Morning routine is an important part of our daily lives. As the saying goes..
If you can conquer the first hour of the day, you can conquer the rest of the day.
~ Unknown Author
But how does it really helps you ? I am glad you asked.
First of all, you need to experience it. Nonetheless, let me just say, by doing the Morning Appreciation Walk, it will give you at least 3 key benefits:
- It clears your mind.
- It wakes up your body
- It makes you ready to take on your Day.
Benefit #1: It clears your mind
Needless to say, a clear mind is utmost important to start a day. No doubt, we have worries and anxieties, but at least, let’s not start the day with worries and doubt. We can always choose to start the day with gratitude and appreciation !
Benefit #2: It wakes up your body
Our body needs to be energised. I do not know about you, but for me, sometimes, waking up is a definite struggle. Especially on a non-working weekend. I am sure you know what I mean. However, we need to understand how our body works. It actually needs to “Wake” up. I mean if you were to force yourself to open your eyes, even if you don’t feel like doing it, you stand up next to your bed (Not on your bed), you will find that your body actually listens to your “instruction”. And you are instantly awake.
Benefits #3: It makes you ready to take on your Day.
There is nothing more powerful than feeling confident that you are all set and ready to start your day. First of all, you did your morning appreciation walk, your mind is clear and your body has tuned in. Whatever you do following your morning walk routine will be just another “task” you are going to complete. Ticking off the first task of day, made you feel productive and made you feel encouraged. Yes, it’s going to be a Great Day !
So, where do I get this idea?
So, ever since last year December 2018, I have started a simple and yet beneficial morning routine. I called it my “Morning Appreciation Walk”. It is a part of Jesse Elder’s 21 Day Challenge that I subscribed. I took the challenge and the morning appreciation walk is One of the Challenges.
What “Morning Appreciation Walk” is all about and how you should do it right.
As the name suggest, it is simply a morning walk that I decided to start my day off with. But there is a twist. It is not just a walk. The way you should do it is that as you walk (either in your own garden or somewhere outdoors), you need to take in what the nature has in store for you.
Step 1 – Beginning the Walk
That’s right. Feel the cool air in the morning, the chirping of the birds in the distant. Take deep breaths and start appreciating what life has to offer you in its simplest form at this very moment. As you embrace and walk slowly, step by step, you may also want to give thanks and appreciate what you have and give thanks to the universe and express your gratitude. (Note: It is about expressing your gratefulness of what you already have access to, not what you are lacking)
Step 2 – Find a space and stand still
This simple walk should not take you more than 5 minutes. Find an empty space and stand still. For me, there is small opening in my garden with a tree about 10 feet away. As I breath in from my nose, both my hands moves in an open gesture towards the sky and as I breath out, both my hands fall back to its starting position. Repeat this step for at least 3 to 5 times. Do it slowly and enjoy it.
Step 3 – Bend and squad to exercise your knees (Optional)
This step is optional. For me, my right knee has had an injury before and if I were to carry heavy loads and walk up the stairs, my right knee feels a slight pain under pressure. So, I do this exercise after being advised by a Doctor to strengthen it.
To do this step, I simply put both my hands on my hip and slowly squat down with my back straight, to exercise both my knees. While I am still in squatting position, I count 30 times before I stand up slowly. Before I rise up again, I take a deep breath. Then as I stand up, I exhale slowly. Repeat this 3 times at least.
Step 4 – As I walk back…
By this time, as I start walking back, still enjoying the cool air in the garden, I constantly remind myself how great today is. Just 10 steps before I reach the staircase that goes up to my apartment, I turn around and look at the Journey I just took and say to myself, “Well done”.
That’s the end of my “Morning Appreciation Walk” routine.
I encourage you.
I will invite you to start your own Morning Appreciation walk. For me, I wake up at around 6:30am and practice this. It has benefited me quite a bit. I hope you will also take the action to try it out tomorrow.
Then, you can tell me what you felt. Promise ?
