Three morning rituals of a fitness expert

In this blog post, fitness expert, Liz Costigan of the Positive Fitness Project shares with us her top three morning rituals to start her day on the right note. Liz is a qualified yoga teacher, fitness trainer and wellness advocate based in Dublin. She is founder of Positive Fitness Project, a place for everyone to learn how to feel better and get healthy by listening to their body, exercising their body and mind regularly and enjoying nutritious and tasty food. Liz believes in embracing our imperfections, loving ourselves for who we are and by doing this living our best most authentic lives.

I guess my top three tips for starting your day on the right note change depending on the time of year. What I do in summer and winter are somewhat different – those cold, dreary November mornings aren’t always the easiest to face at 5.45am! Yep, I get up early most days and I find when I do I feel great – it takes a good 15 mins for that feeling to arrive but I promise it does! Sometimes I am working first thing but mostly I get up early to get my own training / yoga practice in.

I like to workout first thing. I know this isn’t possible for everyone but getting up 20/30 mins earlier than usual and doing some sort of movement helps to set your day up so so well. Some mornings I roll over for a cosy lie on and I have to be honest, most of the time I regret when I do. When I work out or practice yoga first thing I feel like my day is more energetic, I feel more positive and it also encourages me to make better choices. I also feel that I am making the most out of the day by getting up early. When you work out in the morning it means you have your evenings for yourself and/or your family. I try to have at least one lie on a week, I need this. No alarm, no morning to do list. Bliss!

One thing that is constant or as constant as I can because I’m human, is my ginger shot in the morning. This is something I discovered about 5 years ago and I can truly say it has been a wonderful introduction to my diet. I used to have a lot of digestive issues and I also suffer with poor circulation. While the latter is still a bit of an issue the introduction of my Juicespresso has helped significantly. I juice a large golden delicious apple and a humongous chunk of ginger for two; how much ginger we can cope with is a constant competition between my husband and I! I feel the shot gives me a good kick first thing. It definitely makes me feel warmer and helps my insides feel cleansed; sounds weird but that’s how it feels! I find it’s a good substitute for that first morning coffee. I love coffee, LOVE it. I don’t think coffee is bad for you but too much of anything isn’t good for you. So instead of having a coffee first thing I have the shot and then my first cup around 9.30am. If I start with a cuppa first thing I always end up drinking more throughout the day.

I never ever ever ever skip breakfast, never. It is my favourite meal of the day and I always make time for it. If I am stuck for time I’ll bring something with me - boiled eggs & avocado or some fruit, yoghurt nuts and seeds - and I’ll munch on the go. But more often than not I’ll get up earlier and make time for breakfast. I love eating my breakfast feeling relaxed - usually after my yoga practice or the gym - calm, connected and ready to take on the day.

And a bonus tip.... I have recently started to meditate first thing which is going well. Just a very short 5 min meditation while I am still in bed. I use the Buddhify app and I am hoping this will help me get up with ease during the darker, colder months ahead.

Thanks so much to Liz for sharing her morning routine with us.

Liz is available for one-to-one personal training for fitness and private yoga classes (including house calls), small group training, fitness classes, yoga classes, wellness retreats, corporate fitness programs and talks and fitness writing. She also runs Urban Wellness Retreats and Weekend Yoga Retreats. For more information, Liz's website is www.positivefitnessproject.com.

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