How to wake up well without getting up before the rooster

Do you ever feel like you are a roller coaster of emotions based on how your day goes? Would you like to feel more in control of what sets you off?

All the gurus say one of the best practices is to wake up intentionally. I know, there is a long list of reasons why you cannot wake up the way you want, job, kids, sleepless nights, binge watching Netflix, you name it!

You can list excuses, or get curious about a thing or two you can do to start moving toward where you want to be. Start where you are, do what you can.

These are my tips for kick starting your day so you have more resilience and love the people around you.

1. Go to bed well. A good morning starts the night before. Research is showing its not just quantity of sleep but also consistency of what time we go do bed and what time we wake up. As best you can, go to sleep at the same time each night and wake up at the same time. If you have trouble falling asleep, try eliminating caffeine prior to the evening, detach from electronics 30 minutes early or adding in some night time rituals (shower, read, meditate for example) to help signal your body it's time for rest.

2. Plan to wake up. Set an alarm for the time you want to wake up. Tell yourself that you are important and you keep promises to yourself. Count back from 5 and at 1 pop out of bed. Or set an initial alarm and a really this time get up alarm. Maybe don't plan to get up a whole hour early from where you are now. Maybe 5 or 15 minute increments to get to where you want to be. Celebrate your wins and don't judge yourself harshly when you don't meet your expectations.

3. Drink a glass of water.

4. Nourish your body. Health trends come and go. There is one thing that never goes out of style. Everyone agrees: fruits and veggies heal, repair and protect every system in the body. The easiest way I know how to do this is fruit and veggie capsules. I mean despite my best intentions its all too easy to get to the end of the day and think, did I even get 3-5 servings today? When you begin to understand just how good fruits and veggies are for you, you know you cannot get enough!

5. Exercise. Right now I don't exercise as part of my initial morning routine. I get up at 5:45 and have 3 alarms that move me from reading scripture, to prayer and meditation and then on to journaling and reading. Then I join the family and get everyone out the door for school by 7:15. So this semester, I get to workout when they are gone and before I start my day. I love it. I have been doing these at home workouts by the Healthy Living Revolution. Twenty minutes and I am done and ready to take on the day.

6. Fill your soul. Take time in the morning to feed your soul. For me I engage with Gods Word, do some guided prayer and then turn a meditation app that has a timer and chimes to keep me on track. No matter what your spiritual beliefs, you are a spiritual being and that part of you needs to be acknowledged and nourished.

7. Set your intentions. Now that your are filled its time to think about how you want to pour out and be generous with yourself throughout the coming day. Maybe it's to yell at the kids less. Maybe it's to be more forgiving to your spouse. Maybe it's not to yell in traffic. I find that journaling about what I want my day to look like and my future to look like helps me make those better choices through out the day. I also like affirmations. It sets the pace for how I want to be when I am being the best version of myself.

8. Ask for help. Change doesn't happen in a vacuum. Find someone who will check in with you and help support your good choices. My hubby is a night owl, but he knows I am better when I wake well. So he helps me stick to my 10 pm lights out. It feels nice knowing that he is looking out for me and helping me keep my promises to myself.

Let's face it: mom-ing is hard. We are all doing the best we can. Each day you can get a little better and keep discovering the best version of yourself. We can do it together. Let's take healthy back!