A Guide to Infusing Wellness into Your Morning Routine

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to overlook the importance of starting your day off on the right foot. However, adding wellness practices into your morning routine can set you up for a day filled with positivity, productivity, and overall wellbeing. In this post we will explore how to bring wellness into your morning routine, as well as the key role of a wellness-focused nighttime routine in laying the groundwork for a successful morning.

The Night Before: Setting the Stage for Morning Wellness

Your morning wellness doesn’t have to begin when you wake up – it can start the night before. Building a nighttime routine can help you wind down, relax, and prepare for a restorative sleep, allowing your morning routine to be more successful. Here are some tips to create an effective nighttime routine:

1. Limit Screen Time

   • The blue light from screens can interfere with your body’s melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep and impacting your sleep quality. Try staying off electronics for at least an hour before bed to avoid disrupting your natural sleep cycle.

2. Engage in Relaxing Activities

   • Engaging in calming activities before bed can help quiet your mind and signal to your body that it’s time to wind down. This can look different depending on what works for you. Some relaxing activities could include reading, yoga, journalling, taking a hot bath, doing some aromatherapy, and whatever else may come to mind for you.

3. Prepare for the Next Day

   • Take some time to plan for the next day. For example, lay out what clothes you will wear and pack your bag. Having a plan and getting things ready can help reduce stress in the morning and allow your morning routine to run more smoothly.

4. Create a Calming Sleep Environment

   • Several environmental factors can affect your sleep quality. Here are some things you can do to have a more restful sleep: make your room as dark as you can when you’re trying to fall asleep (blackout curtains/blinds or a sleeping mask can help with this), keep your bedroom cool, invest in comfortable bedding, and minimize noises that could disturb your sleep with a white noise machine or fan.

Creating Your Morning Wellness Routine

With the foundation of a relaxing nighttime routine and a restful night’s sleep, you can now focus on infusing wellness into your morning. Here are some ideas to get started:

1. Mindful Wakeup

   • Instead of rushing out of bed or reaching immediately for your phone, try taking a few moments to be present in the moment of waking up. Feel your body waking up and making its first movements of the day, take a big stretch and some deep breaths.

2. Hydrate

   • Drink a tall glass of water after getting out of bed to rehydrate your body. You can also add some lemon to your water for some added freshness and vitamin C.

3. Move Your Body

   • Do some physical activity in the morning to boost your energy and productivity. The length and type of physical activity you do is completely dependent on how much time you have and what your physical abilities are. It could be anything from gentle stretches to a morning walk or run. Exercise is a great way to improve your mood and set a positive tone for the day.

4. Eat a Nourishing Breakfast

   • Having a balanced breakfast with protein, fruits/vegetables, and whole grains can provide you with sustained energy for the day and improve your performance. If you don’t normally feel hungry in the mornings, you can adjust your morning nutrition to suit your needs, like making your own smoothie.

5. Practice Gratitude  

   • Take time in the morning to reflect on what you’re grateful for. Practicing gratitude involves feeling appreciative of the things that are meaningful to you, as well as for the people who make a positive difference in your life. With practice, you can find something small to feel grateful for on even the most difficult days. Practicing gratitude in your morning routine reduces stress, improves your mood, and can help you have a positive outlook for the day.

6. Set Intentions

   • Before diving into your day, it can be helpful to take the time to set your intentions and goals for the day. What do you wish to accomplish today? Setting your intentions can help you stay focused and give you a sense of purpose and direction.

Incorporating wellness practices into your morning routine can have a significant, positive impact on your wellbeing. By also focusing on wellness in your nighttime routine, you will be prepared for a restful sleep that sets you up for a successful and wellness-focused morning. Using these steps to improve your routines will allow you to start your days feeling refreshed, energized, and prepared for whatever comes your way. Sometimes life can get in the way, and you may not always have time to include as many wellness practices as you’d like in your routine. If that is the case, these tips can be adapted to suit your own lifestyle and needs. Remember that you can’t go through life running on empty – focusing on wellness before bed and upon waking will give you the sustained energy you need to tackle life’s challenges and find the joy in each day.