Best Morning Routines

If you win the morning, you win the day. It is so vital that we get started on a good foot in the morning. If we do, we can literally transform our entire lives. Creating a good set of morning routines, and abiding by them daily, can get out out on the good foot. And allow you to hit the ground running.

And there is something simply powerful about repetition. The more you do something the easier and better you get at it. So by creating a your own set of morning rituals, you are setting yourself on a path to where you will naturally and almost effortlessly start your day off in a positive and productive manner.

But what are the best morning routines to integrate into our lives when we wake up?

We’ll below I get into a big list of things to do in the morning that you can choose from to make your own personal morning routine!

Enjoy

A List of 51 Good Morning Rituals

Before we get into the list, I just want to go the opposite way first. I want to share with you something to NOT put in your morning routine! That is to not turn on the news, read the radio, or listen to the news. The majority of it is negative. And I want to see you have the best morning possible! Simply refrain from doing it. Refrain from checking email as it can causes stress at a time where our mind is most impressionable (I get into more detail about this below!)

Ok my friend. Lets talk about good morning routine ideas and why they can be great for you!

Listen To Something Positive (Or Read)

My absolute favorite thing to do in the morning right when I wake up, is to listen to some positive audio. My current and maybe even all time favorite is Zig Ziglar. For some reason, when I listen to Zig I feel more motivated and pumped up than listening to anyone else. Even the master himself, Tony Robbins!

I am not super big into getting pumped up and motivated. Because it doesn’t last long term. But if you need a boost in the morning, Zig can give that to you. He has a few great audiobooks, one of the my favorites are Born to Win  and How to Stay Motivated. Both are great for getting you pumped up. Other personal development speakers to turn on in the morning include:

1. Les Brown
2. Tony Robbins
3. John Maxwell
4. Jack Canfield
5. Bob Proctor
6. Brene Brown
7. Daren Hardy
8. Brian Tracy
9. Gary Vaynerchuk
10. Brendon Burchard

TED talks are always great to listen to as well. Along with a nice podcast from one of your favorite podcasters! Of course you can also read any of the posts on this blog right here! As they are SUPER motivating! (Shameless plug)

Wake Up To Your OPPORTUNITY Clock

The first thing we do in the morning is to turn our alarm clock off. Some people prefer a simple tap, others beat that thing into submission! Whatever your go to move is, try looking at it as an opportunity clock. This comes from the man himself, motivational speaker and author, Zig Ziglar.

I mean look at it this way. We get another day at life. Another day to give it all we have on our goals. Another day to love and be loved. Another day that someone else doesn’t have. It is an OPPORTUNITY clock. When we look at it this way, we will be more excited to get up! Instead of dreading it.

Wake Up At The Same Time Everyday

The great benefit of waking up at the same time each day is to simply set your circadian rhythm to make it rely on your consistency. It anchors your wake time into your core being. And allows you to start becoming tired around the same time each day. As well as sleep more soundly and feel more awake when you arise. The other benefits of waking up at the same time can include:

1. Better immunity
2. Safer and more attentive driving
3. Better mood
4. Decreased pain and inflammation
5. Reduced dependence on caffeine
6. Less irritability

Read Some Positive Quotes

Quotes are awesome. I love them. I also get a nice little boost of motivation and insight when I read a good one. Here are some resources you can use if you want to start your morning off with some solid and motivating quotes.

500 Motivational Quotes

601 Quotes About Happiness

501 Quotes About Peace

Make Your Bed

I want to avoid sounding like your mum when preaching about this one! But honestly it is a great way to start your morning. It is a simply little victory that can set you up for larger victories. It allows us to feel a sense of accomplishment first thing in the morning. Building confidence.

A great article talk about the many benefits of making your bed. Including how tit can help you increase your productivity. As this was examined in the book “The Power of Habit” which daily bed making becomes what is called a keystone habit, giving you a sense of taking charge. Helping you master other areas of your life.

