Do you ever wish you could wake up feeling relaxed and refreshed rather than rushed and stressed? I did too. Then I started implementing some healthy morning habits into my routine and it changed my life forever.
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Now not every morning is going to look the same. Trust me, mine are definitely not perfect, but being mindful and adding in some simple habits can make all the difference in how your morning goes. Always keep in mind that each person’s healthy morning routine is going to look different and the best for you is one that works and is sustainable.
These are some ideas of healthy morning habits that can help you wake up feeling energized and excited for the morning. I have fell in love with my slow mornings. As someone that used to be a total night owl and loved to stay up late, I can now say that with some time, I have started to really enjoy waking up early. They’re so quiet and peaceful and will set the rest of your day up for success and productivity. Have I convinced you yet?
1. Your morning routine starts at night
Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for waking up feeling refreshed and ready for the day (7-10 hours is the recommended amount, but each person’s needs are different). This will make all the difference in how your morning goes.
Some tips for getting a better night’s sleep:
- Get evening sunlight – As the sun is setting, this is a great time to get outside for a few minutes or even go for a walk. This will help regulate your circadian rhythm.
- Clean up your space before going to bed – Do the dishes, clean the counters, pick up random clutter, etc. Having a generally clean home before going to bed will reduce your stress and give you one less thing to worry about while falling asleep. Also it’s a great feeling to wake up to an already clean space in the morning!
- Use candles instead of lamps or overhead lights after the sun sets – Blue light can suppress your body’s release of melatonin, which is a hormone that helps you sleep.
- Put away screens an hour or more before bed – This includes phones, TVs, computers and any other screens! They emit blue light and can keep your mind overstimulated, making it more difficult to fall asleep. Another option is to wear blue light blocking glasses in the evening time if you have to be looking at a screen.
- Have a bed time snack if needed – some people do well with having a small snack consisting of protein for bed. This can help keep your blood sugar stable throughout the night.
2. Wake up earlier
You may need to wake up a little earlier then you’re used to in order to implement some of these healthy morning habits into your routine, but if you’re getting enough sleep at night, this shouldn’t be TOO much of an issue.
Give yourself plenty of time before you have to go to work or complete other important tasks for the day. This will help so that you don’t feel rushed and can actually enjoy your peaceful morning routine.
It’s helpful to wake up to something other than a blaring alarm. If you need something to help you wake up in a timely manner, the Hatch alarm is a great option. It has all sorts of more calming sounds that will get the job done in a much more pleasant way.
And I know, I know, again with the screens, but implementing no screen time right when waking up for at least 30 minutes can be beneficial.
3. Oral health/skincare
Oral health is SO underrated and incredibly important. Tongue scraping first thing after you wake up (before drinking or eating anything) is a game changer. The one I use can be found here. Try it out and see how much gunk is on your tongue that you would otherwise be ingesting! Gross right?! After that I like to oil pull with coconut oil and then brush my teeth with my favorite fluoride free, clean toothpaste from the brand Risewell.
One of my favorite healthy morning habits is my skincare routine. It’s very simple, but I take my time with it. I rinse my face with cold water (so refreshing) and then I apply Vitamin C serum while giving myself a lymphatic facial massage. All it takes is a few minutes, but it has so many benefits such as reducing puffiness. You can also use a gua sha stone. There are tutorials online if you are interested.
4. Make your bed
This task takes 1 minute and sets up your day for success. This can increase your productivity. I also like to do a quick clean up from the night before (anything that I missed, that is).
5. Hydrate and replenish minerals
When you wake up in the morning, your cortisol levels are higher and your body is ready to be rehydrated after a full night of sleep. It’s important to add minerals to your water to replenish your body’s store. I do this by adding a pinch of high quality sea salt, a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and often times I will add some Magnesium bicarbonate to my filtered water as well. You can also try this ginger lemon juice.
6. Morning sunlight
Getting sunlight in your bare eyes first thing in the morning, ideally around sunrise, but really as early as you can will set your day up for success. This can help reset your circadian rhythm and helps with your tolerance to the sun during the days when the UV rays are at their strongest. It’s important that you are getting the sunlight in your bare eyes with no contacts or glasses. Did you know they block all UV?
7. Time to relax
Take some you time and focus on relaxing your nervous system whether that’s journaling, meditating, deep breathing or putting your legs up the wall.
8. Move your body
Getting some movement in during the morning can boost your energy and even improve your mood.
This can look like taking your dog for a walk, stretching, weight lifting, dancing, swimming or whatever other type of movement feels good to you.
9. Eat a nutritious breakfast
Try to eat within an hour of waking, before drinking caffeine. This could even be just a small snack (make sure it contains some protein) before you get to actually eating a full breakfast. This could help keep your blood sugar and hormones stable.
10. Caffeine after food
After eating you can have your caffeine beverage of choice (if you want). This Maple Mocha Latte is my favorite.
11. Do something productive
Get a few small cleaning tasks done for the day or focus on one big task to get out of the way. Then you don’t have to keep thinking about it, procrastinate doing it and then end up moving it to next weeks “to do” list for the fifth time.
Now reap the benefits
The most important thing to remember about incorporating healthy morning habits into your routine – is to do what makes you feel good and what you have time for. Not every morning needs to look the same. Choose a couple of habits and stick to them when you can. Find a routine that’s sustainable for YOU.
I know how hard and overwhelming it can be to add even more in to your schedule when already working long hours, getting up before the sun rises, running after kids constantly, but the whole idea of a healthy routine is prioritizing small things that will help make your day better. It’s up to you to pick and choose the ones you want to add and can stick to in a sustainable way. If it’s becoming overwhelming and you’re doing too much, then it’s not serving a purpose and doing more harm than good. The important thing is to keep it simple and stick to it and that’s when you will reap the benefits.
