How did you feel this morning? Was it a frantic rush to get out the door? Did you struggle to get yourself, your kids, your partner, and/or your life organized in time?
Mornings can set the tone for our whole day, and for most of us, the tone we set is “struggle”.
I’m naturally a morning person. I’m one of those annoying people who wake up cheerful and ready to go. And, if I have to get up super duper early (earlier than 5am), I also wake up singing. Literally. I think it’s good for my general survival that I live alone, no one wants to hear someone singing “good morning!” at 4:30am.
But, mornings have begun to be a struggle even for me. That made me think, if I’m feeling frantic and stressed in the morning (and I wake up happy), what is happening in houses of non-morning people?
So last year I decided to experiment with my morning routine and see if I could find some easy ways to start my day off on the right foot. Or at least on a better foot.
My goal: they had to be easy, doable, and take very little time.
These are some healthy lifestyle tips that I found worked really well and were so easy that I continued doing them all year. My mornings are SO much nicer now!
Wake up gently – rolling out of bed and jumping right into our morning routine is hard on our body, especially our adrenals. It takes a few minutes (usually 15 – 20 mins) for our body to fully wake up. Be gentle and slower in these first few minutes for a nicer morning.
Idea: spend 10 mins while you’re still in bed to do something that brings you some happiness. I think of (or better yet write down) 5 things I’m grateful for or spend the 10 mins meditating (I set a timer in case I slip back into sleep).
Have the “right” amount of sleep – I spent a few months experimenting with how much sleep I need, and I found out something interesting. I need a lot of sleep (10 hours!), but I need less if I’m in bed by 10pm (only 9). Now I know why I felt so tired and groggy after 8 hours of sleep.
Idea: try going to bed by 10pm for 1 week and see if you feel more rested.
Hydrate – it may seem too easy, but hydrating when we first wake up can increase our energy and will get our digestion started for the day.
Idea: start your morning with ½ – 1 litre of room temp water (or warm, not boiling). Add a squeeze of fresh lemon to help to support your liver.
Have a good breakfast, preferably one that includes veggies (or at least fruit) – this habit is an important step to balance our blood sugar and kick-start our day. By skipping breakfast we ask our adrenal glands to use stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) to keep our blood sugar from collapsing. A great breakfast will taste good and include healthy fat (like coconut oil) and protein to keep you full for at least 3 hours.
Not hungry? Try an easy-to-digest antioxidant smoothie and sip on it throughout the morning. Here’s my favourite recipe:
Add the following to a blender:
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 banana
- 1 handful of spinach or a scoop of your fave green food powder
- 1 scoop of Botanica’s Perfect Protein Vanilla
- 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil
- 1 tbsp Omegalicious Strawberry Blueberry Banana Vegan Omega-3
- Cover with water or coconut milk or almond milk (or a combo)
- Blend and enjoy!
Have you tried any of these ideas before? What works best to elevate your day? Tweet, Facebook, Snapchat, or Instagram your fave idea with the #bwell and lets start a conversation! Elevateyoursmoothie.com
Visit Botanica Health for more tips for living well.
