This means more days spent outside reading books, more days riding bicycles, more days having picnics and it also means some spring cleaning at home and time for fresh starts. I love Spring!

(minus the pesky, always seemingly grumpy magpies). 

Because today is Motivational Monday I thought I would motivate you all to a fresh spring start! There are two parts of the year that I get all organised and start fresh. New Years and Spring time! At the moment I have been working  on a new morning routine to get me up early and get into gear for a productive day. So far it has been working so I wanted to share my routine with you and see if I can help you all get as motivated as you can. I always make sure that I do as much prep work for meals, packing my bag and planning my next day before I go to bed at night so that my mornings are as organised and stress free as possible (more on my organised night routine and food prepping later)

My Morning Routine

• 6 am starts. I always make sure that my alarm goes off at 5.30am and 5.45am so that I can get out of bed by 6am and start my day. I used to not be a morning person but I find that getting up early makes my day not only smoother but it feels like i'm not wasting my day and can fit more things in. 
•  Brushing my teeth. Getting this one out of the way first thing gives my mouth a burst of wake up mintyness and makes me feel fresh. 
•  Vitamins and Lemon Water.
  I always take my Iron supplement and any other multivitamins I think I need with my glass of lemon water just so it is a habit. It always makes me feel special knowing that I have taken this simple step for my health :P Lemon water is great for your immune system and helps aids digestion so I always like to kick start my day with a glass (it's also great for your skin).
• Workout.If it is a day where I don't have time to go to the gym I do this quick and easy workout at home before I finish getting ready:
  
• Otherwise I just like to do some stretches/yoga or go for a nice walk around the block if the weather is nice. But most of the time I get to the gym or workout after work. So this step is sometimes done and sometimes not. I do think stretching in the morning is super relaxing though so if you have time, get stretching!
• Shower Time.I love having showers first thing in the morning because the warm water wakes you up in a relaxing way and you can kick start your morning feeling fresh and smelling lovely. I use Lush's - 'Honey I Washed the Kids' Shower Gel in the mornings as I love the smell and it leaves my skin feeling soft. I follow up with my Little Bird - Organic Moisturising Butter which I am in LOVE with.
• Get Dressed.You don't wanna leave the house without doing this step :P
• Healthy Breakfast This is the most important part of my morning routine! A healthy breakfast is a must have to kick start your day. I never skip brekky. Even if I am in a rush I will always have some healthy grab and go options for the week (which I prep on Sundays) ready to go. Most days I have overnight muesli ready to go which I just add some granola or greek yoghurt to but if I have the day off work or I have extra time I cook a yummy omelette or my favourite big brekky with spincah, eggs, mushrooms, bacon and avocado.....yum! 
• Make Up and HairWhen i'm working I tend to wear makeup so I look slightly respectable. This takes some time haha so I spend about half hour in the bathroom doing my face and hair. For the days i'm not working I just clean my face and throw on some moisturiser. The less makeup you can use the better in my opinion so I don't always wear it. I like my skin to have the least amount of products on it as possible. Something I learned from my Mum who used to say it was the secret to looking younger than you are :P and so far it is working a treat!
• Coffee Time! I love my cup of coffee in the morning. I try to stick to just the one cup of coffee for the day but I like to have it as late in the morning as possible because I don't like relying on it to wake me up. I used to rely on it constantly and if I woke up with a coffee my body would just use it as a replacement for breakfast which I have learned is not a good thing. So I now have it later in the morning and find that most mornings I don't even need it but if I do I just have the one NO more than that. 
• Quick household chores
  The more you can get done in the morning the better. I like to pack away any clean and dry dishes away as well as put a load of washing on if I can or pack a load away whichever needs doing. Then when I get home i'm not so stressed. If I need to grab anything out the freezer for dinner I do this now or if I need to season meat etc. Also if I have a few minutes I pay any bills that need doing and check my diary one last time to make sure i'm not forgetting anything.
• Grabbing my lunch and heading out the door. My lunches I tend to prep the night before so I just grab and go. If i'm not working that day I normally spend this time doing housework or blogging etc.
  
  
  If you can have a morning routine it really does make the days run so much smoother! So if you don't have one I highly recommend it. Morning routines really kick start your day and make them so much more productive and your body will thank you for it!!
  
  Stay Happy and Healthy
  Liane xx