In January, I resolved that 2021 would be a year of self love and abundance, and I decided that my mantra for the year would be to “intentionally thrive.” These words are both powerful and empowering, but to be successful in living them out, I knew I had to make some major changes to my daily routine to bring about my desired results, truly thrive with intention in all aspects of my life, and nurture habits that promote deep self love.
They say that the way that you start your morning sets the tone for your entire day, so I started at the beginning. I revamped my morning routine – and subsequently changed my life. I know how that sounds, but hear me out. After just under two months of putting these morning rituals into practice, I now look forward to waking up; I’m more productive, feel excited about the work I’m doing, and am proud of myself when the day is done – hello self love!
Below I’m sharing the seven things that I do before 7am, so that you can put them into practice and change your life too.
This post was sponsored by Zhou Nutrition. As always, all opinions and ideas are entirely my own.
With regard to the physical component of self love, every morning, I have trained myself to move my body, hydrate, and remember to take my vitamins and dietary supplements.
1. Wake Up with Your Alarm
They say if you snooze you lose, but did you know that studies have shown hitting the snooze button can actually have negative health effects? Bottom line – skip that snooze and wake up with your alarm. You may even be able to catch the sunrise.
2. Hydrate
When we wake up after six to eight hours of sleep, our bodies are often dehydrated. Drinking a glass or two of water in the morning helps our bodies replenish water that was lost while we were asleep and helps us to feel reenergized and ready to take on the day.
3. Take Vitamins
I have always been a proponent of wholistic wellness, but I’ve just recently gotten serious about designing a vitamin and supplement plan to best support my lifestyle. So when Zhou Nutrition invited me to test some of their supplements, I couldn’t have been more excited. I now regularly take apple cider vinegar gummies for digestion (and because they’re delicious), fish oil for my joints (years of field hockey and weekly hikes haven’t been the easiest on my knees!), and Black Seed Oil for my skin, hair, and immune system, and I have seen some tangible benefits from incorporating these into my routine. If you are looking to try any of these or would like to take a deeper dive into finding the dietary supplements that will work best for you, head over to zhounutrition.com.
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4. Move your Body & Find Your Zen
For me, this typically looks like practicing yoga followed by a walk along the beach. But sometimes it looks like a mile run and some mindful breathing, or a stretch and meditation.
5. Practice Gratitude
Studies have shown that naming and keeping track of what we’re thankful for lowers stress, promotes better sleep, and helps to strengthen interpersonal relationships. That said, there are so many different ways to practice gratitude, and it is important to find a strategy that best serves you. I usually keep it simple by jotting down (or saying aloud if I’m rushed) three things that I am grateful for. Today my list consisted of sunsets, the freedom to design my days my way, and time spent in nature. Practicing gratitude is my personal favorite component of my mornings, because it allows me to feel joyful and grounded in what I have while at the same time prioritize what I want more of in my life. When I find myself listing that I’m grateful for time spent in nature again and again, I know that time outdoors is important to my overall happiness, and that I should plan to incorporate it into my schedule even more.
6. Have Breakfast
I’ve been trying to train my body to crave nutrients in the morning – instead of coffee, pancakes and syrup. I usually start my days off with a smoothie or açaí bowl. I still crave sweet breakfast foods from time to time, but the natural sugars in the mangos and strawberries that I include usually hit the spot. I also add ingredients like peanut butter and avocado so l feel full until lunchtime. This particular smoothie was comprised of orange juice, spinach, half of an avocado, strawberries, mangos, and a banana.
7. Prioritize
Decide what it is that you want to accomplish in the day. Think of this not as a to do list of random errands, but as your bigger goals/priorities for your time. Today my priorities include moving my body, posting a new article to my website, cooking a healthy dinner at home, and creating video content for a client. Once you have decided on 3-5 big goals, try to knock out the most challenging first. This will provide you with a sense of accomplishment that you can carry with you and use as a source of motivation throughout your day.
I’ve found that these practices nurture both my mind and body, promote self love, and lead to a productive days. If you’re anything like me, implementing these morning rituals (in a way that works best for you) will be absolutely transformative. Do you have a morning routine? Is there anything else that I should be incorporating into mine?
