If you do one thing in 2015…do this
What are your mornings like? Are you jolted awake by a buzzing alarm clock? Do you rush around the house trying to find something to wear or get the kids something to eat? Do feel scrambled and not sure if you remembered everything? Or maybe you are in a slow motion zombie state. How do you think the rest of your day will go? What kind of day will your kids have at school after beginning their day with everyone in the household running around, yelling, and trying to find that sock or shoe?
I’m going to make a strong suggestion that just may change your life and possibly your family’s life.
Ready for this?
Establish a morning routine. I’ll take that a step further. Establish a morning routine that enables you to begin each morning from a place of tranquility, with a sense of purpose, and a vision for how you want your day to be like.
Firstly, remove the chaos from your mornings. The night before have what you are going to wear ready to go. Pack a gym bag so you can take it with you (no excuses for not working out!). Prepare your lunch so all you have to do is put it in your lunch bag. Same thing for the kids apply. Just like brushing your teeth or reading a story before going to bed, do these few things to remove chaos.
Now that you aren’t hitting the snooze button you have time for something of value. You could begin with some light yoga stretching, deep breathing, meditation, going for a short walk, writing in a gratitude journal or just sitting quietly with a cup of tea. Visualize what your day will look like, how you will carry yourself, what your purpose will be. Find what works best for you and do it each day.
My morning routine begins with writing in my journal, a few arm movements, a few push-ups and about twenty minutes of meditation. My gym bag was packed the night before, the clothes I plan to wear already laying out, and my lunch is ready for me to put in my lunch bag. My breakfast is ready as well as I pre-made my green smoothie.
Here is a quick tip on preparing you breakfast and lunch. Every Sunday I wash the vegetables and spinach for my lunches and place in a giant container then each night when I get home, I take out as much as I need and place in my glass container. I assemble the rest of lunch like grabbing an avocado, placing raw almonds and Gogi berries in a zip lock and I ready to go. Similarly, on Sundays I make my breakfast green smoothies for the week. I spilt out the smoothie into four or five glass mason jars, place one in the refrigerator for Monday morning and the rest in the freezer for the rest of the week. Just place the frozen jar in the refrigerator the night before and you will be good to go in the morning.
As a result of doing this I’m not reacting to the morning, I’m enjoying it, and I’m mindful for how I want my day to unfold. I’m setting my mind, body, and intentions for the day. When I do this each morning, I really notice the difference. I have provided more value and have been more helpful to others.
A little bit of sacrifice, a little bit of planning on the front end will provide long term benefits. You will be able to design your life, not react to it. All of these little things add up so we can be our better selves.
I challenge you to design your life.
If you do just one thing in 2015, do this.
To your journey,
Lisa Schaffer
GreenNote Fitness
