Waking up in a different time zone frequently with short term travel adventures (or in our case a long term travel lifestyle, with each location lasting 6-9 months) can become draining. This is why we love and depend on our morning routines that are imperative to a good creative flow, goal setting, overall health, peace of mind and more. Throughout the years we have tried many different forms of morning rituals from massive caffeine injections into our system, to exercise routines to waking up meditating in silence. Below you will read our favorite morning routines and what has worked for us as we travel as a married couple around the world.

Here are the major points we will discuss!

• Showering

• Habits

• Journaling

• Meditation *new content*

• Movement *new content*

• Energizing Foods

• Other People’s Checklists

Showering

A shower or a good cold splash of water in the face is a great way to start the day. Besides the obvious benefits of taking a shower (like not smelling up the apartment from all your travels in the past week), showering is a great statement for starting the morning. Not to mention the fact that it just feels good. In your morning routine let it be the starting gun you need for your creativity. Thinking and daydreaming or warming up your vocal cords is a great way to get some ideas going for your morning creative flow.

“In the shower, with the hot water coming down, you’ve left the real world behind, and very frequently things open up for you. It’s the change of venue, the unblocking the attempt to force the ideas that’s crippling you when you’re trying to write.” – Woody Allen, Film Director

As you travel you might find that you will not have a shower everywhere you go, so when you are without, a good splash of water in your face can signify the same ritual you are used to. Follow along with this great feed on Reddit called  shower thoughts for some funny ideas and stories people think of in the shower.

Shower To Wake Up:

We have tried this technique and it really works. Not only does it wake you up but if you get up on the wrong side of the bed every once and a while it literally freezes the bad attitude off your body. Follow the steps below and let us know what you think.

Step 1: Turn the nozzle as cold as it goes and stand under the water for 30 seconds.

Step 2: Turn the water up as hot as you can stand for another 30 seconds (this helps with blood flow)

Step 3: Switch it back to another cold session. You can do this as many times as you want but always end on a cold cycle.

Showering for a good night’s rest, which in turn makes your morning better

Studies have shown that a shower before bed is the best way to lower your body temperature. Good sleep can lead to better waking which will aid you in your morning routine. Turns out, nighttime washing has the edge when it comes to sleep benefits. “Showering or taking a bath prior to bedtime can help improve sleep quality and help you to fall asleep faster,” says Elizabeth Culnan, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow in Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Rush University Medical Center. “The key is in the timing: showering 1.5 – 2 hours before bed will warm your body and then also allow you to experience a more pronounced dip in body temperature, which promotes sleep.”

“A nighttime shower or bath could be especially beneficial in warmer climates (or during the summer months),” says Mia Finkelston, MD, a board-certified family physician who treats patients via the telehealth app LiveHealth Online. “In hotter weather, it may be difficult to get the natural drop in body temperature needed for good sleep—that’s where the shower or bath can help,” she says. “This drop in body temperature causes our body to slow down our heart rate, breathing rate, and digestion—getting our bodies into the perfect rhythm for optimal sleep.”

Good Habits Make For Great Morning Routines

There are millions of pages written on the benefits of good habits. We love to keep things simple in the morning and having our habits already designated for the next day with a simple and beautiful tracking sheet is helpful. Please go and check out Sean Wes and his awesome 5 habit tracking system where he makes a sort of game around tracking your habits. 

For a more focused perspective, check out this study by Dr. Phillippa Lally and her study she conducted with the University College in London. Her study observed 96 volunteers and the formation of habits. The conclusion of the study states that it can take between 18 and 254 days for people to form a new habit. So stay patient and don’t feel hopeless if you waver on your journey. It is about the journey after all, not the destination.  

Whichever method you choose, the formation of healthy habits is truly fascinating and has the potential to change your life.

Journaling:

Five – thirty minute journaling first thing in the morning will get your creative juices flowing by simply putting your thoughts down on paper. This not only helps with your creative process for the day but can be a great reference to read later in regards to how you are feeling when waking up in a tropical rain forest versus waking up in a city. You can also use these small writings to create blog posts for the future.

The Morning Pages (The Artist’s Way)

One of Cassie’s favorite ways of writing is through a creative book she is using called “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. The idea behind this book is to unleash your creative potential through boldly “unblocking” yourself, and one of the major ways to do this is through consistent “morning pages.” Essentially what you do is write your hand across the page for three pages without a single reservation that what you are writing may be complete nonsense. The point is not to write poetry or the next New York Best Seller (although many of Julia’s students have gone on to do just that because of this process). The point is to get to “the other side” of your censor inside who is always judging and critiquing what you are creating.