It also lowers stress as you spend a lot of time in your bedroom. Which the way it looks affects your mood. If it is tidy, you feel good and organized. It shows that you care about yourself and your home enough to keep it looking nice.

The outside is only an mirror reflection of what is going on inside us. So the more tidy we become, the more our mind becomes peaceful and tranquil. The two go perfectly hand in hand.

Take In Some Air! (Kapalbhati Pranayama)

Often times we can find ourselves being met by the days stresses and instantly slow our breathing. It is a great way to start our day by drawing in some great oxygen supply.

Tony Robbins is actually a big fan of starting his day this way. He engages in a few minutes of what is referred to as Kapalbhati Pranayama which is a breathing technique that helps people with overall wellbeing. It’s true Sanskrit meaning is broken down to “Forehead shining breathing technique.” Which it is supposed to give you better intellect and a shiny forehead!

You can perform Kapalbhati Pranayama by:

1. Sitting down with a nice upright posture.
2. Drawing in deeply. Breath in slow and steady through your knows concentrating on the air coming into your nostrils.
3. Breath the air out rapidly and at the same time pull your stomach towards your back. Pulling your navel as close as you can to your spine.
4. Do this until you hear a hissing sound which means you are nearly out of air to exhale.
5. Do so for 20 rounds.

Start With Affirmations

Listening to positive material is an excellent way to start your day. But it is passive. You can really get yourself into action by affirming some very positive statements. This will prime your mind and body for success and happiness for the day.

I have a created a resource for you that has affirmations on almost any subject you can every want them on! Here it is:

Resource: 1001 Affirmations For Positivity 

Chopra.com talks about how optimistic people actually have healthier hearts and affirmations can literally help you stay positive. And there is no better way to prime yourself for a great day than to do so right when you wake up. As your mind is operating at 8 to 13Hz. Or 10.5 waves per second. which is also known as the gateway to the subconscious mind. Where all of our programs and beliefs lie.

It is at this level for 20 minutes after we wake up. This is go time my friends. A time to literally reprogram how we think. And the more we affirm the things we want into our lives. The more our subconscious will take them on. And that is when we think and act in congruence to our new thoughts and beliefs!

Brush Your Teeth (With Coconut Oil)

This one is pretty obvious, but if we simply knock this one out quickly we won’t acidently forget to not do so. And then remember when we are rushing out of the house. It will give us a chance to wash away the bacteria that build up during the night and feel fresh right out of the gate!

A great little tip to help you create better oral health is to brush with coconut oil. It helps attack the harmful bacterial inside our mouths. Along with fight gum disease and prevent tooth decay! It is packed with what is called lauric acid which actually attacks oral bacteria that is linked to tooth decay. Start with putting a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth. Then swish the oil around for 15-20 seconds. Spit the oil out then brush your teeth!

This is a good time to get your daily flossing out of the way and get a scrape your tongue down.

Learn a New Word

It is said that if you learn a new word a day, in 5 years you will be considered extremely well educated. That is because these words have buddies. And once you learn one word, a world of other open themselves up. And the more you learn, the more you can learn because more and more will make sense to you. This can start by simply picking up the dictionary for 30 seconds per day!

Hydrate!

There are so many benefits to drinking water in the morning. By drinking water right when you wake up, you help your body to release toxins. By eliminating these toxins, you help promote radiant and healthy skin. It helps promote sustained blood flow to your skin and rids toxins from our system.

It can also help us be much more alert. Easing fatigue. It also helps stimulate growth of red blood cells. This creates more oxygen in our blood streams. Giving us a nice little boost of energy.

It can also help strengthen our immune system and fight of any sickness we may have. Along with help to prevent kidney stones and provide colon and bladder protection against infections.

This article talks about how we should consume 16 oz right when we wake up. Which will help ease the dehydration we experienced overnight. Which will also help us eat less when we sit down for breakfast!

You can also drink some hot water with lemon. Which is known to help give you a healthy dose of vitamin C, relieve pain and inflammation and balance our bodies PH levels.

