RISE + SHINE SLEEPY HEAD

Here's my tips to owning my morning + being my most vibrant and productive self.  Now. That being said... do I do all of these tips EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING.  Um, no.  I human and slip up from time to time.  However, I know if I can master just a few of them... then my day is starting off on the right foot.  If I do ALL of them, Hallelujah, I'm doing fantastic.  

The takeaway, I would love for you to snag from this... find out what works for you, which tidbits make YOUR mind/body feel fantastic, which habits take away stress + not add it in your day... and do that.  It may be one of these or it may be all, I don't know.  You got to figure it out, love.  As my hubster would sarcastically quote me, "You do you, boo.  You do you."

01 // YOUR ALARM CLOCK

Love.  For the longest time, I was using my mobile phone as my alarm clock which was not helping me rise + shine.  Here's the scenario:  

Alarm would go off... hit snooze... 8 minutes later... hit snooze... 8 minutes later...  

TWO THINGS could happen at this point

• I would accidentally turn off my alarm clock and oversleep  
• I would grab my phone and instantly start checking:  emails, messages, texts, social media comments, etc. 

Okay.  Oversleeping was not ideal because as a twin mama bear who homeschools, provides daily therapy to our little man and owns an online business, I tend to WORK before the Gillies (our twin 5yr olds) are awake.  Oversleeping means mama is slacking on work + will not be fully present during the day with the Gillies.  No bueno for anyone. 

Plugging into social media or other folks messages/comments/emails was automatically putting me on the "defense" for the day + I could FEEL the stress building up inside me before my feet even touched the ground.  Nobody needs that feeling, love.  

Here's what helped: 

1. Reading the book, 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins to keep me from hitting snooze
2. Using an old school alarm clock instead of my phone
3. Setting my phone on "Do Not Disturb" mode + placing it to charge AWAY from my nightstand

02 // HYDRATION

This one is crucial + I know if I skip it my day is COMPLETELY off for a lot of reasons:  my mood, the gut gets a wee bit angry and my joints will ache.  

Why?  Well.  ~60% of the average adult humanoid is made up of water AND... studies have estimated 75% of Americans may suffer from chronic dehydration.  You may be thinking... I'm not dehydrated because you think of dehydration as vomiting, passing out, sticky mouth, crusty lips and death.  However, dehydration is a spectrum and even mild dehydration can hinder our performance... by decreasing your memory capabilities + increase levels of anxiety as well as fatigue!  

Now, a wee bit ago, starting the day off with water was NOT my strong suit.  

Sure, I had the water available (on the nightstand), INSTEAD I would do a zombie walk down the hallway throughout the house to get to the bubbling coffee pot for some liquid caffeine!!!  Can you even imagine?  Before I was able to lubricate my insides + get my blood circulating, I would turn on a coffee pot + put hot acidic caffeine on my gut. 

No, wonder an hour later... I would be running to the bathroom with "bubble guts" and my head would be pounding.  I was a wee bit dehydrated upon waking up + caffeine was added to my body on top of dehydration... making me MORE dehydrated.  The cycle was brutal but one I learned + decided to change.

I'm not saying give up coffee, love.  Let's pump the brakes and not be dramatic!  Just saying before you jump into a hot shower and rush out the door with a cup of coffee in your hand... take a beat to hydrate your body with some good filtered water  ( I try to aim for about 12oz at least and even add a wee bit of lemon juice + pinch of sea salt for minerals ).   But you do you, love... and listen to your gut. 

03 // MAKE YOUR BED

In a 2014 commencement speech at University of Texas at Austin, Admiral McRaven said:

“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.
By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.”

*BOOM*

Powerful words, love. The simple task of making your bed first thing in the morning also has been linked to increased productivity, lowering one's stress level and improving one's mood as well as better quality of sleep.

It's a small task. Why not try... for a week to see how making your bed FIRST thing in the morning helps you! You in?  If you want to watch the video... here you go!

04 // PUT YOUR ARMOR ON FIRST