How to Create A Healthy Morning Routine
I was asked about morning routines, and if I have any tips or tricks for adding workouts to my morning routine, especially with two kids. I cannot stress enough how imperative to my journey figuring out an effective morning routine was. Without the routine for myself and the girls, it never would have happened. Things I learned over time to make it easier on myself even were simple little things that made a huge impact.
When creating a morning routine for yourself, there are a few important things to consider. One of those being what time you wake up. I know that this seems obvious, or maybe even frustrating to hear, but you should be waking up before your kids. I’m a big believer in getting ahead of the chaos and that feels next to impossible if you wake up at the same time as your kids. I promise that with time, it gets easier. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier each week until you reach a morning wake up call time that feels like your most productive, happiest time to wake up.
The next important thing to consider is whether or not you’ll be able to get your workout in at home or at the gym and what time you want that workout to fall. This is a really personal decision so I won’t tell you one way over the other, but I will say that I think it’s important to get your workout out of the way early in the morning when you are just starting out on a fitness journey. Don’t give your brain time to talk yourself out of it or to become “too tired” or “too busy” throughout the day. This leads me into my top 3 recommendations for creating your perfect morning routine.
Incorporate A Workout
When I started going to the gym, I had a 1 and 2.5 year old. They came to the gym and went to the kids club every day with me. Rain, snow or sunshine. Even now that they are a little older and Meadow goes to “school” twice a week, I’d have them at the gym before 8am. Everyday. Getting two toddlers out the door is like herding cats, and it was in no way pretty and organized. It was chaos, running, noisy, and messy. But it gets easier!
Don’t let yourself make excuses for why you can’t workout. You can, you have time. You’ve got this. There will never be a perfect few hours where everything is calm and you can easily get to the quiet gym and use all of the equipment that you need and leave and have a perfect post workout meal and a shower. That literally never happens. So do what you can with what you have, no excuses.
Do as much as you physically can THE NIGHT BEFORE.
First, I’d pull out clothes the night before. Getting dressed for all three of us was the longest, hardest part for whatever reason. Finding little socks and two matching shoes. Meadow hated what I picked out, even at 2, so I would let her pick out her outfit before bed.
I put out my outfit as well. This is still wildly important even for home workouts!
Brainstorm things that you can do ahead of time to make things smoother in the morning. Does your coffee maker have a delayed brew setting? Automate it so that your coffee is already ready in the morning. Go to bed with a tidied up home, there is nothing worse than waking up and feeling like you already need to get to cleaning. Lay out clothes and outfits for the family. Pack your gym bag. You got this.
You first.
Our morning routine looks something like this: Me dressed FIRST. Next I cook and while kids eat breakfast, I drink my coffee, catch up on emails or whatever I have to do. I start up making water and snacks for the girls. Make my gym water cup, set up my protein. Then I’d get them dressed. Getting them dressed would change their whole mood from morning chaos to ok time to pay attention and go. It got to the point where they’d go down the checklist with me. “Mom, do you have our waters? Backpack? Our snacks? That toy I promised to bring Zach!?” Routine. Then it was gym, for one hour. Blocked off. Me time. 8-9. Then school drop off or whatever the rest of the day incurred. But my workout was first.
It’s okay to make time for yourself, to prioritize yourself at the beginning of the day. You can’t pour from an empty cup and you shouldn’t try. Take care of you and the rest will come later.