Use the following healthy tips for your morning routine
Take whatever steps you can the night before to make the start of the day as smooth as possible. Pack your bag and set out your clothes for work.
After hitting the snooze button one too many times, the morning descends into a frantic rush, with family members shouting at each other while looking for misplaced items; shovelling down breakfast or begging children to tear themselves away from the TV or tablet to finish eating and get ready.
If this chaotic scene sounds like the average morning in your house, it’s time to consider adopting some healthy morning habits to get the day started right.
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According to Candice Sessions, Laager marketing manager, more and more research is showing how important a healthy morning routine is to get the mind in the right space for a more productive, rewarding day,
“The way your morning starts sets the tone for the day and shapes the mindset that you take into the rest of the day.”
“In days gone by, sitting around the table with the family, enjoying a morning cup of tea and a healthy breakfast was a common tradition, ensuring connection as a family and a positive start to the day.
“But in many cases, this has been replaced by disconnection as a result of busy lifestyles and technology, leading to overstimulated young minds, anxiety for adults, and feelings of disconnection.”
Tips for a healthy morning routine
“Because routines automate basic elements of daily life, they help conserve energy to dedicate towards achieving goals during the day. But when a routine is disrupted, what was previously automated requires conscious thought.” – London School of Economics.
Tip 1: Start the day before
Somewhat ironically, the best way to get into a good morning routine is to get started before the morning even arrives!.
Take whatever steps you can the night before to make the start of the day as smooth as possible. Pack your bag and set out your clothes for work.
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For those with school-going children, packing school lunches ahead of time and ensuring homework and sports kit are ready for the next day will ease a lot of unnecessary stress.
Tip 2: Wake up at the same time daily
Human bodies follow a circadian rhythm, which is the physical, mental, and behavioural changes over a 24-hour day.
This rhythm relies on consistency for optimum mental and physical function.
What this means is that humans should be waking up at the same time every day – and ideally going to bed at the same time.
For a good start to the day, it’s important to get into a routine of waking at the same time, and not hitting that ‘snooze’ button!.
Sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley, explains that the alarm clock triggers a ‘fight or flight response’. Pressing the ‘snooze’ button repeats this process, which is not a good way to start the day. Getting into the habit of a regular wake-up time will reduce the need for alarms and create a more positive mind space.
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Tip 3: Move the body
One of the first things everyone does upon waking is stretch.
The reason for this is that the body has been (mostly) sedentary for around eight hours and now craves some movement.
This is a good time to get the body and mind active with a bit of exercise.
This doesn’t have to be a run or gym session, but just a few minutes dedicated to yoga, Pilates, or a walk around the garden.
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