Ready to talk about morning rituals that are 100% going to make a positive impact on your day? Perfect, grab your coffee, tea or seltzer and lets go.
Once you read and implement these morning rituals into your day to day, you are going to notice a major increase in your productivity and overall happiness.
For me, playing mommy all day usually means I get about 2 hours to myself (aka nap time). For those with more than one kid you probably get about 5 minutes (on good days). This is why adding morning rituals to your daily routine is so important, and why I personally will never do my mornings any other way.
As the day goes on, more things occur and our self care keeps getting more pushed back. Remember, we are daily hot mom’s, and we need to make ourselves the priority in order to take care of our family.
Reading, learning and practicing these morning rituals will do nothing but make your day amazing!
This post is all about simple morning rituals that all hot mom’s need to be practicing in their morning routine.
Motivational Morning Rituals
waking up before baby
Morning rituals are extremely important and have a major impact on the rest of your day. Sleep is also SO important, and you truly realize that when you become a parent. I remember when I was pregnant and all the random people asking me how I was feeling, and I would reply “good but tired.” They would all look at me and laugh and say “OH JUST YOU WAIT” (you know the famous quote experienced parents love to say to innocent, scared unknowable first timers).
All of a sudden you are four weeks into parenthood. Gas drops and gripe water are your new besties. A “good night” is when you get a two hour stretch of sleep (but you are still not actually sleeping because you are anxious AF) and you are sitting there in your bed thinking “oh shit, this is my life now.”
I really, really believe in waking up before your baby. The few times I laid in bed until Owen woke up, I 100% regretted it every single time. If you just had your baby like two weeks ago, sleep. Sleep as much as you can. If you can just wake up 15 minutes before your baby and fit in one of these morning rituals, then that is a major win. During the very vulnerable, hard moments (early postpartum, teething, regressions, colds), do NOT push yourself. Even during these challenging times, I still do believe in allowing some alone time before your baby wakes up. Like I said, even if it is just for 15-20 minutes, you will undoubtedly notice a difference and thank yourself later.
1. spiritual morning rituals
I added meditation into my morning rituals when I was pregnant and would 10/10 recommend. I first was introduced to meditation (along with mindful thinking) a little over 6 years ago. Since dealing with depression and anxiety, meditation has been the one thing that really allows me to decompress, gather my thoughts, and of course focus on my breath.
Side note: Mark introduced me to this book “Mind Hacking” by Sir John Hargrave (if you are all about self-improvement and need a new book, this is it).
Meditation was never something I would think to add into my morning routine. It was always an added ritual that I would do after a long, stressful day. I quickly learned that there was nothing better for my anxious brain then throwing in my Airpods and taking some deep breaths.
If you have never meditated before it can seem foolish, dumb, and maybe even intimidating. Any time someone would suggest meditation to me, all I would think about is someone laying on their yoga mat, with their legs crossed and their hands in the typical formation. Anyone with this mindset has probably never meditated before, and that is okay! Also, you do not have to be someone with a medical diagnosis of anxiety or depression to choose meditation. I truly believe meditation can benefit anyone and everyone- you just have to be willing to try it and be committed to it.
I downloaded the meditation app Insight Timer, which is actually the #1 app for sleep, anxiety, and stress. Umm YEAH sign me up sis. It is not only FREE (also yes sign me up) but has thousands of guided meditations (which if you are new to meditation, I highly recommend) and even teachers (Sarah Blondin, my personal fav) you can follow. The app keeps track of minutes and days of meditation which keeps me accountable. If you are new to meditation or even need a switch up in your spiritual morning ritual practice, I HIGHLY recommend checking them out.
By adding this spiritual morning ritual into your routine, you will be setting the tone and intention for your day. When using Insight Timer, you can choose the duration of meditations you would like (sometimes a 5 min meditation is all I have time for), They also have a huge selection, specifically for the morning. By setting this time aside, you will be able to think so much clearer after you wake up.
2. hot tea, hot water, or green juice
Okay so this morning ritual is great because you A. have your options and B. can do this WHILE doing another ritual. Staying hydrated is something I struggle with daily. Before I added this morning ritual to my routine, I would sometimes go the entire morning without drinking water. Yeah gross. So lets dive into each of these three hydrating options!
hot tea
Okay so hot tea, my personal fav! So lets be clear, when I say “hot tea” I am talking HERBAL tea. I know sis, we need the caffeine, believe me I get it. It is so important that we really take care of our gut and hydrate (especially first thing in the morning).
My favorite herbal tea at the moment is the brand Tazo. You can literally buy this brand anywhere and they come with so many different flavors like chamomile, passion, and mint!
I personally love tea. During the winter, it makes your whole body feel cozy. During my morning time, it makes me feel like I am really doing my body some good. I love to drink a mint flavor at night because it truly makes me feel so calm. During my morning rituals, I really love drinking some type of lemon or ginger flavor. Both lemon and ginger can aid in the digestive process, so I feel this is really important to drink on an empty stomach before breakfast!
