I Woke Up Like This

 

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You know those articles that pop up all over the web? Those articles that make you feel like a lazy slug because of your morning routine? I know you have seen them...they are everywhere.

Now, I don't want to totally tear them apart. I understand and appreciate what they are trying to convey. We have to work hard to maintain healthy and balanced lifestyles, I get it. However, can we please acknowledge reality for a second?

Are these kinds of morning schedules truly attainable? Not for all of us.

I applaud the women who find the strength within them to wake up with enough time before work to get in a workout, eat the healthiest breakfast you've ever heard of, do some light reading, catching up on the news, and finishing their first cup of coffee (whaaaat?)

I'm gonna be real. I do not wake up energized. I wake up tired. I wish I could be one of those people who just wakes up a morning person; one of my roommates in college was that person. Unfortunately, my timing still isn't great on matching up my alarm with my REM cycle, but I'm working on it. Note: that's sarcasm. I'm not working on it. I have other things to do.

I would love to get in a morning run. It's nice and cool in the morning, a great time to clear my head and begin the day. However, that would mean getting up at 5 am — considering I would need time for a quick shower. Also, I can't say I would feel totally safe running before the sun is up. But I do try and get a morning run in when I am working from home or on the weekends.

But I do try to make my morning a good one, because I do believe that it does set the precedent for the day. I can't have a long leisurely morning and stroll out calmly for work; I would get lazy. So I wake up, giving myself between 1-1.5 hours before I have to walk out to catch the train.

The night before I will have thought about making my lunch, but I will not have made my lunch, so I will throw a salad together while the kettle boils for my coffee. In the four minutes that it takes the coffee to do it's thing in the press, I put together my breakfast: yogurt and berries, Cheerios (always the OG) and berries, or a breakfast sandwich.

I allow myself to catch up on my late night show clips and any breaking news from the night since I do my reading on the train (great way to get through the 45 minute commute!)

Compared to the morning routines in these articles, mine certainly probably seems a bit lazy, but IRL it works for me. I don't feel sluggish during the day. Sure, I get kinda tired around 2 pm, but then I get up and take a walk down to the riverfront to breathe in the fresh air for 15 minutes before I head back to finish the day.

Morning routines aren't one-size-fits-all. Never let one person's productive morning make you feel like you aren't doing enough...it's quite possible you are.

- Ashley

How do you spend your morning?

Routine & Despair

So this is probably and indication that I am psychotic...I don't know; you be the judge. I have a morning routine (this is normal) I wake up, do a few yoga stretches, hop in the shower, have breakfast, get dressed and leave for the day. Last night I had to stay up a bit to do some work for today and thought that maybe if I took a quick shower I could wake up a bit later. So I showered.

This morning I did not have to shower so one crucial part of my routine went over looked: I did not wash my face. I usually do this in the shower while I am letting my conditioner soak in. However, since a shower was not part of my routine this morning, my face got no love. I realized this halfway during my walk to my first class; my face felt oily and just uncomfortable. Then I started to worry about it...then it felt more oily. I splashed some water over my face in the bathroom but the knowledge that I forgot is just making me squirm. Does this happen to anyone else? Just me? Am I the only one that thinks routine is going to be the end of me because of reactions like this?

<3 Ashley

How hard do you stick to routine? 

The Chronicles of a Morning Person

I always get comments from my roommates about how I am always the first one up in the morning (unless they have 8 AMs!) and how I am rarely ever dragging my feet. I have never really considered myself a morning person--or rather I hadn't thought about it--but since they have started saying something about it I guess it is safe to say that "My name is Ashley, and I am a morning person."

When I really get down to thinking about it, I have kind of always been this way. My parents always took us to our elementary school before-school program since they worked early so I was usually up at 5:30 or 6 in the morning. This carried over into high school since we lived like 25 minutes from the school and our house was the first on the bus' route. I think it's safe to say that I didn't choose the morning life...it chose me.

Now in college, while I do appreciate those days where I get to sleep in until 11 AM because of a late night out, I still wake up every day at 8 AM whether I really need to or not. I find the mornings are a very useful time where I can relax and get things done at a good pace. I thought today that I would share a bit of my AM schedule with you guys.

8 AM: The alarm on my phone goes off and I have to lay in bed for at least 10 minutes (unless it's a really good day) and encourage myself to start the day.

8:15 AM: Roughly the time I start showering. This is where I really wake up. Ten seconds under some cold water can really make you alert!

8:30 AM: I like to try and get some light physical activity in to start the day. I usually try to find a light yoga or pilates routine to fill about 15-20 minutes.

Somewhere between 8:45 and 9 AM: Make breakfast. Since I now have a kitchen in the equation of my college life I like to make oatmeal or omelettes in the morning. Once in awhile when I have an earlier class or I start work early--towards the end of the week--I just mix up some yogurt and berries.

While I am eating I like to catch up on the news. I'm not the type of person to read an entire page of copy on CNN; I just don't have the patience. Instead I have an email subscription to TheSkimm. I love getting this in my inbox daily; it quickly became part of my morning routine.

9:30 AM: After my breakfast is done and I have been updated on the goings on in the world, I head on back to my desk (or bed!) and do blog work with the help of my friend, Dunkin Dark Roast. I also listen to some chill tunes; if you are a Spotify user--sorry, T-Swift!--check out the playlist Your Favorite Coffeehouse. Hands down my favorite thing to listen to in the morning. Great songs!

From 10:30 on depending on the day it is, I tie up any loose ends on assignments for the day if I still need to. Then I enter the process of trying to get myself ready to go out into the world!

<3 Ashley

What is your morning routine like? Are you a early bird or a night owl?