When I wake up in the morning
And the alarm gives out a warning
And I don’t think I ever make it on time
By the time I grab my books
And I give myself a look
I’m at the corner just in time to see the bus fly by
It’s alright ‘coz I’m saved by the bell
The same thing every morning can start to feel like groundhog day, especially when it’s back to school or back to work after a great summer vacation and all you really want to do is soak up a few more minutes in bed without thinking about your to do list.
BUT…yes that’s a big but, routines are the secret of many successful folks and that doesn’t have to mean boring.
One of the most frequent questions I get after 15 years running is how do you stay motivated??
The answer is I don’t rely on motivation, I rely on routines and habits! Post knee surgery, where my normal habits were tossed out the window like rubbish, I needed to find a way to create a new routine for my sanity and recovery.
If the teacher pops a test
I know I’m {not} in a mess
Oh Saved By the Bell, you are such good times. But onwards with the tips!
5 Hacks for a Great Morning Routine
Let’s start quickly with why routines are so fabulous!
- Creates a sense of calm and peace
- Eliminates decision making which stresses us out and hurts us later in the day
- Allows us to enjoy moments of slowness because we’ve made them a required part of the day
- It saves time which eliminates that pesky “too busy” excuse
If there were only 5 things that you could do each day to start your day on the right foot, ensuring that your entire day is calmer, more productive and enjoyable, this would be them.
Standard Wake Up Call
One of the best tips I have ever implemented is to make your sleep and wake times consistent. Once I started doing this, I stopped needing an alarm clock and let’s be honest waking up sans that BUZZZZZZ is one of the best feelings in the world.
That does mean keeping your sleep in the same cycle on weekends too, which I know seems like a bummer…but feeling refreshed is totally worth it, plus you can always snag a nap or let’s be honest, runners are up anyways to get in those miles.
Are your mornings frantic, rushed, insane?! Try these 5 tips and set yourself up to reach your #goals Click To TweetSteps 1, 2, 3
Have a consistent process that you follow each morning, which provides you with a sense of starting the day on your terms.
For example, this process has proved helpful to me:
- Make the bed – at least one thing is cleaned up and at the end of the welcomes me back
- Wash face in cold water – helps to wake you up and to ensure skin in clean before sweating
- Drink a large glass of water with lemon – kick starts hydration and helps to eh hem move things along (maybe you prefer coffee)
These should be super small things that are easy to do at home, on the road, over the holidays when life feels like it’s moving at warp speed. SMALL wins to start the day. 
Planned Morning Snack Attack
I love food, it’s part of why I run. But eating randomly often leads to unplanned snacking, poor choices and bye bye goals. Instead, I plan to have a snack a few hours after my workout every morning when I know my hunger will strike.
I love this chocolate and nut pick me up from goodnessKNOWS (here’s where to find them). 
Here’s the skinny on why this is great:
- Chocolate – really I could just stop there.
- Great combo of whole nuts, real fruits, toasted oats and dark chocolate
- 100 mg of naturally-occurring cocoa flavanols
- Portion control is done for you – 150 calories for all four squares
- Six flavor (all with chocolate) – apple, almond & peanut; peach, cherry & almond; blueberry & almond; mixed berry & almond; strawberry & peanut; cranberry & almond
Gratitude Practice
There are many ways you can insert gratitude in to your morning, the goal of all is to set your mind right for a great day! Maybe it’s simply saying a few things before you get out of bed, so that even when you discover Fluffy hurled on your favorite throw overnight, it’s just not such a big deal.
Another great tool is the Five Minute Journal, which not only asks you to think about gratitude, but to think about a few things you EXPECT to go right during the day. 
I love using this quick tool after I finish my workout and before I dive in to the emails that invariably will have me off and running in circles.
Sweat Quick or Slow
Did you really think I’d give you a morning routine that didn’t involve running?!
Clearly post surgery a morning run wasn’t in the books, but that didn’t mean I was just sitting around after those meds started wearing off. I’ve written in depth about the scientific benefits of a morning workout routine and how to make it happen, but suffice to say it’s going to improve your whole day.
Doesn’t matter if you opt for a slow yoga session or a hard core set of sprints, you’ll reap the benefits.
Right now, my routine involves hobbling down all the stairs to our basement gym. Doing an upper body workout, followed by all the physical therapy moves known to man for knees range of motion and hopefully by next week I’ll be adding in some time on the bike!
Do you have a routine for success?
How do you get back on track?
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Laura says
I LOVE my morning routine. People think I’m crazy for waking up in the 4 o’clock hour…but in order to nurse my baby and have some quiet time I need to be up and at ’em bright and early! I love running in the morning before anyone else is awake, and eating my breakfast & drinking my coffee in peace and quiet before all my kids wake up!
