Healthy Morning Habits Of A Christian Homemaker
Hi, friend! Having healthy morning habits as a homemaker is so crucial. Some of us are staying at home the majority of the day, tasks can become mundane and we crave practical steps that make us excited to get out of bed in the morning. God calls us to a life and home of order, sisters, and having certain things set in place that we do every morning really helps us to start our day grounded. Let me share with you some morning habits that are working for our family in this season.
Number One : Wake Up Twenty Minutes Before Sunrise
All of my twenty-something years of life, I have always been one who sleeps in and stays up late at night, until recently. I’ve been practicing healing my circadian rhythm with natural light such as sunrise and UVA. I had never previously heard of UVA. Although I had already been learning about circadian rhythm, I was not making the proper steps to set up my circadian rhythm, thus my life each day, for success. This new habit is not only for myself, but for God, my husband, our children and those around me. Our health reflects our relationships. I desire to thrive in my morning, rather than to be groggy. Often times, when I’m groggy in the morning, that sticks with me not only in the morning, but all throughout my day, because my morning was not spent in a nourishing way. I wake up twenty minutes before sunrise so that I can have a few minutes to wake up without feeling the need to jump out of bed immediately before fully starting my day. I can confidently say that I have very rarely ever seen a sunrise up until recently, and ever since practicing this morning routine, I have slept better, I have had more energy and productivity, I don’t struggle with laziness often at all anymore, I don’t crash throughout my day- the list goes on. If you struggle with insomnia, lack of energy, idleness and/or feeling the need to nap often, I highly recommend you practice this morning routine with me. If you do implement this, or are already implementing this habit, I would love to know how it’s helped you, in the comments below!
Number Two : Get Sunrise In My Eyes And On My Skin For At Least One To Three Minutes
The benefit of getting sunrise light in our naked eyes, meaning eyes without contacts or glasses, is that it helps with energy, healthy sleep regulation, hormones, depression, anxiety, mood swings, healthy stress responses, proper gut, kidney, liver and adrenal function- and more. The importance of getting sunrise light for at least one to three minutes is because our eyes and body almost immediately take in those specific sun rays and instantly change our sleep hormones into energy hormones, filling us with natural energy to wake us up feeling well-rested and ready for a new day, rather than sluggish. Our circadian rhythm is our natural body-clock, so when we spend even a few moments receiving natural light first thing in the morning, our body very quickly knows what time it is and what hormones to fill our body with- either energy from the sunrise or rest from the sunset. On slower mornings, I open our window and spend time with God in prayer and the reading of His Word, with a candle lit- it’s such a beautiful and peaceful way to start the morning.
Number Three : Drink sole water
I have heard of people drinking salt water for added minerals. Sole water is the name of a highly concentrated salt water solution. However, this is not something I have ever done until recently. Adding salt to our morning water on an empty stomach before breakfast, often while we wait for breakfast to cook, offers our body great benefits when it comes to our hydration, electrolytes, detoxification of toxins and heavy metals, digestion, energy levels, stress, fatigue, adrenals, metabolism, weight, sleep, nutrient absorption and trace minerals such as sodium, magnesium and potassium. I will be sharing the recipe soon of how I make sole water!
Number Four : Eat breakfast within thirty to sixty minutes after waking up
Up until a few years ago, I had never been one to eat breakfast first thing in the morning- and when I did eat my first meal of the day, it was not nutritional in any way. Before I started implementing this, my whole life I had had cold feet and hands, poor energy, hormone issues, awful periods and much more- these are all signs that my body was telling me that I need to produce more energy more frequently. I have been learning the importance of eating almost immediately after waking up, and to eat a full meal of protein, fat and carb to set me up for a day of thriving, energy and well-being. The importance of eating within thirty to sixty minutes is because we fast all throughout the night while we’re sleeping. Our body gets stressed from fasting, and the longer we fast for, the less our body knows how to handle our stress hormones properly. Eating first thing when we wake up is going to wake us up, fill us with energy and signal to our brain and body that it is morning and time to be productive. Especially in our fertile years, while we are bearing children and tending to our home and children all throughout the day, our body needs more energy and fuel to keep us going. Eating within thirty to sixty minutes of waking also helps balance our blood sugar regulation, rather than putting us on a blood sugar rollercoaster.