 “Morning Pages get us to the other side of our fear, our negativity, our moods and above all our Censor. Beyond the reach of our Censor’s babble we find our quiet center.” – Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way

 The idea is to just “brain dump” whatever is on your mind so that you can move on to your day and your creative pursuits with a clear mind and heart. Consider it like becoming a channel or conduit for electricity and letting whatever wants to come through you, come through you.  

 “I simply wrote. No negotiations. Good, bad? None of my business. I wasn’t doing it. By resigning as the self conscious author, I wrote freely.” – Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way

More Journaling Ideas

Write down your goals or ambitions that you had the night before. This is a great way to inspire you for the rest of the day and give you a reference to refer back to if you get off track throughout the day, especially if things get distracting. Writing first thing in the morning, when you are the most fresh and creative, and before checking email, Facebook or anything else, will set you on the path for a great purpose. This habit can make you more creative and set a fire of intense focus for the day. In general, it will set you on the path towards your most important goals and the timeline to accomplish them.

What should you use? It depends on how you like to write. We love spiral or small notebooks, computer journaling programs and our friend Heath Armstrong’s Sweet Ass Journal. 

Now find a quiet place with little distraction. That could be your backyard hammock, your desk, a local coffee shop or your favorite park.  Just make sure you are able to focus on the task at hand without distraction.

Meditation:

sSome of the most powerful thinkers and doers in the world meditate. The reason behind their meditation is personal but has one common thread, which is sitting down with your own thoughts.  This centers and grounds you in your body and your breath. It can also help you shift your mindset to the most optimal mindset for the day.

It has been scientifically proven that meditation provides immense benefits to our minds and our nervous systems. Regular practice will increase your focus, tuning out distractions, which leads to an increase in productivity and a sense of wellbeing. With regular meditation, you will be able to do more work within a smaller amount of time. And who doesn’t love having more time in the day?! For more check out this great article HERE. 

Also, if you are like us and don’t have time or energy to spend coming up with your own meditations, check out the ASANA REBEL app that you can get on your smartphone. Cassie loves its variety of different mediations, each one for a specific purpose or time of day, and so easy to do (only 7-12 minutes per meditation). You can read more about this awesome app in the MOVEMENT section below too.

If you are new to meditation or are addicted to visual stimulation, sitting down for 5 minutes, let alone 5 seconds can be difficult.  Our modern society grooms us to fear boredom at all costs, and to look for the comfortable blanket of instantaneous distraction through our gadgets, smart phones and computers.  We recommend (like everything else) that you try taking baby steps towards developing a personal meditation practice.

This is where the different types of meditation can really help. Some people thrive with walking or moving meditation, like yoga or by going out into the wilderness, or they prefer listening to a guided meditation as they walk around their travel destination. Still others desire to be more concentrated in a dimly lit room, with a candle and meditation pillow for sitting up straight, where they can sit in stillness and be present without any additional distraction.

Here is a great, outlined article which goes more in depth about several types of meditation:  Look through the list and see if there is one that stands out to you or try them all. Cassie loves doing the breath counting one where she focuses on her breath, often imagining something that she would like to bring more of into her life as she inhales, and something she would like to let go of as she exhales.  She closes her eyes and simply sets a timer for 10-15 minutes.

The wonderful thing about meditation is it can really be done anywhere. As you travel around the world, you will find that the sky’s the limit when it comes to creating a healthy habit of meditation.

Movement:

Movement can come in many shapes and sizes. Whether you like to bicycle, run, do yoga, or rage it out with burpees – getting your body moving in the morning is a really beneficial habit.  To get your blood pumping is like waking up your body and mind with 5 cups of coffee. It just works. But without all of the health risks associated with that much caffeine intake 🙂

One way we like to get moving in the morning is by going on a brisk walk. Get your favorite podcast or playlist ready as you walk out the door, smell the fresh air and see what is happening in your neighborhood. It feels great to be a part of the dynamic world around you, especially if you are traveling. What better way to discover new gems in new places than to go for a walk?

Another way to get moving is to unroll your travel yoga mat (we love this yoga mat because it folds up into any suitcase) and do some sun salutations or strong warrior poses. A great way to get going if you are new and don’t know where to start is Youtube. Search for morning yoga routines with the amount of time you have and you will no doubt get a gazillion great options.

