10 Practical Ways to Get Yourself Going in the Morning
By: Josef Cruz
Tags: Personal Development, Personal Growth, Morning Routines, Lifestyle, Self Improvement

Update your morning coffee

A fresh-pressed juice, bulletproof coffee, or even a Hippie Speedball may be the answer to jumpstarting your morning. Or not. The point is, plain coffee may not be the best beverage for optimizing your mornings.

You may even feel the difference opting for a glass of water with lemon instead: a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that even short periods of fluid restriction lead to a reduction in alertness and concentration and increase tiredness and headaches. Plus, the smell of citrus can stimulate alertness and improve mood.

Do a downward-facing dog before you brush your teeth.

A study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine found that those who took one yoga class a week (and were encouraged to perform movements at home) experienced significant improvements in vitality, energy, and fatigue. If you have time for just one 30-second move, go for downward dog. It gets the blood pumping throughout the entire body, resulting in a boost of energy, and releases tension in our head, neck, shoulders, lower back, and hamstrings.

Skip the treadmill, and do a HIIT workout

A 16-minute HIIT workout is equivalent to an hour of low-intensity exercise at the gym, and you can burn over four times the amount of calories. It’s the optimal way to build muscle and train your heart in a short period of time.

Eat a carbohydrate-rich snack before your workout.

If you’re trying to squeeze in exercise before heading to the office, eat something that will boost alertness and sustain energy for a more productive workout. Upon waking, blood sugar and glycogen levels are low, decreasing the amount of carbohydrate your body has for use as energy, so eating a higher carbohydrate breakfast (or small snack) can improve your brain’s ability to focus on the workout while providing the energy needed to make the most of your training.

Make breakfast ahead of time.

The last thing you’re going to want to do as you rush out the door is to stand over the stove and cook an egg. Instead, have something ready to grab and go that will fill you up, stabilize blood sugar, and boost your energy and alertness. Breakfast sandwiches, homemade granola bars, and oatmeal cupcakes will all get the job done.

Blend up a smoothie

Not only can it be whipped up in less time than it takes to put your shoes on, but certain ingredients help boost mood and energy levels. If you’re particularly stressed, try adding dried lavender flowers or lucuma, which is a low glycemic index and great for sustained energy. Adding antioxidant-rich fruit and yogurt for a dose of probiotics will help boost your immune system and ward off symptoms of spring allergies or the pesky cold that has you finishing off a box of tissues every morning.

If you’re hungover, have a mug of Pu’erh Tea.

The only thing worse than having to drag yourself out of bed in the morning is having to do it hungover. Traditional Chinese medicine values Pu’er tea as a remedy after alcohol consumption because it detoxifies the liver. Plus, it contains caffeine, which will give you a much-needed pick-me-up when you’re slumped over your desk after a late night of partying.

Skip the Netflix marathon in bed

Improving the quality of your sleep will make it way less painful to get up in the morning. And the cellphone, TV, and laptop aren’t helping. The blue light emitted by electronics suppresses melatonin production, making it more difficult to fall asleep.

Throw away the long to-do list

A study by psychologists Robert Emmons and Laura King discovered that the worry that results from having too many conflicting goals causes our productivity and physical and mental health to suffer. Here are some alternate ways to structure your to-do list that may prove more effective.

Stand (or sit) up straight

The simple act of improving your posture can instantly alter your mood and energy levels, making your morning routine a whole lot more pleasant. An experiment conducted at San Francisco State University found that when people sit up straight, they’re more likely to think positively while skipping showed a significant increase in energy levels than those who slumped while walking.

My morning routine takes just over an hour. I can’t stress enough to you the importance of a great morning routine, as it will set you up for a successful day — and life. I experimented with a few different things and figured out what worked for me. It would help if you did the same. Soon you’ll know what things work for you, and you’ll enjoy starting your day. I’d love to hear about your morning routine if you have one. What does the first hour of your day look like?