Building Your Miracle Morning Routine
The alarm clock goes off after 12 hours of sleep and you can barely remember what day it is and get out of bed.
I get it. I’ve been there after years of struggle with chronic illness.
Before I was sick, I trained myself to be a morning person. 5 AM workouts before heading to the hospital for a 7 AM shift.
Then chronic illness hit me. I was no longer the same person. Not my body nor my mind could get me out of bed before the sun. For those of you struggling with your health you may need to work up to early mornings. Even on the other side of healing early mornings will likely never be easy but guaranteed they will be transformative.
Whether you are a healed chronic illness warriors or feel decent but want to feel even better, this is for YOU.
Creating Energy
I know, I know, but you barely have enough energy to get through the day as-is, how could you possibly be waking up any earlier? Let me tell you a well-known secret that changed my life once I heard it...
The power plant doesn't HAVE energy it GENERATES it!
You are going to need to create the energy in your body, mind, and spirit you desire to utilize. From your morning routine to your evening dinner, you are in charge of the energy you have at your disposal daily.
Optimal Sleep
Fun fact, the immune system recovers best from 10 P.M. to 2 A.M.
That means being asleep before 10 at night is prime time for your body’s recovery. Waking up early is not only productive but better for the immune system and cortisol response timing that happens in wee hours of the morning. While exercise naturally creates a (beneficial) short-term cortisol spike, by timing your early AM workout with your natural cycle, you kill two birds with one stone.
I am a very sensitive person to foods, hormones, sleep schedules, energy - all the things.
My (in remission) autoimmune body feels MUCH better going to bed early and rising to an early morning workout. It is like all the cortisol inducing CrossFit and vinyasa yoga flows I prefer are working for my body instead of against my body when I utilize my early morning workout window. This could be true for you too!
Early Mornings
Throughout history, many great thinkers, artists, and public figures have used their early morning routine as part of their path toward success. In today’s highly distracted, over-connected world, it’s vital to take full advantage of the pre-dawn hours, which can set a powerful tone for the day and lead to heightened achievement, happiness, and overall wellbeing. It’s a myth that those who have achieved global renown were simply born with the talent and drive to succeed. Many have made a commitment to rising early every day to set a positive and productive tone for the day. Committing to an early morning practice has been pivotal on my path to my dreams.
As the popular book The 5 AM Club states:
“Own your morning, elevate your life. “
Let me break down the morning routine into a couple of conceptual frameworks that deepen your desire to set you alarm before dawn Monday through Friday!
Elevate the Body, Mind & Spirit
BODY
Workout! Sweat! Move! Yoga, CrossFit, Pilates, a run, a walk, whatever is right for you! I am not the type that can get up and read/write/meditate. I need to get moving before I can settle without dozing back off.
MIND
Invigorate your brain with thoughts other than your own! Listen to an audiobook while you juice or make a healing morning smoothie. Listen to a podcast versus mind numbing music on your drive to the gym or walk around the block. If we consistently only think our own thoughts, we will consistently only be at the same level of growth.
SPIRIT
For every physical symptom or trouble in our life we can look to a spiritual root cause. How can we possibly solve our troubles or answer some of life’s greatest questions from our own point of view? We came from a force of love much greater than ourselves. To no longer connect with our Creator, our Heavenly Father, our Divine Mother, our true nature is to live life in the dark, disconnected from our soul’s genesis. The spirit time in your morning can look like mediation, prayer, or sitting quietly for a few minutes followed by spiritual literature that inspires you.
The productive morning is centered around investing in yourself so you can pour out into others.
Another helpful framework to utilize when structuring your miracle morning is:
The 20/20/20 Principle
20) Sweat
20) Breathe in
20) Breathe out
The first twenty minutes of your morning routine you sweat, anything that feels good to you! (see ideas in the BODY paragraph above)
The second twenty minutes I like to call “breathing in”. When you’re breathing in you are consuming sources of thought other than your own. This time could be used for reading, an audio book, or a podcast.
A few of my favorites: Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer, Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The third twenty minutes of your hour is used to breath out. You can journal, write down your gratitudes, meditate, or even utilize a scripted journal like the High Performance Planner by Brendon Burchard or Start Today Journal by Rachel Hollis! I personally use the High Performance Planner and my own spirit-created GPA journaling method. Every day I record my gratitudes, one prayer, and affirmations (even if they’re still a goal I’m working towards).
If you’d like to hear more about this subconscious healing process comment below and I will do a blog per your request!
