4 Tips for Creating Your Best Morning Routine
A morning routine is supposed to prepare you what’s to come for the day ahead. When you don’t have the best morning routine or it gets messed up, then it’s hard to recover later. However, when you get it right, your stress levels are lowered from the start, you can be more productive, and you will feel more in charge of your life.
Accordingly, here are 4 tips to create an upgraded morning routine that you can rely on.
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Get Enough Sleep
To get sufficient sleep, it’s necessary to set a hard stop. A hard stop is when you’ll finish your day (whatever you’re doing) and go to bed. When you do this, you ensure that 7-8 hours of sleep is at least possible! When burning the midnight oil or going to bed at an inconsistent time, it’s impossible for your body to get a good sleep routine going.
Once you’re in bed at the right hour (early is better than later), then set an alarm reminder for 8 hours later. It’s quite normal for your body to get used to the set time and wake you up on its own before the alarm. However, if you wake up early, try to sleep some more to start the day well-rested.
What Are You Grateful For?
It’s helpful to think about what you’re grateful for. This centers the mind and prevents you from not appreciating what you already have.
Whether it’s being thankful for the outdoors, an appreciation of the arts, your close family, or good health, find something to be happy about and let your mind wander over this subject. It will help you shake off the cobwebs and feel uplifted even while you’re still trying to wake up.
1. Get Your Nutrition Right
If you’re fitting in exercise in the early morning before work, then you may prefer to work out first and eat second. However, for the people who hit the gym after work, they don’t have to worry about that.
When nutrition comes first, then treat yourself right. Your body wakes up and you’re usually dehydrated because you haven’t had any water for the last 8+ hours. Drinking a glass of still water will ensure that you’re properly hydrated to begin the day.
Once you’ve had some fluids, sort out a nutritious breakfast. This can be a bowl of muesli, some cereal, some fruit, or something else. Try to get a blend of fiber, carbs and proteins in the mix.
If you’re a coffee lover, keep your consumption in the mornings. This is because the caffeine can stay in your system for 5 or more hours, so any cups consumed after this can interfere with your sleep pattern. If you really can’t do without, why not switch to decaf? If you have a Nespresso machine, the decaf coffee pods are surprisingly delicious!
2. Do Some Light Stretching
Even if you aren’t into exercising in the morning, it’s a good idea to take 15 minutes to do some light stretching on a yoga mat before your morning commute. Listen to some calming mediation music on your smartphone to completely isolate yourself from the world for the next quarter of an hour. This will provide a mini break before your day gets busy or even hectic later.
With the tension from the previous day and lack of activity overnight, stretching creates a state of mental arousal that makes you feel more awake. It also avoids physical injuries because you’ll move through your day without your muscles, tendons or ligaments being so tight from the previous day’s activities.
Once you’ve completed a successful morning routine, you’re now ready to face the day! This time for yourself at the start of your day sets the stage for what’s to come. Don’t neglect it, or yourself.