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Does your current morning routine sound a little something like this?: You hit snooze a few times, finally crawl out of bed realizing you’re now incredibly late and proceed to rush around the house getting yourself (and your family) ready for the day. You might grab a cup of coffee on your way out of the door and now the rest of the day you feel like you’re playing catch up. We’ve all been there! But, your mornings don’t have to feel so hectic.
Having a productive morning routine sets you up for a successful day. In fact, research shows that a frantic or interrupted morning routine can lead to depletion throughout the day. And, it doesn’t have to be overly complicated – promise!
Ready to create your own healthy morning routine? Here are 7 rituals for healthy productivity.
1. Get Quality Sleep
It might sound obvious, but an essential part of a productive morning routine is making sure you start off your day well rested. Being sleep deprived can affect your concentration, your memory and your mood! This may mean monitoring your caffeine intake and creating a bedtime routine which includes spending some time winding down before you go to bed. You may also want to make sure your room is dark enough and check the temperature so you aren’t too hot or cold. You can get some more tips on how to get a good night’s sleep in this article on 11 Habits To Help You Sleep Better
2. Hydrate
We’ve all heard about the importance of drinking enough water and staying hydrated. In fact, your brain is about 60% water, so it’s important to maintain a healthy fluid balance to help both your brain and body function at their best. Having a full glass of water when you wake up is a great part of your morning routine that can help you rehydrate after a long night’s sleep. We recommend aiming for 8-10 glasses of water a day, and starting with a full glass of water right when you wake up. If you’re looking to really amp up your healthy morning routine, squeeze half a lemon into your water. This can help to flush out toxins and improve your digestion. Or, add a scoop of Superfood Turmeric to warm water – it not only tastes delicious but can help reduce inflammation and boost immunity.
3. Morning meditation
You can take your morning from stressful to zen by setting aside a little time to meditate. Meditating has been shown to have both physical and mental benefits, and meditating as part of your healthy morning routine in particular can really set you up for a productive day. Research has shown that meditation can help increase your ability to focus and boost productivity. Plus meditating regularly can help keep you calm and less stressed throughout the day. This is because meditation can reduce amygdala reactivity, which is the part of the brain responsible for your stress response.
If you haven’t meditated before, you may want to check out apps like Calm and Insight Timer that provide free guided meditations. You can also try this simple 5 minute meditation to help get you started as part of your morning rituals for healthy productivity.
4. Eat a healthy, well-balanced breakfast
Part of your healthy morning routine should include eating a healthy, well-balanced breakfast with both protein and fat. Eating both protein and fat for breakfast helps to balance blood sugar levels, support your adrenal glands, and keep you satiated throughout the day. On top of that, when your productive morning routine includes a well-balanced breakfast, you’ll avoid that mid-morning low blood sugar crash that can disrupt your ability to focus, ruing your mood, and limit your productivity.
And what you drink with breakfast matters! Make sure your morning coffee isn’t overloaded with sugar or unhealthy fats. A great way to superboost your coffee is to add a scoop or two of collagen. You’ll get a nice dose of protein, plus all the added collagen benefits which include improved skin appearance, stronger bones and joints and a healthier gut. You can add a scoop or two of unflavored collagen or use flavored collagen like Chocolate or Vanilla, which add a nice flavorful twist to your morning brew. Further Food flavored collagen doesn’t include any added sugars of artificial flavorings, so you’ll get all the flavor with none of the unhealthy additives!
As an alternative to coffee, you may want to consider drinking matcha tea as part of your morning ritual for healthy productivity. Matcha green tea is a true powerhouse, having been used for centuries for its healthful properties such as improved brain function and focus. Plus, matcha tea helps to provide sustained energy throughout the day, with no mid-afternoon crash or uncomfortable jitters, making this the perfect drink for your productive morning routine.
5. Supplement wisely
If you eat a balanced diet, including a healthy breakfast, you probably don’t need too many supplements as part of your morning routine. However, if you are really looking to set yourself up for success, you may want to consider adding in ashwagandha. Not only has ashwagandha been used for centuries to help manage stress and anxiety, but this powerful adaptogenic herb can help boost memory and brain function. So incorporating ashwagandha into your morning routine can help you stay focused and calmer throughout the day.
6. Plan your day
We all have busy lives and are trying to juggle too many things, from eating right to getting our work done to taking care of our families. A great morning ritual for healthy productivity is to plan out your day and make a to-do list. Planning ahead in the morning can help you minimize stress later. And when it comes to planning ahead, one of the best things you can do is meal prep. Plan your meals in advance so you don’t get to lunch or dinner starving without any idea of what you are eating or find yourself with nothing to eat besides the chips and cookies in your snack cabinet. You may want to spend some time meal prepping on the weekends or Monday morning as you think about and plan your week. You can get some great tips on how to meal prep in this Ultimate Meal Prep for a Healthy Diet article.
7. Exercise
Make time for exercise or activity every day. Ideally, working out in the morning is a daily part of your morning routine, but sometimes this isn’t realistic or possible. This can be going for a walk, doing yoga, or weight lifting. If you can’t do it in the morning, make sure that when you plan your day (see #6 above), you build in time to exercise. This could be a break in the middle of the day or planning to meet a friend for a walk or exercise class after work.
Try incorporating a few or all of these rituals into your morning routine, and you’ll find that mornings don’t have to be so chaotic after all. In fact, once you change your morning routine, you will be set up for a productive, healthier day!
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