EXERCISE & WELLNESS APPS

Another option for doing yoga anywhere while you are traveling is getting the ASANA REBEL app on your smartphone. Cassie uses it just about every day and it is brilliant, with such a large variety of sequences, ranging from challenging to gentle, along with healthy reminders such as “did you drink a glass of water today?” and amazing guided meditations tailored to different intentions or goals you may want to work on (such as better sleep, or more energized work), and music to focus on tasks.  It is an awesome resource at a very reasonable price. And no, this isn’t sponsored, just a very real recommendation from experience 🙂 

Speaking of apps, here are a couple more great apps we recommend:

• Running: 5K RUNNER
• Steps Counter (goal setter and tracker): PACER
• HIIT type workouts with customizable time frames (5, 10, 15, 30 minutes, etc): SWORKIT

Another great way to jumpstart your morning is through a more rigorous, calorie burning, heart rate increasing exercise such as cardio, strength training (with your body or weights), squats, lunges, pushups or HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). One of our favorite apps is Sworkit which has options for high intensity cardio workouts that can be adjusted in increments of time. Only have 5 minutes? No problem.  There are a plethora of amazing apps and Youtube videos and online programs that will help you master your high intensity workouts with a few clicks and some determination.  Here is one of our favorite HIIT Youtube workouts. 

Biking, running or even dancing in your living room to Beyonce is another great way to get going in the morning! So choose your favorite dose of exercise and get moving!

Energizing Foods, Hydrating & Caffeine:

One of our most important routines in the morning is drinking a big glass of water! Nothing more important than kickstarting your day to stay hydrated, which supports all of your vital organs and systems to function at their optimal levels. For us, our coffee or tea has become another important morning routine. A yummy, warm cup of tea or coffee first thing when you get out of the shower is irresistible. Cassie loves her coffee, but Nate cannot handle the acidity, therefore he prefers his matcha green tea 🙂  Here is a list of other energetic foods that will give you the boost for the day. 

Energizing Foods

Having an energizing breakfast that gives you everything your body needs to start the day with a happy boost is so important. We love having a few go-to meals that we can whip up easily.  These include:

• Smoothies (we love Fruit, Almond Butter, Yogurt and Coconut Milk + Dark, Leafy greens!)
• Overeasy Eggs on Whole Wheat Toast (we love the brand Ezekiel’s ‘Seed Bread’) with Smashed Avocado + Salt/Pepper
• Plain Greek Yogurt with Almonds, Walnuts, Berries/Fruit, and Chia Seeds
• Fruit Salad (Papaya, Blueberries, Strawberries, Apples, Mango, Banana, Watermelon, Grapefruit, Oranges, Mandarins, etc.)
• Oatmeal with Apples, Dried fruit, Walnuts, and Almond Milk
• 1 shot Apple Cider Vinegar + glass of cold water
• Lemon Water or Citrus-Infused Water
• Grated Raw Ginger Tea with Honey + Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

If you are looking for more ideas for energizing breakfast options check this out. We also encourage you to explore and shop local. You can make breakfast with whatever is local in your area and preferable to your taste buds (check out our article about The Joys of Shopping Locally here)! The beautiful thing about cooking at home is that it not only provides you with the nutrients you need, but it can be fun and creative too.  Add in as many healthy colors as you can, and you will be sure to be serving your body many life-giving vitamins and minerals!  Don’t skimp on the fruits and vegetables, the whole grains, legumes and healthy proteins.

So What Does Your Water, Caffeine and Food Habit Look Like?

Do you plan your breakfast for the week or just wing it with whatever is in your fridge? Do you set your brew the night before to go off first thing in the morning? Or if you are traveling, what do you do to keep the same morning routine to get you motivated for the day? We have found Google, Tripadvisor and Facebook to be a great friend to travelers because even in the smallest of cities a coffee shop will pop up with a simple search.  

In this modern day, let’s face it, Starbucks is everywhere but we encourage you to look beyond that to where the locals go; in every culture, they have their own form of morning beverage or food for energy. 

Avoid Other People’s Checklists:

When trying to set a habit for a healthy morning routine, we think it is extremely important NOT to check email or social media when you first wake up. Follow your goals from the night before and if you did not set them follow what you were thinking about in the shower, journaling or morning meditation.

Do what YOU need to do in the morning. Do not get distracted with checking email, facebook or surfing the internet, until you are ready with your plan, goal or intention for the day. Figuring out what you need first is much more important and will help you, in the long run, be able to take on the needs of others.

Strap a rubber band around your wrist or set a reminder on your alarm clock that reminds you that you should take care of things for you first. Start building the habit of your healthy, morning routine and after a month you will be wondering how you ever lived without your morning ritual!

We’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences and advice around your morning routines. What do you like to do to get your day going? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!

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