Starting The Day Right

Wellness is a state of being. You can give yourself a hand by starting the day right.

~~Today I am joining Maureen and Rina again with their Wellness Wednesday Linkup. For this week, I chose the topic ‘Morning Routine’.~~

Maureen and Rina are not hosting this link party anymore, but I highly recommend you visit their awesome blogs.

Until one year ago, my morning routine consisted in doing everything as fast as I could. I never allowed myself much time to think. My clothes were chosen the day before and all my stuff was ready to go when I got up. I am not a morning person. Letting too much to be done during the first hours of the day for me is making room for failure. Matching shoes would probably be impossible!

[Tweet “Being a stress machine doesn’t do any good. Start your day right. #wellness #lifestyle”]

Because of my condition, I decided that it was time to keep the rush under control. Allowing myself to breath, take time whenever possible and be grateful for another day became more and more important to me throughout the months. Little by little, I started building habits of self-love and peace that help me get through my days.

My routine is not the most incredible one, but it allow me to stay mindful. I am not bumping into walls all the time (literally!). I still get as much possible done the evening before. When I get home from work or practice, I already prepare my bag, my meals (I cook in bulk in the weekend so during the week all I have to do is combine the dishes), my (work and gym) outfits and anything else I might need the following day.

I get up at about 1.5 hour before I have to leave to work after sleeping between 7 and 8 hours per night. Anything less than that is synonym of a bad day at the office and hormonal imbalances. After shower, I do not get dressed to work yet. I prefer to have breakfast wearing something comfortable.

Starting The Day Right

The first meal of the day takes me about half an hour. Since recently, I exchange carbs to protein as the main ingredient of my breakfast and I can tell you that nothing beats my steak or eggs. I also have greens and a delicious espresso with coconut oil (a colleague from work told me about it and I got hooked after the first time).

During breakfast, I like to go through my emails to check if I got some ‘special’ request or get to read the news from my mom who lives in Brazil. I love surfing though Pinterest as well. I have a Community Board that gets daily pins and it is a pleasure to read it from everyone. Pinterest is also an amazing source of inspiration and motivation for me. There have been countless times that I came across with THE message I needed for that day.

Follow Debbie in Shape [DiS]’s board [DiS] – Lifestyle on Pinterest.

Sometimes I also like to listen to (Reiki or meditation) music or watch YouTube vids (on CrossFit) depending on the mood I want to build for the rest of the day.

After doing the dishes and putting away everything, it is time to get dressed, put the make up on and work out some magic to convince my cat, Soubi, that he needs to get to his bed again.

On the weekends, I try to take it as slow as possible. Staying in bed until 10AM is not something I like to do, but if I can avoid the alarm, it is great. On Saturdays, I get up at 8AM and on Sundays, when I go to the gym, 7:30 is my time.

Be grateful, be aware of your blessings and share your grace with others.

It might not be the most exciting way to get the day started, but it works for me. One of the things I have realized about myself is that while I love helping others, I was not giving myself the same treatment. Always squeezing more activities and responsibilities was not allowing me time to breath and observe. Being a stress machine was doing me no good (and believe me, the same goes to everyone).

It is true that for those with kids reality can be much different. However, it is also important to create awareness and exercise it with the little ones as well. Children are like sponges observing every single step that we take. They will catch you if your actions do not fit your words, so become an example.

[Tweet “Start your daily journey with a light heart. #wellness #lifestyle”]

Maybe you cannot allow yourself as much time as I do, but remember to start your day “right”. Be grateful, be aware of your blessings and share your grace with others. Look at the sky! It can be while sitting on a bus or in your car at the traffic light. Say a prayer or a mantra to help you focus. Whatever your ritual might be, make sure it helps you start your daily journey with a light heart.

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Read also for more morning inspiration:

Please check the list of link parties I join here.

Good morning!

#DebbieinShape

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Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Debbieinshape/ (em português)