Power of a Morning Routine | S1E2 (E002)
Hands down, what you do in the first hours of your day determines your success towards any goal you’re trying to accomplish! Want better health? Want more focus time? Want to meet your financial, personal goals? It all comes down to the first hours of the morning. When it comes to health, this simple habit is what our clients use to actualize their goals more quickly and make more gains in their health than they thought possible. In this episode we break down the most simple things to be doing on a morning routine to achieve that wildly optimized wellness!
In This Episode
Setting up your day for success (02:09)
Making the routine a habit (05:35)
Crafting your ideal morning routine (11:59)
Morning routine snowball effect (16:24)
Programming the subconscious (19:05)
Choosing location independent routines (22:03)
Experiment to find what works for you (30:03)
Resources mentioned
Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning
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Submit your question for the show!
Transcript
Toréa Rodriguez 0:08
Welcome to the Wildly Optimized Wellness podcast. I am your host, Toréa Rodriguez. And I'm joined by the lovely co host, Evie Takacs. Both of us our Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioners and we love working with women from all over the world, through our virtual programs, helping women not only feel better, but actually achieve that vibrant, no holds barred version of themselves, they've been missing for a long time, and how we actually get there. Well, that is what this show is all about. Now, please keep in mind that this podcast is created for educational purposes only and should never be used as a replacement for medical diagnosis or treatment. And if you like what you hear today, we would love for you to hit that follow button, leave a review in Apple podcast, share with your friends, and keep coming back for more. Let's start today's adventure shall we?
This week, we're going to talk about morning routines and creating a morning routine. But why a morning routine right? Both you and I, Evie, have morning routines that we've established over time. But I think a lot of times people don't really realize that sometimes you can get the most important things done for yourself for your health for your you know, whatever is important to you, early in the morning, and then you don't really have to worry about it the rest of the day. My old procrastinator self is like, oh, yeah, I'll totally do a workout. And then the longer the day went on, I'd be less than less inclined to do it. Right. So that's me holding on to that willpower with like, white knuckles trying to make it happen. And so the morning routine for me kind of became the answer. How did you discover developing a morning routine? And what are your thoughts about it?
Evie Takacs 2:09
Yeah, I was almost, I wouldn't, I don't want to say it was like thrust upon me. But I started with the morning routine, when I started working with my first holistic health coach, he was very big proponent of it and said, You know, I really want you to pick two to three things to do every morning, that's gonna better your day, kind of set your day up on the right track, it's gonna be a pillar to your health. And so that's how I got into it. So it started with me was getting natural light in the morning, which I still do to this day. And then I really thought, well, maybe I can do a natural light and then do some movement with a walk. So I decided to do a walk outside. So that's how I like to do that. And then it's built over time, right? But it's, it's kind of been how did I get into it was more of what makes me feel good in the first 30 minutes of the day that then I can carry on that feeling of good throughout the rest of the day. Yeah, so that's how I got into it. Because I knew that what I did the first hour or so of my morning was going to dictate most likely the theme of the rest of the day for me. And so I wanted to start out strong. I wanted to start out with good pillars to my health and pillars to my day. So that's why I even you know, I double down and got really serious about my morning routine.
Toréa Rodriguez 3:23
It's so true, you know, when I was growing up, I remember my mom always saying, you know, the start of your day is gonna determine how the rest of your day is. So, you know, she used to make fun of me if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed or whatever that happens to be you know, and and she'd she'd tried to get me to change the way that I was being in the first hour of the day. And I mean really little like, first grade second grade kind of stuff, you know, and, and I back then of course I was too young to really grasp this whole concept right? But I do remember now her saying things like that of like, okay, if you can start your day out in a particular way, chances are the rest of your day are gonna go as fluid and as smooth and you know, there's lots of different areas where we could take a morning routine for a lot of us we get started on doing something that's a healthy habit first thing in the morning, right? We're trying to work on our physical health or our mental health or something like that. So it can look like a lot of different things, depending upon what your goals are. And I think that's one of the things that I love about the morning routine is how how adaptable it can be.
