My Morning Routine

Being a stay at home mom, I take care of baby pretty much all the time. And sometimes, it's hard especially if Henson is in a fussy mood and wants to be carried around or played with, I can't really do anything else. Household chores are not as important as baby, and they are second priority only, but they still need to be done, right?

Henson is my alarm clock in the morning. Whenever he's awake, I'm awake too (whether I like it or not). If he didn't sleep well during the night and woke up probably 2 or 3 times, I usually feel like a zombie in the morning. Oh, motherhood. I know this stage will soon come to pass, but not having enough sleep is a real bummer. And I'm sure a lot of mommies out there can relate to this. So it's a must for me to get energized first thing in the morning, or else I'm going to have a sluggish day. I find that having a morning routine gets me through the day better. It makes my day start out organized and full of energy. Let me share with you my morning routine/ritual:

1. Brush teeth - this is the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning. Once I get rid of my morning breath with some water and toothpaste, I feel so much better. When we sleep, our mouth dries out and with that there's an increase in bacteria as well, so after a night's sleep, there's nothing I want more than to clean out my mouth first thing in the morning before I tackle anything else.

2. Drink lemon water - right after brushing my teeth, this is the next thing I do. I've read about the benefits of lemon water and how it's great to jump start your day. Our bodies go through a restorative process at night when we're asleep and it's when the liver is doing most of the cleaning. When we wake up, drinking water re-hydrates our body and flushes out toxins from our system. When I started doing this, I found myself having more energy and I find that it gives my body and mind a much-needed boost.

3. Work out - I know, I know, some of you might be reading no. 3 and saying, "I don't have the time or energy to exercise!" And I feel you, I really do. I totally understand how you feel because that's how I felt too. But we gotta PUSH OURSELVES mommas! Unless you're one of those blessed people who didn't get fat during pregnancy, we have a lot of work to do to get back in shape. Working out is the only way to get fit again. It also releases endorphins (happy hormones) that makes you feel good and energized, ready to take on the day. It doesn't need to be a long and boring workout. It can be as short as 7-15 minutes everyday of cardio and strength training, and you'll feel the benefits. 

4. Quick shower - nothing wakes me up better than a shower. If you're one of those people who love cold showers in the morning, all the better. Me, I can't handle cold showers so I just shower with warm water. It still does the trick though, it wakes me up, and makes me feel fresh again, especially after a sweaty work out.

5. Do something that inspires or motivates you - it may be as simple as listening to music, or maybe doing a short meditation, or watching an inspiring video... something that will remind you that life is good and beautiful. Motivation doesn't last forever, so you need to replenish it everyday. You may go to bed fully motivated, knowing what you want and how to get what you want, only to wake up in the morning and all the motivation is gone. It happens, especially if you need to take care of a crying baby when you're already super tired and lacking sleep. How do you keep going and doing what needs to be done? You continually motivate yourself. It can be in whatever form you prefer. If reading motivational quotes does it for you, go ahead and spend a few minutes in the morning doing it. If meditation works best for you, set aside a few minutes to feed your mind with the things that are important to you: family, seeing your child grow up healthy and happy, work, business ideas, etc. Just keep motivating yourself and remembering WHY you do what you do.

All these five things here are all part of my morning routine. I do all of these first before I eat, or do household chores like washing dishes, feeding the cats, and tidying around the house. My mood for the rest of the day is highly dependent on whether or not I did my morning routine well.

You may ask, how do I squeeze this in between taking care of the baby. I'll tell you what I do... the first three, I can actually do while my baby is in his play pen. If he's fussing because he's hungry, I get him a bottle and then he can eat while I do my workout. Then I bring his jumperoo (lifesaver!) to the washroom and I can have a quick shower for 5 minutes while he's playing in it. The last one I can do while I'm hanging out with him, I sit him on the floor with me or on the bed and then I simply let my mind relax or I'll just watch him and remind myself how lucky I am to have him in my life, and think of what I need to do in order to give him a good life. Sometimes I would watch a short inspirational video (while always keeping an eye on baby) and then I'm feeling motivated again.

What about you, do you follow a routine every morning? I'd love to hear all about them. I might incorporate one of yours into mine. :)

Be inspired,