Kickstart Your Morning for Health and Happiness
I define health as a state of mind that matches a state of being. I feel most healthy when I've achieved physical and emotional goals. Everything from reading books to acing an inversion in yoga class are great ways to facilitate health into my life. Like all good things, however, it's not always easy.
Health can be difficult to tackle, especially if we lead busy lives. Sometimes it's easier to focus on one aspect of health at a time... and while putting in countless hours at the gym is rewarding physically, you may be neglecting your heart or mind. Health is all encompassing at it's best. Health takes planning and if you're anything like me, sometimes schedules get lost in the shuffle of life.
Research done by Steve Kay, a molecular computational biology professor at the University of Southern California, shows us that “when it comes to cognitive work, the majority of adults perform at their best in the late morning.” That being said, we can allow our mornings to serve as the “Golden Opportunity Time” to set up our day for success.
In the book, The Miracle Morning, author Hal Elrod uses the S.A.V.E.R.S. acronym as a morning routine to jump start the day. “Remember, the moment you accept total responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you claim the power to change anything in your life,” Elrod says.
The S.A.V.E.R.S. System is easy to follow and anyone can do it. What I love about it? It covers ALL areas of health, not just physical. It addresses everything from your body to your spiritual self. All you need to do is devote 10 minutes to each letter (totaling 1 hour):
S - Silence - Meditate. You don't have to be a baby Buddha to meditate. Simply sit in silence for 10 minutes and be still. A simple internet search will turn up many meditation guides as well (but we got you started)!
A - Affirmations - It's important to know what you desire in your life. Affirmations can help those things materialize by serving as a reminder while activating the Law of Attraction. The law of attraction states that “like attracts like”. If you are affirming yourself of what you want instead of what you don't want, you are more likely to obtain it.
V - Visualize - Do you love to day dream or fantasize? That's what visualizations are. It's your mind's way of connecting your imagination to your physical self. Whether you see yourself running a 5k or sipping a margarita on a beach somewhere... allow yourself to cue up your wildest dreams during visualizations. The sky is the limit!
E - Exercise - We all know what this one means. You don't need to overexert yourself to put in exercise. A walk with your dogs or a few crunches on your living room floor will do the trick! The idea is to get your blood circulating.
R - Read - We all read a lot more than we realize. Think about social media or random articles you come across. Spend 10 minutes reading something you enjoy- a poem, a few pages of a novel, whatever suits you. You can even break apart a “DIY” or learn a new language this way.
S - Scribe - There are many therapeutic qualities to writing. You can journal about your feelings, ideas, or even write creatively. If you don't enjoy writing that much, you can use your time to make a to-do list!
With a little bit of discipline and an hour of your time each morning, you will surprise yourself with how well the SAVERS system works! “Do your SAVERS” is written on a post-it note that I keep in my day planner, and another on my bathroom mirror. Life can be crazy, but if we pay attention to our health on all levels, it doesn't always have to be. When we pay attention to ourselves as a whole, we become resilient and love flows more freely into our lives.
By: Raquel Reyes
A writer, entrepreneur, and spiritual enthusiast: I host writing workshops for women in LA and NYC. My goal is to create a safe and inviting space for women to come together to share their love of writing - a space where judgment and competition don't exist. Our experiences shape us, so to write about them is to truly create the bridges that close our gaps as Women and as humans. We are all One. Through writing we can establish and strengthen our human connections and honor our imagination. I love travel, yoga, and Goddess energy!
Link to Raquel on Instagram 1, Instagram 2, Facebook, Pink Pangea & Elephant Journal!
