055 Morning routines are so popular right now. How do you create one that actually works for you?
In this episode you will learn:
More info <<HERE>>
Thank you for listening!
055 Morning routines are so popular right now. How do you create one that actually works for you?
In this episode you will learn:
More info <<HERE>>
Thank you for listening!
Hello and welcome to the healthy, happy and mostly sane entrepreneur podcast. I'm your host national board certified health and wellness coach and Ayurvedic practitioner, and mostly sane entrepreneur Ellen Leonard. Each week, I share my obsession with helping you build a healthy life that works for you, your family, and your business. Because I don't think you have to sacrifice your own health and well being to be successful. So please stay tuned. For today's episode full of ideas to make staying healthy just a little bit easier. Don't forget to hit subscribe, so you don't miss out on future episodes. You know, I value each and every review that those podcasts get. So I always want to try to share them with you when I can. And this review reads, The world needs more, Elon, I absolutely love this podcast, Elena is amazing. She's so real fun, entertaining, and her words speak to me so deeply. Thank you, Ellen, I can't wait to continue listening. And thank you for leaving a review. I really appreciate it, I value each and every one. And if you'd like to leave a review today, cuz you love this podcast too. Please do so by clicking the link in the show notes. Or going into Apple podcasts and finding the podcast page and clicking the review there. I value each and every review and appreciate you so much. In today's episode, we are going to talk about creating a morning routine that actually works for you. And of course will include action you can take today. That's right, and you can get started building lasting sustainable health right now. And in this episode, you're gonna learn number one, how a morning routine can help you to manage stress, because it totally can. Number two, four strategies to build your best morning routine, the one that will actually work for you. And number three, my current top three healthy ways to start your day. As always, the podcast is designed to help you take action, it's packed with info. So just know that the shownotes will have all of these details to support you. So if you are driving or on a walk, I've got you covered that get started. morning routines are so popular right now, so many people are talking about them. And I think one of the reasons is, is that it just makes your life better and easier. And one of the ways that morning routines do that is by helping you to manage stress. So I wanted to share with you some ways that morning routines can help you to manage stress. And one of the most important ones is when you perceive you have more control over any situation, you automatically reduce the stress you're experiencing. So anytime you find a way to even think that you have more control over something, even if you don't, you are managing your stress. And so when you take control, first thing in the morning with your morning routine, whether that's just managing to grab a cup of coffee before the kids get up, or whether that's a whole thing of journaling and exercise. And eating healthy. Whatever it is. When you do that, and you take control, you start your day off by taking control of your day, that will automatically start to manage your stress. And I think that that's such a beautiful way to think about it. For those of us that are really feeling more stressed and overwhelmed. Another way that morning routines can help you manage your stress is when our days can start to feel overwhelming. And like we can't get things done like there's just too much to do. morning routines helped manage stress by giving you a way to check things consistently off your list. There are things that you want to be a part of your everyday life, like exercise or eating healthy. And these are the kinds of things that you get totally pissed when they get moved off of your list when they get moved out of your day when they get kicked off your schedule for other things at work. But when they're a part of your morning routine, and they're part of the stuff that happens before work begins. That can have an incredibly profound effect on your day and your stress. Because you're getting to check things off that you value you're getting to make sure that these things they are absolute things that has to happen in your day, non negotiables that they happen and that can manage your stress by allowing you to get to the end of the day. And know that you've accomplished the things that you most value. And not only that, that you're starting off your day, knowing that you've already accomplished, the things that you most value that can make everything seem so much less overwhelming. And one more way that morning routines can help us to manage stress is to support us in showing up as the best version of ourselves. And what do I mean by that? This is the version of US version of you the version of me, that doesn't yell at our spouse or kids who doesn't eat all the cookies. And who doesn't send that email and anger and instead takes a beat, and then sends a really nice email, in response to whatever. When we show up as our best self, we show up as the best version of ourselves, we're better equipped to handle everything, including stress. And so when you start off your day, by focusing on what it is that works for you on what it is that you value, and what it is that