Number Five : Get UVA light for at least ten minutes, ideally twenty to thirty minutes
The benefit of providing UVA light for our eyes and body is the same reasons mentioned above, with it being a more important time to soak in the natural light when we are dealing with certain health issues we are working on healing. Spending ten to thirty minutes either outside or with a window open is incredibly helpful, especially if we struggle with gut, kidney, liver and/or adrenal issues. The longer we spend receiving UVA light, the more our gut, kidney, liver and adrenals will naturally heal. God is so creative with how He created the sun and how it truly does affect our God-given physiology and help us heal! If you want to practice implementing sunrise and/or UVA light in the morning with me, keep in mind that one : you want to be sure that you are not wearing contacts or glasses, as those block the proper sun rays from being received to our bare eyes, preventing us to receive the full affects of healing in waking us up and filling us with natural energy, and two : we either have to go outside or open our window to receive the benefits of the sun in this way. We can have the screen still on our window! The reason that we actually have to open our windows, whether in our home or car, is because most windows made and installed nowadays have UV protection, not allowing the sun rays to hit us in a way that is helpful for healing our body and receiving natural energy. During the UVA rise is often when our family is eating breakfast around the table, so we will open up our backyard doors near our table. This is one of my favorite times of day, as we listen to the birds singing us good morning song, watch the clouds move, feel the warmth from the sun and simply have a slower-pace morning admiring God’s creation.
Number Six : Enjoy time to make a fun coffee
Coffee is one of my favorite things ever, and I look forward to it every single morning. If you are not a coffee drinker, this can be tea, matcha, cacao milk, bone broth- whatever drink you enjoy. I find so much joy in spending quite a bit of time making an absolutely nourishing, tasty and pretty coffee. We intentionally do not have a quick coffee maker. We use either a French press, percolator or pour over to make coffee from home. These three ways take much longer than the snap of a button, which is why we prefer it- I find peace and calmness as I take time out of my day to be intentional with doing something that I truly enjoy and can be creative with. Plus, it tastes that much better when we make it with intentionality and love. I love practicing the slow ways of living, and finding beauty in the mundane. You’ll notice that this is not how I wake up and start my morning. That is because caffeine and sugar does not absorb or digest well in our body unless paired with protein, fat and carb- so I eat a full breakfast before even taking my first sip of coffee. I also do not drink plain, black coffee for the same reasons. Otherwise, I will be filled with the jitters, anxiety, struggling digestion, sweats, you name it- which definitely defeats the purpose of a healthy morning habit and thriving self.
Number Seven : Pray and read The Proverbs of the day to children
By this time, I have already prayed as I got out of bed, before we ate breakfast and likely multiple times in the span of my morning leading up to this moment. I also pray right before I read out loud The Proverbs of the day to our children. This happens before any of us leave the table after eating. The intentionality behind this is so that one : we are reminded that God gets the first fruits of our day and two : we do not forget to spend time together in God’s Word and get distracted with what the day holds for us, forgetting The One who has already planned our steps for the day. I have found that reading specifically The Proverbs of the day is a very easy way to go straight to a passage and start reading, while also being so practical. The Book of Proverbs in The Bible has thirty-one chapters, being a chapter for each day of the month. For example, if it is the first of a month, we will read Proverbs chapter one. Before we start reading, I pray out loud thanking God for what He is about to teach us through His Perfect Word of Truth and asking that He would fill and renew our hearts and minds with His Holy Spirit, that He would encourage, strengthen, challenge and convict us of sin through The Passage and that He would keep us disciplined in practicing His Fruit of The Spirit- that is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. After I am finished reading, I pray out loud as I take another glimpse through The Passage, praying over things that have stood out to me and convictions that God is revealing me to repent of and/or to be diligent in practicing better. These prayers before and after reading God’s Word are out loud. We want our children to see us worshipping, praying and reading our Bibles, on our own and as a family. Sometimes, my prayer after reading a passage can last up to thirty minutes. Having our children hear us pray about specific things that God calls us to, confessing to Him and them our sin struggles and asking God for help is very important to us in allowing them to see that our relationship with God is the most important one that we’ve got, and that it’s intentional and practical.
Number Eight : Get ready for the day
Yet another thing that I had never in my life previously practiced, until a few years ago. If I was home, I was in pajamas- and not even cute ones. I have learned that I can still be comfy cozy with feminine, real clothes. The importance of getting dressed every morning is to start our day off dressed for success. I could not go back to wearing only pajamas at home, because I have felt the immense impact that getting ready for my day has on my mentality, productivity and confidence. If you haven’t tried this yet, I encourage you to do so alongside me, and see how you feel- if you try this or if you already practice this routine, I would love to know your thoughts in the comments below! The way that we dress outwardly proclaims what we want to portray and what is important to us- it’s a reflection of our heart. When I am still in pajamas, I am often lazy, insecure and not disciplined in what The Lord has set before me. When I take the time to put on a pretty dress, my every day gold earrings and brush my teeth and hair, I immediately feel like I can take on my day in a whole new perspective and joy. I do not believe that our family should mainly see the frumpy side of us, while everyone on the outside gets to see the put-together us.
What morning habits help you thrive in your day? I would love to know in the comments below! Your encouraging engagement in the comments strengthens me in my walk with God as He leads me in encouraging you to create a fruitful home. It also blesses those who may be craving sisterhood community and encouragement in homemaking. I would love for this to be a safe place filled with righteous conversation. Bye, friend!
