Winter blues got you down? Feeling unmotivated, flat and depleted of that get up and go vibe? I hear you. The shorter days and colder temperatures sure can put a damper on that mood and energy. But fear not, my beautiful friend. I’ve put together the best Morning Routine On The Planet for you. Ten tips carefully curated from the best minds in the world including Jim Kwik, James Clear, Jack Kruse and Joyous Sandy (that’s me) 😊. But that’s not all. To help kick start your healthy morning routine and boost your chance of success, I’ve created a FREE printable for you. Simply download your Morning Routine Checklist and pop somewhere you’ll easily see to keep you right on track. Now, let’s get stuck into those surefire tips which will help you stay positive and healthy not just during the Winter months, but all year round.

How To Win The Day With The Best Morning Routine

To seize the day, you must first conquer that first initial hour or two. Most people wake up without a clear plan or process for the morning, apart from stumbling towards the coffee machine, but if you’re going to take charge of the day, you are going to need a plan, some positive momentum and some healthy kick morning butt habits. Let’s go!

Using the wise words of Jim Kwik as inspiration, “first you create your habits, and then your habits create you”. This means, first you create your habits of going for a morning walk, meditating, writing in a journal and then these habits create you – a healthier, happier and more joyous you. How powerful is that? Your habits actually help to form the person who you are.

Research indicates that about 40% of our daily actions are habitual, performed almost automatically and without thinking. And where did these hidden scripts come from? They originated from our daily routines and end up significantly impacting our lives. The love, health, and professional success you seek are all rooted in your habits.

Before we dive into creating the best morning routine, remember—you don’t have to do everything on this list. Experiment and see what works and resonates with you. Be kind to yourself and trust your instincts. These habits aren’t meant to consume your time and overwhelm you but rather are intended to enhance your life, increasing your productivity, focus, and energy.

10 Tips for the Best Morning Routine Ever

1. Remember Your Dreams – the first thing I do on waking (and so does Jim Kwik) is I try to remember my dreams. I believe our dreams are a connection to our subconscious and spirit. Holding secrets and answers that lie deep within our soul, recalling our dreams straight away, may help us tap into inner thoughts and wisdoms which can help us in life. Whether it be making a decision, coming up with some great ideas or trying to seek guidance for a particular problem, spend a few minutes trying to piece together your dreams and what they may be trying to tell you. And if you need any more motivation? Did you know that some amazing inventions like the sewing machine and periodic table have come to people in their dreams? Who knows, you could be the next Edison. So tomorrow morning when you wake up, rather than jumping out of bed or dragging your feet blurry eyed, spend a few minutes celebrating the picture show and dreams your mind and soul put together for you. Fun fact: We spend about 20 years of our life sleeping and about 3 years dreaming.

2. Make Your Bed – Who doesn’t feel better having a clean and tidy bedroom? Many studies have shown the positive effects of making your bed in the morning. From giving you a winning sense of achievement and accomplishment straight up, to the satisfaction of having a clean and uncluttered environment. Making your bed in the morning is good for you psychologically and emotionally as it creates a positive energy in the morning and offers a nice sense of calm and order when you come home at night. If you want your day to go well and chaos free, you need to start in a more organised way too. How to you anything, is how you do everything right?

3. Hydrate – Did you know that you can lose from 0.5 to 1 litre (or one to two pounds) of water just whilst your sleeping? So, if you’re someone that wakes up thirsty, that’s why. The main sources of water loss are from two things; respiration and perspiration. However, the total amount someone loses varies depending on their age, body weight, gender, room temperature, metabolism and more. Whether you wake up thirsty or not, one of the first tings you should do in the morning is rehydrate your brain and your body. Aim to chug back a big glass of water, at room temperature. For an extra boost, you can add a pinch of good quality Celtic Sea Salt, to replace lost electrolytes, and a squeeze of lemon juice, for a detox and Vitamin C boost.

