With everybody striving to be happier and healthier in the modern-day world we are all becoming more mindful about the food choices we make, keeping active and having a work life balance – all in order to achieve an optimal level of life. If you are already on this journey to bettering yourself then it is a good time to start building in some healthy routines to start your day that are going to stick. Having an early morning routine to boost your mood in the morning can give you a mental boost and keep you in a good mood for the rest of the day.
Here Are 5 Morning Routines That Will Get You Off to A Good Start!
Wake up with The Sun
Having a good morning routine is means you are going to make a bit more effort to get up that little bit earlier in the morning. In most spiritual practices such as Buddhism, monks would go to bed very early at about 7pm and then get up for sunrise as many traditions believe that you should wake-up with the sun and go to sleep with sunset in order to live a healthy life and get the most out of your day. Studies have shown that people that wake-up early increase their happiness, health and general productivity. Getting up early means you can get more done which in turn means you will be less stressed as you won’t be running around so much having to catch up stuff.
Tongue Scraping
Tongue scraping is based on Ayurveda (an ancient Indian practice of health and well-being), to be done ideally upon waking, by gently dragging a curved metal/plastic scraper repeatedly along the tongue to remove bacteria. Removing bacteria that has been stored inside your mouth all night long not only helps manage bad breath in the morning, but it also makes your tongue better able to taste flavours. If you can’t get hold of a tongue scraper a metal spoon will also do the trick.
Foam Rolling
Foam-rolling is great to do first thing in the morning if you have time to set-aside about 15 minutes to dedicate to this little practice you won’t regret it once you feel the benefits. It basically breaks down tight tissues that cause stiffness and pain, poor circulation and muscle problems which can often lead to major problems. First thing in the morning use a foam roller to go over sore stiff muscles usually caused by sitting at desks all day and not being active enough. The best way is to choose one major muscle to roll each morning – e.g. calves on Monday and quads on Tuesday.
Morning Meditation
With all the stresses of modern day life that we are all faced with on daily basis – whether it’s your morning meeting at work, worrying about getting your rent paid or an interview for a new job – the morning is the time when that mental treadmill in your head is in overdrive. A simple 10-minute breathing meditation can really calm your mind and make you feel less anxious, giving you the ability to focus on the present moment and start your day with a positive mindset. Set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes and sit on the floor or chair with your back up-right up and your legs crossed together, close your eyes and just simple focus on your breath with long inhales and exhales – when thoughts come in just keep going back to your breath. You won’t feel the benefits over night but after a few weeks of fitting in meditation to your morning routine you will really feel much calmer and overall have more clarity and control over your thoughts – you’ll never be able to go a day without it again – I promise!
Drink more
When you wake up in the morning the first thing you should be drinking is at least 2 large glasses of water – you have spent the last 6-8 hours in bed with no water, so your body is in desperate need of hydration. Drinking water benefits your whole body – your skin, hair, nails, joints, organs and drinking it first thing in the morning will help bowel movements keeping you regular. Once you get into the habit of making sure you drink a good amount of water in the morning before you do anything else you will really feel the benefits, almost immediately.
