Itâs almost spring, meaning weâre finally veering out of those hard early morning wake ups in the dark, and once again welcoming back that natural light to help us kickstart the day. Finding a perfect morning routine that suits you is a great way of encouraging a motivated but relaxed mindset. This differs from person to person, with some wanting to snooze their alarm for an extra 10 minutes, while others preferring to use those10 minutes to get up and prepare for the day ahead. The hardest thing about creating a routine is sticking to it long term. The more minimal they are, the more efficient they can be. Deciding on around 3 or 4, no more than 5, habits can help to ensure a productive element to your morning without overloading yourself with things to do before kick starting the day. It takes 21 days to form a habit, so if youâre wanting to switch up your morning routine, why not start today?
Avoid technology straight after waking up:Â
When coming up with a morning routine, not all tendencies have to be physical, with psychological habits being just as important. The first thing many of us do in the mornings is go and reach for our phones, which is understandable if we have an alarm going off, but within 10 minutes of switching off our alarm, text messages, emails and social media are usually already circulating in our minds.Â
Previous studies have shown that going on your phone first thing in the morning has been linked to a lack of concentration throughout the day as well as causing stress on your eyes after being in the dark for hours and inducing procrastination. Technology first thing in the morning has also been linked to affecting your mood throughout the day, with factors such as reading stressful text messages and emails the moment youâve woken up impacting how you feel for the rest of the day.
It might be a good idea to start off your new routine by making a conscious effort to read for 10 minutes or journal by writing down some positive affirmations or what youâre grateful for before associating with technology for the day!
Hydrate:Â
One of the worst feelings to wake up to is âmorning grogginessâ, also known as sleep inertia (which has also been linked to using technology first thing in the morning), and not drinking any water for the past 6-10 hours wouldnât have helped! Starting your morning off with a glass of water (even adding electrolytes in for some extra hydration) is a great habit to get into, to ensure you feel less tired when getting up.Â
Some days will just be go-go-go from the second you leave your house, meaning some aspects such as staying hydrated throughout the day can go straight to the back of your mind, and by 1pm you may have realised you havenât drunk any water all day. So, ensuring to have a glass of water in the morning is a vital step to helping you to stay hydrated throughout the whole day.Â
Note: Make sure youâre still sipping water throughout the day whenever you can!
Avoid caffeine on an empty stomach:Â
Sometimes when youâre on the go, youâre first thought is to grab a coffee, and this may also be before eating anything. Although researchers have reassured us that it isnât harmful to drink caffeine on an empty stomach, it has been linked to blood sugar spikes, leading to energy crashes which can make you feel tired and lose concentration. As part of a new morning habit, try and eat something before you have your morning cup of coffee to make sure you donât have any unnecessary crashes throughout the day.
Refuel:Â
Breakfast quite literally means âbreaking the fastâ after your sleep and is an important tendency to try and avoid skipping. Studies have shown that eating breakfast helps to increase your concentration levels throughout the day (which will also help with those long college hours!). You may not be hungry first thing in the morning, so making breakfast the night before to bring on-the-go, such as overnight oats or a premade bagel, is a great way to make sure youâre fueling yourself for the day ahead and not skipping a meal.Â
Whether youâre a breakfast person or not, itâs also important to ensure youâre eating enough protein, which helps you stay fuller for longer. If youâre a savoury breakfast person, try including eggs, bacon or sausages into your meal, and if you have more of a sweet tooth in the mornings, incorporating protein powder into your porridge or making a fruit bowl with Greek yoghurt is a great way to kickstart your day!
Make your bed:
Sometimes, itâs the tiniest of changes that can help to seal the deal on the perfect routine. Making your bed is a great practice to follow in the mornings for a little motivational buzz, as well as giving your mind a small task to focus on to help improve your concentration throughout the day.Â
When looking back on a particular day, and feeling like you didnât do much, you can remind yourself that you have been productive through the most important things⊠the little things.