5 tips on Establishing a Morning Routine

It’s all the buzz now. Having a morning routine. Having a way to intentionally start your day and set yourself up for success. I am a firm believer in having a morning routine so you can get ahead of your day and spend some time by yourself, for yourself.

It may seem selfish to some, but this time of day actually helps most of us be LESS self-focused throughout the day. I personally spend time with God and in my Bible, and allowing God to fill up my heart and my cup allows me to better serve my babies, my husband, and my clients throughout the rest of the day. Then, I workout and move my body as a way to celebrate this body God has given me and take care of myself. Working out in the morning boosts my energy, releases anxiety, and helps me make better food choices throughout the day. All in all, I am kind of crazy about my morning routine and am in love with it, because I’ve seen the way it changes my mood, energy, and sets me up for a better day!

But how do you start a morning routine? What if doing something, anything, besides sleep, at 5am is a foreign concept to you? That’s ok! I’m here to help! Here are some of my tangible and simple tips for getting started with a morning routine.

Get enough sleep: I can’t stress this enough. You simply cannot get up at 5am if you haven’t had a decent night’s rest. You shouldn’t, actually, because lack of sleep can be just as detrimental to your health as soda or a bag of chips. So if you want to start getting up earlier, you have to start going to sleep earlier. Which means you may have to give up your Netflix show or that extra hour of scrolling through Instagram. Don’t worry though, once you get hooked onto your morning routine like I have, you won’t sabotage yourself with these things and you will get your butt to bed EXCITED to get up in the morning. Just you wait :)

Have a comforting beverage you look forward to: for me, I make either a cup of coffee or my pre-workout, which tastes like lemonade and is so delicious. Either drink gets me excited to get up in the morning, and I love to sip on something while I’m journaling or reading my bible!

Listen to some pump-up jams: some mornings, that’s worship music; and other mornings, it’s N*sync. But whatever pumps you up, you do you, and listen to that music! Music can be so energizing for us, so get excited, listen to something that lights you up, and enter your morning feeling happy and energetic. I personally have a playlist on Spotify for times like these where I need to pump myself up and get excited for life, so I highly suggest making your own playlist to help you out here, too!

Have your space ready for you: whether that means getting your Bible and journal out the night before, setting out your workout clothes, or having the coffee maker automated, getting as much ready for yourself ahead of time will help your morning go smoother. I love having my desk ready for me with my Bible, journal, and my workout clothes so that I can start my morning with all my tools at the ready!

Enlist some accountability! Reach out to a friend, mentor, parent, or spouse to hold you accountable to get up. Post your goals for yourself on your phone/alarm, or something inspiring (my phone alarm says “Love God, and Love Others), so when that alarm goes off you jump out of bed. Accountability can really help us in this area, so even if you need an extra layer from a coach/mentor (um hiiiii), utilize all the tools necessary to get yourself up and keep the promise you’ve made to yourself to have that time alone in the mornings.

If you have some goals for yourself as we enter into a new month to get up earlier and make your mornings more productive, I hope these tools and tips will help you in establishing your morning routine! And if you want to read some books on this area, I highly recommend “Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod, and “The 5 Second Rule” by Mel Robbins.

Love Yourself: February Bootcamp

Tell me if this sounds familiar to you: 

No matter how badly you want to get healthy, change your habits, or lose weight, you keep finding yourself in the same cycle. You sabotage progress, find excuses, and give up. You feel like it's just never going to happen to you. You ask yourself questions like "what's wrong with me?" "why can't I get my act together?" "why do I keep failing?"

You are not alone, and you are NOT the only one who feels or has felt that way. But there IS hope. And once you hold onto that, there is no turning back. 

Hope is found in placing your identity and your worth in something other than the next fad diet. It's when you realize that you are worth health and vitality, and worth taking care of this body that God has given you. It stems from loving yourself, which is often the missing puzzle in most health journeys.  

Many people believe that the more they hate themselves, the more they will want to change. That thought process couldn't be further from the truth, and it is often a dangerous cycle to enter into! Self-hate is the worst way to "motivate" yourself to change, because you often get so stuck in that negative cycle that change doesn't happen, and you often end up hurting yourself. 

I learned this hard lesson this year, and I am so glad I did. As part of our coaching team, we are big on self-care and self-love. This concept almost seemed selfish to me, but this year, it hit me that lasting change won't happen unless I treat my body the way it deserves to be treated, with respect and care. After taking this approach to my health and fitness, everything changed for me. I realized that I am made for more than a cycle of food guilt, binge-eating, and negative thoughts taking ownership in my mind. I've developed a passion for helping other women see that they are made for more too, which is why for my February Bootcamp, we will be doing something a little different...

My February Joyfully Fit Bootcamp will be about self-love, how to believe that we are made for more, and how to live as the women we were created to be. NO one is meant to be ruled my negative thoughts and self-sabotaging behaviors. There is so much more that we were meant to do on this earth! We will learn how to combine our God-given potential for MORE, a simple yet effective fitness program, and a nourishing meal plan to help us respect our bodies and treat our heart and soul with the major care we deserve.

As always, my bootcamp will include the following: 

• 30 minute circuit-style workouts 
• an easy-to-follow portion control meal plan that is fun and nourishing
• a super-foods shake that has completely changed my life (it's cliche because it's true!)
• daily accountability in a private, exclusive group for my clients
• coaching from ME, the RD and your biggest fan :) 

If this group sounds like something you have been needing in your life, don't wait. There will never be a "perfect" time where all the stars align for you to take hold of your health and happiness. Fill out the form below and I will get in touch with you regarding your goals and if this bootcamp is the right fit for you!