety, overwhelm, and other uncomfortable emotions, like jealousy. Not a great way to start your day!
Plus, scrolling can be extremely distracting, causing most of us to lose track of time. No one likes rushing out the door pressed for minutes! Instead, turn off your notifications the night before, only use your phone as your alarm in the morning, and make sure to spend time away from your feed for the first few hours of the day.
#4 Set Up Your Coffee/Tea/Beverage of Choice the Night Before So It’s Prepped & Ready to Go In the Morning
The best morning routine tips for busy people involve preparation. Quality, thoughtful preparation can make a huge, positive difference in stress levels! For instance, having your coffee or beverage of choice ready beforehand means one less thing to worry about in the morning, plus it saves at least 5 minutes (5 minutes you can devote to more prep or self-care!)
#5 Have Your Snacks/Lunch Pre-Packed
Thank goodness prepping food has never been easier! Pre-slice your fruits and veggies, make large batches of meals for leftovers, and have a rough eating plan in mind for each week. Simple morning routine tips like these save you from worrying about food when you’re ultra-busy. No need to stress when you know you have healthy dishes and snacks available when you need them!
#6 Sprinkle Mindfulness into Your Morning Routine, Even if it’s Just a 5-Minute FitOn Morning Meditation
If you’re going to take any morning routine tips with you, let it be this one. During these particularly stressful times, incorporating mindfulness into your morning can be incredibly helpful. And let’s face it, when life gets busy, these morning moments could be your only chance of stillness and peace. Morning mindfulness can help to soothe our nervous systems and create those amazing feelings of relaxation. Browse the meditation category in the FitOn app and choose a meditation to start your day off on the right foot.
#7 Get Up 30 Minutes to 1 Hour Before Everyone Else
For some households, alone time is sacred and rare. So rather than waiting for a free moment, create one! Get up 30 minutes to an hour earlier than anyone else and enjoy your own moments of alone time. Make this morning routine hack habitual and something to look forward to! Do whatever brings you to calm: meditation, reading, journaling, even just sitting in stillness and soaking up some “you” time.
P.S. this is one of those morning routine tips all parents should know about! Spread the word.
#8 Try to Fit in Some Form of Movement
Movement is huge for releasing any built-up stress or negative energy. And if you’re in a busy season of life, chances are things are a bit stressful! Try to add some form of movement into your healthy morning routine, whether it’s 5 minutes of stretching or some light yoga. Whatever works for you!
#9 Write Out Your To-Do List With the Highest Priority First
Some days, it’s impossible to get everything done. And that’s okay! Rather than basing your productivity on the number of things you accomplish, try to base it on the quality of tasks completed. Did you get the most important items done first? Once you’ve checked off those high-priority items, you can work on slowing down and relaxing more throughout the rest of the day. A healthy morning morning routine doesn’t have to be time consuming!
Make Your Morning Routine Work for You!
These morning routine tips are here for you to optimize your own AM ritual! Take what you need and leave the rest. Don’t be afraid to mix things up! It’s okay to have flexibility, too. Some mornings you might not be able to get too much out of your routine, while other days, you may have extra time. Just do the best you can with what time you have!
