If you registered for my 30 Ways in 30 Days Health Series you may have seen a video where I discuss morning rituals. If you aren’t registered for the health video series, please register here for FREE at this link.

If you read a lot of blogs or books and listen to podcasts by successful people, they often share the importance of performing morning rituals.

The ritual may look like this:

-Wake up to a soothing sound of waterfalls in a sunlit room as dawn kisses your face and body
-Slowly turn to your side or lay on your back and stretch with arms over head while taking in a deep breath
-Start journaling by taking pen/pencil to paper and write 3-5 things you are grateful for and set the intention for the day
-It’s time to move onto yoga for 30 minutes followed by 30 minutes of meditation
-Jump into the shower and bathe with all natural and organic soap and hair products
-Next, head to your kitchen for morning nourishment. Brew and drink organic natural tea/coffee or blend yourself an all organic smoothie of vegetables and fruits carefully picked without disturbance to the land and wildlife.

Fantasy land for most of us!

If I was to apply the above actions to my life I wouldn’t be able to start treating patients until noon.

Let’s bring the morning ritual concept to the real world.

Here are some easy and applicable rituals that you can create:

-I agree waking to a morning alarm that is NOT blaring. Life is a lot easier when you wake up to a soothing versus blaring sound. Depending how much money you want to spend there are some very cool alarms and clocks that have great sounds to rise to in the morning. You should not use the alarm on your cell phone as I recommend not having your cellphone in your room with you.

– Skip stretching in the morning. Many of us wake with stiff muscles and creaky joints. Therefore, morning time is the worse time to stretch. You should never stretch cold and stiff muscles. If you do want to stretch, consider stretching after you take a shower.

-Journal 5 things you are grateful for is a great exercise however, you may not have extra time in the morning. If that’s the case, journal later in the day or before you retire for the night. The act of writing 5 things you are grateful for can be done anytime in your day.

-Yoga and meditation. Both of these practices are life enhancing, however, they may not be the right action in the morning, especially if the mornings are usually “crunch time”.

-Showering/bathing in the morning increases blood flow to your muscles and helps to decrease stiffness. Is it always best to utilize natural soaps and body wash? If you can afford these luxuries, go right ahead. If you can’t, don’t beat yourself up that you are not showering with organic products. To receive additional value from a morning shower (or showering anytime) consider turning your faucet towards cold. There are many benefits to taking a cold shower which I share in the health video series.

-Morning nourishment: Consider a breakfast consisting of a good source of protein and fat. Maybe a coffee with MCT oil (medium chain triglyceride). I alternate my mornings with a Bulletproof coffee 3 days a week and then the other 3-4 days a week I blend Primal Fuel Protein from Primal Kitchen with green tea (T2) and cinnamon in a base of unsweetened almond milk. Notice, there is very little to no carbohydrate. The protein and fat provides me the source of energy. And yes, the green tea and the coffee is caffeinated.

I know this was a long blog however, I hope the action step you will take this week is to begin utilizing some of the recommendations as described above.

Just two more thoughts:

-No cell phone use for at least one hour after you wake up. It’s not healthy for your brain nor your eyes.
-If you want to make your morning easier, wake 10-20 minutes earlier than you would normally wake. The act of preparing everything you need for the morning the night before will make your morning much easier.

To Your Health & Happiness,

Dr. Michael J. Kaye
www.TheCenterforFunctionalHealth.com
Intention + Action = True Change

P.S. If you are ready to learn how to live an optimal, vibrant and energetic life click here for your FREE Discovery Call and let’s see how we can help you.