Hot water with lemon
Next on our list is hot water with lemon. I love this drink basically for all the exact same reasons as I love hot tea. I will usually go for hot water with lemon when either need a switch up from the hot tea or literally just forgot to go to the store and pick some tea bags up. Hot water with lemon is so easy and obviously so cheap. Grab your favorite mug, pour in some hot water and add your little lemon wedge, and get ya sip on!
Green juice
Okay so lets dive into green juice! I personally buy the green powder and add 8 oz of OJ (or sometimes body armor) and 4 oz of coconut water and ta-daaaa. I have tried a few different types of green powders, and they are all pretty disgusting if you just mix plain water. If you hear anyone try to tell you otherwise- they are lying to you.
So what is the hype about green drinks? Well they are known to again, aid in digestive health. They also are known to help stabilize energy (no caffeine, just through the vitamins and minerals), boost metabolism and reduce inflammation. Again, to get the most out of your green juice it is better to drink it before breakfast. Green juices are the perfect way to get in your vitamins and minerals along with hydrate your hot mom self!
Athletic Greens have been my go to lately. The taste is by far better than most on the market, and they have great promo codes. They offer either a one time try purchase or a subscription! On their website they include a full list of their ingredients, which is always very reassuring. Tap the button below to try out this green powder and add it to your healthy morning rituals routine!
3. yoga/pilates/stretch
Okay hot moms, time to discuss the last of the three morning rituals on this list. Pre-baby, I used to be the type to wake up and workout. I would be lying if I said I don’t miss that life, because I do. Working out has always made me feel like such an empowered woman. But lets be real. Even though now I am getting around 7 hours of solid sleep at night, I don’t have the motivation to get up out of bed and run. Also I just can’t like leave my baby chillin in his crib while I go to the gym. Yes, I could buy a treadmill, but as of right now it is just not in the books for me.
I am also tired. Like so tired. Yes I may be getting much more sleep, but my day is PACKED with either working, chasing Owen around the house, or cleaning. Hopefully soon I will be back with my same workout routine, but right now it is just not in the books for me.
Just because we might not be feeling the weights and cardio, doesn’t mean we can’t find a different form of working out that works for us at this moment and time. That is why I have started to recently add either yoga or a 10 minute stretch to my morning rituals. They are both activities that I am not going to dread every morning. They also do not require a lot of energy. Yoga and pilates do require a lot of concentration and mindfulness, which HELLO we can then do two morning rituals at the SAME TIME.
I think a lot of the times when we hear “working out” or “exercise” we picture a girl on the stair stepper for 30 minutes. No no no. There are many forms of exercise and while some may be more calorie burning than others- all that matters is that you got up out of bed and moved your body in some way or form. That alone, will have your body and mind thanking you for taking care of yourself today.
I currently have been using my free Nike Training Club app. This app allows you to find different workouts to fit your mood along with nutrition tips and help from experts. The app is so easy to use and actually has such a variety in workouts. I (of course) love that it is free, and it also has the option for me to set up reminders so it holds me accountable every morning! Check out the Nike Training Club below to get the app and learn about all their amazing benefits.
what didn’t make the morning ritual list
- Coffee. Personally, I do better when I drink a few cups of water and eat before I chug my latte.
- Journal. I have tried this in my morning rituals routine; however, it doesn’t work for me. I am usually too tired to get too deep into my thoughts.
- Planning the day. I like to do this the night before! I tend to be much more productive and clear headed doing it this time of the day.
- Full blown workout. I would love to say that I can run 3 miles on the treadmill at 6 AM, but I just cannot. It will literally make me lay in bed longer, because I just don’t want to do it. Working out in the morning is usually better for me (otherwise I just won’t get it done). But if I am being honest, this is not something I can realistically say I practice every morning.
- Read. This is something that is great to do in the morning! I just prefer to read at night. 🙂
- Smoothie. I am absolutely not running my obnoxious, Ninja blender at 6 AM.
- Shower. Can we please all agree that showering is NOT a form of self care. It is ESSENTIAL. Showering is essential. Okay. Also, if you are one that works out while your baby naps, you probably going to be saving that shower time for after the workout.
take care of yourself
As a mom, I think we sometimes believe that our needs come last. That we aren’t doing enough if we actually make time for ourselves. FALSE. You actually MUST take care of yourself in ORDER to take care and be there for everyone around you. Adding morning rituals to your day will guarantee you some “me” time.
Go do yourself a favor and wake up 20 minutes before your baby and make yourself some tea, practice some meditation and stretch it out. Stay hot mamas 🙂
This post was all about morning rituals.
Disclaimer: The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. Always consult your doctor. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding please consult your doctor.
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