How To Crush Your Morning Workout and What To Do Right After

What keeps you going. Rather, why do you do it? Are you motivated by yourself? Your commitment to your daily habits? family? future? Your health?⠀ ⠀⠀

Tell me, why do you really want this change? Deeper than the weight loss or the dream bod. Those are awesome, but dig in... what would it mean for you if you didn’t give up this time?

Start by identifying your motivators. A big one for me is myself. Truly, it’s an awesome thing, in a non egotistical, but self love type of way. I had fallen out of love with myself for a few years, but now, I feel the magic in it and I’ll never leave me. I just love fostering my relationship with myself and am obsessed with my growth in being authentically Nicole. ⠀ ⠀⠀

There is a powerful self-respect, pride, and, control to be found in your own willpower to consistently choose habits, foods, and, relationships that are right for you and your body. I thoroughly enjoy all my favorite naughty treats without a shred of guilt because at least 80% of the time, I am choosing nutritious foods that nourish my body for strength & lifelong health, disease prevention. No longer eating to support my emotions because I understand the importance of the gut-brain connection. How much better I feel fueling for the big picture, rather than just feeding for a feeling in a moment.⠀ ⠀⠀

When I am mindful of my eating habits, I feel proud of my commitment to myself, and that motivates me to continue. Maybe you’ll come to find a similar sense of pride because of yourself. When you do truly slow it down, put in the work to understand your personal relationship around food, your body, your habits, you’ll feel the difference in what you naturally begin to choose on the regular. ⠀ ⠀⠀

So listen inward! When you fantasize about that awesome version of yourself…who is she? What does she do, look like, say, wear, do on the daily? What does her house look like, family, what does she eat, drive, who does she hang out with? Why is she so fucking awesome to be?⠀ ⠀⠀

She’s in there. Always will be. But why are you choosing her? Focus on the good, and the good gets better. Piece by piece. “Because the world needs you open," as Rebecca Campbell suggests. And as Buddha puts it, "Quiet the mind and the soul will speak.” I'm a huge quote girl, because we can repeat them, as mantras. Or make our own that resonate. This is a great idea to use along with doing those morning affirmations.

Speaking on the mind, do you focus on the shape of yours? Personally, my daily mental outlet is moving my body. We all need one! There’s always quite a bit going on upstairs for me, whether it’s positive, neutral, negative, my thoughts and ideas always come buzzing to party. Can you relate? So with a busy mind, it helps to keep my body moving regularly with exercise, dancing, music, stretching... any movement throughout the day to just shake it all out and reset. ⠀

Through my journey with Animal Flow, I’ve also discovered how much of a release it is for me to slow it down and go deeply inward. To focus, to allow, and, to sit into that stillness with myself. Feeling all the sensations of the present moment. It is so freeing.

So where do you start? In the mirror! Giving yourself a high five for getting up, getting into your workout gear, and showing up for you! A great way to create some structure for a morning routine is implementing the Life Saver's method, found in The Miracle Morning by Hal Erod. It breaks down like this:

Silence (meditation, mindfulness, breathing, etc.)

Affirmations

Visualizations

Exercise

Reading (personal/professional development)

Scribing (journaling)

The best part is you can do it in any order, and really anytime or throughout the day. Many studies do support having some form of a morning routine, even if you spent two minutes in each category, you'll most likely feel more accomplished before your workday has even begun!

Here are 10 tips to help ensure you get that morning workout in tomorrow! (And consistently!!)⠀

First and foremost, Prepare ahead! When you minimize uncertainties and clarify expectations, you are better set to keep sailing with your plan!

1. Set your alarm ⠀

2. Say no to the snooze button ⠀

3. Pick and lay out your workout outfit the night before

4. Know what workout you will be doing ahead of time⠀

5. Pick/find a workout that excites you to wake up & do, not one that feels like a chore or punishment

6. Get to bed on time to get a quality good nights sleep ⠀

7. Find "accountabilibuddies" (Accountability buddies; people who are waking up with you to workout too, cheering each other on through your journey; community and friends make it a lot more fun!)⠀

8. Consider using natural pre-workout (I have a personal favorite if you're interested shoot a message!) ⠀

9. Wake up with intention — have some sort of routine, structure, & know your goals you wish to accomplish.

10. Remember your “why” when you wake up, maybe keep it on a note nearby (what would this mean for you in your life on a deeper level if you did commit to it?)

You got this, I hope you find these tips helpful! So, now you've crushed your workout and are feeling awesome... what next?

First of all WAY TO GO YOU! Seriously, kudos to you!! We can do hard things my friend!

