Route to Routine

Reset Your Routine: AM and PM Rituals for a Productive September (8 min read)

As we STEP through September, we may be thinking about ways in which we can reset our routines. September symbolizes a fresh start—whether it’s because of back-to-school vibes, simply a new season transition or just a good time to refocus after the summer. A great way to reset your routine for a productive September would be establishing morning and evening routines.

The importance of these routines, or what we like to call AM and PM rituals sets the tone for a successful day and restful night ahead. These rituals help us be consistent in our daily habits which will result in better time management, reduced stressors and overall, become a better well-being!

Let’s begin with resetting AM Rituals to start our day off on the right route.

Wake up early; easier said than done.

Some may say this will get easier, I’m here to tell you most days than not—it is HARD. But with the help of having AM rituals this will be easier for us to do believe it or not because you have action steps for you as soon as you wake up.

I personally have at least 1 day a week where I do not set an alarm. I understand, this may not be the case for all with work and or kids scheduling etc. But really think about your schedule Monday THROUGH Sunday, is there ANY day you can give yourself a bit more grace for ONE morning? This day fluctuates for me depending on what I have going on for that week, typically it’s a weekend day and for that, that means a Saturday or Sunday but not both. I CHOOSE one day a week to let my body go to bed knowing there is “no alarm” and my body will wake up when its ready. I’m not saying sleep in until 11 / noon like back in those teenage years. On a typical day I’m up 4/4:30, so on this one day a week no alarm—this can be around 6/6:30… Otherwise, I keep the same alarm on my phone the other 6 days a week and that’s that. Nonnegotiable for me and it has become my favorite part of the day. Why? Because its my highest productivity time in the day where I can hyperfocus and get a lot more done before the rest of the world awakes and we must start “putting out fires” is what we like to call it. Challenges, Obstacles and problems come up as the day goes on. So, waking up early to get ahead of your daily to dos or whatever daily intentions you may set is the way to go!

Hydration First- Even before you start sipping your coffee.

Set a target water goal for you to get down and then use that coffee as a reward for getting through your first water win. I like to fill up a 24 oz. shaker bottle the night before (we can call this a PM ritual) that way as soon as I wake up, I don’t need to think about the Brita, or finding a clean bottle, that’s all taken care of, and I just begin to chug that water down as I get myself ready each morning. Give yourself an “inner bath” to get rehydrated from coming dehydrated during sleeping hours.

Invest in YOUrself First- Mindfulness Practice

This can include a mix of several things depending on what you desire. Some include deep breathing, meditation, stretching, journaling, reading, the impact on daily gratitude and what it can do to set a positive tone for the day is incredible! I utilize this time as intentional quiet, “me-time” with a mix of always be learning with personal development reads, with protein coffee in hand of course! I’d love to add in more breathing and stretching to my mix so there is where time blocking strategy can come into play.

Ask yourself- How much time can I make for this Mindfulness Practice each day? What are the things I want to do and incorporate into this time I am making. And divide each up into time blocks. Say I have 45 minutes for Mindfulness practice each day... #Route10 is my reading 10 pages which can take anywhere from 25-30 mins (I am a slow reader) 5 minutes of breath work, 5 minutes of stretching and 5 minutes of journal/ gratitude. Maybe you have 60 mins, so you can spend more time on stretching if you wish. Give this a try! Make a list of what you want part of your practice and divide it into time blocks in the short duration you have with YOUrself.

Morning Movement- This could be a full-on exercise routine, dog walk or simply stretching/ yoga to start the day.  Make this an EVERYDAY Ritual. This does not mean you must enter a gym daily but do some sort of intentional movement. Get your body physically moving to wake up and energize self. If you have a dog this is a “easier” ritual for you to pick up because of having that extra accountability buddy. You can do the same for those gym mornings. The few in between will have to require a little more discipline and inner drive to get something done, but we all know the feeling once it’s over we are SO glad we made the choice for that Morning Movement. Reframe from thinking you need an hour or not going to do this at all. Start with 10 minutes of SOMETHING and we can proceed as we remain consistent.

Protein Packed Breakfast- Food is Fuel, your body wants fuel to start the day!

For so many reasons make protein part of your AM rituals. Including:

Metabolism “boost”- Protein has the highest thermic effect of food compared to fats and carbs, meaning your body uses more energy to digest it.

