Happy New Year! Before I dive into today’s post, I want to thank so many of you for all of your support on my 2015 summary post. Although I haven’t had a chance to respond to the comments yet, I appreciate your support, kind words and ability to relate to my frustrations from the past year were so incredibly helpful. Thank you so much!
Along those same lines, I will be trying some different kinds of content to see what resonates best with you. I love cooking and sharing recipes, so there will definitely still be some recipes coming your way, but that’s not all I want to share. And looking at last year’s stats and readership, I’m starting to think you want more content variety as well.
In the spirit of working towards better health for the new year, I wanted to talk about something that helped transform my mindset when I started my personal fitness journey – adopting healthy morning habits.
I firmly believe starting your day on a healthy note is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Below are five of my favorite tips for having a healthy morning worth waking up for.
Prep for the day ahead
The best way to have a relaxing morning, is to minimize the amount of tasks you have to complete in the early AM. Have your clothes, workout gear and meals (or at least breakfast) prepared for the upcoming day so they are less things you have to worry about in the morning. Plus, if you have a healthy breakfast prepped and ready to eat in the morning, you’re less likely to reach for any old sugary pastry lying around the office.
Set a motivating alarm
No one loves hearing the alarm go off in the morning, but there is nothing worse than the annoyingly loud blaring, cell phone alarm. Instead of the standard ring, set your alarm to a more soothing ringtone, or even an energizing or motivating song. Hearing something pleasant first thing in the morning will make waking up a little easier, and you won’t want to chuck your phone across the room 😉
Also, re-evaluate the time you set for your alarm. If you find yourself continuously snoozing for an hour each morning, yet you still make it to work on time, consider setting your alarm later. Getting an extra solid 30 minutes or hour of sleep is much more satisfying than hitting snooze every nine minutes for an hour. Be realistic with yourself about how much time you really need in the morning, and set your alarm a little later if you need to.
Establish a routine worth getting out of bed for
Having a solid routine makes all the difference in the morning, and helps you feel more calm and ready to handle the day ahead. Even if you include just five minutes of upbeat music, meditation or journaling in the morning, incorporate something into your routine that helps wake up your mind and empowers you to take on the day. When you don’t feel rushed or like a zombie, you are far more likely to make healthy choices throughout the day.
Hydrate
I can’t say it enough – hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I love starting the morning with a warm mug of lemon water before my coffee. I swear, it’s a total game-changer for improving energy and digestion. If you can’t get with warm lemon water (please try it before writing it off though!), start your day with decaf tea or just plain old cold water. Hydrate before you have anything caffeinated to fight off fatigue and dehydration. For extra credit: have a water bottle prepped the night waiting for you in the fridge so you can just grab it and drink up.
Get your heart rate up
I’m sure you already saw this one coming, but I can’t stress it enough. Working out in the morning before the rest of the day gets in the way is the best way to stick to a consistent workout schedule. When I first started getting serious about fitness after college, I had a hard time really sticking to any solid routine until I started going to the gym before work. I was inspired by my roommate who would often get up and out the door for 5:30 am spin and Bodypump classes (yeah, she’s a badass). I started joining her for her early morning workouts and have sworn by am workouts ever since.
If getting to the gym for a full-on sweat fest still doesn’t work for you, that’s totally fine. Even if you do just 5-10 minutes of yoga and stretching, bodyweight exercises, pop in a workout DVD at home or simply foam roll, get your body moving first thing in the morning. You’ll notice you have more energy and focus throughout the day.
I hope you enjoyed these tips for a healthier morning! I would love to hear some of your tips for starting your day off on the right foot in the comments below.
Your Turn:
- Are you a morning person?
- What are some of your tips to get moving in the morning?
- What other wellness posts would you like to see?
Always prep as much as you can! I always have my clothes, etc. set out! And I get up super early just so RIGHT when I hope out of bed I can get in my workout! Life changing and I’ve been doing it that way for years now!
Yes to all of this! Preparation is key
Could not agree more with these habits! Once I set many of these habits myself in the morning, I learned how much I love the morning time. Having a routine that I love each morning is certainly what gets me up and out of bed rather than snoozing for hours.
Exactly! I totally agree it is all about having a routine you look forward to in the morning.
I am a….mid-morning person haha. It’s hard for me to get up for my 6AM clients, but I don’t mind getting up at 6:30, 7, or 8. Is that mid-morning?
Oh girl, anything before 9 is early in my book so you’re totally good!
I am not a morning – I have such a hard time waking up! I use a wake-up light which I find does help.
That’s such a good idea! Waking up can be really hard, especially this time of year when it is dark and gloomy.
Since I always have to be up early due to gymnastics, these tips will def come in handy! I am going to start setting a motivational alarm!
Let me know what kind you set! I’m always looking for good ones to switch it up 🙂
Great tips! I really ought to try the warm lemon water thing before coffee! I will typically drink my coffee while I am getting ready, so maybe I should switch to lemon water then drink my coffee during my commute. Generally speaking, yes I am absolutely a morning person. But during the winter months I find it that much harder to workout in the am before work. I leave for work at 7am, so that means I would need to workout starting at 5:30am at the latest. EEK. Haven’t been able to do that yet. Last year at this time I was doing GRIT classes at 6am and I really did feel AMAZING all day. I need to try to get back to that.
Let me know if you try the warm lemon water! I am always trying to convert people..hehehe. And the winter morning workout struggle is real. Just do what you can! <3
YES for working out in the morning! It is by far the best thing that starts my day (even though it’s SO hard). I am going to start doing the lemon water thing. I immediately reach for coffee but then feel kind of jittery and bleh afterwards. I never used to be an early riser until I had my son. Now it’s 6am on the dot! Every.single.day…
haha i SERIOUSLYYY need a better alarm for sure. i hate my alarm so much. although since i have adopted a cat, he has become our stand in alarm, and hes much nicer to wake up to!
Awww, that would be such a sweet alarm!
I’m pretty sure we have the same exact style…I’m obsessed with gold at the moment too and was actually looking for DIYs to make coasters like the one in your picture! I’ve literally been spray painting EVERYTHING in my “home office”!
And fantastic tips! I need to get a more inspirational alarm! lol
Oh my gosh i have been spray paint obsessed too! I just redecorated my room and have been painting everything gold 🙂 I found the coasters at Target, but I saw a similar tutorial on Sugar and Cloth!