This post is sponsored by Alive! Multivitamins, but the opinions are my own.
Morning routines are generating a lot of buzz lately. They make it seem like anyone who is “successful” gets up long before sunrise, works out, meditates, journals, eat breakfasts and tackles half of their day’s tasks before 7a.
Well, what if you’re not a morning person or your schedule/current life circumstance doesn’t allow for a morning routine? Or what if you just enjoy a more chill pace to your mornings? Is all hope lost? Are you destined for mediocrity?
OWNING THE DAY
NO! I believe that you can still own your morning and own your day absent some insane morning regimen. The key is to OWN YOUR ATTITUDE! I believe that every single day I am offered a choice of how to move through my day.
- Am I going to choose a positive attitude? Or am I going to focus on the negative?
- Will I look for the good in people and situations or for everything that’s bad, wrong or could be better?
- Am I choosing an abundance or lack mindset?
- Are my actions focused on being of service or on how the world isn’t serving me?
- Am I staying grounded in gratitude and blessing or looking at things from a place of expectation and entitlement?
- Can I live this day and not dwell on yesterday or anticipate tomorrow?
Let me just say…these things are not as easy to put into practice as they are to write out. I regularly have to “check myself” and redirect my energy/where my mind is going and adjust my attitude.
This also doesn’t mean that there aren’t hard days, tough situations and things that go wrong. It’s about choosing your focus, and whether or not you believe that even in difficult circumstances and hard times that there is still joy, gratitude and love available (because there always is).
I would love to tell you all about how I get up at 5a and sit quietly with a cup of warm lemon water, read a devotional and journal all before hitting a 6a yoga class followed by clearing my inbox and cooking a healthy, organic breakfast but that’s not reality over here.
At this time in my life, mornings look more like sleeping until my cute alarm clock wakes me up. I don’t really want to get up earlier than that because I usually stay up too late working and getting stuff done around the house. I’m also up once or twice throughout the the night with Finn. And for the record…I know that Finn is fully capable of sleeping through the night and he’s starting to do it more and more often. (YAY for sleep!)
Sometime between the 6-7a hour, I usually get him out of his crib and bring him into bed with me to nurse and then we lounge in bed, cuddle and play. I cherish these moments because Finn is always so happy and smiley in the mornings. It is the absolute best way to start the day.
On the mornings that Finn is not with me I will often set my alarm for 5a with the intention of getting up to work or go to yoga but 99.9% of the time I turn it off and sleep until 7ish. I honestly believe that adequate sleep and being well-rested has greater benefits for my health than getting up early to “do” more stuff. I already do a ton all day every day. One of the best shifts that ever happened in my life was away from teaching and training at 5 or 6a every morning and transitioning to a slower start to the mornings.
I adore coming downstairs in PJs, making breakfast, turning on NPR’s Morning Edition or Good Morning America and drinking coffee while Finn plays. When he’s not with me the routine looks similar but I do open my laptop and get going on work or making playlists/class plans for the classes I’m teaching that day. I find that I focus well in the mornings so I try to take advantage of that whenever I can.
MY MORNING ROUTINE MUST-DOS
There are two things that I never skip in my morning routine.
Breakfast…with coffee, of course! I am on team eat breakfast every single day. I wake up hungry and look forward to making a healthy, nutritious breakfast for Finn and me. I always focus on getting a good mix of protein, carbs and good fat so that we both feel ready to tackle the day!
I also never miss my daily multivitamin. It’s a simple way to make sure that I’m starting off the day with the vitamins and minerals that I need to support everything from my heart to my hair/skin to my immune system and my bones.
While I took a prenatal vitamin while trying to conceive, throughout pregnancy and in the immediate months postpartum, I’ve recently transitioned to Nature’s Way Alive! Women’s Multivitamin Gummies in the new mixed berry flavor. They help to support my busy lifestyle as a working mom to a busy toddler. Your overall health and how you feel in your body is a huge part of owning your morning and your day!
Just two of these tasty Alive! Women’s Mixed Berry Gummy Multivitamins support my overall health in the following ways:
- Bones Support with Vitamin D, boron, calcium and folic acid*
- Eyes Health with Vitamin A, C, E, lutein and zinc*
- Immunity with Vitamin A, C, D, selenium and zinc*
- High potency B-Vitamins to help convert food into fuel*
- Heart Health with Vitamin B6, B12, C, E and folic acid*
Nature’s Way Alive! Women’s Multivitamin Gummies are made with pectin and contain NO gelatin, gluten, dairy, yeast, wheat, peanuts, eggs or artificial flavors. I honestly look forward to eating them! They taste great.
WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE?
It’s easy to get stuck in the “more is more” cycle but most of us need less doing and more being. I think it’s refreshing and empowering to believe that we can feel so much better in our bodies and own our days through simple acts of taking care of ourselves (eating healthy food, sleeping enough, moving, taking vitamins) and choosing our mindset (positivity, abundance and gratitude for the win!).
YOUR TURN
Are you a super early morning riser?
What are the most important parts of your morning routine? (Totally valid if it’s coffee, coffee and coffee…haha)
Do you take a multivitamin?
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Photos by Deeanna Kourtney.