Evie Takacs 4:40
Yes, yep. In you can adapt it at any phase of life. So maybe, you know, you have a new job or there's kids or something like that and you can make it what you need it for that point in your life and then you can change it for when that point in your life changes. And yeah, I haven't done the same exact thing. For, you know, three, four years now that I've been doing this, it's it's changed and with different priorities that are in my life and different, you know, modalities of, you know, health tools and things like now I do red light in the morning. I didn't have that before. So it is you can just change it. And the the idea is that it's at least there and then you can adapt it as you need.
Toréa Rodriguez 5:20
Absolutely. And so you started, when you started doing this morning routine in that was the it was your first coach, you said that was helping you with that? What did you focus on first, do you remember,
Evie Takacs 5:35
I focused on making it a habit, which meant I just needed to find consistency, it didn't mean that I was going to like it, it didn't mean that I was going to want to do it every morning. But I focused on what I knew the benefits of it could be and I believed in having a morning routine, because I also at that point started to, you know, follow on social media and read books of people who I would say they're successful in different areas of their lives, or different ways of life. And everyone talks about that they have some sort of pillar to their day, they have a morning routine, they start their day out the same way. And I was like this is interesting, because all of these people that I do admire and look up to and want to learn from are saying the exact same thing just in a different way. So maybe there's something to this. So I decided to, you know, if I can just build this consistency, if I can build this consistency, that's going to be really helpful. So it didn't matter if I didn't want to do it. Because ultimately, I felt good when I was done doing it. And then again, it's like once you start to see the benefits of it, it's really hard to stop because you're like, I like this feeling. And this feels really good. And this is this is working out really well for me. So it got easier, the more I did it, it was um, you kind of have to build that consistency by just showing up every day, even if you don't feel like it. So that's probably what I focused on in the beginning. And then just actual like Logistics is, again, it was a morning walk in morning, son. That's what I did. And then afterward it became Oh, well, let's build in prayer to this. It was like a habit stacking at that point. Yeah, oh, let's also do tongue scraping. You know, it was all these things that I was already I had room to add into my morning because I was already doing something. Mm hmm. Yeah, exactly. And what about you?
Toréa Rodriguez 7:22
Oh, gosh, um, same kind of thing. You know, you start to look at, you know, for me, it was it was my own personal health crisis. So when I got diagnosed with autoimmune disease and needing to take a leave of absence from work because of it. That was really when I started just looking into, you know, well, what, what are other people doing? Right? So I started to notice that trend to have like, oh, very successful people have this morning routine. And then I came across and I wish I remember the gentleman's name, but he had something called Miracle Morning. Have you heard about Miracle Morning, there's, I think there's a book about it, and all sorts of things. But anyway, his idea was to break up that first hour and dedicate that first hour to your different things, whether that was breath work, meditation, reading, if reading was a goal for you, like I want to read, you know, two chapters a day or whatever, or journaling or this, that and the other. And I love the idea of it. But I'll tell you, like, that was me making the classic mistake of trying to do too much at once. And like, force myself into this pre crafted morning, have what it should look like. And so I was trying to do it. And then every time I got to like the reading part, or something like that, I was hating it. And so, my, my Miracle Morning turned into a miracle disaster. Morning. And so for me, that was too much, right? But it gave me insight that you can really use this morning routine and morning, time of the day to craft it to whatever you need at that time. Right. I might not have a reading goals right now, I might have an audio book goal instead. Or I might have a walking goal. Or I might have, you know, a breathwork goal or gratitude practice goal. Those are the kinds of things to put into the morning routine. Um, one thing that I do get from some clients is but I don't want to get up early or when I get up, right. The kids are already up the, you know, the day is already starting. I can't carve out that time. What kinds of things are you suggesting to clients who are facing those kinds of situations with not having that time in the morning or not knowing how to carve out that time in the morning?
