Start Your Day Right With Morning Moves

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Do you grab your phone and check emails? Or get lost in the social media vortex? Or maybe you stare at the wall wishing you didn’t have to get out of bed. Perhaps you even dread something you have to face that day.

Trust me, I get it.

When I think back to the days of hitting the snooze button (two or three times), or rushing out the door, having breakfast in the car, I cringe a little bit.

What if I told you that it doesn’t have to be that way? That it can be better... WAY better?! In fact, how you start your day can energize and excite you, as well as give you the courage to meet the challenges waiting for you. The morning is a pivotal time that can set the tone for the entire day. And choices you make upon waking can have a profound impact on your day – and your short- and long-term health.

I have learned that beginning the day with movement – coupled with a consistent and conscious morning routine – is one of the most important things you can do to transform your life. Movement is the very essence of our being! So I created a video called “Morning Moves” that’s designed to get you feeling centered, stable, and strong – and ready to start your day with focus, clarity, and energy. The 40-minute movement sequence encourages every part of you to feel awake and alive.

“Morning Moves” has elements of Pilates, yoga, strength, and flexibility, with a significant emphasis on breath and posture. Every movement has a purpose (just like any action or activity should be concrete and goal-oriented). The first thing I teach is a simple, standing, breathing exercise intended to get you aligned, inspired, and right into your Mind-Body connection. Gradually, movement begins to follow as we warm up your entire body, head to toe, with everything starting from the core – the core of your body and the core of your being. There is careful attention paid to the spine, as it is what provides support for your entire body, protects your nerves, and allows you to move in many different ways.

I will instruct you through movement in several positions in order to use every muscle and best serve the body – standing, seated, prone, supine, and hands and knees. And I offer modifications, adjustments, and options for many of the exercises, so all levels are welcome!

I will demonstrate and guide the movement from exercise to exercise, with smooth transitions, in a carefully created sequence. You will strengthen and stretch your entire body using the proper mechanics of core work, correct alignment, and full body integration (FBI). And most importantly you will deepen the Mind-Body connection. I concentrate on a heightened awareness of how your body feels, and how best to control your body’s movement (mindful movement) in order to function at your optimal level. And I will always remind you: If something doesn’t feel right, leave it out!

Bringing awareness to our movement allows us to inhabit our body with greater consciousness and ease. Connecting conscious breath to movement is what connects our muscles to our mind – allowing us to unite the body, mind, and spirit. When I start my day with mindfulness of body and breath, it really sets me up for success – success in how I feel, how I function, and how I show up in my life.

Start your day with movement and it will reward you! Exercise releases endorphins – chemicals produced in the brain that help minimize pain and discomfort and increase well-being. Plus, endorphins can reduce stress hormones, helping you start your day unfettered and in control. As you establish this as part of your morning routine, it will benefit you mentally, physically, and spiritually.

To move, to be mobile, and to be active offers benefits powerful enough to make a huge difference in how the rest of your day goes. So it’s important to have a morning routine that gets you in the right state of mind, body, and spirit. Besides the obvious physical and mental benefits of movement, the importance of alignment and breath are part of healthy, positive morning habits that can improve your entire day.

I encourage you to try my “Morning Moves” video. Think of it as starting your day with a “win!” This will prime your brain to work toward more “wins” and successes throughout the day. My goal with this 40-minute video (or as many minutes as you can), is for you to feel strong, tall, encouraged, inspired, proud, motivated, purposeful, and simply better. By beginning your day in a focused, centered, and energized fashion, you can feel more in control of your day – instead of your day controlling you.Thus helping you to feel better, function better, and live better.

Just do your best to stay present in body, mind, and spirit.

Let’s get moving!