4. Wash Your Face With Cold Water – Temperature is a strong circadian rhythm signal. If you’re not one for showering first thing in the morning, splashing and washing your face with cold water will tell your 30 trillion internal clocks it’s time to rise and shine – a new day is here! This will also help you wake up and feel more alert if you’re still feeling groggy and coming to terms with leaving the warm, soft cocoon that was your bed.

5. Brush Your Teeth – Brushing your teeth in the morning may sound obvious but for those that don’t naturally do this fairly soon upon waking, it just makes good hygiene sense. Your mouth has likely been dry for a number of hours, or you may be a mouth breather, so that cockie cage feeling is to be expected. Plus, no-one likes morning breath so it’s time to get brushing! Brushing your teeth is a great morning refresher but it’s also an opportunity for a bonus extra brain boost too. Ready? Try brushing your teeth with your non dominant hand. Using your opposite hand stimulates different parts of your brain on the opposite side which doesn’t get as big a work out. Brushing your teeth with the opposite hand also helps to keep you present and in the moment, as you’re forced to focus on what you’re doing and being in the here and now.

6. See The Sunrise – With the days being shorter during Winter, it’s even more important to get as much natural light as possible, starting with direct sun exposure during sunrise. Waking up with the sun helps you regulate your circadian rhythm. The infra-red UV rays emitted during sunrise, tells your suprachiasmatic nucleus, your master clock, that it’s morning time. This starts a whole cascade of biological events related to your metabolism, mood, hormones and digestion. Getting morning sun light exposure will even help you sleep better 14 hours later!

The goal is to get 10 – 15 minutes of sunlight exposure every day so that means no sunglasses or contacts and glasses if possible and if it’s safe. And if by chance it’s cloudy and overcast like many Winter mornings are, that isn’t your get out of jail card or an excuse to give going outside a miss. The sun’s rays penetrate through clouds so every day is a must see the sunrise day.

7. Get Moving & Exercise – Research shows that the best time of the day to exercise is in fact the morning. You know I’m a big fan of my early morning sunrise walks with my fur baby, but something else I do most days is my series of Salutes to the Sun. This series of yoga poses are aaaa-mazing for stretching your body, improving flexibility and strength, and getting deep down into your fascia (a story for another day). I also have a selection of favourite intelligent exercises which includes push ups, squats and perhaps broad jumps if the mood takes me so mornings are perfect to get your best Olivia Newton John on, and get physical.

8. Shower – Having a shower in the morning may sound like another obvious suggestion, but here’s the twist that is guaranteed to l kickstart your day. Combine your luxurious warm shower with a little cold therapy. Even if it’s for 30 seconds. Cold showers reduce inflammation, increase dopamine levels (for several hours), decrease stress levels, strengthen your cardiovascular system, improve your immune system and makes you feel so good and alive.

Cold showers also train you to do the hard things in life. They boost your resilience, your mental strength along with your physical strength. I recently read that aging is a disease of the comfortable. Being uncomfortable for even just brief moments builds grit and discipline and will help you feel younger and stronger than ever before.

9. Nutrition & Coffee – Food is another strong circadian rhythm signal making morning time not only a great chance to give your body the fuel it needs for the day, but also a chance to tell your body what time it is. Opt for breakfasts that are nutritious, made with organic ingredients and ideally sourced locally and seasonally. These foods will be healthiest for you and best suited to your body quantumly and electromagnetically. And as for that cup of coffee or two? Try and skip the coffee for at least 90 minutes after waking. Here’s why.

Cortisol is your body’s natural wake-up hormone. It peaks naturally about 30-45 minutes after you wake up, making you feel more alert and ready for the day. If you drink coffee during this peak, it can dull the effects of cortisol. This means you might end up relying more on caffeine to wake you up, instead of letting your body’s natural mechanisms do their job.

The second reason is related to adenosine, a chemical in your body that builds up while you’re awake, making you feel sleepy. First thing in the morning, your adenosine levels are naturally low. When you drink coffee, caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, making you feel alert for a short time. But here’s the catch – drinking coffee immediately can mess with your natural wake-up process. This might lead to a crash later in the day once the caffeine wears off and your adenosine levels spike. For a more balanced start to your day, consider waiting a bit before grabbing your coffee. Your body will thank you, and you might find yourself feeling more energised and alert throughout the day!