Visualize

Going back to how when we wake up, we can easily impress images and thoughts on our subconscious mind. I talked about affirmations. Which are verbal cues to create deep subconscious change. But visualization can be another excellent tool to integrate into your morning routine.

Seeing yourself having a good day. Visualizing yourself reaching our your goals and dreams. Visualizing meetings going good. Dates going great. The more we visualize, the calmer we become.

As our minds feel as if we have already been in the scenarios. And acted great in them. And our mind doesn’t know the difference between real and fake. It just takes whatever comes to it. So this is a time where we can create new mental images of us succeeding, feeling happy and winning in life. And do so when our subconscious mind is most impressionable.

Give Gratitude 

I believe gratitude and love are the most powerful forces on the universe. And when we give either or, we feel great! A great way to start your morning is to simply think about a couple of things you are grateful for. For example, maybe you are grateful for your new job promotion. Feel this feeling of gratitude deeply. Literally bathe in the feelings and thoughts.

Resource: 501 Quotes About Gratitude & Thankfulness

Stretching

With us sitting in an upright position for so long nowadays, we tend to have really tight hip flexors. And we also sleep in a way in which the fronts of our calves can be stretched out because of our blanked pushing our feet and toes downward. If you are lying on your back.

Other than that, it feels great. It is a great way to start the day fresh and open up your body. It can help alleviate morning tightness along with relieve anxiety about your day. Lastly, it boosts your brain activity. Giving you a nice little jolt to jump start your day.

Resource: Full Body Stretch Routine (10 Minutes)

You can also simply take a foam roller and release tight spots on your body. It feels great, and can lengthen muscles better for when you do go to stretch. Helping you get better and deep stretching sessions. The key is to hold tender spots until they release. Usually takes about 30 seconds. Then you can reward yourself by actually rolling on it, which feels great for tight and sore muscles!

Work Out

The workout buzz you get is epic. And when you workout in the morning, you reap this awesome rush of endorphins to start your day in a great mood. For me it has often times carried me through the entire day. Making me feel great all day.

Huff Post talks about the various benefits of working out in the morning. Some of which include:

1. Better long term results as studies show that morning exercisers are more likely to stick to routines then people who go later in the day.
2. The day can’t get in your way and keep you from getting your workout in.
3. It boots your metabolism throughout the entire day.
4. Helps you sleep better as studies have shown this.
5. A sense of accomplishment that helps you make healthier choices for the rest of the day.

This can be as little as going for a run. Or hitting the weights hard.

The thing that helps me best with this is to literally put my workout gear right where I step down on the ground in the morning. It almost makes me feel guilty. Like OK I’m up, lets get after it!

You can also listen to your positive audio while you do this. Or listen to some uplifting music to get you jacked up and pumped for the day!

Prep Your Food For The Day

I always feel great when I know I have planned my entire day of eating. It gives me less excuses to go out and buy food. It saves me money. And helps me keep to my diet. As I know almost down to the exact amount, how many calories I am getting. I don’t necessarily like to cook food for multiple days in a row. As it tends to harden and taste bad. But one day usually is just short enough to keep it tasting good and at the same consistency as I cooked it at.

Resource: 84 Healthy Recipes

Take a Cold Shower

Torture? Maybe! But there are some excellent benefits of taking a cold shower. Some of which include, well waking up pretty darn quick! But also helps create better circulation in your body, can promote weight loss, better your immunity, drain your lymph system, lower your stress and boost your testosterone levels. It can even help improve fertility rates!

Engage In Some Mindful Meditation

Our minds start going the minute we wake up. But we can ease this shock to our minds of the days worries by doing a few minutes of meditation. Mindful mediation is simple. You just want to use your senses to become more acutely aware of your surroundings. Listen to the sounds, see what is going on around you.

You can also become more aware of your breathing. Or simply state a nice little mantra over and over. And you can also do a nice guided meditation.