you want to get done in that day, when you create a routine that supports you, being the best version of you, that can have some really beautiful effects on the rest of your day. As I was getting ready for this episode, I was looking at all the other things that people offer for morning routines. And a lot of experts and influencers, approach morning routines with Well, this is the way you have to do it kind of attitude. And I'm not really a fan of that. Because you're more likely to continue a behavior to make it a habit to make it a sustainable part of your life to make behavioral changes. If it actually has meaning to you, and is something that you've decided to do that works for you. And that interests me much more. I want to make changes in my life that actually work for me, that will provide me with sustainable health. And what do I mean by that I mean, that are lasting, I don't want to make these quick fixes that, that have a limited value, I want to make things that have a long term value, to my health, to my wellness to my life. And so I wanted to give you four steps for strategies to help you build your morning routine. So that as you're thinking about what you would like your mornings to be what would best serve you. And as you're listening to all these external sources and voices, including my own, that you take that and are able to process that into something that's actionable for you and your unique life. Right, as entrepreneurs, as business owners, our lives are super weird. We have weird schedules and things change. And, you know, we just have a very unique lifestyle. And I don't think that cookie cutter things tend to work very well for us. So let's start with step one. Step one is you need to figure out what works for you. And what I mean when I say that is if you follow somebody else, or you're listening to an influencer, and you're hearing what works for them. That is awesome. And that is information. But you really have to figure out what works for you. Because if you try it, and you hate it, and it makes you feel awful, that's probably not something you want to add to your routine. Even if it's supposed to be the healthiest thing ever, the best thing ever. You need to figure out what actually fits into your life. What works for not only you and supports you, but your family and your business. Because at the end of the day, if it works for somebody else, that's great. But if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't matter. There's no point to it. So when I think about influencers or famous people who are sharing their expertise about things with me, I also try to think about things like well, do. They have somebody that they hired to do that, like when Oprah shares something with me, that's awesome, and that's useful, and that is great information. But Oprah also has like a staff Have people who cook for her and clean for her and help her do things, and I don't have a staff, I don't have anybody to help me do those things. So everything that I'm doing has to be something that I can actually do that can actually fit into my life that I can do without help from somebody else. And I just think that's such an important thing to keep in mind as you're listening to people who are like, Well, I do these 40 things first thing in the morning, and I'm thinking in my head, Do you have kids? Like, do you have to go to a job? Like, how are you doing all of those things? And so I have to figure out what works for me and my life, and prioritize things that way. Step two is also a simple one is trying things out, and then reflecting. So when you're trying to figure out if something is right for you, you got to try it out. Right, you have to give it a whirl. I've met so many people, I mean, yoga instructor, and I've met so many people who will say to me, Oh, I can't do yoga, because I'm not flexible, or I can't do yoga, for whatever reason, and they've never tried yoga, and they might try yoga and hate yoga, then that's fine. But I really believe you can't know until you try. I also hear people saying the same thing about meditation often, oh, I could never meditate, it takes too much concentration, or I'd be so bored. But they've never given it a try. And so I think one of the most important things we can do when we're building our morning routine, trying to figure out what works for us is to try stuff out, and then reflect. And what do I mean by reflect? and ask yourself some simple questions. So say you try a meditation for the first time, I invite you to ask yourself, Well, what about that worked for me? What didn't? Did it get me closer to the desired outcomes, right, because we all have different outcomes we want from something like say meditation, maybe you want to relax more, maybe you want more focus, more productivity, maybe you're processing something specific, or you're doing visualization exercises, whatever it is, you need to make sure that the things that you're doing in your morning routine, actually meet your goals. And so that is definitely part of reflecting. Step number three, is letting go of the things that don't work for you. Now, we change over time, but also sometimes we decide that something's the right thing to do, or the thing we should be doing, and we hold on to it, even if it's not actually working for us. So for a while meditation was working for me. And then it just stopped working. But I kept doing it anyway, because I thought I should. But it wasn't getting me the outcomes that I want it anymore. And so instead of just letting it go and trying to find