Evie Takacs 9:55
I always ask them, you know, well, how is what you're currently doing working for you. And most of the time, it's not working well, or else they wouldn't be in a position where they're hiring a health coach, right? They know that something needs to change, right? So I'm like, Well, how is it working for you? Or what's going well, from what you? What do you like about what your current routine looks like? And then what I ideally what would you do? And so ideally, they would like to get up an hour or maybe 30 minutes before and have their coffee and peace and you know, have hot coffee and, you know, and or coffee at noon, you know, do you have time like with the Bible, or whatever it is for them. And so we kind of have to work backwards. Like, if that's the goal, then what do we need to be doing differently, does that mean that for the for the first week, you wake up 15 minutes before the kids, and then you just kind of get used to that, and that, you know, you spend a little bit time at least you have time to make the coffee without the kids better up. Okay, and then next week, we're going to do 30 minutes. And then that way, you can do coffee and read or journal, and then we're gonna do an hour. So that means you can actually get on the treadmill and maybe walk a mile before they get up. And as they're doing this piece by piece, they're starting to feel so much better. And it's almost like my hands are out of it. Now they want to be doing this. Yeah, it's just they have to get a taste for that. And they have to build that consistency. And they have to, they have to see what the reward is. Because the the reward to them and finger quotes reward is that they get that peaceful start to their day, right? Because that's what we're really looking for is, a lot of times during the day, things happen that we have no control over. Right, and I you know, I can't control how soon so I was gonna react or what they're gonna say or not say, or what my boss is going to do, or whatever, what how traffic is going to be. But what you can control is how you start your day, so that way, you start it in a much more peaceful manner. So that way, when you do get stuck in traffic, maybe you're not going to be so you know, frazzled and annoyed and stressed out because you had that time to yourself in the morning. That's the way that I challenge people to look at it is like, Okay, you might be losing an hour of sleep. But what are you gaining? Right? And is that more important at the end of the day? Right.
Toréa Rodriguez 11:59
And I love how you are, like, like most habits, right? And like a lot of things that I see my clients fall into the same trap of wanting to change too much at once. Right? So it's really cool that you're asking them to, you know, craft out what does that ideal routine look like? How many different components is it going to have? Right? Is it going to be some quiet time is it going to be some time in the sauna is it could be time outside, like, whatever that happens to be and then breaking it down even further and picking just the first thing, right and just having that be a small shift. Because for a lot of people an hour is a big chunk of time, that they're not used to setting aside for themselves. Number one, and number two, there's a difference because I don't know, for a lot of my clients, I think, you know, they get into these chronic illnesses or chronic symptoms that show up or even have manifested autoimmune disease, or whatever it is. And a lot of that has to do with the fact that we just kind of flow along with life in this reactive manner. And things are kind of on autopilot, if you will. And you know for always reacting always reacting always reacting, we are constantly stimulating the sympathetic nervous system and the fight or flight nervous system. And that can lead towards ill health and long term. This is the difference between setting up your day as a reaction to the day and what else is happening, versus being intentional. And really taking a step back and asking yourself what can I be in control of and set my own intentions. And that creates a very dynamic, almost energetic shift. Do you know what I mean?
Evie Takacs 13:49
Yes, Yep, absolutely. It it. It. I think it re-in, I don't know if it's reinforcing. But it just helps you, I guess, take that 30,000 foot view that I talked about a lot of like, Oh, hey, like I am in control, there are things there are more things that I am control of than I realized day to day because again, I'm always reacting versus if I zoom out. And I look and I see Oh, I do have control over that. I think that can be very reassuring to people.
Toréa Rodriguez 14:19
Yeah, it's absolutely. A great way to look at it is that 30,000 foot view of like, okay, across your entire day, can you carve out 15 minutes, because all we really are asking is even if it's just five minutes, right? Just yeah, before even getting out of the bed before even allowing your eyes to open if you're working on a gratitude practice or trying to feel gratitude in those first five minutes. That's something that we can do to start a morning routine that's going to set our day up for success versus Saturday up for being reactive to what's going on in our environment all the time or As I call it being, you know, a slave to somebody else controlling our time, right, and that's somebody else, or some people else, not quite sure what the phrase is. But, I mean, that could be the school schedules, that could be the work schedules that could be the demands coming in from your boss, or that could be, you know, things coming up all the time that we're reacting to. But just having that special space in the morning, is a game changer for a lot of people with their health.
Evie Takacs 15:30
Yeah, absolutely. And it's cool because you start to see other other parts of your day or other parts of your life unfold in a positive way, when you start this, because, again, I think you're going to realize, Oh, this feels really good or interesting, like, because I took that 10 minutes, those 10 minutes in the morning to journal, I definitely am less reactive with my kids or with my spouse, or, you know, I tend to want I don't have as many sugar cravings or, like, you'll, it's a snowball effect, you'll be able to see what else comes up starting your day in this way that you might not even anticipate. So I always think it's a fun little experiment of let's see what else happens when you just spend these 1015 minutes doing your morning the way that you want. What other cool in beneficial habits or actions come of that later in the day that you weren't even anticipating?