Resource: How To Mediate For Beginners

45 Benefits of Meditation 

Journal 

Either writing it or shooting a quick video. It can really clear your mind. Simply just do a brain dump and stream of consciousness. It can help your process the big feelings of the day. And allow you to let go of some or all of these unwanted feelings.

Resource: How To Journal In The Morning

Write Out Goals For The Day

I tend to keep a list close to me so that I can think about it as the morning goes on. As I am cooking or working out, I think of things. I text it to myself or write it down when it comes to mind. It allows you to schedule your day. Put in on paper. So you aren’t trying to remember everything.

Guide: How To Set And Accomplish ANY Goal

Engage In Act of Kindness

There is no better way to get a rush of endorphins then to give something to somebody. It feels way better then self gratification. And there is no better time to do it right in the morning. Maybe you can buy the coffee for someone behind you. Or give a dollar to a homeless person.

Resource: 261 Random Acts of Kindness Ideas

Soak In Some Sunlight!

Getting some natural sunlight can do our body wonders. Some of the benefits of morning sunlight include:

1. Of course boosting Vitamin D
2. Helping dissipate chronic inflammation.
3. Boost your immunity.
4. Promote better calcium absorption which will lead to a stronger skeletal system.
5. Reduce the risk of getting many major chronic diseases.
6. Help create a better and more natural sleep cycle.

You can also knock your daily dose of cardio out here by going for a quick speed walk around the block. Getting a great start to your tan and help you burn some calories all at the same time!

Take Some Vitamins

Here is another great thing to do in the morning to give us  a sense of accomplishment. It is a little win for our health that makes us feel great about ourselves that we are working towards creating a healthier and happier body and mind. A good probiotic is always a great addition to your supplement regimen. As well as some goo Omega’s.

Resource: Top 5 Supplements To Take Every Day

Work On That Side Hustle

I know I have struggled IMMENSELY with time management! But I have actually found that the more I put on my plate, the more I get done. The less I have to do the more time I waste. I simply try to pack my schedule with as much as I can.

One of these things is my side hustle. I try to devote a minimum of 2 hours a day to it. And the majority of all lasts years days started with me waking up and going directly to the coffee shop to bang out work on the blog you are reading right now!

Resource: 99 Side Hustle Business Ideas

Pet Your Pet!

It feels good to just hang out with someone who really has no anxiety or stress about life. The only care in their worlds is eating and giving you love. Pet your little furry one. And take him or her on a walk.

Eat A Nice Hearty Breakfast

This is one of the best ways to start off a day. It gives you energy to tackle the first few hours of the day. And is another fairly big win to start your day if you are eating health. I usually just start with some gluten free oatmeal and eggs. This ties me over for a few hours. And provides good carbs, protein and fat.

You can also simply mix up a nice green smoothie to get all your vitamins in. And not have to worry about getting the right amount of vegetables and fiber for the rest of the day!

Wake Up A Bit Earlier

Simply waking up 10 or 20 minutes earlier than you usually do will cut down on feeling stressed out about getting to work. Or having to scramble getting to wherever you need to be after waking up. It is a simple time management technique that can work wonders in your life.

Resource: The Greatest Time Management Tips

Look Yourself In The Mirror

Steve Jobs talked about it so beautiful, which here is his exact quote about the matter:

“I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answers has been ‘NO’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” – Steve Jobs

Without sounding super cliche, life is so friggin short! We need to embrace this fact. We don;t have time to waste doing things that don’t bring us satisfaction and fulfillment. This is a wonderful question to ask ourselves each day. It is being real with the person we need to be the most real with. OURSELVES. And considering it’s source, well things worked out pretty well for Jobs for the most part.

Do Some Yoga

You can either rise and grind by heading to a nice yoga class. Or go through one on Youtube. It is a great way to combine both stretching and meditation all in one. Creating a more centered body and mind to greet the day with.

