THE WELLNESS
CLUB
Wellness is a continued act. It is not a one-time dose that gets you through a specific duration of life.
The Importance of a Morning
Routine
By Mims
TAKE TIME to create a morningroutinethat works for you—because how we start the day has a humongous affect on us! A good routine and a set of morning rituals can be key to improving your overall quality of life and how you feel on a day to day basis.
Recently I was asked by Emirates Women Magazine to write up and share my daily beauty routines which lead me to think a little more about the importance of a morning routine. Having spent many years delving into different personal development practices where it is widely accepted how you spend your mornings sets the tone for the day I’ve played with trialing out all sorts of morning routines from Journaling/Meditation/Celery Juice/Breath work/Working out etc Some I’ve kept and will share below and some didn’t make the daily cut usually due to time restraints and that I couldn’t always fit in the two hours every day it required to do all the above. What I can say is we are all different and working out what works for me took time and may be the same for you.
However, here are a few things I’ve come to think help contribute to me having a better day and though simple have the power to totally transform our day!
1. GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP
Pre Covid most of us were a lot more sleep deprived than we maybe are now but even getting slightly less sleep than required has such a huge affect on the body. I studied sleep cycles at university as part of my Psychology & Neuroscience degree and always found the body so fascinating but back then sleeping was definitely not a priority for me and neither was wellness as a whole. It is funny what you can get away with when your young. Today things are different and during lock down I read the book ‘Why we sleep’ By Dr Mathew Walker and cannot recommend it highly enough. I tracked my sleeping patterns figuring out I am best on 8 hours and anything less does not feel great when I really pay attention to my system. I know this may sound silly as we all ‘know’ we should get 7/8 sleep in theory but when is the last time we made sure this was happening? I feel like during lockdown we were able to tune into what works for us on a personal level a little more as there were less distractions.
We all follow a 24-hour cycle called circadian rhythm that dictates our
wakefulness and sleepiness. The internal “clock” that resides in our body likes to respect this rhythm so we know when to wake up. Therefore, you are to follow this instruction and aim to get out of bed at the same time every morning. To help set this routine, go to bed at least 8 hours before waking up and set an alarm. Once you wake up, draw up your curtain and let your eyes detect the blue light from the sun.
2. MORNING HYDRATION
After sleeping (hopefully 7 to 8 hours) the body is naturally dehydrated and so, the very first activity of the day is to drink a glass full (300ml) of water before anything else! I then head to the kitchen where I make a hot water with lemon and apple cider vinegar drink. These are some of the benefits of making this a morning ritual…
• Giving the body a good dose of enzymes
• Increasing potassium intake
• Supporting a healthy immune system
• Helping with weight control
• Promoting pH balance in the body
• Aiding with healthy digestion
• Adding good bacteria for the gut and immune function
• Helping remove toxins form the body
3. MOVE YOUR BODY
Waking up and Stretching/moving, again may seem obvious but how often do we jump out of bed late or have snoozed endlessly when tired leaving us little time to prepare the body before our daily commitments? Morning stretches can even be done in bed as we coax ourselves to getting up and moving. Here are some super simple stretches I like to do in the morning:
• Cat/cow stretch
• Side laying thoracic stretch
• Kneeling hip flexor stretch
• Mini cobra
If you have a little more time and want to work on your cardiovascular health, improve blood circulation, increase strength and mobility why not join on of our [re]define with Mims classes?
4. PRACTICE GRATITUDE
Keeping a gratitude journal and writing down 3 things you are grateful for each morning. There are lots of studies now showing that this practice shifts your mind into a positive and more appreciative state which can significantly increase well-being, life satisfaction and even improve your immune system. By really integrating both the thoughts and feelings of gratitude makes this practice far more powerful.
5. MEDITATION AND BREATH WORK
It is well know that meditation and breath work can improve focus and
concentration, better self-esteem and self-awareness, reduced stress, managed anxiety and depression, fighting addiction, controlling pain and helping you be more kind and loving. There are many different types of mediation and breath work practices. I have experimented with different types learning the Emily Flecture method and taking the Transcendental Meditation course in LA. Here are a few methods I currently use:
• Transcendental meditation
• Emily Flecture method
• Vishen Lakhiani 6 phase meditation
• Joe Dispenza meditation
• Breathepod
This practices range from mantra style meditation to more active visualisation / manifestation sessions. I would love to tell you that I have kept up with twice daily practice as recommended by Transcendental Meditation I but the truth is I haven’t. I come back to it regularly but its hard life gets in the way and you sometimes you just can’t make the time for it. These days I like to mix up the different methods as I feel like depending on where you are at there are different practices that will suit and its a process of figuring what that in on the day.
6. NOURISHMENT
It’s the most optimal time for your body to boost food absorption and
digestion. A good breakfast can definitely set your diet on the right track but we are all different many people fast in the morning which is great if that works for you but it hasn’t for me. I make a huge organic green juice which I sip throughout the morning whilst teaching class. Drinking lots of green juice daily has really been a game changer in the quality of my skin. This is my favourite:
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Ginger
• Lemon
• Parsley or Basil
Breakfasts I love are protein smoothies, avocado on toast, chia seed pudding or overnight oats! We all have things that work for us and these are mine.
Some days all of above happens and some days I’m totally unorganised. Previously I would really beat myself up above skipping part of my routine but these days I am kinder to myself as discipline and consistency are key but so is flexibility and tuning into what your body on that day! May you wake up and meet the better version of yourself each day.
