Mornings in Moon Valley

“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” –Henry David Thoreau

Mornings are so important - the way we rise sets the tone for the day. Although it sounds cliche, each morning really is a new opportunity. We can awaken (literally and mentally) each morning with a new perspective, a new goal, or a new idea.

Lately, I have struggled with finding a morning routine. While I love the idea of getting up early, practicing yoga, and sipping my first cup of coffee in a quiet, sleepy home before everyone wakes up, it just has not been happening. Mostly, I hit snooze 17 times, wait until the last possible moment, roll out of bed, and zombie into the kitchen to make coffee.

Today I am reflecting on why I crave this routine? Why do I have this desire to get up and moving before the sun rises? I think for me it is a need to spend time alone with myself. And maybe that is what makes it so hard? Maybe spending time by myself forces me to be present and listen to my thoughts and feel emotions I don't typically have the "time" to feel throughout the day. Maybe this is the challenge, yet I still crave this.

I'm challenging myself tomorrow to wake up in time to practice yoga, to take some deep breaths before I dive into my work, and to just be present with myself, if only for a few moments.

With all of that said, I wanted to write up an ideal morning plan with some tips that I find helpful. I write this to (hopefully) hold myself accountable and also inspire others to take up their own routine.

I've included affiliate links below to some products I have actually tried and liked. I share these with you as part of my routine because they are items that I actually enjoy or find helpful and I hope you will too.

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6am - wake up, drink water, make coffee

Literally the first thing I do when I wake up, be it at 6am or 10am, is drink a full glass of water. (I created the habit of drinking 8 glasses of water a day many years ago and it stuck.) While drinking my water I prepare my coffee for the morning. I started using a French press a few years ago and I love how it makes my coffee tastes so much richer and cleaner. I've also been trying to drink less caffeine and I found an organic brand of decaf on Amazon that has great flavor and doesn't break the bank.

6:15am - yoga, walk, movement of some kind

With spring here, I think some morning walks may be incorporated into my routine. However, one of my go-to forms of movement is yoga. For my yoga practice, I often refer to YouTube videos by YogaWithAdriene as her videos are simple and accessible. She lays down the fundamentals of yoga in a way that is refreshing and understandable for beginners. She allows you space to explore within the practice, which I love, as this adds a layer of creativity into my practice.

To inspire you to get moving, get yourself the perfect pair of super comfy yoga pants. These Yogalicious pants on Amazon are so silky soft you will probably want to wear them beyond your morning workout.

7:00am - get kid(s) up, make breakfast, spend morning time together

I will be adding some of my simple morning breakfast recipes soon, including kid friendly ideas. Stay tuned for those!

7:30 - head out the door, drop kid(s) off at daycare, head to work, etc

These last two things will obviously differ widely depending on your situation so you can decide how to divide up this time in a way that suits you.

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There you have it. The ideal morning routine. Simple, do-able, effective. I hope to eventually get started even earlier, with a wake-up time of 5:30am to implement some time for journaling, but this schedule is a good way to ease into any morning routine.

I hope that this post will encourage some of you to develop your own morning routine. How do you start your day? Do you have a set routine or does it vary day to day? Let us know in the comments down below.

Thanks for reading. Remember to be kind and patient with yourself. Starting a new habit can be tough but the first step is trying.

Until next time,

A

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