10 Ways to Boost Your Morning Routine and Start Your Day Right
When it comes to looking after yourself and prioritising your health, a lot of that health and wellness comes from the quality of your morning routine. Some people tend to rush their mornings with a need to be out of the door and ready for the commute to work.
Others will find themselves preoccupied with getting the kids ready for school or for the day ahead if they’re still at home.
Simple ways to boost your morning routine can make a big difference to your state of mind, as well as ensure you start the day right. With that being said, here are ten ways to boost your morning routine and start your day right every day.
Wake up earlier
First and foremost, be sure to wake up earlier if you’re looking to make the most of the morning. This can be helpful if you currently sleep in until the last minute when you have to roll out of bed and jump in the shower before going to work. For some, it’s the very last minute before they grab their laptop and log in from home.
Waking up earlier will help give you some more time to start your day off the way you’d like it to. It can also be helpful to have a quiet beginning that isn’t interrupted by screaming toddlers or demands from your teenage children.
Whether it’s waking up half an hour or two hours earlier than planned, you’ll find you have a lot more of the morning to play with before the rest of the day begins.
Prioritise a healthy and hearty breakfast
Breakfast is by far the most important meal of the day. Your body has been resting – hopefully – for several hours and so it’s empty and in need of energy. Avoiding breakfast or simply having something that’s not hearty enough to fuel your body, is going to put you at a disadvantage for the rest of the day ahead.
Prioritising a healthy and hearty breakfast will make a big difference to how you feel but will also ensure you are ready to start your day with enough fuel in your belly. While you should eat what you want to eat, you should also think about foods that are healthy for your body but also great for your brain.
Find foods that you love but will offer some great benefits for your vital organs and the body in general. Don’t forget to brew your Arabica coffee alongside your breakfast so that you have an energised start to your day.
Have a bottle of water by your bedside table to drink straight away
When you’ve been sleeping for several hours, your body is likely empty of all its fuel, and that includes water. Often enough, you’ll feel a lot more energetic when you have more water in your body in the morning when you wake up.
Ideally, having a bottle of water by your bedside table is the best way to get hydrated and feel ready to start the day. Despite it not tasting of anything or having any calories, water can be a great way to put that spring in your step, as well as keep you cool when you’ve perhaps been a little warm in the night.
You should carry on this attitude to water by consuming a litre or two at most per day. This could be increased if you’re working out too as your body loses water fast.
Make your bed
Making your bed is a great way to start the day because it helps set you up for everything that’s ahead of you. Simply drawing back your curtains and making your bed can make a big difference to how you feel and the visual appearance of a made bed and drawn bag curtains or blinds can awaken your senses.
When making your bed, make sure you’re arranging and fixing any bottom sheets that might have come away in the night and ensure all your pillows and duvet are still tucked securely into the pillow and duvet covers. You want to leave your bedroom in a tidy and clean manner. That will then hopefully translate to how you feel when you start your day.
Avoid hitting the snooze button on your alarm
One of the classic mistakes that people make when it comes to sabotaging their morning routines is hitting the snooze button on their alarm. There’s nothing worse than waking yourself up and then snoozing, to just repeat the cycle several times. Your body is going to likely feel more tired as a result of doing that than if you got up on your first alarm.
With that being said, avoid hitting the snooze button on your alarm. If you do have a habit of doing this, then it might be worth moving your alarm away from your bedside table or within reach. That way, you have to physically get out of bed in order to turn it off. You’re more likely to wake up and be awake.
Meditate or do some exercise
Meditation is a great way to get your mind in the right place and to unpack any thoughts or feelings in a silent setting for five or ten minutes. Meditation in the morning is the best time to do meditation because it’s often when your surroundings are most common – particularly before anyone gets up.
Other than meditation, you might be someone who prefers to do exercise over sitting still. That might be more your kind of meditation and relaxation. Think about what exercises or workouts you could do that will get the heart pumping and get you ready for the day ahead.
Avoid screen time until after breakfast
Avoiding screen time is important when you’re trying to start your day off. It’s a habit that many people have where they’ll check their phones as soon as they wake up. It’s like checking the morning papers but through social media.
While you might not be able to avoid it sometimes for work necessities or just to check on any pending news you’re waiting for, try to avoid screen time until after breakfast.
By avoiding screen time until after breakfast, you give yourself and your brain that time away from the social media buzz and the bright blue light that comes from phones. That blue light can cause havoc on your brain and wires you in a way that might make it difficult to focus. Try to avoid it where you can until you’ve completed your breakfast routine.
Make a to-do list
A to-do list is helpful to have so that you can prioritise what needs doing and have a clear structure of how your day looks. Some tasks on your to-do list might be the same thing that you do every day. However, it’s important you put them on your list regardless. There’s nothing more satisfying after all, than checking them off and getting closer to completing the list as a whole.
Think about your to-do list and make sure you set one that’s not too overwhelming or unachievable. Otherwise, that will hinder the amount of satisfaction you get from the day you’ve planned out.
Try to limit the amount of things you put on your list. Try to set a limit of five or ten at most. Any more than that and you’re probably going to sabotage your efforts as a result.
Have a long shower or bath
The mornings can be a slow period of time in a day that usually goes quickly in general. Therefore, when you’re hitting the shower or taking a bath, try to enjoy the process and take your time. Have a routine within your bath or shower where you slowly apply all the lotions and potions to your skin.
A long bath or shower can open up your pores and is helpful when you then go on to do your skincare routine or apply your makeup. It’s just another little self-care moment that can make a difference to how you feel when you head into the day.
For bathtub time, add a bit of bubble bath and really indulge in a bit of luxury. It can make a big difference in relaxing your mind and helping ebb away any stressful thoughts that you might have about the day ahead.
Compliment yourself in the mirror
Finally, and probably most importantly, you want to start off the day with the best mindset possible. With that being said, think about what you could say to yourself in the mirror in the form of a compliment. A compliment is a great way to give yourself a pat on the back and that motivation you need to feel good about the day you’re going to have.
Boosting your morning routine is key, so follow these tips to make your mornings some of the best you’ll have and to ensure a successful day ahead is made possible.
This is a collaborative post.
