3 Things To Make Your Morning Awesome

Do you love yourself a good routine in the morning?

I sure do. There’s something about it that just gives me a boost to my day, a fresh start, an opportunity to kick the day off the right way.

And when my routine includes things that make me happy and feel good, well, there’s no stopping me. Look out, day (and world). Sure, there are days when I roll out of bed and have to do the mama thing straight away (more so lately with my 5-month-old… my toddler, not as much), but when I’m able to give myself 30 minutes in the morning just for me, it really does set me up for a great day.

Like, actually. The difference between owning the day vs. struggling to keep up? Absolutely huge. My day is WAY better when I start it off on my terms, and I want you to experience the same thing, mama.

Now, there are 3 things that I make sure to include in my morning routine because they make me feel good both mentally and physically… both equally important, IMO. I give myself half an hour to get ’em done. You’ll see that it’s really just the last one that you’ll want to dedicate the most time to; the first one you can do while you do the others, and the second is pretty quick.

Let’s dive in!

Drink Water

I don’t know about you, but I am the MOST thirsty in the morning. I mean, I haven’t exactly been slugging back buckets of water overnight, so it makes sense. So that makes this one pretty easy. I’m already thirsty, so drinking water first thing in the morning is already something I want to do.

Adding lemon juice to your morning water can help your liver detoxify, and flushing out toxins is such a necessary thing, so it’s a bonus if you do this. But, simply drinking more water, plain and simple, first thing in the AM is so beneficial.

Aim for 2 cups within the first 30 minutes of waking up, which you’ll likely find pretty easy to do (remember that thirst?). Now, if you normally drink more than that anyway, awesome! Keep doing it… and if you want an upgrade, add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice.

Dry Brush Your Skin

Okay so you’re now gettin’ hydrated, and the next step in this nice self-care thing is adding in a dry brush.

Say what?

Yup, a dry brush. This is literally a large brush with stiff bristles that you brush over your skin. It’s kind of like a back scratcher, but bigger and you do it over your entire body.

Doesn’t that sound nice? Trust me, it is.

Dry brushing gets your circulation going, both in your bloodstream and in your lymphatic system. And your lymph system, my friend, is where your toxins hang out, so getting it moving is a good (and very necessary) thing. Dry brushing also helps to slough off dead skin cells, leaving our skin soft and smooth. And, giving your skin a good brush in the morning is a great way to wake you up and provide a refreshing boost for the day. I will take all of those things, please and thank you!

Bonus: Getting our lymphatic flow moving can also have the side benefit of reducing the appearance of cellulite, so heeey! Why not, right?

Using your dry brush, start at your feet and work upwards, doing long strokes across your skin. Move up your legs and bum, then do your stomach and back, followed by your arms. It feels so good! I can (almost) guarantee that you’ll love it.

Do Something For YOU

Now this one is important, mama, and must not be skipped over (as much as you can help it). You’ve gotta do something just for YOU. This could be any number of things (see below for some examples), but the key is that it pushes your (good) buttons and makes you happy.

For you, this might mean writing in a journal, reflecting on (and maybe writing down) what you’re grateful for, doing yoga or working out, meditating, having a solo coffee/tea (holla!), planning your day/week, working on your biz, reading, or listening to an audiobook or podcast.

Don’t those sound heavenly? Well, you don’t have to wait for a few magical minutes to just appear anymore in order for you to do these things; you have to make them happen. Listen, I totally get it if you have a babe that you have to get up for multiple times in the night (I feel you, girl!), and in that case, you need all the sleep you can get. But, if you got a restful sleep (and you went to bed at a decent hour, ahem), then set your alarm and make sure you carve out these 30 minutes just for you.

Reset

If you’ve been feeling kind of blah lately and feel like you’ve been chasing the day and you can’t keep up (and I personally hate that feeling), then a morning routine could be just the thing to give you a reset. Try it tomorrow and see how different your day feels as a result. And if you enjoy it, try it again the next day. And the next. Soon, you’ll have your own awesome morning routine that sets you up for a freakin fantastic day.

Do you have a morning routine? I wanna know your favourite part of it! Comment below and let me know.

Laura Lima is a holistic nutritionist, stay-at-home mompreneur, wife to Hamilton Realtor, Miguel Lima, and mama to Cutest Babies Ever, Ellie and Maggie. (Ha.) She believes that focusing on real foods leads to feeling fantastic and having more energy so women can take on the many calls of mamahood (and life in general). She spends much of her time in her free Facebook group where she teaches how to do just that. Are you a new(ish) mama? She’d love for you to join her there.