Resource: 10 Minute Yoga Sequence 

Text A Buddy or Family Member

Shooting out random encouraging messages is the best. And the are always well received. It lets people feel that they are loved and needed. And it lifts us up too. A true win win.

Coffee Obviously

I mean I am a coffee addict. I confess this to you! I have been trying to make it at my house lately so that I stop spending so much money at the local coffee shop. It also makes the house smell great for the remainder of the morning.

Learn Something New

Our minds our most active and receptive to stimuli in the morning. What a great time to learn something new! Maybe you can catch up on what is going on in the stock market so you can make some smart investments. Or learn a new language to make you more valuable to the marketplace.

Resource:53 New Skills To Learn

Engage In A Hobby

Lately my hobby has been fishing. I don’t do it every morning because life is to crazy. But I do try to do so a few days a week. But maybe you love drawing and can draw out some pictures of what you want your day to look like. Or you could simply write some music that is a representation of what is going on in your life.

Re-Write Your Goals 

There is power in repetition. The more we review our goals, the more we feel great about our lives. It also puts them deeper into the subconscious mind. Anchoring them in there. In which our mind will start to seek out and find answers and help to allow us to hit or goals faster and more effectively.

Forgive Someone

This can be someone that cut you off in traffic earlier in the week. To someone who really did you wrong and anyone in between. Like the quote says:

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” – Buddha

Of course this is easier said then done. But that is why I created this guide for you to help faciliate the letting go process!

Guide: How To Let Go Of ANYTHING

Remember A Lost Loved One Or Pet

It can be nice to simply give thanks for a lot loved one. To reflect on how you valued the time you had with the person. It is a great way to keep them alive in in your heart in a sense. To dwell on their legacy they left in your heart. As well as, in a strong sense, to remind us to live for them in this short amount of time we have left on this ear.

Do Your Most Important Thing First

It is great to do the most important thing you have to do right off the bat. Just get it done so it is in the rear view mirror. It will help you feel a great sense of accomplishment. The monkey off your back sort of thing. And it will only make the day and all the other tasks look that much easier to complete.

Reflect On What You Did Good and Bad

Brian Tracy, author and motivational speaker, talks about how we should reflect on the good and the bad of each day. The good to learn from, and the bad to learn from. So asking yourself at breakfast what you did good and bad the day before. Then the good thing and wins are something you can bring into today. And the negative things you can simply leave behind. Habits or decisions that were good can be nurtured and repeated. This can increase your productivity by huge measures if you ask those two questions.

Like Socrates so eloquently said:

“An unexamined life is not worth living.”

 Set Your Intentions For The Day

It is so easy to jump right into the day without really dwelling on what we want out of our day. What do you want to get out of your work day? Is is getting 3 solid referrals or securing a big contract? What do you want from that meet up with your friend for coffee? Do you want to simply chit chat or get deep and talk about issues that are below just surface level?

This will help you really maximize your productivity and efforts for the day. It will keep you from simply just going into situations in life. And instead will prepare you for these situations so that you get the most out of them.

Monitor Your Self Talk

Again the morning is our time to set the path for the rest of the day. It is a great opportunity to put the reins on our mind and rear that sucker back from getting to out of control.

So the morning is a great time to monitor your mind. Before there is too much outside chatter. It is a good time to let go of negative thoughts. And inject positive thoughts into your life. Beliefs that are supportive of creating abundance into your life.

Give Yourself a Little Massage

This can be a great way to create a more calm body for the chaos of of the day. Simply squeezing your shoulders and upper back a little bit. Or getting one of those cool canes and massaging your back with it.

Tell Yourself You Are A Winner

I love what Zig Ziglar says. We were born to win, engineered for success. But programmed for failure. It is so true. We have billion dollar bodies that are capable of literal genius. But we have often took on peoples beliefs or even formed our own beliefs that are limiting us. Wake up each morning and tell yourself that you are a winner. And no matter how hard it is or gets, you are going to make it. You are going to live this life as a winner!

