I know this entire year has been filled with feelings of worry, anger, exhaustion and feeling completely overwhelmed at times. Never in a million years did I think our Spring Break would turn into full-on quarantine for the summer and now into the schoolyear, but alas, here we are. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been feeling anxious and scared, but I know this won’t last forever. I’m confident we will all come out of this stronger and realizing what truly matters...AND if you’re well enough to get out of bed and live another day, I vote that YOU WIN!
So, I thought I’d share FIVE specific ways I get up and moving and grooving each day and hoping they may get you motivated to make it happen too.
ONE. SET YOUR ALARM FOR THE SAME TIME EACH DAY
And no, you don’t have to execute this task for the weekends, but each weekday I rise and shine at 5:30AM – yes. It takes a bit for your body to become acclimated to this wake-up, but try it for a few weeks and see if it helps. My body now naturally wakes up around that time so I can start tackling my to-do list in the peace and quiet before my family gets up! It’s amazing how much you can get done with zero distractions. Even better, you can use your favorite music as your alarm! P.S. yes I am naturally a morning person so that helps me even more.
TWO. BREATHE, MEDITATE AND OR PRAY
One thing I never miss is a chance to take a literal breather in the mornings. Depending on the day, I’ll do a short 2-4 minute meditation [my go-to app is Headspace and another great resource is Mindful]. Then, try a few breathing exercises to calm that stress and anxiety. And then of course, I sit down with a cup of coffee with the big guy up above and give Him my undivided attention and to let Him hear my thoughts, worries, prayers and anything else I need advice on.
THREE. WRITE DOWN YOUR DAILY TO-DO LIST
Alright type-A friends, this one is for you. For some reason, when you physically write something down that mental light bulb comes on and makes us more accountable to ACTUALLY complete a task…so write it all down. Get a to-do notepad or post-it note and write down your top 3-5 items to execute on any given day. Another major tip that helps me knock it out: do the dreaded tasks first. The fun stuff is easy to do because you WANT to do it, so start with those you detest most. The best thing you can do is to schedule out your day for success.
FOUR. TAKE A WALK AND/OR WORKOUT
Yes, I know this might sound obvious, but GET moving…it gets those endorphins going. I do my best workouts in the AM, because it gets my heart rate going and totally sets me up to achieve my step + activity goals throughout the day. If you’re not an avid exerciser (like me), start with 10-20 minutes of light cardio and then work your way up from there!!
FIVE. GET YOURSELF DRESSED
As easy as it is right now to work in your pajamas, I promise if you get up and actually GET DRESSED, you’re going to achieve more in any given day. No, I don’t have the scientific reasoning behind this because that’s not how my brain operates, but someone out there much more intelligent than I has proven this theory time and time again.
I hope this helps. Hang in there!!