I’ve given almost every healthy diet fad a try, mixed up my workouts, sweat once or twice a day, and tried basically everything I could to minimize my stress levels and lose a little weight. 

It wasn’t until I completely switched up my morning routine that the weight started coming off with minimal effort. 

The small changes that greatly affected my health didn’t involve weighing out my food, prepping every meal into Tupperware containers, or working myself to death in the gym–it simply started with waking up 30 minutes earlier to get a little bit of movement in. 

To preface, I’ve never been a morning person or had any sort of routine. My day started around 7:15AM, where I would wake up and give myself the absolute bare minimum amount of time to get ready for work. 

This routine included a whole bunch of rushing and stressing to get myself out of the door as quickly as possible­–all within the first 30 minutes of waking up.  

No wonder I hated everything about mornings. With this routine, the cortisol was heavily flowing by 8AM and I was already in a sour mood before I even started my day.

I quite frequently use cortisol as the punchline of many jokes, but in actuality this stress hormone can wreak havoc on your body when unregulated. The biggest culprit that can throw this hormone off its’ A game is chronic stress.  

I had to learn this the hard way, as stress had affected my mental and physical health in many ways–from hives to headaches, and even affecting my ability to lose weight. 

I realized I had to get my stress levels under control and took a long hard look at what was stressing me out. After a bit of soul searching,  I realized the most stressful part of my day is when I wake up–go figure. My nonexistent morning routine clearly wasn’t working for me.

Here’ my new and improved morning routine that has helped to regulate my stress levels, manage weight loss, and upgrade my mood first thing in the morning:

1.  Wake up & do something you like

I’m a big believer in doing something that makes you happy right when you wake up. Whether that’s journaling about gratitude or drinking green juice–perform a small task that immediately boosts your mood. For me, this is a making a tall cup of coffee right when I wake up and moving my body.

2.  Move your body

To set the record straight, my 30-45 minutes of movement in the morning doesn’t include a 5 AM boot camp class. I tried waking up early to get in a high-intensity workout and personally I feel it didn’t do anything but add to my stress levels.

Everyone is different and this type of movement might be what your morning routine was always missing, but it brought me nothing but unhappy thoughts. Instead, I opt to stream a yoga or pilates from the comfort of my livingroom. I have been loving P.volve, but will also slide in a little Melissa Wood Health or a quick Obe Fitness class.

3.  Don’t skip breakfast

When I was rushing out the door, taking an extra 10 minutes for breakfast at home was out of the question. I ended up shuffling through my bag in hopes that I could scrounge up a protein bar or something edible. 

This really wasn’t an ideal routine for my body. I started to make sure I ate dinner a little bit earlier the night before so I would be hungry right after my 30 minutes of movement in the morning. Then I give myself about 10 to 15 minutes of time to watch the news and enjoy my breakfast (probably the same routine as your grandparents, HA).

I usually kick my day off with celery juice, scrambled eggs, and a handful of raspberries. Or if I’m on the hungrier side, my easy pancake recipe.

4. Preparing for the next day the night before

Stressing about being unprepared for the next day was a huge component of sleep loss and anxiety for me. Preparing my bag, outfit, and completing any last minute tasks before bed helped me to sleep through the night and wake up ready to take on my day.

I can’t tell you how much waking up just 30-40 minutes earlier changed the way I feel first thing in the morning and how it affects my entire day. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

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