Resource: Limiting Beliefs Examples (How To Get Rid Of Them)

X Off Yesterday From The Calendar 

This act is simply to put yesterday in the past. To let it go. To forget about it because it has forgotten you. This can help you embrace the present moment and embrace what today has to offer. Like I said above, we can learn a lot from the previous day. But aside from that, it no longer and never will exist again.

Take A Picture

Maybe it is a picture of the sunrise to appreciate how beautiful this life is. Or a selfie to store away for a before and after transformation. Or simply just to workout your artistic side and keep you in the moment by snapping some pictures of nature.

These great pictures can really add up, allowing you to even create photo albums and give them out as gifts.

Read a Poem

Poems can be a great way to exercise your mind. To dwell upon the meaning of a nice poem. Or simply to get lost in a little story before you go about your day. Or hey maybe you can even write your own and try to get it published online!

Resource: 100 Great Poems

Knock Out A Crossword Puzzle

While eating your Wheaties why not knock out a crossword puzzle! It is a great way to improve the health of your brain and get your competitive spirit up to bring into the challenges of the day.

Create Your Own Mantra For The Day

We all have different types of challenges in our life that we are going through. Mine is currently that am trying to pack in 2 different jobs, working out 6 days a week and devoting 20 hours a week or more to this blog. So my current mantra is “One day at a time.” Because if I look too far ahead or get to anxious about all I need to get done in the day, I will lose control a bit. Then waste time by dwelling on it. Or not taking action at all because I will feel that it all isn’t worth it because I am not seeing fast enough results! Have you been there???

But you obviously have your own challenges you have to deal with. So it can be great to create a mantra for the day or week that you can refer to re-center you when your things are feeling out of control.

Deeply Appreciate Something

Now I know I mentioned gratitude and how it can better your life. But I am suggesting that we wake up and simply appreciate the fine details of something in our home or outside. Maybe the intricasies of a painting in your home. Or the layers and colors of a pine cone. Something simply to appreciate the beauty of life. And it has a way of putting us in the moment. Quieting our minds. Offering you a nice little minute or two of meditation.

Read A Couple of Jokes

Laughter is such a healer. And we can great the day with a smile and laugh by reading some super funny jokes. Or watching a quick skit by one of your favorite comedians.

Resource: 52 Of The Funniest Two Line Jokes

Work On A Puzzle

This can be a great little productive distraction to work on in the morning. Maybe take a bit of healthy breakfast. And then attach a puzzle piece. Rinse and repeat! It can give you something fun to look forward to in the morning. Along with be a cool thing to frame up and hang when you are done with the entire puzzle.

Make A List of Anything You Need While You Are Out

This can be anything from needing to fill the cupboards and refrigerator. To the in-and-out quick trip to Walmart for toiletries. You can set a an alarm or notification for this for right before or after you get off of work. To remind you to pick up what you need before you get home and forget. Then remember but not want to go back out because you simply do not want to leave the house!

Give Yourself Some Love

Dwell on all your victories. Small and big wins. Accolades. Good things you have done for people. Anything that can show you all the value you have in this life.

Often times we are our own worst critic. And no on can truly make us feel inferior but ourselves. But to counteract this feeling, we can wake up and realize how much of a boss we really are. That we have done a lot of good in this world. We have forged our own path. Set and accomplished goals. Made a difference in peoples lives. And are simply a warrior ready to fight through life’s ups and downs.

Take A Bath

If you can, it is great to soak it out just before you get the day going. Maybe make your breakfast while the water is running. And then take a dip in nice hot water. You can listen to your meditation taps or motivational talks in the bath as well. Or simply just let your body and mind relax completely before going into the rest of your day.

Conclusion To The Best Morning Rituals

There we are my friends. A list of morning routines that I hope you can use to help you create your own personal morning routine.

Share with me what you think about the list. If it was missing any good morning rituals that you would like to add. Or are already using in your life that you are benefiting from. Along with the ritual you are most excited about integrating in your life as soon as possible!

 

Peace,

Chris