10. Gratitude & Journal Time – Expressing gratitude has been proven to improve your emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. I have been using the 5 Minute Journal for a couple of years now and love it. Another option is to spend some quiet time writing or journaling. You could write about your dreams, goals and hopes or it may be cathartic to write about your worries or fears. You can also use this time to set your day up for success. Write three things you’d like to do for yourself professionally and personally. Think about how you’d like your day to go and start sending signals out to the universe to help you. Who knows, in the words of Paulo Coelho “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Bonus Tip 11 – Mindfulness. You know me – I always love to throw an extra little bonus in for those that like to go all in. For my final best morning routine ever tip, you can help create your best day ever by including some time for mindfulness in the shape of meditation or breathwork. I’m a big fan of Wim Hof’s breathing technique or the simple but beautiful box breathing technique will work wonders too. If you’re looking for some breathwork ideas and inspiration, check out my favourite breathwork books here. As for meditating, there are some great apps around if you need a hand otherwise, just sitting quietly and taking yourself on a beautiful visualisation will quieten your mind and soothe your soul. For some inspiration, visualise yourself walking down some stairs, through a pristine forest and onto a beautiful beach where you find a peaceful place to sit on the sand and watch the waves. You can visualise anything that sings to your heart; dolphins playing, your children laughing and building sand castles, the waves rolling in and out. When you’re ready to finish your visualisation, just take the same path back from the beach, through the forest, up the stairs and back into your room. Now you are ready for the day. I just hope the day is ready for you.

The One Thing You Must Not Do In The Morning

With every great To Do List there is always the Not To Do List. When it comes to your Morning Routine the absolute thing you should NOT DO under any circumstances is check your phone for the first hour of the day.

When you wake up, your brain is still in a relaxed state of awareness called alpha and beta state. In this state your brain is extremely suggestable. By looking at your phone, according to brain expert Jim Kwik, you are “rewiring your brain for two things”; distraction and reaction.

Every like, email and follow is training your distraction muscle which means the next time you’re studying and working away or trying to learn something new and finding it hard to concentrate, this bad morning phone habit may be a contributing factor. Checking your phone in the morning also teaches you to lead a reactive life, rather than proactive. Responding to emails and other people’s posts and messages, hijacks your thoughts and ideas. It stifles your creativity and it can destroy your mood – for the rest of the day. You need to give yourself time to allow your thoughts to come to fruition, before dampening them with someone else’s agenda. And in the words of Brendan Burchard, “the inbox is nothing but a convenient organising system for other people’s agendas”. Ouch!

We need to remember that technology is a tool. And just like  fire, which can cook your food or burn your house down, technology has the capacity to make your life easier or totally control and dominate it, making us the tool. So, no phones for at least one hour.

Your Best Morning Routine Checklist & FREE Printable

As promised, here is your free Unstoppables Morning Routine Checklist and printable. Simply download, print and put somewhere handy as a little reminder to spend some time each morning creating healthy morning habits. This printable can also serve as a great little progress tracker showing how far you’ve come, what an amazing job you’re doing and perhaps offer some inspiration to try a few more things. I’ve also included two versions for you; a blank one for you to fill in and to customise with your own ideas and routines if you like, and one pre-filled with the top eleven tips above.

Start Your Morning Routine For Greatness

Doesn’t that feel better already? The way you start your day and morning has the capacity to catapult you into greatness and into a day of success. Or it could get you off on the wrong foot so you’re chasing your tail all day – so let’s not do that. Remember the treasures you seek most are hidden in your daily morning routine so it’s time to hand things over to you, and for you to open that treasure chest of great habits and enjoy the rewards.

✔️ Action Item –  Download and print your Unstoppables Best Morning Routine Ever Checklist. Pick three or four tips that stand out for you and test them out this week. I’d love to hear how you go so don’t forget to come back and share your comments or send me an email – I read every single one. Good morning sunshine!