My Morning Routines

A few weeks back, I wrote about how I got started on my journey to healthy living and feeling great in my body. You can click the link HERE to read all about what got me started. As I mention in that post, I expect this to be a lifelong journey. One that I continue to tweak and refine as the years go by. So with that in mind, I thought I would spend a few posts talking about what my day looks like right now, what practices I currently do, and what practices I am trying to incorporate.

The early morning is such a special time of day. It has an atmosphere of clarity, calm, and focus. In order to take advantage of these qualities and to start my day off on the right foot, I try not to rush through my mornings and there are a few key habits I regularly do.

1. When I wake up, I always brush my teeth, scrape my tongue, and oil my gums.
2. Next, I do something to move my body (running, yoga, Insanity :-), and walking are my favorites!) and breathe deeply because getting my prana (life force or breath) moving first thing ensures that I start the day feeling refreshed and energized.
3. I also drink a bunch of water.  After fasting all night, my body is dehydrated so it is important to begin hydrating first thing. Drinking water in the morning also kick starts the process of elimination, if you catch my drift.
4. I always aim to eat a nutritious breakfast. I love fruit and nut butter smoothies and any breakfast recipe from Deliciously Ella (check our her website for awesome recipes, www.deliciouslyella.com). 5. Finally, I try to spend anywhere from 2 minutes to 30 minutes, just relaxing without electronics. I take this time to plan my day, take a few really deep breaths, meditate, or spend a few moments with my husband. Sometimes I even go for a walk. Ensuring that my morning is not rushed means that the rest of my day will feel less hurried.

So all of that probably sounds like a lot, but in a crunch, I can get all of it in within about 30 minutes. I just shorten each step a bit. If I miss any of the above practices, I definitely notice that the rest of day seems more stressful and anxiety filled.

How do you start your day?

Ingredients for a delicious breakfast!

Sleep Great Every Night!

Did you miss the free talk I gave last week? We talked about how to develop a pre-sleep routine that involves relaxing non-work, non-computer/phone/TV activities so that when your head hits the pillow you are truly ready for sleep. Incorporating simple practices like these into your evening routine will allow you to wake up feeling rested and ready to face the day ahead! Those that were able to attend are reporting back that they are sleeping better than ever!

Now I bet you wish that you had been able to make it, right?! Well, you are in luck. I gave a similar talk last year and it was recorded! Click HERE to access that recording and then contact me (beth@bethmarek.com). I want to answer any questions that you have so that you too sleep well every night!

Stress Management Practice #3: Be Grateful

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” Marianne Williamson

My final stress management suggestion is to incorporate a daily gratitude practice. I often find myself dwelling on everything that is going wrong in my life, especially when I am overwhelmed. In these times, I find it really hard to look for the good in my life and to be grateful for all that I have. I would therefore like to encourage you to develop a gratitude practice. There are many ways to do this (just google “gratitude practice” for other ideas), but my favorite is to keep a gratitude journal. Every night before going to sleep write down three things from the day that you are grateful for. For example, today I am grateful for an awesome yoga class, my sweet cats that love to snuggle, and my laptop that makes it so easy to get work done anywhere! This doesn’t have to be some deep, spiritual type journal (unless that makes you happy). It is simply a way to ensure we are regularly recognizing how many good things we really do have in our lives.

Click HERE to download a pretty and simple way to record what you are thankful for. Print out as many copies as you like. If you don’t have time to write these things down, don’t worry, just take a moment to reflect on three things you are grateful for that day or even share it with your partner, friend, or a family member. You will be amazed at how much smaller your worries get when you take the time to be truly thankful for all of the good things in your life.

Let me know how it goes!