“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.†– Aristole
Happy new year to all for 2017. It’s a New Year, new beginnings, new resolutions, and new goals. It is the time of the year where with good intentions we set new goals and make new promises to ourselves.
If your health is high on your priority list this year a good place to start is to look at your morning routine. Have you considered that how you begin your day can enhance or hinder your quality of life, including your health in a major way?
When creating a morning ritual it is important to consider your needs. What would you need to incorporate to help you head into your day feeling calm, centred and purposeful?
Dr. Libby Weaver has found through her work that people whom have embraced a morning ritual have suggested that they are better colleagues, parents, partners and friends when they have set up their day. So the significance of a morning ritual can have far reaching effects. She found, “not only do you tend to experience better and more consistent energy, but those around you get the best version of you, too.â€
Here are some ideas to choose from:
FOR THE MIND:
- Consciously choose your 1st thought of the day.
Instead of your mind going into autopilot with worrying and planning, you can choose to meet the day with a positive mantra or think of 5 things for which you are grateful for.
- Meditate
Meditation helps you to calm your mind, increase your focus and helps with time management. A simple 10-15 minute breathing meditation can help you activate your parasympathetic nervous system (which is responsible for rest and repair), reduce stress hormone levels and find some calm.
- Reading inspirational material
You could start with Dr. Libby Weaver’s book, Women’s Wellness Wisdom. We have a copy in the clinic for you to check out on your next visit. It will give your more inspiring ideas for creating your morning routine.
- Playing up beat music
- Journaling
Scientific evidence supports that journaling provides many benefits. The act of writing accesses your left brain, which is analytical and rational. While your left brain is occupied, your right brain is free to create, intuit and feel. In sum, writing removes mental blocks and allows you to use all of your brainpower to better understand yourself, others and the world around you. Begin journaling and begin experiencing these benefits:
- Clarify your thoughts and feelings. Do you ever seem all jumbled up inside, unsure of what you want or feel? Taking a few minutes to jot down your thoughts and emotions (no editing!) will quickly get you in touch with your internal world.
- Know yourself better. By writing routinely you will get to know what makes you feel happy and confident. You will also become clear about situations and people who are toxic for you — important information for your emotional well-being.
- Reduce stress. Writing about anger, sadness and other painful emotions helps to release the intensity of these feelings. By doing so you will feel calmer and better able to stay in the present.
- Solve problems more effectively. Typically we problem solve from a left-brained, analytical perspective. But sometimes the answer can only be found by engaging right-brained creativity and intuition. Writing unlocks these other capabilities, and affords the opportunity for unexpected solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.
- Resolve disagreements with others. Writing about misunderstandings rather than stewing over them will help you to understand another’s point of view. And you just may come up with a sensible resolution to the conflict.
FOR THE BODY:
- Drink a glass of water with fresh lemon into it.
- Dry body brushing
- Stretching routine/exercise
What you do in the morning has the uncanny ability to set you up for the rest of the day. So the energy and vitality you get from exercise is a great thing to do in the morning as it keeps you energised for the entire rest of your day!
- Eating a nourishing breakfast.
I personally love a smoothie for breakfast. It is a great way to continue to hydrate and soak in beautiful phyto nutrients, fibre, minerals, good fats and high quality protein. For smoothie recipes visit Body Good Food, where nutritionalist Stephanie Wearne will give you some great ideas.
http://www.bodygoodfood.com.au/
Enjoy a bit of you time and play around with your morning routine. Your body will thank you for it.
