The first thing you do in the morning sets the stage for the entire day, whether you’re a young adult or an older adult. The proper morning routine can get your day off to a great start, while the wrong one can leave you feeling stressed and exhausted before lunchtime. Here are some tips on starting your day off right, no matter your age.
Quit Your Snooze Button
A series of quick and seemingly harmless morning snoozes might be doing your day more harm than good. First, each snooze session is 10 minutes long, meaning that with six snooze-button presses, you’ve already lost an hour out of your morning. Second, getting up in a rush leaves you feeling stressed and frantic—not precisely a productive workday state of mind. There’s no reason to break your routine—say goodbye to your snooze button and get up 15 minutes earlier to prepare yourself for a solid start.
Exercise and Move Your Body
Regular exercise gets your body in better shape and helps increase your energy levels and mood throughout your day. While you don’t have to become a fitness fanatic, moving around more will likely improve how you feel. Getting up 10 minutes earlier than usual is often enough time to squeeze in some exercise: simply doing yoga stretches or walking a few laps around your house can make a big difference. With that out of the way, you’ll feel much better equipped to face whatever comes your way throughout your day. You’ve probably heard that exercising early in the morning gives you an extra energy boost; while there’s no real scientific basis for that claim, exercise does certainly release endorphins which help put us in a good mood.
Get Straight to Work
You’ll find it’s much easier to get straight to work if you get your sleep and breakfast in order. Eating healthy every morning and getting eight hours of sleep a night are two things you can do to help wake up refreshed and ready to go. If you’re lacking in either of these areas, make them a priority for a few weeks until they become ingrained habits. Once that happens, push yourself out of bed earlier than you’d like so you feel productive right away.
Hydrate
You may think you’re awake enough to operate a motor vehicle and navigate your way through traffic, but that first cup of coffee is only just beginning to kick in. Drinking water instead of caffeine in the morning will help you feel more alert than if you’d filled up on caffeine alone. Stay away from milk (which contains carbs) for early-morning hydration. Then grab some protein—yogurt, nuts, or even a hardboiled egg—and some veggies and fruit for breakfast. These energy-packed foods will keep your blood sugar stable throughout your day and stave off cravings later.
Take a Cold Shower
A cold shower might seem intimidating, but it will have you feeling mentally and physically strong. If you’re tempted to take a hot shower first thing in the morning, think again.
Make Your Bed
It’s a small thing, but making your bed every morning has a significant impact. Making your bed forces you to take action on an otherwise mindless task, making your bedroom a far more pleasant place to be. Research shows that people who make their beds regularly are happier overall. By building a simple ritual into your morning routine, you’re giving yourself a sense of accomplishment that carries over into other aspects of your day—it’s a great way to start on the right foot!
