When the alarm goes off, what do you do? Do you open your phone and check your email, your missed messages, the news, your social media channels? Is this dictating your day?

Depending on what you are seeing first thing in the morning, has a great effect on how your day will play out. A recent article from Psychology Today states that your mindset will shift towards negativity if you are constantly feeding it a negative message. Don’t let that email, or news story, or someone’s opinion on social media set the tone for your day. Why waste your time trying to figure out how to respond or react. This reactive mindset wastes time and energy. 

Morning Routine

We need to set the tone for the day. By developing a morning routine, you will have more energy, focus, and better your long-term health. I am going to help you set up a plan that works for you. 

First, decide what you want to achieve by developing a morning routine. I wanted to have a positive mindset, be more organized, and feel awake in the morning. This set the tone for what I needed to accomplish. Second, write down your focus you want to have and develop a strategy to get there.

I started with wanting to have a more positive mindset. My strategy is to start every morning reading the Holy Bible. This helps me see the world in a different light. It helps me see the good that we can all strive to become. After 10 minutes of reading, I proceed into 15 minutes of meditation and movement using the Calm app. I typically follow the daily Calm suggestion or dive into a meditation plan. 

Meditation has helped me focus on what I need to get done. It helps bring me back to the present and get my work completed. I have also seen a greater focus on certain challenges that I need to overcome at that moment. 

Morning Movement

I also added a morning movement routine that I typically do while I meditate. This light movement helps get my blood flowing, and helps my joints loosen up. It is a combination of foam rolling, a movement flow, and mobility. I usually end my day with a similar routine, just heavier on the foam rolling and self-myofascial release. (More on this in the future.) 

Here is my morning routine in a time outline format. 

1. Wake up – 6 am
2. Read Bible – 6:30
3. Meditate and Move – 6:45
4. Wake up kids – 7 am
5. Make breakfast – 7:30 am
6. Work – 8 am

I left the details out as you can choose to create your own plan that helps you overcome what you are working on. The morning movement routine is something that I recommend for anyone wanting to improve their mobility and flexibility. Doing it in conjunction with mediation allows for the breath to have an impact in your movement. Give a try and see what happens. 

Stay tuned as we continue this series of the 10 daily habits that will change your life. The next habit is the 80/20 rule. 

I have included a workout card with my morning movement routine as well as a YouTube video showing the entire routine.

Morning Movement Routine