If you feel tired and sluggish in the morning, try adding in a few of these quick and easy habits for a refreshing boost of energy!
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Mornings have been a little rough for me the past few months.
Last fall, I began working from home for the first time after working 8 to 5 for over 10 years. It was absolutely glorious. I threw away my alarm clock and woke up when the sun came up. I poured myself a glass of lemon and apple cider vinegar water and a cup of coffee, and I took my journal, a book, and laptop outside where I meditated, journaled, read, and began working while the sun came up.
I felt energized, inspired, and in alignment.
But my slow and peaceful mornings were short lived. After about four months of working from home, I started working in the mornings teaching Pilates reformer classes. I love teaching and I’m so grateful for my clients, but my mornings have become rushed.
Not taking the time to check in with myself in the mornings has me feeling less inspired, less motivated, and out of alignment.
So I’m making an effort to create some space in the morning. I don’t have a lot of time in the morning, so I’m incorporating super simple habits that only take a few minutes each.
Here’s what I’m doing in the morning to feel more energized and aligned:
- Tongue scrape. This is the first thing I do in the morning. Tongue scraping, which is an Ayurvedic practice, helps to clear toxins and bacteria from the tongue, promotes oral and digestive health, gently stimulates internal organs and enhances your sense of taste. This is the one I have.
- Diffuse invigorating and energizing essential oils. I love eucalyptus and bergamot or peppermint and lemon. You could add these oils to your diffuser in the evening, so you can just turn on your diffuser in the morning.
- Drink lemon water. This is a habit I haven’t let go of since my carefree mornings. I add a drop of therapeutic grade lemon essential oil and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water. I like using lemon essential oil because it’s easier and more cost effective than buying lemons. Drinking lemon water helps stimulate the digestive system and detoxifies the body. It’s also a great way to hydrate the body after sleep.
- Write morning pages. Writing is a powerful tool to create connection between your thoughts and actions. In the morning, before you’ve had a chance to become fully awake, you’re able to connect to your unconscious mind. Writing first thing in the morning can allow you to connect to your inner self. I’ve been writing for just three to five minutes a few days a week. It’s allowing me to get reconnected to myself, my intentions, and how I’m feeling.
- Meditate. After months of daily meditation, I got away from meditating and I’m definitely feeling it. Meditation is another way that I connect to myself, my inner guide, and my intentions. I’ve been getting back to meditation in the morning by sitting for just a few minutes. Sometimes just two minutes, and if I have time, up to 10 minutes. I don’t use guided meditations often, but they can be helpful. Here are the Best Apps for Meditation.
- Dry brush. Dry brushing can increase circulation, help your body release toxins more easily, and feel invigorating. It also helps remove dead skin cells, which will make your skin appear smoother and brighter. This is something that I do quickly before getting dressed or getting in the shower. Starting at your feet, use upward motions (toward your heart) to brush your skin.
- Do a few sun salutations. This one is the hardest one for me because I don’t usually feel like moving much in the morning. But moving your body just a little bit in the morning can be super energizing! I always wake up feeling pretty stiff, so I know moving will help create some energy in my body. And doing just 3-5 sun salutations only takes a couple of minutes! When the weather gets nicer, I’d like to get out and walk for 20 minutes or so before I head out to teach.
That’s it! Each habit takes just a few minutes in the morning and each helps me feel so much more energized and ready for the day. I do have to get up about 15 minutes earlier to incorporate these habits into my morning. So I’ll go to bed a little earlier!
Here are some of my favorite things to create energizing mornings…
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Bragg’s Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
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