Hydrate

Start each day with water. If I’m allowed to give only one piece of health advice for the rest of my life, it would be, “Drink water!” Water is the only beverage we truly need.

Water is the absolute first thing your body needs when you wake up. Overnight we lose fluids through breathing and sweat. You may crave tea, coffee, or other caffeinated beverage, but water should come first.

I start each day with warm water with lemon and ginger. Drink water to your preference – cold, room temperature, warm, or hot; plain or with lemon.

If you want to know more about water – how much you should drink, how to filter it, and whether you need expensive water merchandise – here’s my free Water Action Guide which provides all those answers and more.

Meditate

Immediately after I hydrate and take care of morning hygiene, I meditate. The benefits of meditation are now widely known and reported in scientific journals. Meditation lowers stress hormones, improves cognition, and strengthens our sense of well-being.

You can reap the rewards of meditation without aligning yourself with any particular system, faith, or dogma. Just sit quietly, relax, and breathe.

You may choose a different practice that helps you feel centered and peaceful. Consider prayer, journaling, visualization, and reading inspirational literature.

The important thing for me is to spend time each day in the quiet, before the day’s activities. It helps me be calmer, clearer, kinder, and more grateful. Meditation helps me be a better version of myself.

My personal meditation routine was inspired by the teachings of Kriya Yoga.

Lubricate

Lubricate has to do with your joints. As we age, we may feel stiff when we wake up in the morning. We notice that we feel better as the day goes on, after our bodies are in motion.

Motion is lotion, and there are many wonderful ways to move your body. Don’t wait! Hydrate, meditate, then lubricate. Do yoga or Pilates, go to an exercise class, make up your own routine, take a walk, or swim. It’s all good, and the most important thing about movement is to do it!

Strategies for Success

Here are a few strategies to enhance your KISS morning routine of Hydrate, Meditate, Lubricate.

Add Other Positive Habits

Build in more healthy habits around this three-part morning routine. For example, start your day with gratitude. Say, “Thank you! I’m glad to be alive. Today I’m grateful for…” Then get started.

Leave Social Media for Later

Hydrate, Meditate, and Lubricate BEFORE you turn on computer, tablet, or phone. Checking texts and emails eats up valuable morning self-care time. Those things can wait.

Create a Mirror Routine Before Bed

Consider making “hydrate, meditate, lubricate” a set of bookends for the day. End your evening with hot tea (only a little so that you don’t have to visit the bathroom at night). Pray or meditate. Then do a gentle stretch or a hot bath to ease your joints after the day’s activities.

​How do you start your morning? Do you have a KISS morning routine? How do you keep it simple and stick to it? Please share with our community in the box below!

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