Toréa Rodriguez 16:24
Absolutely, because it's a snowball effect, right. It's the you mentioned habit stacking, and I'm sure we'll get into exactly what that means in a different episode. But, you know, it's like we, most of us, I gotta say, most of us automatically get up in the morning and brush our teeth, right? That's something that we do. It's subconscious. It's been drilled into us, since we were little like, that's just what we do. And then what if right after we brush our teeth, we have a cup of warm water with lemon, or, you know, we guzzle down a couple cups of water to get a head start on our hydration or, you know, whatever that happens to be for you. That's how this snowballs. And when it sets us up for a much better day ahead. You know, it's like all of a sudden. I'm going to jump here in concepts a little bit. But you and I talk a lot about the concept of identity, right? When we're helping people transform their health, that person who's taking care of themselves first thing in the morning, guess what, around noon, they're probably going to do the same thing. And in the evening time, they're probably going to be more inclined to do the same thing. Right? So it, it has this gigantic snowball effect across the day, and all of a sudden, somebody is actually stepping into that new version of themselves a lot more easily. Because they're setting up good habits and morning.
Evie Takacs 17:46
Yep, yeah, definitely. That's I, I feel like that happened with me. Yeah. And I started a morning routine, I just, I felt better about myself. Because one, I was proving to myself that I could do something like this consistently, which that felt good. So it was building this confidence. And I was also learning that it made me feel good. And so I felt, you know, quote, unquote, healthier. And so if I feel healthier, I don't want to, I don't want to, like jeopardize that. Or derail that by not eating a healthier lunch. So I'm going to make better food choices. And that means that I'm also going to want to exercise. So it was all these things that it just started by, I feel really good about who I am about who I'm becoming these habits I'm doing. I physically feel good about it. I don't want to I don't want to not feel physically good anymore. So what do I need to continue to do to continue feeling physically good. So again, it's that's how it happened for me, which is in what I start to see with clients too, is they just realize like, oh, well, I started my day out really well. Why would I? Why would I want to derail that? Right? And why would I want to go backwards? Like, I'm going to keep this up? So what does that mean? Oh, maybe that means some food choices, some movement choices, some stress management choices that maybe they wouldn't make if they didn't have that start to their day.
Toréa Rodriguez 19:05
Yeah, I mean, that it's really part of the beauty of having some things set up first thing in the morning, because that is the time that we are transitioning from sleeping and subconscious into waking. And the more often we can make those healthy habits in those first few minutes of the morning, the more new habits can get into the subconscious a lot more quickly. In that sense. It's almost like this cool transitionary state that we have between the two different kinds of consciousness. And I've found that most of my clients who establish some sort of morning routine even if that means that they are experimenting with a lot of different tasks within their morning routine to find what fits that is the one thing that they keep, they're able to keep coming back to to keep them On Track permanently. Yeah, it's it's really about how you're starting your day, I don't care if it's if you waking up at four in the morning, like, if you want to belong to the 5am Mafia club go right ahead, like, that's fine if that's something that you want to do. But it really it could be 9am When you wake up, or if you're on shift work that could be, you know, 7pm when you wake up, it's really talking about the first minutes, right? We're talking 510 minutes, some people spend a full hour of your waking conscious day, right? That's really what we're talking about. Now, sometimes these morning routines, go haywire. Namely, I've noticed that like, when I travel, it'll go haywire. Right? Um, and so I've kind of come up with some things to kind of troubleshoot with that situation, but have you seen them kind of unravel and haywire in your past,
Evie Takacs 20:58
it's happened to me as well traveling, or changing work schedule, or maybe there's some sort of family situation or emergency where you have to get up and go or, you know, maybe you're not staying at home, whatever it is. So for me, what I've done is I always asked myself, what are what is like the one or two main things that are non negotiables, that I'm going to do no matter what. And then when I have those non negotiables, i do that i As long as I can, I will do those, even though I'm not in my typical routine, or my typical environment. So if it's natural light, that's fairly easy, because anywhere I am most likely is going to have a door or window that I can look out of or step outside, we all live under the sun that works out. So for example, I went on a little trip, you know, a few months or a month or a month or so ago, with my brother and his family. And you know, we have different ideas of what morning looks like and what time morning starts. And that's totally fine. And we're staying at the same hotel. And so I got up and did a couple things that I would typically do at home, I got out, I went out for a walk outside of the hotel, I got a little movement in and that was great. I didn't get to do all the things that I would do at home. But it still felt like I was grounding myself enough for the day. So I didn't feel completely out of my element and completely out of my own body or out of my own control. So those are I just always asked myself what is like that one or two non negotiable that is possible to maintain no matter what the situation is. And I just stick to that. And that feels good enough for the situation that I'm in.
