Good Morning Sunshine

Back at home in St Louis I had very early morning clients so my morning routine was as short as possible to maximize sleep. I would have everything set out the night before so that I could sleep in as late as possible. Then I would do a super quick routine in my car on the way to my first client. This would consist of deep breathing, saying a prayer and turning on a podcast. By the time I would get to my first client’s house I would feel great, especially knowing I would be helping someone else with their morning routine! I would pretty much always warm up with my client and -Bam!- we were both awake and ready to take on the day! Now, living in Germany, my clients are across the ocean and many time zones so my mornings are open. I decided I should try out some of the MANY habits I have heard over the years that successful, productive people do in their mornings. My first step was stretching and foam rolling. We are lucky enough to have a spare fitness room where I also lead my virtual personal training sessions. If the sun isn't up yet or if its an overcast morning I even turn on my happy lamp while stretching. Then, I get out my yoga mat and start with my typical stretches which is a blend of yoga, NASM static hold stretches and breath work. All similar to flexibility sequences I use when I am training clients at their homes. I noticed I would stretch for a little longer each morning, probably because so far this was my favorite part of the morning:). I added in foam rolling for myofascial release, then some planks and core work to wake up my abs! After a few days of doing this I remembered about a book I read, The Miracle Morning and looked up the acronym SAVERS they recommend in the book. SilenceAffirmationVisualizationExerciseReadScribingThis sounded like a lot. So I said I’d do one minute of each and see which stood out to me most. I did this for a week and naturally spent more than a minute on some, while others I would watch the clock and be happy I did it, but done after a minute. I highly recommend trying all of them because you might be surprised what you are drawn towards! For me, I didn’t expect to scribe much. I didn’t have a prompt or anything and it just hit me that I could write what I’m thankful for and what my short or long term goal was. Well, I guess I did have a prompt, but anyways, that turned into one of my favorite quick activities. Especially because I used pen and paper instead of screen time.  Even just adding these two new habits to my morning has really made a difference. I’m so much more clear and motivated on my goals for the day. It also seems to force you to be more positive, even on mornings where I was tired or woke up close to the wrong side of the bed. What is one thing you've been wanting to add to your morning routine? Try it for a week and see where it gets you.I have a list of the next habits I want to add to my morning routine so stay tuned!