Do you drag yourself out of bed? Having the right morning routine can be the difference between a good and a bad day. Master your mornings with these essential tips to jumpstart your day.
1. Wake up right away
This can be hard for some, but lingering in bed won’t help to energise you. Snoozing only makes you more tired – so try and get up as soon as you alarm goes off. You’re better off setting your alarm later than snoozing to get the extra sleep. Turing on the lights or opening the curtains right away also helps to reset your sleep/wake cycle.
2. Move your body
Movement in the morning helps to reset the sleep/wake cycle which leads to better sleep and better energy. Once you’re out of bed do 5 jumping jacks or simply dance or run on the spot for 30 seconds. This lets your body know you’re awake and helps to stimulate your cortisol or your ‘hey I’m awake!’ hormones.
3. Have a glass of water with apple cider vinegar
Start your day with a glass of room temperature water with 20ml of apple cider vinegar. This helps to activate your liver and flush the gall bladder as well as increasing your stomach acid ready for breakfast. Opt for organic apple cider vinegar with ‘the mother’ for best results.
4. Centre your mind
Taking a few minutes in the morning to clear your mind and relax your body will help set the tone for a fabulous day. Using a meditation app for even 5 minutes can help. Or simply put on some relaxing music and focus on taking slow deep breaths in and out for a few minutes. Personally, I like to start my day with a cup of peppermint tea on my balcony – this is just pondering time where I can just be with no phones or computers, which brings me to my next tip.
5. Leave the phone alone!
Don’t fall into the trap of checking your social media or emails as soon as you wake up. It can set off anxiety and put you in a frazzled or negative mindset for the day. We can get into the habit of automatically reaching for our phones, but it’s the very worse way to start the day. Buy an alarm clock and leave your phone outside of the bedroom, to avoid temptation.