Morning Girl Rituals

We all have the same 24 hours in a day.  So how do high performers fit it more than most? Highly successful people don’t just wing it on a daily basis.  Whether your striving to be a top performer in business, beauty, athletics, or at family- a successful day begins with a successful morning.  

  1. Sweat before sunrise “Strike first”. Waking up before the sun is a psychological win. “Working out in the morning is the best thing because you are immediately setting the tone for the rest of your day,” says Gerren Liles, New York City-based Equinox trainer.

Waking up while its dark is definitely an addiction.  I love rising before the sun, there is an undeniable strength that comes from it.  Most mornings I wake up, roll out of bed and hop on my peloton so I can break a sweat before the first sign of light.  

  1. Meditation- So many highly successful people swear by this as a vital part of their morning routine- Ariana Huffington, Tony Robbins (he calls it priming), and Oprah Winfrey to name a few.  The benefits are almost too numerous to mention including reduced risk of heart attack and stroke to lower anxiety.  Most meditators will say 20 minutes a day is a good practice but research has shown as little as a 9 minute session every day will literally improve your brains ability to function.  Harvard Business Review highlighted daily meditation as a rising trend among CEOs and top execs as it boosts resilience, emotional intelligence, creativity, focus, and more.

Meditating is at the top of my task list every morning.  I set my iphone alarm for 10 to 20 minutes, and sit about 3 feet from my bedroom wall and just stare at it until the alarm goes off.  The goal of each session is to think of nothing, to just allow my brain to be in the present moment at peace.  At the end of each session I spend a couple minutes focusing on gratitude, focusing attention to all the wonderful things in life at the beginning of each day.

  1. Journaling- Whether its setting the days intention, dream journaling or free writing, putting thoughts to paper as a practice is used by many top creatives and business leaders. Tim Ferris uses a 5 minute Journal.  Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages practice is also cited often- it involves handwriting 2-3 pages of content, no matter what it is, very stream of conscious.  Julia Cameron says: “Morning pages bring our hopes, dreams, fears, & confusions into focus. They point us toward areas that need attention. While some people may use the pages to face an addiction, others may find the pages leading them toward dreams they had never articulated. As we come into focus, our size and shape are often surprisingly large.”

I love to journal.  Most days 2-3 pages would seem exhausting but spending a little bit of time each morning just writing down any thoughts, concerns, or excitements I have about the day feels like I’m freeing my mind from any angst or worry.

Some other great tips:

  • Drink Water with lemon and or apple cider vinegar- Wakes digestion
  • Cold Showers- Wake up immune system and mind
  • No computer/emails for first hour of the day- Great for creatives
  • Dry brushing- smoother skin and helps with cellulite

Whatever your morning rituals may be, its proven that its good to have them.  With only 24 hours in each day, its important to make the most of them.  Now get to it!