How to Create the Best Daily Routine for a Healthy Life!
Start your day connecting to your mind, body, and soul! The best daily routine is one that makes you feel healthy and alive. | photo unsplash
Make a Daily Routine for Yourself
Start by Planning Your Best Daily Routine with Intention and Vision
Intentionality by design is making yourself, your dreams, desires and goals a reality by focusing on what is most important to you. Each day you must be in the mindset to invite happiness into your life. Determine what happiness is for you.
What makes your heart sing and why? Knowing this will set you up for small daily wins.
Love yourself and breathe belief into YOU. When you have quiet time to think about your priorities (usually after the kids are in bed!), close your eyes and visualize what matters most to you.
This process of creating the best daily routine for a healthy life is very personal. But there are some key practices that I have used since I was a young girl that have served me well up until today!
Can You Change Yourself When Creating a New Routine?
I'm an evening person. I productively work to the wee hours to accomplish my priorities without interruption. But over the next few weeks, I'm going to try to alter this and change my own routine to mornings.
I'll let you know how this goes! Eeeek!
Watch the Video and Discover the Best Daily Routine!
10 Tips for Creating the Best Daily Routine Ever (with examples)
1) Include a mindset practice first thing in the morning.
Shift your mindset, breathe, meditate, focus on your vision and goals for the day. Leave the phone. I give you permission to respond to others' agendas and requests later. Open your energy centers for the day!
2) Exercise or stretch!
I was listening to one of Brendan Bouchard's podcast episodes the other day and I stopped to scribble down something he said. "A power plant does not have energy; it generates it." Love that!
It's so important to get in touch with your energy and generate energy. You can give movement to yourself and bring connections through the whole body. You're responsible for the energy you hold, exude, and share with others.
Feel what you want to feel and how you wish to show up in the world. Be that! You can go as quickly or as slowly as you desire. Feel your body and what it needs and wants on any given day. Be present, loose and relaxed.
Tip: Creating a go-to energizing music playlist is an incredible way of amping up the energy when you need to.
If you're feeling like activating super energy for the day, and you have an energizing playlist, turn up the tunes and go with it. Focus on whatever your body needs. My playlist for generating energy is highly inappropriate for children (and probably some adults too).
But, it has beats that get me going, and help me connect to my mind, body and spirit. My music helps me go into energy mode!
3) Dress Up and Show Up
I've always valued the time in the morning to get dressed and ready for whatever the day holds. When I gave birth to my first son, it was so easy and comfortable to stay in my pyjamas around the clock since the feedings were every 1-2 hours 24-7.
To break that cycle and set my mind in gear, I came up with the slogan for myself: dress up and show up! I found it helpful to separate day from night by getting up and getting ready to the best of my ability.
Sure, I didn't have much energy. But I did what I could so that I could keep to a pseudo schedule. I was kind of hoping my baby would do the same. (Um, they didn't. My children were not good sleepers.)
4) Spread gratitude.
Think of three people each daily you can show gratitude towards. Get in the practice of being of service to others and spreading love and joy daily because what you give is what you get! It's easy to create a routine that's all about living your best life and then forgetting all about gratitude.
5) Nurture your mind-body-soul.
Feed yourself positivity with a podcast or book. Have a morning breakfast and proper nutrition that'll feed your mind.
Keep your body and mind healthy by feeding yourself nourishing food. One plate, three times per day will help you keep your body and mind fuelled. I know it can feel impossible to fit in healthy eating, but an imperfect attempt is better than nothing at all! | photo from unsplash
6) Try the one-plate rule three times per day for a healthy eating routine.
The one-plate rule helps make sure you don't go overboard at every meal.
Load up one plate of food. It should consist mostly of healthy greens and vegetables, and a small portion of protein and carbohydrates—everything in moderation.
For times when hunger comes up in between meals, keep healthy snacks like fruit and vegetables close by. This way, you're not going to binge the cookies, chips, nachos or anything else that isn't best for your health.
Having your three meals a day keeps your energy and sugar levels consistent, extending your productivity and better mood management during your day. I am still guilty of the late-night snacking but that is next to be 'cut' from my routine! 😉 The health experts say that's a NO-NO!
7) Automate whatever you can!
There's a lot that can't be automated.
But whatever you can automate will free up time to do what you love. My Crockpot is GOD.
8) Create time for your family.
For me, that is undivided time and attention with my children.
They deserve the best of me too. I focus on breathing and intentionality before I re-emerge from the working day.
My husband and I make sure that technological devices are used only minimally. We have time to play outside in the backyard, share time doing what they love, and being creative together or playing board games.
Time in nature is key if you want to feel energized and reset your mind. | photo from unsplash
9) Include time-in-nature in your routine.
If you can fit in time outdoors to connect with nature even if it is only a 30-minute walk, go for it.
It will change your life. My dogs look longingly at me all day for their walk. It serves as a sense of motivation for me to take them out regardless of the weather. 30 minutes of walking per day, seven days a week (rain or shine) has helped clear my mind immensely.
It has helped me find greater clarity and creativity. Time in nature will also help alleviate anxiety and depression.
10) Rest and Recover.
Every athlete knows that rest and recovery are critical.
As an ex-PE teacher and athletic coach, I'm all about that rest and recovery! 7-8 hours of sleep is critical if you want to re-energize and recharge your body, mind and soul.
I used to ignore the importance of sleep. But I now have a renewed point of view as over the past few months, I've seen what good sleep has done to improve my stamina and mood.
Sleep has now become a non-negotiable! (Mind you I am now in my 40's with two young kids. So that might speak to its importance too).
Your Daily Routine Matters
Your daily routine will be YOURS and no one else's.
It's important that you have one and take ownership of it. You can revise your routine when needed. But first try to follow it and to create consistency. See what works and what doesn't.
But never discount the power of taking consistent action in small, deliberate steps. These actions create habits which in turn, creates a compound effect in your life. Over time, your actions will become habitual.
What does your daily routine include?
Don't have one, that's okay too!
Let me know what you are going to start with, add to your existing routine, or an area where you need help!
Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Hi! I’m Amanda Da Silva.
I’m a mother of two boys, a wife, daughter, teacher, entrepreneur, former independent school CEO, and life-long learner. I’m all about personal growth, community 💕, and being of service. (Find out more about me here.) In addition to being passionate about personal development, I’m an educator and coach with 20-years experience teaching and leading in the BC school system. I have a B.Hkin, B.Ed, and M.Ed, specializing in leadership and administration. Creating community and leading thriving teams are two of my favourite things to do. I also love helping people live empowered and growth-oriented lives.
I hope you’ll join me as we build our success together! 🙌