Toréa Rodriguez 22:30
Yeah, that's great. I mean, I talk a lot about taking a litmus test, you know what a litmus test is. So in chemistry and biochemistry, you've got this strip, right, and you put it into the solution, and it'll change colors. And so it's called a litmus test, basically, you're just trying to see if it's gonna work or not, basically. So that's what a litmus test is, but using the different elements that you have on your morning routine, giving them the litmus test of can I do this anywhere on the planet? Right, it's like, Could I go for a walk anywhere on the planet? Yes. Could I go for a bike ride anywhere on the planet? Not necessarily, because you might not have a bike, you might have to go rent a bike, you know, that may not be something that you could do anywhere. So I use that as the litmus test of knowing like, okay, what are those non negotiables because I know that I could do them anytime, anyplace, anywhere, I don't have to have my special, you know, beans of coffee in order to make my coffee ritual or my Matcha Tea ritual, like, I don't have to have those things, I can still, you know, have the things, wherever and those are the ones that I end up distilling down to like the most essential piece of the morning routine. I don't have a journal with me everywhere that I go. Right. So I may not be journaling every single time. So it's almost like I categorize it into what are these most essential pieces that I can do anywhere? And then what are the other, like, nice to haves or those elements that I can kind of rotate in and out? Sometimes I don't feel like journaling every day, right? So maybe I do something else. Maybe I swap it out with breathwork. Or maybe I swap it out with doing some planks or, you know, whatever that happens to be and we've been talking a lot about like health things, but it can also be things that that nurture your soul, right? Maybe it's prayer time, maybe it's reading passages of the Bible, maybe it's doing oracle cards, if that's your version of spirituality, like it could be any one of those things, but if you don't carry the oracle cards with you in your pocket everywhere, that might be one of those things that becomes one of those more fluid elements to a morning routine.
Evie Takacs 24:52
Absolutely. Yeah. And I think asking yourself can I do this anywhere is so important. I think that is really because And then if you are somewhere where you can't necessarily do your, you know your typical coffee or macho or you know, you didn't bring your journal with you or something like that, then you get rid of that excuse of like, well, there we go. I can't start my morning like this. It's you you eliminate the possibility of that.
Toréa Rodriguez 25:18
Yeah, exactly. I know that in the next episode, we're going to talk a little bit more about what our morning routines really look like, and how that relates to overall wellness. Aside from, you know, the outside pieces of it, is there anything else that you've incorporated into your morning routine that is working really well for you right now?
Evie Takacs 25:43
I would say, yeah, actually, I. So I learned, you know, because this is trial and error, I learned that I work really well, for me, too. I can't sit like for me, I do need to get up and get going somewhere. Some people, I know some people who their morning routine, they get up and they'll sit down and read 10 pages of their book, or they'll journal for five or 10 minutes, I would love for that to work for me. But I have to get up and going. And so in order for me to what I've learned is I need to get up and I will change my clothes, I don't stay in my pajamas very long, or my lounge where I'll change right away. Because that is to me is like movement, I'm getting out of it. I'm out of the like, I'm out of sleep mode, and I'm in daytime mode. So that like physically changes that for me, but then also mentally changes that for me. And then I also do my you know, I've kind of made my skincare routine a fun thing for the morning. So I've made it something that feels enjoyable versus like, I have to do this because right now it's winter and my skin is dry and this and that it's something that I've tried to make luxurious. So I do like the hygiene, and changing and just getting dressed because and that makes me emotionally mentally feel better about myself in the day to.
