Morning Routines and the tone they set for the start of a New Day
Awakening from an uninterrupted good night's sleep is the most rewarding mood to start off my day. From birds chirping from a nearby window, a peep of sunlight glaring from underneath my bedroom door and the touch of a soft feathered comforter resting upon my skin, let’s me know it's indeed a start of a new day. But rest for sure from the moment my feet hit the floor, can indeed dictate how I handle the remainder of a 12 hour or more day.
It’s highly important to be cognitively aware of your reactions, mood and attitude when performing daily routines. Also be very intentional on how you choose to spend your day.
Below are a few of my morning rituals that help me to stay inspired, motivated but overall create and build a solid foundation for the remainder of my day, week, month, and hopefully years to come.
Giving myself Grace
The first 15-20 minutes is dedicated to meditation and gratitude. The greatest blessing of this entire process is the ability to open my eyes and consume oxygen to my organs. A blessing that will never be taken for granted. It’s so easy to forget the one thing that makes it all so possible and that’s the gift of life. But an amazing TD Jakes podcast penetrates my inner being. On the other hand, in the midst of a late morning awakening, it becomes a moment of instant hurry. I dash from my bed with the thoughts of grooming myself immediately and getting to my destination. Oftentimes, setting myself up for chaos, frustration and inattentiveness. There is a significant difference when I simply just give myself grace. As a result, it's mornings like this that make me feel brand new from the inside out, refreshed, recharged and refueled.
Nourishment for my Body
A well balanced breakfast is highly important to this process as nutrition helps to improve brain cell function. Helping aid in structured and organized thoughts. Ultimately, leading to great decision making. One may say that my breakfast menu slightly stays the same. I consider myself more of a “dinner for breakfast” kinda girl. My plated breakfast consists of a protein packed meal: pancakes, egg whites, turkey bacon, blueberries, yogurt or oat bowls. The blueprint for amazing ABS.
Physical Fitness
After breakfast, while sipping on hot TAZO tea, is the moment I absorb a few minutes of CNN and I truly mean a FEW minutes to keep me informed in the world of journalism. (VERY short lived) Nothing against the network itself, I just choose to stray away from the heartbreak of devastation. The highlight of my morning is a hard core strength training program while incorporating HIIT and/or Cardio. The hard core beats of “Trap” Music during my workouts seems to build momentum and makes me go even harder. (LOL) Helping me to keep my heart rate going. In the end, however you choose to spend your day, make sure it's one that’s meaningful and tailored to your lifestyle.
With Gratitude,