The principle equates to one full hour in your morning. However, I like to do mine a little bit differently. My routine once started with this 60-minute timeframe, but because I see sooo much benefit from it I have tripled the time spent in my morning routine. Yes, mine is 3 hours. Yes, I get this done 6 days a week. No, did I ever think this would be me and my life would transform so much from a simple morning routine!
My Morning Routine
5 AM wake up
5:20 leave for the gym
5:30 mobility, yoga, or accessory work at gym // breathwork or meditate at home
6:00 CrossFit class or yoga class
7:20 begin juicing and food prep for the day, I always listen to inspiring audio during this time! (this can also be done the night before)
8:00 journal/read/meditate while in the infrared sauna
8:40 shower
So, you’re like, “cool for you Jen, but I must be at work at 7, 8, even 9 AM. I get it! Before I owned my own business, I had a 7 AM or 7 PM 12-hour shift time and I still made time for my hour.
Maybe you’re a busy momma with three littles at home - can you rise before they do? You do not have to do a 3-hour routine, but you certainly have one hour. Even with my three hours I’m ready for a 9 AM start to my workday!
This also means I go to bed EARLY to still clock 8-9 hours of sleep. What do I miss out on? Not priorities. Less time to scroll social media. Less time to abide by other people’s agendas for my day and complete tasks of miniscule worth.
I started this routine for my health bank account and to my surprise it has nearly quadrupled my salary as a business owner. Not ending there, my body continues to heal, and my mind continues to feel sharper each day.
Essential Rest in a Digital Age
The premise of The 5 AM Club encourages people to make the most of their morning hours to become happier and more fulfilled. This is particularly important in a time when social media and other internet-based distractions have impeded many people’s abilities to find the stillness required for high achievement and happiness.
Great habits won’t be as effective in boosting your performance if you’re not getting enough sleep. Deep rest and relaxation are essential to recover from the stress of the day. Yet our society’s overreliance on technology is impeding good sleep hygiene. Electronics are stimulating psychologically and physiologically; these gadgets reduce the body’s melatonin levels, which regulate sleep. This is where I struggle most. I want to work on my computer or browse my phone until my head hits the pillow. In my functional medicine practice, those with poor quality sleep almost always snooze better after we implement a practice of no blue light 1-2 hours before bedtime and ALL devices on airplane mode during sleep. That means: no phone, TV, tablet, or laptop before bed. Hello good ol’ fashioned book, journal or kindle that does not emit blue light. This also means, tablets and phones sleep on airplane mode, there are no internet routers in the bedroom, and preferably no TVs.
The bedroom is reserved for study, sex, and sleep only.
What will others think?
On the contrary to my enthusiastic tone about your miracle morning, will be the thoughts and opinions of your partner, friends, parents, and most of society. Do you really want to live and be like the rest of society? Unfulfilled, unproductive, and unhappy? Once you are able to quiet the external voices that dictate how you should live, you can listen to your own instincts, which are always your best guide. The best time to do this and set intention for your days, hence your life, is the early morning my friend!
How many days do you need to give this a whirl before throwing in the towel? According to neuroplasticity, it takes 21 days until neurons adapt to a routine as a new normal for the body. Some experts, including the author of the 5 AM Club, suggest 66 days. Andy Frisella, entrepreneur, and CEO created the 75 Hard Challenge, which is 75 days of very similar principles- if you need a strict program and online community to engage with through your process check out #75hardchallenge on Instagram or Andy’s book called 75 Hard.
Small, incremental improvements lead to incredible results over time. Maybe you begin with Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early mornings or even just Tuesday/Thursday. With each early morning you will notice the quality of your day change.
Once our core behaviors change, we can then watch a ripple effect on other areas of life. Your work performance will improve. You will feel more connected to your own inner being. You will feel healthier and happier. I promise.
Real talk here for a second...
Do I ever want to get up out of bed at 5 AM when I hear the alarm clock ring?
No. Never. Ever.
What gets me up in the morning?
A simple affirmation: I am a leader. I am healthy. I am excited for today.
I literally say those things and then stumble into the bathroom to get ready for the gym class I committed to the night before.
Affirmations and accountability are huge! It is very helpful to have a partner or friend who you say, “I will be there!” to and you two join forces to create this core behavioral change.
It’s going to be uncomfortable. Beyond your comfort zone and what you want to do is your greatness. Inside every person lives a hero. Be the hero of your own story and rise before the sun!
To learn more about my personalized morning routine including my food, workouts, and habits check out the video below!
