Your morning routine sets the tone for the rest of your day. A morning routine is the foundation for self-care practices. A healthy and focused morning routine ensures that you start your day properly. Every morning, we have a choice to make. It is up to us whether we’ll start the day hitting the snooze button as many times as possible and then rushing to get everything done on time, or we can make the healthy, low-stress, and conscious decision to incorporate healthy self-care methods into our morning routine. The latter is a much better choice for both physical and mental wellbeing. Creating a morning routine that feels structured helps us start our day off on the right foot. There are so many excellent ways to start the day. Here are seven morning routine habits to start your day right.
Make Your Bed
Even though making your bed is typically considered to be a chore, it’s a very easy way to start your day right. There are several reasons why making your bed helps you feel better. The first reason is that it makes your mind and your space feel less cluttered. The second reason is that it promotes good sleep hygiene. And, finally, making your bed has great psychological benefits.
William H. McRaven said, “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. And by the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.”
It is quite easy to underestimate the power of such a simple thing like making your bed, however the benefits are manifold. Consider giving it a try for a couple of weeks, and you just might recognize how powerful it is.
Drink Some Water
The importance of being properly hydrated are well known. Everyone should be drinking several glasses of water throughout the day. However, it is paramount to drink some water upon waking. Benefits of drinking water upon awakening include radiant skin, increased energy levels, reduction in aches and pains, and a boost in metabolism.
Some people prefer to keep a glass of water at their bedside table and then drink it immediately upon waking up in the morning, whereas others prefer to get some cold water from the refrigerator after waking up. Whichever you prefer, try to make sure that you drink some water in the morning. Not only is that a wonderful morning routine to have, it is also incredibly healthy.
Stretch
Often times, you hear about the importance of exercising in the morning. But, the fact of the matter is that if you don’t like exercising in the morning, nothing can convince you to do so. You don’t have to exercise vigorously in the morning though in order to reap benefits of moving your body.
Stretching your body gets your blood flowing and is a mindful way to start your day. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be a full-on yoga session. Stretching in any way that you feel comfortable helps you start your day off on the right foot. Stretching your body fully ensures that you are able to start your day in a calm way, while also getting ready for the full day ahead.
Journal
Taking a few minutes every morning to write down your thoughts and feelings is a great way to start the day. You don’t need to be a writer to spend some time writing every morning. Writing out how you’re feeling, both the good and bad, is a very powerful way to approach your innermost feelings. Benefits of journaling include lower stress levels, more creativity, organized thoughts, and lessened anxiety. While journaling during any time of day is fantastic, journaling in the morning is particularly beneficial because it encourages you to think mindfully about how you’re feeling and it starts your day in a more peaceful and organized manner.
Eat A High-Protein Breakfast
Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. Having a proper breakfast will help you feel energetic and ready to take on the day. Boxed cereals, though popular, aren’t a good breakfast choice. They contain many additives and are full of sugar. In order to feel both mentally and physically ready for the day, consider eating a high-protein breakfast.
Great high-protein breakfast options include black bean omelet, overnight oats, blueberry and nut parfait, egg muffins, Greek yogurt parfait, and avocado toast. Also, there are so many high-protein breakfast options that can be made the day before so you don’t even have to worry about making breakfast in the morning. That’s a win-win! However, if you still prefer eating cereal in the morning, find a whole grain cereal without unnecessary additives. Overall, the type of breakfast you eat sets the tone for how you’ll be feeling throughout the day, so pick your breakfast wisely!
Set Your Intentions
Setting intentions is the act of stating what you intend to accomplish through your actions, and it is serves a significant purpose in starting your day properly. When you are intentional about something, your focus is in the moment: who you are, what you do, and why you do it. Sure, you can go through your day without any intentions, however, that typically leads to feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and like you are just aimlessly wandering through the day. Setting your intentions in the morning is a powerful tool to boost your inner strength. Intentions are more than just wishful thinking, intentions are willful direction. By setting your intentions each morning, you gain a higher degree of focus on what you’d like to accomplish. Intentions act as a powerful reminder of the bigger perspective. Furthermore, intentions encourage introspection.
Do Something You Love
Finally, doing something you love is a surefire way to start your day off the right way. It is incredibly easy to get caught up in all the things that need to be done each morning. So, sometimes the best thing to do is just set aside time each morning to do something that makes you happy and brings you joy. There are many things that can be incorporated into your morning routine that are good for both mental and physical health. Nevertheless, occasionally, there is nothing better for our wellbeing than doing something that makes us cheerful. From painting and reading to going outside for a walk and knitting, there are so many good options. Basically, just find something that you find fun and allot some time each morning to do just that. The possibilities are endless.
Simply Shine Living 