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.
