A Beginner’s Guide to Morning Movement
What should you know about morning movement? Why is it important?
No matter what kind of job you have, it is always a good idea to warm up your body before you begin your day. Even just a few neck rolls can prevent injury! As we get older, our bodies get stiffer and we don’t bounce back from bumps and scrapes like we did as kids.
So if you’ve ever turned your neck too quickly, pulled a muscle from doing the simplest of movements, or felt a nerve get pinched for apparently no reason - I think you can benefit from this quick guide to how to approach moving your body in the morning…
Athletes always warm up. They know better than to sprint or dive in a pool or throw something or jump on a horse without first warming up their bodies. A cold body + intense movement = injury.
For you car people, revving your engine up to the highest RPM as soon as you turn it on in the morning is NOT a good idea because the metal isn’t warm and the oil hasn’t fully lubricated the different parts yet and you can do some real damage.
So here is your first guideline: Warm-Up, Stretch, Go for It.
Need a practical example?
Do a few slow squats or take a short, brisk walk, next do a gentle toe touch and/or quad stretch and now you are ok to begin your workout or head out for your run.
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In the same line of thinking when it comes to doing exercises and especially stretches, know how to Respect Your Body’s Morning Limitations.
Our bodies have been lying more or less still and inactive for several hours and when we get up in the morning, we feel that through the stiffness or tension in some places. And those are usually good indicators of where we should spend some time stretching and/or strengthening.
Understanding that your flexibility right when you get up has nothing to do with your real flexibility is very important. Ok maybe not “nothing” but it can be very far from your actual ability to touch your toes or open your shoulders and taking the pressure off in the morning is a way to avoid injury.
When you realize that you don’t “feel” flexible this morning, put the ego in its backseat and let it pout while you instead accept where you are in this beautiful moment, knowing that after some movement through yoga or a nice walk and some stretches you will feel more mobile, warm, and ready to go deeper. Accept and move on.
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Maybe your next question is, what should I do in the morning? What’s the best type of movement to wake up my body? Should I walk, run, yoga, dance, or lift weights?
And that is a question that I would only trust YOUR body to answer. Which is why experimenting with different activities in the morning is so crucial because you will get to know your body better and realize what makes you feel the most alive or brings you the most joy.
I would also encourage you to mix it up sometimes. We usually end up sticking to one or two activities in the morning because we honestly don’t have time for more than that but it’s important to shake it up and keep your body guessing. It also gives yourself a healthy curiosity and keeps you from feeling like you’re in a rut. Be open to your body’s needs which means sometimes your body is going to crave a run or a brisk walk more than just your go-to feel good stretch routine. Listen to your body because it is your best teacher.
For me personally, yoga(asana)/pilates/stretching is my go-to in the morning but I also try taking a short walk sometimes. I also tried weight lifting in the morning and I found that some days it gave me more energy and other days it sapped all the energy I had for the day. So I suggest trying it all and relying on trial and error.
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Be on the lookout for the days when you need to go easy, when you can go hard, and when you should not do anything (or next to nothing). Mindfulness is key to knowing what intensity your body needs for the day.
If you aren’t sure one morning, take a moment to sit in a comfortable position and just tune in to how you’re feeling emotionally as well as physically. What does your energy level feel like today? Maybe begin with gentle movement and if it feels like too much, either do just a few simple stretches that don’t ask a lot of energy or go for a very short walk. It’s important to move, but it’s just as important to respect your body’s needs.
Sometimes we can feel emotionally drained in the morning because we were processing emotions during the night, but once we start moving the body it all kind of drains away and we find renewed physical and even mental energy for our movement practice.
But sometimes we are just really tired or really sore and the body needs a break. Warming it up is healthy but at a respectful intensity. You’ll know once you begin to move.
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What is the opposite of movement? Stillness, of course. And did you know that physical movement prepares the mind for stillness? It’s one of the main purposes of asana in yoga. To work out all the aches, stiffness, and tension that’s been built up in the body so that the body can stay still as the mind quiets down and focuses on dealing with inner tension and unprocessed feelings or thoughts.
Before your next morning movement session, try to sit still for one minute. No scratching, no stretching, no twitching. Just stillness. Notice what happens internally and externally. Then come back to that stillness practice AFTER your movement session. See the world of difference it makes. It doesn’t mean that it’s easy to sit still but it definitely makes the body more calm which can help your thoughts and that monkey brain to take a chill pill!
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As a special treat for you to explore on your own, here are my favorite morning movements:
Tree pose - because it helps me find balance in mind & body first thing
High lunge - it activates & stretches many different muscles
Vinyasa flow (downdog-plank-chaturanga-updog-downdog) - it gets the blood pumping and resets my spine, usually popping my lower back
Neck rolls - prevents injury or spraining from turning my head a weird way
Reverse warrior - usually pops my hips moving from warrior 2 to reverse warrior
Boat pose - more activation and stimulation, especially in the core!
Warrior 3 - builds leg strength & challenges balance at the same time!
You can try most of these in this video on my YouTube channel if you want to take just 20 minutes to move your body today!
And don’t forget I’m hosting a 7 day reset challenge that’s completely free if you’d like to join me every morning for just a few minutes to talk about one small action step you can take that will get you on the path to transforming your mornings and your life! Click here to sign up!
Happy movement!!!
