Not everyone is a morning person - and for those who aren’t,
it can be extremely frustrating when those morning people say ‘you just get
up’. I am one of those people that says ‘you just get up.” A lot of morning
people just don’t get it, and, unfortunately, it’s the non-morning people that
need to change if they want to have a nicer start to the day. So, how do you do
it? You can’t. Honestly, it is your internal clock that allows you or doesn’t
allow you to be a morning person. If you don’t like mornings, then you’re never
going to. You might become accustomed to getting up early, sleeping properly at
night, and getting up without hitting snooze fifty times, but that doesn’t mean
that you’re going to like mornings. All you can do is make
sure that you start your day right.
The Night Before
It’s so, so, so important to pay attention to what you’re eating and drinking the night before to ensure that you get a good night’s sleep. Your body naturally drops in temperature by a few degrees so that you can sleep comfortably, but if you’re still digesting food, your temperature is naturally raised. Try and not eat anything in the three hours leading up to bedtime to make sure that you rest properly. The same can be said of caffeine and alcohol before bed. Anyone who has ever been on a night out knows how badly you sleep when you have just been drinking. It makes you dehydrated, causing your body to try and wake you up so that you can drink water. Chug some Gatorade before bed and pop an Advil for a quick fix. Drinks before bed should not contain sugar sugared, caffeine, or alcohol. So, ideally, a glass of water.
Breakfast
People who don’t eat breakfast, are not my people. How can you turn down sunny side up?! It really is the most important meal of the day. And there really isn’t any substitute for the energy you can get from a decent breakfast. Unfortunately, a lot of people eat breakfast on the go, choosing breakfast bars or even replacing the meal with a coffee. There is also the common misconception for people trying to lose weight that less it best - that having little or nothing to eat first thing in the morning is a good idea. WRONG! Your metabolism kicks in when you have your morning meal - the sooner you have it, the more your body is going to work through it.
Your breakfast should be a decent sized meal; it is literally you ‘breaking your fast’ and it is setting you up for the first half of your day. You need to refill the energy lost through the hours of not eating, and add more to see you through the morning. So your breakfast needs to be full of all the right things. Overnight oats, with a side of grapefruit or homemade granola and coconut yogurt, with a cup of fresh berries, are easy peazy options for a first-time breakfast eater. I can’t believe it’s 2018 and people are still confused on this concept! Scrambled egg and smoked salmon on toast, with a smoothie to go, is a decent option for the bougie breakfast eater. I think the first meal of the day is something to look forward. Hell, its been at least 8 hours since my last meal… I’m hungry.
Rehydrate
Most people will need their caffeine fix through coffee, tea, or caffeinated water - but you also need to add in something none caffeinated. A glass of water or fresh juice is a perfect accompaniment. If you are making a smoothie, substitute the fruit juice for water, green tea, or coconut water. Your body has been parched for like 8 hours now. Treat it with some cool refreshing cucumber water. YUM.
Meditate
I am a firm believer in morning meditation. It is really hard to sit down and dedicate 10 minutes in the morning to just breathing. I get it. I said the same thing before I started meditating. I even have a little zen zone in my room now because I am such a strong believer in the practice. Apps like Calm and Headspace are really good for beginners. They start you off with 3-5 minute meditations. In the scope of 24 hours, dedicating four minutes to you doesn’t seem like a whole lot of effort. Try it for a week, and let me know how well your day goes after.
Get Going
While getting dressed, pop on a playlist or the radio. It’s up to you whether your music choice is calm or upbeat, but choose something very different to what you would listen to when you’re trying to relax. Use a ready-made wake up playlist, create one of your own, or use one of mine, but get moving with some great tunes. This is crucial to the morning routine because it’s basically the best part, besides breakfast, and water, and meditation. Why aren’t you a morning person again?
Tell me about your morning ritual.
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