Why a Mindful Morning Walk is the thing your Wellness Routine is Missing.
Morning routines are touted on almost all "wellness" pages, skin care pages or wellness podcasts. I know a lot of time they are MUCH easier to talk about rather than actually do. Additionally- a lot of us are strapped for time in the morning. So making time for a lengthy routine can seem overwhelming and even impossible at times. Part of it could be making sure you are prioritizing and taking action to be intentional about your morning routine. Part of it is also not over-complicating your morning routine. So instead of journaling, meditation, stretching (all of which are great) or sacrificing sleep for a long workout- I opted for a Mindful Morning Walk.
Why you should consider a Mindful Morning Walk:
It does not take much time AND it will get you out of bed earlier. Think about it- how long do you scroll on your phone in the morning before finally getting out of bed? I am intentional about getting up in time to incorporate a 10 minute walk. This is one less "snooze" hit on my alarm.
Your morning will not start with social media. I have enjoyed not looking at Instagram, TikTok or whatever your choice may be- first thing when I wake up. My eyeballs will be on a screen all day long. I will look at social media throughout the day, and starting off my morning with comparison or social media messaging- will start that mood of my day off on the wrong first. This also goes hand-in-hand with getting up earlier. I think my record in bed for scrolling was almost 40 minutes! I knew I needed to make a change.
Fresh Morning Air. Connecting with the outdoors is something a lot of us do not get the opportunity to do in corporate America. Getting outside can help mood, emotional well being and stress management before a busy day.
It will energize you. Walking in the morning really helps to wake me up. I get sunshine on my face, a breeze on my skin, my body moving and blood pumping to my muscles. This is not a sweat or something that will tired me, but instead something to get me warmed up for my day.
It is an easy way to increase movement. If you sit at a desk all day, this could be a game changer! Think about it- 12 minutes a day adds up to 60 minutes a workweek of walking. These small behaviors can have big impact over the course of a year! Do NOT estimate small changes. Sustainability is a huge factor to consider when making change.
This is something I truly enjoy- my mornings are so much better with them in it! This is not a hard rule- if I don't have time, then I don't have time. However, when I am intentional about doing my walk- it is SO easy to incorporate- it is only 10 minutes after all.