Here are a few of my tips for what to do right after your workout:

1. Cool down, stretch, and, foam roll as needed

2. Clean up your workout space and re-rack weights, leaving yourself a gift of a clean space next time you return

3. Rehydrate with water, electrolytes if it was 60 mins or longer or very hot

4. Have your post workout shake, meal, snack within 30 - 45 mins of finishing⠀

5. Hop in the shower and get changed into fresh clothes that make you feel good about yourself

6. Track and share your workout for accountability with an online community, friend or family member.

Here are some things to consider avoiding:⠀

1. Sugary snacks and drinks; read the backs of boxes, nutrition labels; recommended to avoid over 10g of added sugar

2. Processed energy bars and foods; again read those nutrition labels and ingredients. Marketing has it's tactics but unnatural/chemical ingredients have no place in a healthy diet! ⠀

3. Fried foods and excess caffeine

4. Skipping stretching and recovery

5. Forgetting to track/keep progress of workouts; where your focus goes, energy flows!

6. Skipping eating anything; don't punish yourself, think of your body on a cellular level...if you just had a great workout (even if you didn't and are just waking up), your body is in need of some replenishment! It needs fuel to do its job, and function at its best to do the work for you.

So is when does the motivation to start come? Well, the motivation actually precedes the action. We won’t always be motivated, happy, energized. So it’s important that we are disciplined. So, do you choose the pain of discipline or the pain of regret? Excitement and motivation are your fun friends, but here's the thing: they wont always be there. That’s fine! So, let's accept that now. ⠀

It's important to remember that even if you're doing your life’s passion, you will still feel tired from it some day’s, still not want to show up, still get bored by it, even drained by it. However, at that same time, you can still love it. Find meaning in it. Keep going. Know it’s worth it. ⠀

We're just over half way through 2022. In the past I've used Summer, and the Holidays as a crutch for slacking on myself with “Ill start in the Fall/New year!" Thinking I’ll wake up January 1st with some new Godly motivation, and then the new year comes and...yeah. You guessed it.⠀

Do I want to meal prep all the time? No. ⠀

Do I always want to exercise when I wake up? No.

Do I find a way to make it work anyway bc this is important to me? Yes.

It doesn’t have to be perfect to make it worth doing. Perfect is the enemy of good. And the thing about good...she always gets the job done. And at that same token, forget good. Whoever said we needed to be good? Make it messy, make mistakes, (And laugh it all off!), but most importantly, make it yours. ⠀

It’s not about having a certain body or comparing to another, saying, “I don’t have your motivation/time/energy.” Discipline is a mindset to practice. One day at a time. One step at a time. Your way.

If you wait for that right time to come when you think your life is going to be all lined up perfectly ready for this new lifestyle, task, job, or relationship...you’re probably going to be waiting a very long time. The fun is is found in the process. So if you're not falling or failing every once in awhile, you're probably not doing anything all that fun! Give "little you" inside there the gift of fun, and the respect to take care of yourself.⠀

So please, don’t wait another new year. Do it now. Just do it when you think you can’t and "it’s not the right time." Then tell the epic story of how you did it later. For me it is always more painful to look back at the time that has past and wonder where I could’ve been had I just put in the work...Year after year I’d go into January hating on myself. I'm grateful to have put those days behind me. Not because of luck, or chance...but choice.⠀

Where will you be at the end of this year? No matter your answer, I invite you to jump in to this new year early with me. If we must all suffer from one of two things in this life...I choose the discipline. ⠀

“Discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs tons” - Jim Rohn.

Showing up on those harder days matter even more for growth than the ones that are fun. I know how it feels to wake up and you just don’t want to FREAKIN' do it. You aren’t feeling it, body hurts, too early, something happened in your personal life, or you’re just down mentally.... I KNOW! I know. Especially with the heaviness of the world right now. ⠀⠀

“I finally started to understand that my mind was indeed a garden and no matter what, it would bring forth and grow things. What it grows, however, is 100% up to me." 100% up to me. ⠀⠀

To be honest, I don’t really enjoy brushing my teeth or washing my hair too much. Yet, I understand it’s necessary for my health. So I don’t question it, it’s just something I do because it benefits me.⠀⠀

Exercise is necessary for your health too. Mentally and physically. It's hard or exhausting to exercise regularly? Damn right. If it were easy we’d all be doing it. It's hard to wake up early? Thats what sets you apart from the rest. You wake up hungry for results and ready to create the change you seek. You don't have time? I like to ask myself, how bad do you want this goal? If the desire to do it outweighs the fear or restraint to begin, you must do it. Give yourself the respect you deserve and make the time.⠀⠀

Don’t find another reason why you can’t! Believe me I used to be the MASTER of excuses. But honestly, that got me nowhere. Truth is overthinking it takes more time than just doing it. I challenge you to wake up tomorrow and choose you. Write your ideal week out in a notebook. Pick a time and commit. Show up for that girl inside of you who is screaming enough is enough!

No matter what you’re feeling tap into that energy and fuel your workout with it. Working out is a metaphor for your life, if you can push yourself there, you can push yourself anywhere. That’s the secret sauce to add to your morning eggs. I promise you, you will feel better. You can do this consistently. You just have to choose. Decide! So, like Mel Robbins says...⠀⠀⠀

5⠀⠀

4⠀⠀

3⠀⠀

2⠀⠀

1...GO!

You can do hard things! ;)⠀⠀