something else, by going back to step two that I just talked to you about, I just kept pushing through and pushing through and pushing through. And if you've ever tried meditation, pushing through is not the best strategy as with many health and wellness things, right? So I just invite you for step three, to let go the things that don't work for you and be okay with that. when things aren't working, it's okay to let them go. And it gives you more space and time for the things that are working for you. And that leads us into number four, being flexible. So finding your perfect morning routine is a continuous exploration of things in your life and what's going on in your life. because things change, things change seasonally, yearly, things that worked in my morning routine before all of this COVID stuff are completely different than things that work for me now. Because I had to change I had to be flexible, I had to adjust. And not only that sometimes like kids happens, life happens. you're on vacation, all these different things happen. So giving yourself a little grace and space and flexibility in your morning routine. Not only gives you permission to be human and to experience life, but it also gives you permission to really listen to what it is that you Need in the morning. And to make adjustments accordingly. If you're wanting to show up as your best self through the whole day, you're really wanting to create a morning routine that's supportive for you, then you need to be paying attention. And be able to adjust course when things aren't working, or to chase more of the things that are working. And so those are the four steps I'd like to offer today, when you're thinking about creating your morning routine. They're really simple. And spoiler alert, they can work for all your health and wellness stuff. But the simplicity is what makes it such a lovely way to approach how you're going to start your morning, every single day. And now that you have these steps to build your morning routine, let's discuss some healthy things that you might add to your some ideas to consider and maybe try. And I also created a free PDF that will be linked in the show notes called 10 healthy ways to start your day. So if you'd like to learn more, you can head on over to the shownotes and grab that. But here are my current top three healthy ways to start your day. Number one right now for me, is journaling. And there's so many different ways to approach journaling, I'm sure you have a few of your own, you can start with a gratitude journal where you write down what you're grateful for, you could take a spin on that and do a what went well journal focusing on accomplishments and successes, you can approach journaling with this dumping your brain and your emotions to help you process things. And that's what I'm currently doing that I'm finding helpful. With everything that's going on in the world right now, I find it helpful to just get as much out as possible. And when I write it on paper, it gives my brain spaced focus on other things. It's like a giant brain dump onto a piece of paper. And then it's it's not in me anymore, and I can think about it differently. So I'd encourage you to find a way to journal that might work for you. And try out a few different ways. See what would actually support you and nourish you and, and help you get whatever it is that you want out of your morning routine. Number two is to set an intention for your day. To set one clear goal or objective or intention for the whole day. I find as a busy entrepreneur, that sometimes most of the time, I don't get to check everything off of my list that I would like, which can lead to me feeling dissatisfied at the end of the day. But when I set an intention or purpose, a goal for the day, something that I can look back and say Did I do that one thing. I find that to be remarkably satisfying. And also when I leave my morning routine and head into my work day. With that intention, I find that it seeps into everything that I'm doing that day. It makes me stronger, more purposeful, more intentional. And I love working through my day with that underlying everything that I'm doing. Number three is to listen to your body. I find so often that we tend to overlook the things that our body is clearly trying to tell us simple things like I'm tired or don't sit like that, or stop sitting at the desk all day I don't like or you should be outside walking, or I am hungry. Our body gives us so much information. Especially when we wake up first thing in the morning. I would encourage you to try out any kind of anything that allows you to listen to your body from yoga, to running to meditation to just sitting there in your body and listening to it. Maybe even making it part of the journaling I suggested earlier. How can you listen to your body and give it what it needs first thing in the morning so that you can thrive all day long. And those were just three ideas three healthy ideas to get you started with a building a morning routine that works for you. But if you'd like to dive deeper, don't forget to grab the free 10 healthy ways to start your day downloadable PDF in the show notes. If you want more resources, go ahead and head on over to Ellen dashlane or.com backslash podcast for show notes and more. And don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes full of actionable tips to help you do what you love without sacrificing your health or losing your mind. Thank you so much for listening. I wish you a healthy, happy and mostly sane week. I'll see you next time.