Morning routine and exercise is a great healthy way to start your day, and as well it sets you up for the day ahead. How you start your day will determine the tone for the remainder of your day…
Have you noticed that on those mornings when your day starts in a frenzied rush and you find yourself skipping breakfast and running out the door – the remainder of the day seems to reflect that stressful chaos as well?
If you learn healthy, habitual morning routines and behaviour however, you are well on your way to set yourself up to success.
Part of forming a healthy habitual morning habit is to stick at it for a minimum of 30 days and be intentional about it. Stick with it because it is much easier for us to slip back into the easiest behaviours that offer the path of least resistance.
It takes on average 30 days to cultivate a new habit, so if your mornings are rushed, stressful, disorganised chaos, you may benefit from establishing a healthy morning routine that influences the way you think, feel and act throughout the day
The tone of your morning will determine the tone of your day, so it’s time to start planning accordingly.
Here are 8 simple healthy habits for you to add into your morning routine now, to ensure you are thinking, feeling and acting at your best possible potential throughout your day —and the days ahead. They are listed in no particular order so start with just one or two and gradually expand your morning routine to include all 8.
1. Meditation for a joyful mind
Including some type of morning mindfulness practice such as meditation will help ground you and give you more awareness of your mind and emotions. This will influence how you cope with and react to any challenges or adversity throughout your day.
If meditation is new to you, try this simple five minute meditation in the mornings:
- Set a timer for five minutes and then get into a comfortable seated position, on your bed or on the floor.
- Close your two eyes, place your two hands on your knees, and practice breathing exercise.
- Inhale through your nose for three counts….. hold for four three, and exhale through your nose for six counts. Your exhalation should last longer than your inhaling breath.
- Accept those thoughts that rush to your mind, release and acknowledge them as they come to your mind, and gently re-focus on your breathing. Concentrate on your breath. It has to be a deep breath in and breath out, do them on the count of three.
- When the timer goes off, stay seated with your eyes closed for a moment and set your intention for the day…..really focus on this intention and visualize yourself achieving it with ease and confidence.
- Alternatively if you are looking for direction, ask questions about those goals you seek.The answer may not come immediately, but you may well find the answers in the course of the day.
- When you are ready, open your eyes and notice how you are feeling – peaceful and calm and centred on your intention.
If you are interested in learning how to deeply unwind and cultivate mindfulness to gain clarity and connect to your inner power, grab your free mini course here
2. Get some Exercise
After sleeping and resting for 6 to 8 hours, it is time to improve your body activities. Do those things that accelerate a smooth blood flow and help quiet any monkey mind mental chatter.
Whether its a simple yoga routine, or a brisk walk around the block, a workout at the gym or simply some squats or push ups, this exercise and movement will help energise both your body and mind and get the blood flowing.
Research has indicated that morning exercises set the tone for a healthy day. Never ignore your morning exercise. This will help you, as it releases those endorphins inside you. This makes you productive and happy for the day.
3. Remember to hydrate
Drink a large glass of water after you wake up to enhance your health – this is one of the best healthy habits to establish in the mornings
Why? 
Because it not only ensures your body is hydrated after going all night without a sip, it also speeds up metabolism. Whats more, if you drink hot water, it can increase your metabolic rate by at least 24%. … and boost your metabolism.
Drinking water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach helps to eliminate toxins and reduce swelling. So lots of benefits to that big glass of water when you wake up!
4. Brush, wash, and shower your body
Allow the time to prepare yourself in the morning so that you start your day looking and feeling good about yourself. If it seems like theres no time, try preparing your clothes the night before by doing any ironing or sorting. Preparing yourself the night before will help tremendously.
Do whatever it takes to make you feel like you are looking after your health and looking presentable, it is then one less thing you have to worry about and you will feel much more confident throughout the day
5. Set your intention for the day
I believe this one small habit of pausing and taking just 5 minutes in the morning to set your daily intention could dramatically change your life.
When you are aware of and acknowledge what matters most each morning — you will start to develop an incredible inner strength. You will gain clarity of purpose and with a new found calmness, so that you will start to embrace each day knowing that you are the very best you can be to face whatever the day brings.
Jot down the things that are important to you for the day ahead, any goals, meetings appointments etc. Think of your body achieving a lot successfully and effortlessly.
Ask yourself are you living your life in a way that has meaning and purpose and in a way that is aligned with your values and nourishes your soul?
To achieve your daily tasks effortlessly, review each plan in your mind. Plan your daily routines; think about the presentation you would make, and concentrate on positive things alone.
Slow down and take some time for yourself! A few minutes of quiet time reflecting on the positive opens the way for more good things to come into one’s life, it is so important to stay aware of what’s good in our lives vs focusing on what is lacking
By developing a sense of clarity on how you want your day to go or what you want to feel or accomplish, you care then in a better position to make clear decisions that create the life you truly want to live.
6. Practice an attitude of gratitude
Some people ask if this really is important … and the answer is YES YES and YES again!
Gratitude can change your life by making you feel happier
So as soon as you wake up, even before you get out of bed, smile ( to release the feel good endorphins) and say out loud ( so you can hear yourself – this will reinforce it for you) something that you are grateful for. It might simply be that you have another day ahead of you, or you have a warm cosy bed, to that you are looking forward to something. Just look around you and you will definitely be reminded of something that you are grateful for.
This practice will shift your focus ….and whatever we focus on we move towards. Gratitude will also reduce your fears, because its very difficult if not impossible to be fearful and grateful at the same time
7. Make time to eat a healthy breakfast
No doubt you have heard the phrase ” breakfast is the most important meal of the day” It turns out to be true – for several reasons
Studies show that eating a healthy breakfast in the morning greatly decreases those cravings and hunger pangs thought the day
Breakfast energises you and you will find you have greater ability to focus and concentrate, you might even notice your memory is better when you eat breakfast
There is significant research available now that tells us eating breakfast may even significantly reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
8. Resist Technology
Besides turning off an alarm that might be on your phone, resist the urge to check your email or social media. It sets you up for a day of being enslaved to technology, and your morning time should be reserved just for you
If you are in the habit of diving for your smartphone or iPad as soon as you wake up, you may be doing yourself a disfavour. Apart from perhaps turning off an alarm on your phone, resist the urge to check for messages and emails.
Your healthy morning routine should be reserved just for you and possibly your family, so diving straight into technology first thing sets the tone for the rest of your day of being enslaved to technology. Instead of starting out your day out in a state of inner peace and control, you may find yourself being in a reactive and defensive state for the rest of the day.
Instead, try remaining detached from technology for at least the first fifteen minutes of your day so you can be mindful with a positive focus for the day ahead.
A healthy morning routine takes time to establish . That means you’ll probably have to wake up a bit earlier but that doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of sleep, just go to back 15-30 minutes earlier. Remember, the tone of your morning will determine the tone of your day, so as the day goes by, watch and see the way things turn out. Welcome to the new you!