I thought it would be fun to share one of my morning routines lately. I have like a couple morning routines on the weekdays, depending if I go to the gym or not or head into work early or not and then a weekend morning routine as well. I love the morning and having a routine. I also love being the first one awake and making breakfast and relaxing. I love the mornings, but I am not energized and ready to chat until I have had something to eat. Even when I am going out to breakfast, I usually have a snack beforehand. Waking up for the day just means time to eat for me I guess.

Lately I have been challenging myself to no TV in the mornings or really during the weekdays at all. I do sometimes watch a quick Youtube video while eating, but no Netflix or Hulu (I don’t have cable anyway). I find I can pull myself away from Youtube better than I can a show on Netflix or something. This also encourages me to do some reading homework with my time after I eat. The more productive I am in the morning (especially before work), the better I feel to move on with my day.

4:40am – alarm goes off. I have found I am often mid dream at this point a lot and it’s highly annoying that my alarm goes off, but I get out of bed within 5 minutes.

4:45am – put my leggings on (I wore my workout top and sports bra to bed) and use the bathroom and grab my smoothie from the fridge (I make it the night before. Recipe: half a banana, a scoop of protein powder, handful of spinach and a cup of almond milk)

4:50 – leave for the gym

5:00am – arrive to the gym, usually the first or second person there in the morning with the 5am crowd (aka a whole 3-5 people before 6am typically)

5:10-6 – workout at the gym. I usually warm up my legs on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes and then stretch and do some dynamic movements for about 10 minutes before getting into my workout. Today’s workout was arm accessory day

6-6:10 – drive home

6:10-6:20 – take a quick shower. Honestly I don’t always shower right after the gym, but on Wednesdays this has been working well since I have my online classes Wednesday night so I can get into bed right after that in the evening and not worry about showering

6:20-6:30 – prepare second breakfast. I have been getting tired of oatmeal lately so I have been switching it up with mini bagels and peanut butter or avocado toast on Ezekiel bread and a flourless almond butter muffin. I also have been enjoying green tea after my workout for a little caffeine and a warm drink (despite the fact temps haven’t quite dropped too much yet), so I heat up some water.

6:30-6:50 – eat breakfast. Let tea steep because I tend to burn my tongue on hot drinks (yes I love the warmth and still burn my tongue). I add an ice cube or two later to cool it down and drink. I used to watch TV while I ate, but now I usually read or work on homework to feel more productive in the mornings

6:50-7 – brush teeth and get dressed for work

7-7:20 – pack lunch (I make a salad the night before at dinner time, so I just add a squirt of salad dressing to the top and pack) and watch a youtube video or back to reading until it’s time to leave

7:20 – leave for work (this is the time I usually aim to leave at for an 8am work day, I switch off early weeks with a co worker which is optional and I can choose to arrive as early as 7am to work, in which case I usually have everything packed and head straight from the gym to the office)

7:45 – park and start the workday

 

What does your morning routine look like?

There’s no question about it, I’m a morning person. For many years, I have had a morning routine. It started back in my school days. I believe by the time I got to 6^th grade was when I really started to create my own morning routine. Fun fact: I asked for an alarm clock for Christmas when I was in 5^th grade because I knew for middle school I would need to take the bus and the school started an hour earlier. During the summer between 5^th and 6^th grade, I practiced getting up at 6am.

                In 6^th grade my morning routine included eating breakfast first thing. I was always starving for breakfast. Then getting dressed, brushing my teeth, making my lunch and calling up my friend and telling her parents I would be over in about 10 minutes. [Back in the days before cell phones.] My friend was NOT a morning person and there were times I called and she wouldn’t even be out of bed yet, so my call was like a wake up call. I would head over a block to her house and if she wasn’t ready I would play look out for the bus and yes I would totally ditch her so I wouldn’t miss the bus, but luckily we always made it, somehow.

                Fast forward 16 years (wow I’m feeling old now), my morning routine varies on whether I am going to the gym in the morning or not. If I am going to the gym, I have a 4:45am alarm (I know, it’s early!). I usually sleep in my workout top, immediately put on my pants, drink about half of a smoothie I prepped the night before and head out the door to the gym.

I return shortly after 6 and then make breakfast part 2, cooking up some bacon and finishing my smoothie. If I am really hungry, I will also make some oatmeal. While I eat, I catch up on Youtube videos, Netflix or read blogs. Usually I do this for about a half hour and then Brian’s brother heads to work. I then clean up my dishes, brush my teeth, pick out my clothes and get dressed and then have some chill time. I usually have about 20 extra minutes in the morning. While some people might want to sleep 20 minutes longer, I use the time to write, pay bills online or just continue to watch Netflix. Being a morning person, I like to take my time and not feel rushed.

                What changes if I am not going to the gym is I get to “sleep in” until 6am and then make bacon and oatmeal for breakfast and everything else the same follows.

                I pack up my lunch the night before so I grab it from the fridge and put some salad dressing on my salad and then I’m ready to go. On a regular day, I arrive to work between 7:40 and 8am. I like to be early and my current job, the parking lot fills up quickly between 7:50 and 8am. If you are too close to 8am, you have to park in the far far away lot. OK it’s not that bad with our current weather, but in winter, I wouldn’t want to walk the extra half mile or so.

                On the weekend, my morning routine is pretty laid back. I usually wake up between 7 and 8 unless I have to be somewhere early. I make breakfast. This is when I try to switch up my breakfast and make protein pancakes. After eating, I pretty much get dressed into workout clothes and head to the gym or yoga. I just like getting out first thing in the morning. Then while I am out, I can run all my errands. Saturdays are for grocery shopping and any other stores I need to stop at. That way, Sunday is for cooking and relaxing at home.

                I feel like by having a morning routine, I can better tackle the day. It helps me feel organized. I always work better in the morning too. Once lunch hits, I seem to work slower, especially if I don’t have a specific project I am working on. Honestly if I had the option, I would love to work like 6-2:30 and then do my workouts mid afternoon and be home for the evening. Maybe one day I will get my optimal schedule. I also just like that the morning is my “me time.” I don’t like to have conversations in the morning and I especially don’t like to talk before getting food in my belly. I am a bit better at it now, but I like peace and quiet mornings.

When Brian is home, he usually sleeps in and I kind of like that we have different schedules so that I can have my peace and quiet. Even when we traveled, since I was the morning person, I would start breakfast or go workout while Brian slept. We realized that it helped our sanity because otherwise I’m a little kid jumping on Brian to get up so we can do something. I realized it’s better if I go do something for me while he sleeps and then when I return, he is ready to go.

Now I just need to get better at having an evening routine and putting my phone or computer away at least 30 minutes before sleeping.

Do you have a morning routine?

Are you a morning or night person?