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How and Why to Create a Mama Morning Ritual

Mornings can be rough, especially if you are a mom and have to hustle the babes to (insert daycare, preschool, middle school or the dentist). There are tantrums. There is chaos. There are diapers. There are three spills and never enough time before you have to hit the door. Something has to give. And in this case, the solution can be YOUR morning routine. Yes mama, only YOU.

Many successful people credit their morning routine to their results. People like Benjamin Franklin, Barack Obama, Steve Jobs and Anthony Robbins have shared how their morning rituals set them up for success in the day. These famous gentlemen might just be onto something that a super heroine like yourself can take advantage of.

A morning routine sets the tone for your day. It can motivate you and fill you with the energy you will need for later hours. People with a healthy morning routine are more likely to make healthy choices throughout the day. As a mom it is easy to feel that our day never belongs to us, but what if you just took the morning to be yours and yours only? We bet you would go on to boss the day.

Here are 5 tips to setting up your Mama Morning Routine

1. Wake up earlier.

Awful. Vomit. Barf. No not happening. We know, we know. If you are a mother to a newborn, this may be entirely out of the question and we highly recommend that you sleep when you can. But if your babe is a bit older, give this a try. Just a little bit at a time, start with ten minutes to yourself, then twenty, then thirty.

And you have to trader morning time for night time, so yes, you have to go to bed earlier to wake up earlier. Put the wine down, let’s snooze.

2. Create a ritual you look forward to.

There is something comforting and magical about a ritual, and rituals seem to be so lacking in our busy, busy world. Start your day with a cup of coffee or tea in your favorite mug before anyone else is awake and ready to whine at you. Ignore Instagram, emails and your calendar. Simply sit with yourself, journal, read or even meditate. Or maybe you just need 5 minutes to stretch. Do something that fills your cup every single morning.

3. Exercise

If you can get your exercise done before your family wakes up, you are golden for the day! Exercise in the morning will pump up your energy and your endorphins. If you get it over with early, you won't have the rest of the day to come up with an excuse for skipping it. Bonus, many agree that exercising in the morning helps you burn the most fat through the day. Our Body Back members would agree. :)

4. Write Down Your 3 MIT’s (Most Important Things)

The morning can be the most productive time of your entire day. Take a look at the calendar (AFTER COFFEE, duh) for the day and figure out the three most important things you need to get done that day. When will you do them? This puts you in the driver's seat for your day before it drives you. Commit.

5. Pre-Prep

This is actually an evening suggestion. Pre prep lunches for you and the babes. Lay out clothes for yourself and the kids. Even pre prep breakfast if you can. Get everything done you will need for the morning at night, so when the tantrums happen, you are good (enough) to go.

Create and protect your morning routine. It should be sacred, setting up the momentum for the day and making you even more unstoppable. And if you do have little babies or crazy toddlers, take it easy on yourself and just protect the morning cup of coffee if nothing else.