Stabilize Blood Sugar Levels- CHOOSE the eggs, yogurt, protein coffee/shakes over the pastries/ cereals. This will prevent spikes/ crashes that would crash energy levels even more.

Satiety- Protein gives off signals of feeling fuller longer which can reduce snacking through out the day (this is typically where one will consume more calories than body needs, leading to weight/ fat gain)

Mental focus- We all could use better focus, concentration and overall cognitive function for productivity on our day-to-day tasks.

Live intentionally- Set intentions for your day.

Have a purpose upon waking up. Setting daily goals for yourself and having a power list to remain focused and productive throughout your day.  

Now that we’ve established with some AM Rituals, prioritize PM Rituals to reflect before we enter a time of rest.

Evening Movement- This does not have to mean exercise…

But more so, a slower walk as you begin to prepare to unwind mentally and physically preparing for the body to rest. This can be best outdoors, especially with taking advantage of good weather and daylight hours at this time. This may also include some deep breathing with stretching as well releasing any extra tension built throughout the day.

Prep for Next Day- “Preparation is the key to unlocking the potential of tomorrow. By setting the stage today, you pave the way for a more successful and fulfilling future.”

This may include:

-Packing/ Preparing Lunch for next day

-Picking out outfit/ clothes for both workout & work

-Organizing tasks, future to do lists (YES! YES! major brain dump for me but also reflection of if I won the day and prepare for what tasks will need to be moved to following day)

*This may be one of my least favorite PM rituals but most beneficial reducing morning stress.

Gratitude Practice- The greatest way to start AND end a day

This does not have to take long either. This can be done solo or with a friend, family, or loved one. Some things we think about and or discuss may include:

-What is one thing we learned today?

-What is one thing that made us smile today?

-What is one thing you could have done better at?

-What was the moment you felt proud of?

We do this during our slow evening dog/ family walk, sometimes while we are preparing/ eating dinner, or even habit stacking while we stretch and going into the next PM Ritual…

Evening Self-Care- take care of YOU before bed

This can include:

-A warm bath

-Reading #Route10: 10 minutes or 10 pages; YOU CHOOSE *tag us on Instagram @mrs.fitriss & @donnyrumrill

-An evening skincare routine

-Drinking a calm herbal/ tea (we sip on bone broth which is warm and aids in digestion) Now that we’ve been doing this over a year, it’s a signal in telling our body—Ok, this symbolizes we are winding down for the day (our gut now gets to feel the same way too)

-Stretching, or what we CHOOSE to do is vibration therapy (after giving ourselves a body scan what 1-2 body parts need some loving the most in some therapy. This could be from previous workout soreness or to prepare muscles for future workouts)

Tech Time Cut off- Be realistic but figure out an appropriate time this will be.

Action Step: “I will put down my phone at _____ time every day. Maybe have a Weekday vs. Weekend cut off. Weekends count too with these rituals!

Turning off screens at least an hour before going to bed is ideal or beginning to reduce the light exposure using blue lens glasses. We use these even throughout the day if we are on the computer or in front of any screen for a longer period than 90 mins. We have felt a decrease in headaches when compared to previously not using these too! This can ensure a better night’s sleep ahead by getting into deep/ REM sleeps much quicker. Another useful piece to have on hand, an eye mask. This is so if you have others in the same room as you and not on the same wavelength, or rituals as you; you can block the lighting out.

Bedtime- Regulate your body’s internal clock by going to bed at the same time each night.

Establish a consistent sleep schedule to complement your morning routine of waking up early. To rise early, it's essential to go to bed earlier as well. These two practices should work in harmony—if one is disrupted, the other will be affected too!

After reviewing a few AM and PM rituals, you may already have some of these established in your regime. But do you do them consistently? If not, then focus on the ones you do part of the time and work on being consistent. If every evening is ending in Chaos, with every morning starting as hot mess express than just start small. Starting with one or two rituals and gradually adding more as the habit sticks. Because that is exactly what these rituals are- habits! We want to strive to create sustainable success for everything we choose to do when prioritizing our health and wellbeing.

We encourage you to take this upcoming month of September as a time to reset your routine. A fresh start while also having a productive season in whatever season you are currently in!

If you’ve read all these rituals and notice we have some in common or want to know how we have been able to make the ritual sustainable please never hesitate to reach out on the social that is most convenient for you!