3 Morning Habits to Boost Your Day

I honestly believe that how you start your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day.

Everyone is different and different things work for different people. But below are 3 general tips which I find to be the most beneficial across the board.

Routines are seriously under rated. If you have a routine it removes the question of whether or not you’re going to do something, because it just happens. So developing a morning routine which you do purposefully each morning will allow your health to become a byproduct of the way you live. It won’t be something that hovers over you like a dark cloud, reminding you that you can be doing better. It will just simply be, you.

Exercise

I am not the first person to say this, nor will I be the last, but getting your exercise done in the morning has so many health benefits its ridiculous.

Exercise boosts your circulation, mood, stimulates digestion, stimulates detoxification in the body as well as boosting muscle mass, increasing bone density, lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease and increases insulin sensitivity- reducing the risk of developing diabetes. So to sum up, exercise does so many different things within the body that there really isn’t any substitute.

Apart form the physical benefits of exercise there is nothing more motivating then starting the day with a sweat, so put your clothes out the night before, set your alarm half an hour earlier and choose your activity- gym, run, yoga, exercise class…whatever it is that gets you excited to get out of bed and read to take on the day.

Low sugar, high protein food.

What you have for breakfast will set the tone for your taste buds for the rest of the day. If you are having something sweet, then you will be looking for sweet foods all day. If you start the day with with plenty of protein, low to no sugar and plenty of fibre, then you appetite will be more stable throughout the day.

You may not think that you’re having a sugary breakfast, but if you are having refined foods like cereals or toast and condiments, then chances are you are starting your morning with upward of 4 teaspoons of sugar. You would be much better to make something like a porridge, add a teaspoon of honey and have some fresh fruit on top with a dollop of yogurt then to have those 2 bits of toast with jam or that ‘healthy’ breakfast cereal that actually has sugar as the second ingredient on the ingredient list.

Mindfullness

Mindfulness comes in many different forms. And can mean different things to different people.

In this day and age, our mobile phones are such a big part of our lives. Many people wake up and the first thing they do is check their phones and are pulled into work or just the constant comparison of other peoples lives.

Having some time to yourself in the morning is so important for helping the stress levels, for allowing you to have some perspective on life and even just to define your time between home and work, because in this fast paced life it is easy to feel like we live in the office sometimes.

Mindfulness can be in the form of meditation, journaling, reflection focussed on gratitude, yoga, walking…the list goes on. And it doesn’t have to be for long, even just starting with 5 minutes a morning, it can have profound effect.