A winning morning (14 habits for a successful day)

A good day starts in the morning, oh yeah! No matter how tired, demotivated or with the eyes stuck together you wake up, if you have a winner’s habits, you set yourself up for success day after day. Just picture yourself at your maximum potential every day! Basically… the world is yours! (Also check the article about the miracle morning and the “SAVERS”).

OK, I’m usually exaggerating a little, for it’s all or nothing, so this is why a have (only) 14 morning habits, each with their purpose and “flavor”. You might think I’m crazy, but I will share all of them, because I bet there will be some you’ll find perfect for you. Note: I will not include brushing my teeth, feeding the cat, watering the flowers, but only the habits that I find are part of the winning ritual.

Let’s begin!

1. Warm water with lemon

This is like fuel to my engine. Lemon water is great for the immune system (Mr. Husband and many colleagues were sick this winter and I wasn’t touch by any flu), it has antioxidants, it detoxifies, helps with the digestion, has potassium and so on… you can drink it with a straw, if you want to protect your ivories (I mean teeth).

2. Green tea with grated ginger

Green tea (with jasmine or mango flavor, because in my opinion green tea smells like fish) is good for your hearth, bones and brain, and the ginger, next to its unmistakable aroma, is good for digestion and is an antioxidant (you just feel how you become younger with every sip, no joke!).

3. Coffee and coconut milk

OK, coffee is suuuper yummy and it gives me a very pleasant experience (something tells not only me). I recommend Bulletproof, because it’s organic, protects the environment and seems purer than the other ones on the market. They say it should be combined with grass-fed butter and octane oil. Well, I’m OK with my coconut milk. Since the naturopath advised us, we gave up dairy from our diet. Besides the fact that I am a lot richer (I’m not spending ~4.5$ at Starbucks every day), I digest the food a lot better and I not bloated anymore. Bottom line: coffee is never missing in the morning.

4. A garlic clove

I promise it won’t get weirder than this. this habits has been recommended by no other than Grandma the Wise. Garlic is veeery good for the immune system, detoxification, heart health, recovering after physical effort, etc. You swallow it, of course, you didn’t think you would chew it, did you? (depending on the size, you can cut it in smaller pieces).

5. 100 push-ups

I know, you are very impressed right now. Hahahaaa! It sounds more pompous than it is: I do push-ups with the knees on the floor and in 6 series (20-20-15-15-15-15). Nevertheless, I’ve been doing this for 2 months now and do see results. I started at 50 and added one per day. It takes ~15 min. I recommend this habit full-heartedly.

6. HIIT workout

I must admit, this is the habit that I am most proud of. I started in June 2017, inspired by my friend Ana N – I am so grateful for this. I started with a 9-week workout series called Insanity (literally insanely hard), then continued with Hip-Hop Abs, Chalean Extreme and now I am doing the T25 series, all from beachbody.com. I find T25 ideal, because it lasts 25 min (hence the name) and has just the right intensity, so you feel you’ve worked hard, but you didn’t spit your lungs out. This should be done on an empty stomach, so you consume fat rather than energy from recently eaten food.

7. Gratitude exercise

I wrote on a piece of paper the things I am grateful for. To be more precise: the things I am actually grateful for, not the things I should be grateful for. For example: for the sound of the waves and the sun on my skin, for the fact that I can walk, see, hear, laugh, for the love the has been, is and will be in life, for the wonderful people that have been, are and will be in my life, for my grandparents and parents, for the feeling when petting a purring cat… It’s incredible how this elevates my vibration, how my body relaxes and… how easy life is.

8. Mediation/ visualization/ prayer

Once your vibration is high, the visualization exercises are far more effective. Close our eyes and picture yourself in the situation or context your desire. Go into as much detail as possible: Where are you?  What do you see? Who are you with? What do you FEEL? Now bring that feeling into the present and live as if it were your reality.

Depending on how I feel that day, I can read some psalms, I can meditate or do tapping (also called Emotional Freedom Technique – I will not go now into detail about this, but it is very relaxing and apparently it helps with relieving stress, blockages, etc. – thetappingsolution.com).

9. Loving moments with Rasta the cat

Rasta Catsta (VIP, can be found on Instagram) is very loving, especially when I want to meditate, so I need to set aside a few minutes to pet him, scratch him behind the ears and massage his short legs. I added this to my morning habits, because it has a therapeutic effect on me. And… I must admit, I find Mr. Rasta irresistible, so I need to fulfill his desires.

10. A dried prune

David Aspen (the author of the book Headstrong, which I warmly recommend), says it is good against Alzheimer’s disease. It doesn’t seem to have any effect on me, because I am very forgetful, but maybe I am the exception that confirms the rule. It is also an antioxidant, helps against constipation and, if you ask me, it kind of satisfies my need for sweets.

11. Shower, cream & selfcare

With great satisfaction after the HIIT effort, I take a shower and then use all these oily stuff, in spite of the fact that I don’t really enjoy it. Coconut oil mixed (by the same grandma) with apple cider vinegar for the souls of the feet, cream or olive oil (extra virgin, oh yeah!) for the body and miracle mixture created by my mom for the face. Yes, I know, if you haven’t done it already, now is the moment to roll your eyes.

12. Dressing up and Instagram photo

Recently I started posting a yoga pose in work clothes every morning. I add a useful and relevant message to it, to inspire other, as well (#diananfirican).

13. Shake shake shake senora

… aka smoothie. Mr. Husband says he doesn’t need shakes, he wants to chew his food (hahahaaa!). Nevertheless, I mix: chia seeds, almonds (precisely 6), baby spinach (because I won’t eat them otherwise), flax seeds, berries or other fruits and tea. It’s veeery tasty and filling. My friends mix bananas, peanut butter, cocoa and other yummilicious stuff. Let you imagination run free!

14. Videos, podcasts, courses

While doing all of the above (minus meditation & workout), I listen to all kinds of interesting ideas from thought leaders I follow, online courses, interviews, etc., which inspire me for my yoga classes, the book that I am writing, my articles and… for my life overall. This habit satisfies my desire to learn continuously and gives me a wonderful feeling of fulfilment.

Phew! It took me a while to describe all of the above. But honestly, I don’t even notice when the morning goes by. Believe me, at 8:00 am, when I leave the house to go to work, I feel that my day is already a success, irrespective of what happens later. I feel… invincible! And this is what I want for you, too.

I’m super curious which habit resonated with you, what are your morning habits and what you would like to add to them.

Shine from morning on in the best version of yourself!