The Healthiest Morning Habits to Try for a Happy and Productive Day
Morning people exist. Contrary to popular belief, they aren’t mythical creatures like unicorns or (spoiler alert) Santa Claus. While some are simply born with the morning gene, others have put time and effort into building healthy morning habits to become an icon of the AM.
Your morning routine sets the tone for your entire day, so if it’s lazy or hectic, prepare for an uphill battle. Also breaking away from common wake up woes like jumping straight onto Instagram or skipping your morning stretch, can totally transform the trajectory of your day.
Incorporating other simple tasks into your morning routine like making your bed, drinking lemon water and oil pulling before brushing your teeth, can also ensure you kick your day off on the right foot. Here’s how.
8 Foolproof Healthy Morning Habits for a Happier and More Productive Day
1. Leave your phone alone
Once you pick up your phone to turn off your alarm, put it right back down again. Let your eyes adjust to the morning light naturally and let your mind be present in the moment. Immediately checking your phone for emails or texts cultivates a reactive mindset rather than a proactive one, starting your day in defensive mode.
Limiting phone time in bed is a hard habit to crack, so start with remaining tech-free for the first 15-minutes of your morning, with the goal of working up to 30-minutes to an hour.
2. Make your bed
Your parents were onto something after all. Making your bed might seem like a juvenile request or a simplistic solution, but you’d be amazed what completing this quick first task of the day does for productivity levels.
Now that you’ve got this easy tidying job out of the way, you’ll be ready to start ploughing through your to-do list.
3. Warm water before coffee
Drinking water at any point throughout the day is important, but the first sip of the morning is perhaps the most paramount to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and immune system.
Before coffee or juice, squeeze a slice of lemon into a warm glass of water and drink. This basic tonic helps remove an overnight build up of toxins from your digestive tract while providing a good dose of vitamin-C and stimulating metabolism and digestion.
4. Take a walk
There’s nothing quite like taking a stroll around the neighbourhood to kickstart your day. Whether it’s a quick walk to the coffee shop or a more involved jog to the park and back, getting some form of exercise in before heading off to work is the perfect way to get your body ready for the day ahead.
If you live close enough to the water to go for a morning dip, even better.
5. Or, stretch at home
If the great outdoors isn’t an option or you’re just not ready to get out of your loungewear yet, a morning stretch routine is another simple and effective way to get your body moving early AM.
Roll out a yoga mat and find your favourite YouTube or Instagram instructor. Extra zen points if you can manage to work in a morning meditation session.
6. Oil pulling with coconut oil
The ancient Indian folk remedy of oil pulling with coconut oil has enjoyed quite a resurgence recently.
A tried and true remedy for improving your overall oral health, oil pulling has been used for thousands of years to reduce the amount of harmful bacteria in the mouth while also freshening your breath and whitening teeth.
Simply put a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth and swish it around like mouthwash for 10 to 15-minutes before spitting it out.
It might feel a bit strange at first, but once you notice the benefits it’ll be well-worth the weirdness.
7. Blend your breakfast
Bringing home the bacon is great in theory, but not so much in your belly.
If you’re still hungry, opt for a bowl of muesli with fresh fruit and Greek yoghurt, and watch your energy levels soar (without the ugly sugar crash).
8. Read something that isn’t the news
If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that toilet paper is much more valuable than we ever imagined. But it also really emphasised how important it is to maintain your mental health and practise self-care.
Staying informed about what’s going on in the world is important, but sometimes getting too caught up in the endless doom and gloom of the news cycle can do us more harm than good.
Instead of racing to read the headlines while you sip your morning brew (after your warm lemon water, of course!), try start the day by reading an uplifting story or positive piece in your favourite lifestyle publication. A healthy headspace works wonders.
Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.
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