Don’t Hit The Snooze Button Just Yet
While it’s tempting to hit snooze and sneak a little more slumber in the morning, believe us, having a good morning routine is more beneficial than getting a few extra minutes of sleep.
Why Is It Important to Have a Set Morning Routine?
Waking up to a flurry of tasks and responsibilities tends to be most of our mornings. Having kids or pets, morning chores, early meetings and so on can leave you rattled and tired before the day even begins. That’s why it’s important to establish a morning routine.
How you start your morning will set the tone for the rest of your day. A healthy morning routine will give you more energy, boost your productivity, combat stress and depression, and much more! As a result, these self-care habits can put you in a better mindset and prepare you for anything your day throws at you.
What Should Be In Your Routine
Set Enough Time for Your Morning Routine
Give yourself enough time for self-care in the morning! The first thing you can do to start your day right is adjusting your sleep schedule, so you can have enough time in the morning to do your routine without derailing your responsibilities. For example, if you start getting ready for work at 7 am, you can wake up at 6:15 to squeeze in your morning routine. Just make sure that you’re also adjusting your bedtime. Being sleep-deprived can deplete you fast, leaving you tired for most of the day. Experts suggest sleeping for at least 7 hours for optimal health.
Set a Melodious Alarm
Who would have thought that waking up early without grogginess could be achieved with a subtle, more melodic alarm? Waking up to a gentle and pleasant alarm, like a song, an instrumental tune or the sounds of nature, will wake you up gently instead of jarring you abruptly from your peaceful sleep. Studies also show your preferred music can help reduce grogginess after napping. So set a gradual, melodious alarm tone instead of your old-fashioned buzzer alarm clock.
Stay Away From Your Phone
How many minutes do you spend lying in your bed and scrolling through your phone in the morning? Unfortunately, many of us spend our first waking moments on our phones. This bad habit not only wastes your precious time but can also build stress immediately. It makes you mindlessly read news and updates, which may feel purposeful, but actually detracts from your productivity. So, before you reach for your phone, take a deep breath and start your morning routine.
Make Your Bed
Making your bed every morning sets a precedent of taking responsibility and committing to your tasks. This simple activity, which keeps your room comfortable and tidy, demonstrates your ability to follow through with any job. In addition, it makes you feel a little accomplished, completing a task early in the morning. Tidying up your space also helps you clear your mind, allowing you to think and focus better.
Hydrate With Water
Considering that our bodies are up to 60% water, hydration is essential for our health. It helps our bodies digest food, absorb nutrients and get rid of waste products. Hydrating with a glass of water as soon as you wake up will not only help you rehydrate but can also jump-start your metabolism. In fact, research has shown that drinking water first thing in the morning can boost your metabolic rate up to 30%!
Stretch Your Whole Body
Our bodies crave movement after lying idle for so long while we sleep. That’s why we instinctively stretch out as soon as we wake up. But rather than a quick stretch in bed, why not be more productive with full-body stretch. This way, you’ll warm up your body before you move on to your daily activities. You can even get more benefits if you pair it with exercise. For example, you can try yoga, pilates or a 10-minute body-weight workout to get your blood flowing.
Start your days with a few minutes of mindfulness meditation, and you’ll have your days set for success. Set a timer at a comfortable length, even as short as 5 minutes, and sit quietly. Take a deep breath, hold for a few seconds and release. This can give you a clean slate by clearing your mind of stress and negative thoughts. You can also recite or write down positive affirmations or mantras to remind you of your strength and build confidence for tackling your day.
Are you ready to start having healthy, productive mornings? Wake up to the best mornings possible and live better days by establishing a good morning routine. Life can be hectic, but we can always make time for ourselves. And a solid morning routine is definitely worth the time and effort.