Morning Routine for Christians and the Non-Huberman
I recently looked up Andrew Huberman’s morning routine, because not only is he the most talked about “neuroscience expert” due to his scintillating Youtube videos and verbose podcasts, but his morning routine is espoused by many to optimize your day. I found similarities between his morning routine and mine, with some key differences.
Mornings are hard. Especially if you’re not a morning person. But is there really such thing as “morning person” and “night owl”? Sure, our biological clocks run a huge part of our lives, and our physiology and biochemistry affect our productivity and routines. But for Christians, “with God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26).
I believe that the choices you make along with guidance from the Holy Spirit and Jesus can change your life, or in this case, your morning for the better. In Psalms, King David praises: “Let the morning bring word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” (Psalms 143:8)
I’m not a Youtuber, and I don’t have clips of my mornings where I drink oat-milk matcha lattes and eat avocado eggs toast and meditate. But I do have a firm morning schedule, which I’d like to share, to inspire Christians or aspiring Christians.
Like Huberman, I believe in waking up early, morning exercise, journaling, and making daily goals/to-do lists. But unlike Huberman, I believe in incorporating praise, prayer, repentance, and Bible study in the mornings. Sometimes there isn’t enough time to read a whole chapter in the Bible, but opening up the Bible at least a crack is enough to fuel my mornings.
To be completely transparent about my morning schedule, which lasts at most 2 hours, here it is:
Wake up by 7am. It doesn’t matter if I go to sleep at 12am or 3am, I have to wake up and get up by 7am. Not only is 7 a lucky number in Christianity but it’s just a good time.
Maintenance. This involves skincare, makeup, brushing teeth, flossing, and showering.
Running. I have to exercise in the mornings. Right now I go running 2-3 miles in my neighborhood (not necessarily every day, but at least half of the weekdays), which is sometimes a nuisance because I live in a school-district and there are always a ton of kids and parents strolling down the sidewalks where I live. I could probably get around this by waking up earlier, but I don’t really mind the bustle of the mornings. Sometimes I have to duck or else get hit by a car as I cross the streets. Running is a non-negotiable though. National health guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of exercise a week for adults, and running’s a really great way of meeting that goal. I’m a REALLY slow runner, so already more than 30 minutes is spent running by the time I get home.
Some other form of exercise. If I can’t run, I do some form of barbell lifting, yoga, or Pilates.
Mindfulness meditation. At least 5 minutes. It prevents racing thoughts, anxiety, and has a ton of benefits such as boosting intuition, creativity, memory, and coordination (look at the research on Pubmed). I don’t associate meditation or yoga to Buddhism at all, and I definitely don’t do it to “worship” “Buddha” so it’s completely safe for Christians.
Meditation on the Word. As long as it takes for you to gain insight and guidance from the Holy Spirit on your day, life, etc.
Praise and prayer. I go to Psalms to praise the Lord, and I also use a daily prayer book that I reference in my praise and prayers. I pray for my day ahead as well as for other Christians, to bless them in THEIR days ahead. If I caught in traps of unforgiveness, I bless them even more fervently.
Repentance. I do a TON of repentance. This is an essential part of soul care and spiritual healing. I used to go to Sacrament of Penance when I didn’t have a job for spiritual reconciliation, but now I rely on repenting at home and on Sundays at church.
Bible study. Read a verse or two. Memorize a verse or two. Annotate it and remember it. Build on that collection of verses you can reference whenever you need to pray for yourself, for someone else, or if you need help from God.
Journaling. Journal everything Holy Spirit tells you. Dispel some strongholds by turning to the book of John. At least 1 sentence is enough to compound your journaling habit in years to come.
Make a Day List -- This took a while, as it was and still is a completely iterative process, but currently I make a checklist of everything I should do during that day. And I mean EVERYTHING from habits to maintenance to meals and to do items and work items and appointments. I type up a 1-sheet doc on Word and print it out, and carry it around with me and have it front of me on my desk or in my bag and person. And then I cross things out. Keeps you grounded and on top of things.
Eat breakfast. Enough said.
Hope this post helps. The title of this post might be a bit controversial, but I've had some grief and beef over Huberman for a while now, and this is what manifested. Huberman, if you're reading this, no offense. I'm actually Christian (Catholic), this is my religion. :D
