The secret to having a good day? It all starts in the first 40 minutes. Weekday mornings can be tough, but more often than not, feeling rushed and sluggish can be avoided by implementing a simple routine. This first hour of the day is crucial to success in both career and life, and being intentional with your morning routine will help to kick-start your body and mind and get your day started off on the right foot.
Health expert Bryce Wylde shares seven simple tips you can try right now to to help you thrive in the morning.
1. Set intentions
Bryce suggests setting intentions in the morning by using cue cards. Find somewhere quiet to think about the day and write up three cue cards. The first will outline the “preconceived” notions you have about your day (e.g. that a meeting will be stressful). The second is the “edit” card, where you take your preconceived notions and recreate them as ideals (e.g. that the meeting might lead to a promotion). The final card will be the “outcome.” This final cue card is one that you look at the next day when you can confirm how events actually transpired.
2. Turn up the lights
Wake up with really bright lights—in the summer, it can be sunlight, but at other times of the year, bright lightbulbs work as well.
Did you know? Bright light stops the body’s production of melatonin and starts serotonin.
3. Morning boost
Start your day with liquid, Bryce loves to create a combination of 250 mL/8 oz water, the juice of one lemon, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon turmeric and a drop of maple syrup to taste.
Tip: Turmeric is a spice known for its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.
4. A cup of joe
Most of us love our morning coffee, and Bryce recommends opting for an organic product when it comes to your morning hit of caffeine. Because coffee is full of powerful antioxidants, try and keep your intake to only one cup per day.
5. Protein-packed, fibre-rich breakfast
A good breakfast is packed with protein (minimum of 20 grams) and a variety of insoluble and soluble fibre. Use protein-rich foods like eggs and quinoa or add pea protein to shakes and smoothies while opting for high-fibre fruits like dragonfruit and pomegranate.
Try making high-fibre muffins for an on-the-go breakfast.
6. Weight-bearing exercise
Whether you’re an expert or a novice, spend 20 minutes a day doing some form of weight-bearing exercise. This can easily be done at home in the morning with a free-weights. Not only is this good for your body, but it also has benefits for the brain.
7. Contrast showers
End your best morning ever with a contrast shower. Have a quick five-minute shower, and every 15 seconds, go from very hot to very cold for two to three cycles. This increases lymphatic flow and circulation, powers the immune system and gets the brain going. It will shock your system but will help you have your best morning ever.