Kristina @ Love & Zest says
What a great morning routine! I think I need to start following it! I love your big glass of water with lemon on it!
JODI A TIVEY says
This is a neverending battle for me. I know how important morning routines are and getting my workouts in in the morning, but I still struggle with just wanting to stay in bed. UGH> I am my own worst enemy.
However, now that we have moved to our new house/shop {although the house is completely moved but good enough to be able to stay here} the hubs and I now have a patio with an amazing view we get to enjoy. It’s so peaceful and quiet and so thanks to him we TRY to get up everyday by 6-6:15, get showered and ready so we can go enjoy our coffee on the patio before we start our work day!! SO NICE!
amanda says
Ahh that time in the morning is so nice!! We finally got rocking chairs on our front porch and now I’m always out there.
JODI A TIVEY says
It is!!! And good for you!
Christine - Jar Of Lemons says
I just recently heard a podcast about this and started making my bed every morning. I think it really helps! These tips are great!
Jessica @Small Bites by Jessica says
These are such great tips! Starting the day off right sets the tone for the rest of the day!
Sarah says
I could not stop singing and laughing at that, I grew up on Saved By The Bell.
Now your plan, I love too minus the weekends and making the bed. Yep I don’t make the bed which is weird because I’m all about the house being clean and looking nice but the bed is not something I make first.
That said I like routine and hate when things are off although that is what life has come to be as of late with things that have happened and I crave more than anything routine and looking forward to the girls returning to school next week and my workouts being planned and at the same time vs various times in the day and working around life and class times. I know getting up at the same time will be hard, it’s always hard when we start getting up earlier or at a set time and with my husband not running since surgery I haven’t been but will be and I’m going to even give your consistent weekend wake up time a try. I’ll keep you posted!!
Whitney @ To Live & Diet in L.A. says
I’m definitely into morning routines! Mine starts with jumping out of bed the minute the alarm goes off. I find that lying there or pressing snooze leaves me more lethargic later.
cheryl says
46th year of running in the a.m. (4:30) and at work by 7:00 (45 min. commute). Keeps me young and energetic and able to run around with special needs preschoolers all day! (Turning 64 soon…ready to retire but will STILL get up and out at the BEST time of the day!)
Deryn | Running on Real Food says
My morning routine is my favourite thing ever…5 am every day up and at ’em!! I love reading, writing, stretching, having my mushroom elixir drink..lol. I spend about an hour before I have to get a move on with the day but I love that hour so much! After that I go walk the dogs and listen to a podcast, then have breakfast..ahh, it’s the best.
Aimee Run Eat Drink Podcast @runeatdrinkpod says
I do either Yoga and Running or Yoga in the morning, depending on the running schedule. But I really need to follow your advice and set consistent “go to sleep” and “wake” times. One day I can be scheduled 930-630 and the next it is 11-8 and then back to 930-630. What do you suggest for doing that when you don’t really have control over the hours you are scheduled to work? Good blog entry! Thanks!
amanda says
Hey Aimee…it’s so much harder when your schedule shifts all the time! I would say try to think of your day in the same blocks of time anyways… so you always get up at 7 or 8 no matter when you head to work. Somedays you do your workout or other stuff in the AM and other days you do it after. That still allows you to get to sleep by 11 or 12 for a full 8.
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
Those Goodness Knows bars are so tasty! Love these tips to get moving in the morning too. A routine makes all of the difference.
Rachel says
I’ve been in a great workout routine for years. It works well for me!
Alisa Fleming says
I LOVE this Amanda. We actually got rid of our alarm clock 20 years ago (we did it while on a staycation so we would be adjusted by the time we went back to work – never was late!), and have only used it a handful of times since for things like catching super early flights. Both my husband and I wake up to the sun, so we never oversleep. It made a world of difference in our daily energy.
When in a rut many years ago, I started making our bed every morning first thing. It was amazing how that little routine changed my whole world. Now I’m excited to add a cold water splash and lemon water to it – those sound perfect. Thank you!
Jordan says
My routine has been SO out of whack lately with travel and moving to a new place. I’m ready to settle back into normalcy! I’ve never heard of goodnessKNOWS but I’ll definitely be trying their bars!
Shelby says
Lots of tips in here remind me of the book Better Than Before, all about habits!!
Rachel says
Gratitude practice YES and I love that 5 minute journal! This literally sets up any day for success! Thank you for sharing your tips :)
Tish W. says
Routine has helped me get on track to improve my health SO MUCH! I’ve got a long way to go, but at least it’s now a normal part of m day to go to the gym. I love that you shared your routine so I can compare and see where I’m going in the right direction and what I can do to improve. Great blog post!