Toréa Rodriguez 26:57
Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. I think for me, you know, aside from doing the outside stuff, gratitude practices key for me, and I've done that a number of ways, you know, I used to write it down on a piece of paper. And more recently, it's just been a, you know, kind of, not even I don't even have to close my eyes anymore. I used to have to close my eyes. But, you know, it's really just evoking either good memories or thoughts about people or places or whatever it happens to be that I'm grateful for in the moment. And just feeling that feeling of gratitude. And oftentimes, I can do that while I'm walking or while I'm brushing my teeth. But that's something that I try and do. I like to double dip on things. So meaning using the same time of brushing my teeth, right? So for doing the 30 seconds per quadrant two minutes, right, I know that I've got two minutes to maybe possibly do something else. So I've been working on foot mobility for a while now. And so now I'll do these little like toe exercises and stretching my toes while for 30 seconds a quadrant while I am brushing my teeth. And that helps me kind of modify that morning routine a little bit. But yeah, those are the things that are working for me right now. But man, it's looked very different. across the years, you know, I've included meditation time and just listening to music just to be quiet, just learning how to just be quiet, which is a little bit different than like a visualization or guided meditation session. I've done journaling. Definitely, there's a morning beverage ritual, yeah, for sure. In there, you know, those kinds of things. So really kind of focusing on those things has been helpful. Have you done anything else that has been really helpful for different I guess, phases of your healing.
Evie Takacs 28:58
So recently, what I'm in right now is I'm doing red light therapy. Again, I mentioned that earlier in this episode, I didn't have access to the you know, I had us I had read less small red light, and then now I have a bigger panel. So I do that for about 10 minutes every morning as well. So what I'll typically do is I'll get up, I'll change, I'll do my hygiene stuff, I'll do my prayers. And then I'll either do the red light before I go outside on a quick walk or I'll do it after depends on if the sun is out or not because I typically like to do red light when the sun is actually out. So I'll do that. But that's kind of been the new thing. But again, it's not like I always did that I used to journal and then I realized that like I was like something doesn't feel right. I feel very stagnant and it was because I'm just someone that I have to get up when I wake up I don't typically lay in bed like I'm not one of those Rounders I can't do that it ends up making me feel not sick but just kind of yucky and tired and lethargic. So I have to get up and get going. So it's that's why it's I learned that though in the process because I did start with just journaling and then I was reading because I really wanted to read and I figured that those can be placed later on in the day, those can't be in the morning because it just doesn't work for me. And I'm not getting the benefits of a morning routine when I do those things.
Toréa Rodriguez 30:10
Yeah, and that's such a good point. And maybe it will close in on that point, which is, it's important to experiment with what works for you and what doesn't try and the Miracle Morning procedure process right was good for me, because I could see which elements of those different things worked better for me than other things. And, you know, noticing your motivation, or your enjoyment, or your energy around the different things that you're trying is going to help you figure it out. Because well, Evy needs to get moving. Some other people may not be ready for movement just yet. And so stillness and quiet might be the perfect way to start off the morning. Right. So I guess the bottom line message that I want people to go home with is that this can be customized towards you. So experiment, and play around with it and see what works. Just get super curious. Absolutely. Anything else heavy that you want to add to all I think, again, just
Evie Takacs 31:07
get curious, get trial and error be okay. If you do things and you're not really feeling it, that doesn't mean it's a failure, try it again, try some new things. It might take you a few months to really figure out what the rhythm is for you, but And that's okay. Because you have the time. So
Toréa Rodriguez 31:25
yeah. And it might change through the season. So there's no judgment on that either. Just keep going with what motivates you, really. So we'd love to hear from you find out what's working for you in your morning routines. Whether or not morning routines are still challenging for you if they're challenging or what your favorite thing is, like, let us know.
Hey, thanks for joining us for this episode of the wildly optimize wellness podcast. If you're ready to dig deeper into your health, stop playing the whack as symptom game, start testing to get better guidance. You can find more about Toréa at torearodriguez.com/ and you can find Evie at holisticallyrestored.com. Want to peek into what it's like to work with us? Come join us at our optimize wellness community. You can find the invitation link in the show notes below. And if you have a question for the show, you can submit your question under the podcast section of Turay Rodriguez calm. Finally, if you found something helpful in this episode, don't forget to leave a review. Hit that follow button or share it with a friend. They're gonna love that you thought of them. Until next time, see you outside!
