The foundation of a happy and healthy lifestyle starts with a positive morning routine. Here are some morning routines you can set in place for yourself, which help your productivity and keep you in a positive state of mind. These tips are super simple and easy, yet you‘ll be surprised how these little changes to your morning routine can set you up for a more peaceful start to your day.
Wake up earlier, avoid hitting snooze
Avoid hitting the snooze button – it‘s a slippery slope, end of story. Instead of leisurely lying around in the morning, get out of bed right when you wake up. I know it‘s easier said than done, but once you get in the habit of it, you‘ll see the productive benefits payoff. Getting up earlier will also give you some extra time to let yourself wake up instead of quickly rushing around for work. If this seems hard for you start off slow; each day get up 15 minutes earlier until your body gets used to waking up at that time. Another great advice is to keep your cell phone out of reach (and definitely not in your bed) – this will stop you from reaching for your phone first thing in the morning. Changing your alarm tone to a more peaceful song can also prevent your day to start on a hectic note, try it out.
Cold water face wash
Wash your face with cold water every morning when you first wake up, even before you have your first sip of coffee, to wake up your mind and body. It gives you a boost of energy, so you can start your day alert, and it also gives your skin a nice base glow.
Sip lemon water, and take your vitamins
Drinking warm lemon water on an empty stomach has many health benefits. It is thought to rehydrate your body, wake up your mind, boost your immunity, and flush out any toxins. And if you haven‘t had a check up on your blood levels for a while, this is your sign. You would be surprised what a difference it will make to your overall wellbeing.
Embrace natural light as your alarm clock
Try to sleep with your blinds open, allowing the sunlight to naturally wake you up. It is so important for our mind and body that the first light we see is the sunlight, and not the blue light from our phones. If you can‘t sleep with your blinds open, try to draw your curtains back and let the natural light in first thing in the morning – not only does it make you feel more awake, but it also gives you a sense of happiness to see the house or flat so bright.
Write a to-do list
Start off your day with a list of things that you want to get done that day. Making these obtainable goals helps you to clear your mind and allows you to have a much more productive day, and it‘s totally up to you if you want to write your list before you go to bed at night, or in the morning. Try out planning each day and see what a difference it makes!
Exercising in the a.m.
Schedule a morning workout and encourage yourself to show up and sweat it out. Exercising in the a.m. increases your energy and improves your productivity for the day. Now this will depend on your routine but honestly anyone can find twenty minutes to go for a walk, or do a quick home workout. Remember, exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy – to some it‘s a form of meditation or therapy. Try to listen to your body to figure out what type of workout you need.
Have breakfast ready to go
Having ready-made healthy meals and snacks available will have a huge benefit for your health, and your overall wellbeing. It saves you so much time in the morning, and you will be less likely to reach for less nutritious foods. Overnight oats, or chia pudding are perfect options because you can prep them the night before, and you can just eat them right out of the container the next morning (no heating or further preparations needed). If you want to have a morning smoothie, you can pre-chop all of your ingredients and freeze them, so they are ready to be chucked into the blender. These small changes save you a lot of time in the long run.
Just remember not ALL of these morning routines will work or suit your lifestyle, but you can alter these to suit you.