The high-five, however, was another story. By nature, I’m quite cynical about exercises like this. When my yoga instructor tells us to give ourselves a pat on the back, I avoid it and internally cringe – chalk it up to being British. But I persisted. While it felt silly at first, I didn’t completely hate it. It’s much healthier than my usual morning mirror routine, which consists of zooming in on any new spots or imperfections. Over the days, I found that doing the high-five after brushing my teeth felt more natural, and I began pairing it with the sense of accomplishment I felt from the bed-making. While small, it made a difference in how I started my mornings.
Courtesy of Chloe Laws
Courtesy of Chloe Laws
Courtesy of Chloe Laws
Drinking water before anything else wasn’t a challenge for me personally – I always wake up parched and down a pint before doing anything else. What was difficult, however, was resisting the urge to have coffee straight away, especially before exercising.
That said, getting outside within minutes of waking up was, hands down, the best part of this experiment. I hadn’t realised how many days I’d spent indoors until my lunch break at 1pm. Working from home most of the time, it’s easy to stay inside all morning. Stepping outside and soaking up some morning light was an instant dopamine boost, as was exercising before even glancing at my emails or texts. It’s something I’ll definitely be keeping in my routine moving forward.
A realistic approach
Not every part of the routine was completely realistic for me. As a journalist, my work revolves around the news, so waking up and not immediately checking it wasn’t just a challenge – it was impractical. I had to modify that rule to suit my job. And while I loved the sense of accomplishment that came with making my bed, I couldn’t justify kicking my partner out of it every morning.
Ultimately, viral routines like this have to work for you. A modified version is better than abandoning it entirely. Going forward, I’ll stick to most of Mel’s steps – especially getting outside and exercising early – but I’ll skip the guilt over checking my phone for work.
For anyone looking to shake up their mornings without committing to something extreme, Mel’s routine is a practical and gentle place to start. Just don’t feel bad if you need to tweak it to fit your life. After all, the best routines are the ones that actually work for you.
