There are a lot of things that are great to do in the morning. But for us moms, our time is ultra-limited. If your kids wake up a the crack of dawn, you’re probably doing well to roll out of bed 5 minutes before they do, much less do anything productive before they get up.
But, there are so many benefits to having a routine of healthy morning habits! Starting the day off strong will leave you feeling energized for the rest of the day and you’ll feel much more accomplished and you’ll probably get more done than you would if you hit snooze 6 times instead.
The good news is that a lot of these healthy morning routine ideas don’t take a lot of time. So there’s no reason to skip them!
Tips for Developing a Healthy Morning Routine
1. Create a Morning Routine That Serves You
Developing a good morning routine is a very personal thing. I can’t tell you exactly what’s right for you. Maybe you love getting up at 4 to enjoy the peaceful hours of the morning. Or you might have kids that wake up raring to go at 6 AM and the idea of getting up a moment earlier than that makes you want to cry.
Whatever your situation is, you should create a morning routine that serves you and helps you be better.
2. You don’t need to add a bunch of stuff to your to-do list every morning just because everyone else is doing it.
I would encourage you not to add all of these suggestions that I’m about to give you to your morning routine right away. That would be totally overwhelming and you’d probably give up after just a couple of days.
Try choosing just one thing that you think would make the biggest difference in your day, and try to do it consistently for a few weeks. If you’re able to stick with it for a good while, then you can try adding something new to the routine.
3. Your Routine Doesn’t Have to be the Same Every Day
You might develop a couple of different morning routines that you choose depending on what kind of day it is.
An ideal morning routine for me would include a workout, do some Bible studying, and then work for an hour or two. But that morning routine would probably take about 3 hours and there’s no way I’m getting up at 4:00 a.m. to get all of that done.
I’m a big fan of what April Perry calls a “multiple choice perfect day” where you might not get in every single thing that you want to do everyday, but you can do few things and call it good. Over the course of a few days or a few weeks, you can spend time on most, if not all, of the things that are important to you in the morning.
For example, one day I might fit in a workout and a Bible study in the morning before my kids get up. On another day I might skip the workout and do a couple hours of work instead. I have to be realistic with myself and realize that not everything is going to happen everyday and that’s okay.
A healthy morning routine will look different for everyone. You can craft a great morning routine for yourself depending on what’s important to you.
4. You Don’t Have to Do Your Morning Routine Perfectly
I’ll be honest – I’m not perfect at doing my morning routine every single day.
If I’m being really truthful, there’s plenty of mornings that I do hit snooze and sleep until my kids wake me up. I have a new baby and getting up at 6:00 a.m. every single day just isn’t realistic because I’m up a lot during the night.
Being consistent with your morning routine is a great goal to strive for but don’t forget to give yourself grace for the mornings that you fall short.
With that, here are some simple suggestions for your morning routine:
Wake Up Before Your Kids
If there’s one thing every mom should have as part of her morning routine, it’s this.
It doesn’t have to be much before. If you have the discipline and energy to get up an hour or two before them, that’s fabulous. I love it when I can manage to do that myself.
It’s not always practical, though. You might struggle with insomnia or, like me, have a baby who’s up half the night.
But even giving yourself a 3 minute head-start to splash some water on your face and start the coffee will make such a huge difference in how you take on the day. Instead of being overwhelmed by the needs of tiny humans from the moment you wake up, you’ll feel more in control and be able to greet their sleepy little faces with a smile.
Resist the Temptation to Hit Snooze
Just don’t do it! Hitting snooze is one of the worst time wasters. You aren’t really sleeping and getting rest, but you’re also not up and getting stuff done. It also might make you feel more tired throughout the day.
I know it’s totally easier said than done, but do your best to force yourself out of bed as soon as that alarm goes off. You won’t regret it!
Get Yourself a Big Glass of Water!
I’m of the opinion that most people are chronically dehydrated. Too much soda and tea. The people that do actually drink plain water don’t get nearly enough of it.
It’s very bad for the body.
Getting enough water is great for postpartum weight loss, great for your skin, and fantastic for your energy levels.
Get a head start on your daily water intake and down a glass first thing in the morning. You can even make this part of your evening routine and set a glass out for yourself the night before so that you don’t forget!
Put on Clothes That Make You Feel Good
If you stay home all day, it’s tempting to not bother with the hassle of putting on real clothes. Sweats are comfy and require no effort!
But the reality is that being a mom is a real job, and you should dress for it. I’m not saying you should dress to the nines every morning for your day with the kids, but putting on something presentable will help you feel better and help you do your job better. Leggings and a swing dress is a functional, simple, and totally adorable outfit for a day at home.
As a bonus, if you need to leave the house unexpectedly or if someone shows up at your door unannounced, you’ll be totally prepared!
If you need help in this area, you should definitely check out this mama’s wardrobe plan for moms. She’s great at helping you come up with cute outfits that are still functional for mom life.
Review Your To Do List and Plan For the Day
If you have a good evening routine in place, hopefully you already have a plan for how you’ll spend your day. It’s a great idea to review your to-do list and see what’s on the agenda.
If you don’t yet have clear focus for the day, there’s no time like the present! Choose the top 3 things that you want to do or accomplish today, and then get to work.
Decide What’s For Dinner
Along those same lines of planning, now is a great time to decide what’s for dinner tonight. Check your pantry or your meal plan and make a decision. That way, if there’s something you need to grab at the store or if you need to thaw something out, you’ve got time to work with. It’ll save you tons of trouble at dinner time, and probably save you money on takeout!
Spend Some Time Studying the Bible
Sometimes I like putting this task off until later in the day because it’s a habit that I want to model for my kids. I want them to see me studying the Bible and hopefully inspire them to do the same!
Unfortunately, this is one of those healthy morning routine ideas that tends to not get done if I don’t make it a priority and get it done first thing in the morning. In the back of my mind I know that it’s important, but it’s never something that’s urgent. I tend to get caught up in the busyness of the day and never get around to it.
So if I want to make sure it happens, I have to do it right away.
Get Your Exercise out of the Way
I actually I don’t usually do my workout in the morning, but it might work for you! but that’s something I actually don’t mind doing when my kids are up. Sometimes they have fun doing it with me, and I think it’s good for them to see their mom being committed to staying active.
Do Focused Work
A lot of people like to start the day with a work out, but I like to accomplish tasks that are hard to do when my kids are up and running around.
Whether you have a side hustle, work from home, or have some home management tasks that need to happen on the computer, the early morning hours are a great time to get that focused work done.
You’ll probably have to get up quite early in order to be able to have any real meaningful time to get stuff done before the kids wake up, but it will be worth it to have that uninterrupted time!
It’s a great thing to add to your healthy morning routine.
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Melinda worked with children for years in a professional setting before becoming a full-time stay at home mom. She currently has three young children, and enjoys sharing tips and ideas about parenting and how to manage a home with excellence. She’s been featured on Heathline and Her View From Home.
