Transforming Your Health: A New Morning Routine for 2019

It’s the New Year once again! It’s time to start fresh and make 2019 the best, most vibrant year you’ve ever had. And I want to show you the #1 thing you can start doing today to make that happen.

First, if you’re reading this, I already know you’re committed to becoming healthy, whether your journey has involved a cancer diagnosis and treatment, or your goal is to prevent cancer, have more energy, and ultimately live a longer and more fulfilling life.

Let’s be frank − there’s an overabundance of information out there about what we “should” do. You can spend your whole day reading blogs and articles about what this guru says or that doctor suggests.

But there’s only one thing that really matters… how much of it you’re able to actually put it into practice. Simple as that. Information is useless until it turns into action.

So if we know what we’re supposed to be doing, why aren’t we doing it? The hardest part for almost everyone is just knowing where to start. (Much less to maintain the New Year’s Resolutions we say we’re going to do.)

With that in mind, I want to give you the secret… The #1 thing you need to change to make all of this work.

Your daily habits.

Specifically, your morning routine.

Good health is a lifelong journey of daily education and daily practice. So the key to making it work is setting up a daily “habit of health” into your morning routine. Not your afternoon routine or your bedtime routine. Your morning routine. Do this first, before the daily distractions of life come in and you’re pulled in a million different directions.

If you’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution you couldn’t keep, or if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed with your never-ending lists of things to do, you’re not alone. It’s not just “excuses” or “busyness” that keeps us from doing the work to get healthy. It’s very real. As a society, we’re just “getting by” more often than not.

But there is a solution. And it’s easier than you might think once you get started with this very specific morning routine. This one little change will form the foundation of making you and your health a top priority each day… while setting you up each morning to have the best day possible.

5 Steps to Creating the Habit of Health in Just 30 Minutes a Day

Take just 30 minutes each morning when you first wake up to go through this quick 5-step routine, and see if your life (and health!) doesn’t begin to shift and change in ways you never imagined. If you have to wake up 30 minutes earlier, set your alarm clock. Commit to doing it for one month − regardless of how you feel first thing in the morning.

#1. Drink 16 Ounces of Water Upon Waking. Some people like to add a squeeze of fresh organic lemon, or apple cider vinegar, or even a drop of essential oil such as lemon or peppermint. Room temperature is considered best. This flushes out toxins, helps digestion, and hydrates you.

Go here to see which essential oils are safe to consume. Not all oils that are safe for ingestion are included on this list but it serves as a good start.

#2. 5 Minutes of Prayer and Gratitude. Anchor your desired mindset for the day by connecting to yourself and to the Creator, giving thanks for all your blessings. Gratitude is an immensely powerful tool to begin your day with, ensuring a positive attitude that’s easy to carry forward into your day.

#3. 5 Minutes of Gentle Movement. Take a 5-minute walk. Walk the dog. Stretch. Do intervals for 5 minutes (sometimes known as tabata). Bounce on a mini-trampoline. Just 5 minutes of some kind of physical activity, even low impact, is an awesome way to get your blood pumping and get you physically motivated for the day − and remind you that your health is one of your highest priorities.

#4. Drink a Healthy Nutrient-Rich Drink. Once you are back from your walk (or you’ve finished your exercise), make yourself a green juice or smoothie, have a bone broth drink, or something else super healthy. Even better, make it before you do your 5 minutes of movement so right afterwards you can replenish yourself with pure goodness. If you decide what recipe you will make the day or night before, it will be even easier to just “do” it. Sip your juice or smoothie while you do step #5.

#5. Read The Truth About Cancer’s Daily Email. There is a school of thought that you should avoid all email in the morning. And I generally agree, but with one exception. Read just ONE email every morning − the The Truth About Cancer’s article of the day, while you sip your smoothie.

Why? Because good health is a lifelong journey of daily education and daily practice.

This step goes towards the habit of increasing your mastery and knowledge. After all, you can’t just watch a few videos and/or read a couple of articles or attend a seminar and become an expert. It takes time.

By including this step into your morning routine, you are ensuring good health is on the top of mind each day. You’re increasing your knowledge, or reminding yourself of something you learned before, and adding to your arsenal of weapons against disease − especially cancer! Get TTAC’s daily email here.

7 Secrets for Setting Yourself Up for Success

It can be a challenge to incorporate changes into your life. So, here are some tips and tools for making the above 5 steps as easy as possible to add into your day.

1. Print out this tracker. Check off each item, each day, for a great sense of completion. This will motivate you and stoke the feeling of success.
2. Note how you feel at the starting line. When you make small changes to your life, it can be all too easy to forget how you felt before you started. You may be sleeping better, feeling less achy, but you take it for granted because it has slowly become the new “norm.” You can anchor the reality of your starting point by taking a few minutes to make some notes of how you feel before you make these changes. Some things you might want to consider: weight, BMI, waist measurement, stress level, sleep quality, productivity, eating habits, happiness quotient. Pick what’s important to you… and be honest!
3. Decide you will do these new habits for at least 21 of 28 days. We’re not aiming for perfection. Let’s assume the old adage that it takes 21 days to form a habit is true and commit to doing each of the 5 steps at least 21 of the 28 days.
4. Choose rewards for success. Decide before you begin that you will reward yourself with something specific if you achieve your goal of at least 21 days. Or, even just for making marked improvements. The idea is to choose something healthy and positive, like a massage, exercise accessory, or time for an activity you enjoy. Try to avoid making food treats or “cheat days” your reward!
5. Note how you feel as you go on. At least once a week, evaluate any and all changes to your original log/starting point. Daily is fine, but if that’s not realistic, make sure to at least do it periodically.
6. Mentally evaluate every day. You may just think about it on the drive home from work, or as you’re getting ready for bed, but do take some time each day to reflect on your progress. Be sure to congratulate yourself for success. Likewise, consciously make new decisions for areas needing improvement.
7. Get others to join in. Why not create a small group of teammates? Maybe your family, or work colleagues would like to join you. By having the group dynamic, you can be gently accountable to each other, and, even better, encourage one another to take the necessary steps towards creating these habits for health.

There you have it… 5 simple steps you can take each morning to transform your health, and embed the new healthy habits into your life. The success tips are optional, of course… if you can only do the 5 daily morning steps, that alone will make a world of difference.

Here’s to the best investment you can make: YOU!

A GIFT FOR YOU: Click here or the image below to download a handy PDF tip sheet with the 5-Step Morning Routine

Please tell us about your journey in the Comments section below. Share your challenges, morning routines, and plans for starting fresh in 2019.