I am about a 6am riser lol. But I don’t start working right then, I have found that I also enjoy slow mornings and opt for doing workouts/meditating at night. My favorite part of the morning is drinking my tea and then my guilty pleasure is definitely watching gma or inspiring videos. Thanks for sharing!!
-Kate
https://daysofkate.com/
I am such an early riser and have been that way since I was a teenager. I treasure my early morning routine of sipping tea or coffee while planning out yoga and barre classes for the day, catching up on my fav blogs, getting in a dog walk, and having a solid breakfast. While I seem super productive early, it definitely limits how social I want to be at night. I don’t even remember when I was last awake at midnight, let alone out on the town ?
I’m an early riser because that’s the only time of the day I’ll work out. I am a mom of 2 young kiddos (1 and 3 years old) and work full time as well as commute 2 hours a day, so with all that, a workout isn’t happening after bedtime. I’m way too exhausted! The most important part of my routine is for sure the workout and then having time to get ready while not being rushed. I hate feeling rushed first thing! I could probably get up at 5:15 and workout and be out the door on time, but instead I get up at 4:45 to give myself a cushion.
I do take a multivitamin, I never did prior to my pregnancies, but have kept the trend going since!
I would typically be an early riser, but I guess it depends on what you mean by “early”! ? When my husband and I lived in a major metropolitan area, we would get up at 5:30 because he had to be at work by 8 and had an hour-long commute. Now, we live in a small mountain town, but his hours have shifted to an even earlier ungodly starting hour of 5am! (He works in a hospital.) I opted not to get up as early as he does and now usually just get up at 6am.
I have four pups, so usually the first thing I do is take them out to the backyard to stretch their legs and do their business, then I herd them back inside and prep their breakfasts and feed them. Then, one longer backyard break. Around 7am, I’ll eat a quick snack, then go for a 30-45 minute run in the neighborhood. When I return home, I walk the pups in two shifts with 2 dogs each (walking all 4 at once is too stressful!) for about 30 minutes each shift.
Once all *that’s* done, I shower, have a good breakfast (in winter it’s usually oatmeal, and in the summer I’ll alternate with either a protein smoothie or some fruit and yogurt), and then get started on my work for the day. (I work for a large software company doing business development but am able to work from home 100%, so that flexibility allows me the option of having a later start!)
When P. and I were trying to have kids, I started taking a prenatal multivitamin every day and have continued to do so even though we ended up not having kids. And of course, yes, ☕️ is always part of the morning!
wow i am so jealous of the 100% work from home !!! i would love that.
During the week, I get up earlier (around 5:15) than I actually need to, in order to give myself time to move slowly. Some find it contradictory, but I find myself in a better mindset for the day if I’ve been able to go slowly, then to sleep in a bit later but rush. Because yes – attitude and mindset are so important for getting a good start for the day!!
hi Jen. I am up at 4:45. I eat a banana, drink a large glass of water and head out for my 5:30 CrossFit class. When I arrive at the office around 8:30, I really enjoy my oatmeaI with almond milk, berries and another banana. This has been my routine the last 2+ years since I discovered CrossFit. I don’t take a multi-vitamin, but i do take a probiotic.
I get up around 6 but like to take my mornings slow if I can. I drink my coffee, read a bit, and relax before my day starts. When work is hectic, I’ll start working earlier. I’d rather squeeze extra work time into the morning than the evening. Sleep is so important for your body and brain!
I don’t take a multivitamin but try to eat a well rounded diet and take supplements for specific purposes – fish oil, vit D, zinc, and magnesium. Those are things I tend to struggle to get from food.
I definitely don’t have any early riser tips but “Are you destined for mediocrity?” made me LOL.
i am such a night owl by nature. but i fight it cuz u know life and work ! since about Oct of last year and more so after Jan 1 this year, i have been getting up at 530 and working out even if it just means walking. i consider anything an accomplishment at that time of day. while i much prefer afternoon/evening workouts my job has been such that i cant really get out much before 6 (even if i get in at 730) on most days and i am exhausted. so…i recently decided the earth would not stop turning if i worked out in the AM and came to work at 830 (GASP). so im trying it.
My other morning routine is eating breakfast my BF makes for me which is almost always eggs (yea!!!!) and tea during the week. I’m also a GMA/CNN watcher unless i have to be on a conf call early. slowing down a little and taking some time for myself in the AM has been a small game changer for me. i was always the person who woke up got ready and ran out of the house to get to work. but i have realized that when i do that there is almost no part of my day that is my own that only i control. so its been a nice change. i take plenty of vitamins each day. but i take at lunch and dinner. i seem to need substantial food in my stomach for vitamins.
I can relate to your morning routine, as was the same when my boys were little. I’m a natural night owl, so during the school year when I’m teaching I force myself to go to bed by 11:30, and then get up as late as possible- 6:30 (very late, considering I have to be out the door with both boys by 7:10). During summer break, I don’t get up until the first kid gets up, lately between 8:30 and 9. It’s glorious. Everyone in my house seems to be more of a night owl, so on breaks and vacations it feels natural for us to stay up late and sleep in. My morning routine is chugging coffee during the school year and sipping it on the couch during the breaks. I’m not hungry in the mornings, so it is just coffee for me! I prefer workouts in the afternoon or evening hours also.