Better Mornings

Tip #3 don't put mornings in a box- make them what you want

I wonder if these morning tips are making you all hate me. I mean, I literally enjoy early mornings where I give myself at least two hours to "get ready" before I have to leave the house. My desired waking times keep getting earlier and earlier because I just like it. Not that the moment of waking up is easy or even slightly enjoyable, but the content of my morning makes that initial jolt into consciousness more bearable. 

Now, when I hear someone rave about their runner's high and tell me how addicted they are to exercise? I scoff. I can't relate at all because the only forms of exercise I enjoy are when the exercise is a byproduct of another activity--for instance I love canoeing. Biking when it gets me somewhere. Hiking if it's in a place with a breathtaking view to reward the climb. Running around a playground with cute kiddos or playing hide and seek tag. But running? Just to run? Going to the gym to lift weights? "Leg day"!? I just don't think I will ever ever ever enjoy those things. So I think I can understand if you aren't into my morning philosophy. To each his own.

But, if you're even mildly intrigued by this love affair I have with mornings, I think this tip may suit you better than the more idealistic tips preceding it. Because when you don't have a hot breakfast, that doesn't mean you're not rocking at morning.

In fact, this tip is less how-to and more of a concept to be considered. Morning is what you make it. Unlike almost every other part of the day, for most of us, we have control over how our morning starts. We choose when to wake up (unless a small person wakes you on their clock, in which case, hey, you get to start even earlier with your awesome morning! [Please don't hate me.]) We choose how much time is allotted for grooming, eating, caffeination, mental stimulation, exercise, snuggle time, emails, gardening, etc. In that way, we can curate our mornings to become the best moments of our days. So instead of scraping yourself out of bed at the last minute and rushing straight into your day without a warm-up, why not carefully select how much time you want to spend and what you want to get out of that time? Do what YOU want. 

I change up my mornings a lot. While there is always coffee and breakfast, sometime I do a bunch of cleaning to start my day because I know I'll be too tired to want to clean when I get home from work. Sometimes I use my morning as a time to relax before a really busy day, so I indulge in a good novel or watch Netflix while little mister is still asleep. Sometimes all I prioritize for that morning is getting a nice long shower in, and I speed through the rest. There are also days when I want to have homemade scones for breakfast so I skip that shower and throw my hair in a bun, because

S C O N E S.

Morning's potential is too easy to ignore, why not make it bend to your will? And this breakfast/coffee junky won't judge if the thing you want to do to charge up for the day is drink a protein shake and do 400 push-ups. . .but that is a terrible choice. Please don't do that. 

Now if you've written a blog post about learning to love exercise and just saying no to donuts, send it my way. I won't hate you. I think I'll still take a bagel sandwich and freshly ground coffee over the gym, though. And donuts, if available.