A morning schedule might be the most natural way to balance your hormones, circadian rhythm, stress, and more.
If you are reading this and wondering how in the world a morning schedule can help hormones then keep reading!
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You will learn a morning schedule that will bring you back into balance with your hormones, back into balance with your circadian rhythm, balance your mood, and more!
This post is all about a morning schedule!
Restorative Morning Schedule
Morning Schedule for Women
I never really realized how critical a morning schedule, morning routine, and aligned circadian rhythm is for women. Have you realized how impactful these are for women's hormones?!
The only reason I started to learn this was when I started waking up at 5AM and trying to get into a good cyclical rhythm, all the sudden I started to balance out hormonally.
How powerful that is for us to embody as women. I feel like I've taken the reins (of a once wild and free horse) and have managed to calm her down and walk with grace. She is still wild and free, but a directed wild and free.
So, here is the vital morning schedule:
1. Wake up at the same time (even on weekends)
If you wake up at 5AM everyday, you don't really need to wake up the same time on the weekends to the T. But, the key here is to stay roughly in the same rhythm.
We have so many hormones tied to our circadian rhythm, and inconsistent sleep schedules can create disruption.
An inconsistent sleep schedule can lead to not only hormonal misalignment, but also an increased stress response which keeps your body on high alert virtually all the time...
This high alert state simultaneously affects your hormonal disruption as well. It's a cycle that keeps turning!
2. Natural light before screens (even before bed)
Imagine those perfect mornings where you wake up, have a stretch, and gaze out the window at the sunrise.
Before anything else, you just bask in the slowness of the sunrise. No phones, no information being blasted at you, no work emails, just you and the beautiful rising sun.
And, you are so relaxed and rested because after the sunset the night before you read your book, did yoga, and fell peacefully into a deep slumber.
No phones, no work, no information being blasted at you, yet again. And the results? Mind blowing.
Blue light, before bed and in those vulnerable moments in the morning, intercept your melatonin production and throw off your natural hormones the rest of the day...
How to protect from blue light and support your hormonal balance:
- Get blue-light glasses, use them one hour before bed (and just avoid morning blue light... There's so many better things to do!)
- Use a sunrise alarm
- Keep your phone out of your bedroom
3. Hydrate
What is the first thing you put into your sacred vessel in the morning? I hate to admit it, but a lot of the time I am drinking coffee! Even before drinking water.
Only after 2 or 3 hours of being awake do I realize... I haven't had a single sip of water! Does this sound familiar?
Studies show that poor hydration can increases cortisol (stress) response.
So, what does that mean? If you are dehydrated you most likely have higher stress hormones, which affects your overall hormone regulation (and sleep quality)...
By waking up and making a point to drink water, you can help lower stress and support your overall hormonal balance. I mean who wouldn't want that!
Other ideas to support hydration and hormones in the morning:
- Electrolyte drink
- Hormone-balancing herbal iced tea kept in the fridge
4. Workout/gentle movement
I don't think it is anything new that exercise positively supports women's overall balance. You can feel it the moment after you workout in the morning...
Relaxed, focused, energized, and wildly more calm than usual! Though, it can be challenging to get ourselves in that habit.
But, in the morning, taking just a few minutes for some gentle movement can stimulate immense benefits. One, it can create positive morning habits.
Two, morning exercise improves the circadian rhythm. I feel like a broken record sometimes because I talk about balancing the circadian rhythm, but it is the bread and butter of finding true balance and alignment in our daily life.
5. Protein heavy breakfast
When I have a morning breakfast of strict protein, low sugar, and no breads... It is like my body is getting refueled at the gas station and I don't need to refill it all day.
Have you ever noticed that? The more protein you eat the less calories you consume the rest of the day? (It's not just me, this study actually shows it)!
That is just a fun little tid bit, that you can actually gain control of your appetite and be satiated longer.
For our lovely hormones, when we eat high protein breakfast it actually drops our cortisol levels. The morning is when our cortisol levels are the highest and skipping breakfast can keep stress levels heightened throughout the whole day!
So, eat high protein breakfast for regulated stress, better satiation, and a better daily cortisol rhythm which overall supports hormone balance.
Make it easier on yourself and download our FREE morning routine checklist and journal pages!
Things to Avoid
Now, of course, we have tons of "things" that can hurt our hormone balance, throw off our morning schedules, and make our lives just a littttttle bit more challenging...
Here are the two proven things that we should avoid:
Drinking excess alcohol
You might not believe it, but drinking alcohol can negatively affect our hormones. Yes, it's true! This guide shows just how cutting back on alcohol can help this process.
Though, I am sure you are very aware of the issue that drinking causes... The next morning specifically!
You might be like me and notice when you just have two drinks! The next morning you are foggy, groggy, unmotivated, and maybe accompanied by a lovely headache.
So, use these hacks to drink less alcohol in the evenings and get into a balanced morning schedule!
Products with overt amount of chemicals & fragrances
Here we love using natural products, homemade products, etc. And it might not be a huge secret that women's products are filled with synthetic chemicals and fragrances...
I'm sure you have seen the "morning routine products you can't live without" where it is stuffed full of Amazon skin care products, shower essentials, etc.
These are called endocrine-disrupting chemicals and they are silent, yet effective at altering your natural balance.
Opt for homemade or natural products in your morning schedule, especially when we are finding our balance, getting into alignment with our natural rhythms, etc.
So, now you are aware of the factors that can help you create a beautiful morning schedule that naturally balances your rhythms.