Being a mum to a 14-month-old is not easy, especially when it comes to making time for myself. My mornings are his mornings and therefore, trying to do much for myself proves difficult.
However, it’s important that we look after ourselves before others. Like the saying ‘you should put on your oxygen mask before you put on your loved ones’ is certainly true when looking after your own wellbeing. How can you expect to pour from a cup that’s half empty or broken?
For 2025, I’m looking to make a few changes to my morning routine so that it’s healthier, and that’s something you can do too. Here are a few ways to kickstart 2025 with a healthy morning routine in place.
Get up an hour earlier
As a night owl, typing those words kills me a little inside. However, if I want to be able to get a few things done for myself, whether that’s doing my skincare routine or sitting in silence as I eat my breakfast, I need to get up earlier.
At the moment, Sonny seems to be getting up at around 6.30-6.45 am. Ideally, if I can get up around 6, I should have about half an hour to play with before he starts to stir. Sometimes, he’ll sleep in later, so that means more time available for me.
Getting up an hour earlier will help me focus my attention on my own body and ensure I nourish it before my little one wakes up.
Relax in bed with a book
Trying to go against my natural want and need to stay up later and sleep in the mornings later is going to be tough. However, long gone are the days when I got a sizeable lie and I now need to prepare my body for early morning routines with kids.
With that being said, I’ve found myself reading since Christmas and I want that to be a healthy habit to continue. That means getting into bed earlier with a book instead of my phone which is definitely keeping me up later at night.
I’m probably going to need to introduce a rule that means I’m not on my phone past a certain time. That way, the blue light from my phone which keeps me away mentally, will be less of a problem if I’m not touching it from – let’s say – 9 pm onwards. I’m going to need to do the same when I wake up. If I’m tempted to touch my phone upon waking up, I should first sit with a book before doing so.
Cut down on sugary drinks and fast food
When you become a parent, you make excuses for eating food that doesn’t always make you feel good after you’ve eaten it. While I love my sugary drinks and fast food, it’s important I start to think more about my diet. No food is unhealthy, it’s just about moderation and making sure to not overindulge too often.
I tend to opt for fizzy drinks, sugar in my teas and coffee, and regular takeouts (although this has reduced significantly since moving out of London). While I don’t think I could wean myself off all of the above completely, nor do I want to, I am going to make a conscious effort to eat and drink less of the above.
I will probably look to replace the fizzy drinks with a few alternatives like smoothies or coconut water for example. I’ll probably limit how many takeouts we have monthly, perhaps only sticking to one or two. I think it’s healthy to not limit or restrict yourself too much because at the end of the day, it’s your life and if you want a can of coke, it’s not going to be the end for you really, is it? However, can I be better? Absolutely.
Do a long walk every day
I have no excuse when it comes to getting exercise in every day. Not only do I have a child in a pram, but I also have a dog that needs a lot of walking for his physical health and mental stimulation.
A long walk every day is a great opportunity to try and time the naps or naps that my little one has in the day and it’s also beneficial for the sake of exercise. Right now, we don’t have our Peloton bike and I also don’t yet have the flexibility to go to a class or go to the gym because I’m still learning to drive and would need to rely on other family members to help.
So I thought to myself, what exercise is accessible to me now? Walking. I’m aiming to continue where I left off before Christmas which is to walk every day for an hour. That’s probably the maximum because otherwise, my little one gets a little frustrated with sitting in the pram for that long. I do have a backpack carrier though which I might start using more in order to keep him distracted for longer.
Build healthier barriers with my phone
The internet and technology is a beautiful thing. There is no denying that my career is built off the success of having the internet and social media. That’s why it’s such a hard thing to do, to switch off from it all. I think it’s getting harder for many of us to do because so much of the internet is part of a person’s job, especially when working in those specific sectors like marketing and advertising for example.
Building healthier barriers with my phone is one that I think will take the most work, but it’s work that’s worth doing. From using my phone less in the evenings when I’m in bed, to trying not to engage too heavily in social media beyond what I need to do for my work/career. If I can set a healthier boundary, I feel like I’m going to be a lot happier for it.
Hopefully, I can put these healthy tips into practice, which might take some time because habits take time to implement, especially when they have to replace those habits that are very much set in stone. What would you like to change about your morning routine and health in general for 2025? Let me know in the comments below.
