Morning Routine
Breakfast
A lot of people like to eat cereal or porridge/oatmeal for breakfast. These foods are full of carbohydrates, which gives you energy. Sounds like a great idea to get your day started.
However, studies have shown that carbohydrates only give you energy for a short amount of time. You might get a little boost for a little while but by mid-morning you will be out of energy, hungry, looking at the clock and waiting for lunch.
Eating a breakfast that is high in fat and protein will actually give you more energy throughout the day as well as giving you some essential nutrients that you won’t get with carbohydrate rich foods. Eating a breakfast like steak or scrambled eggs will give you more energy and keep you more attentive through out the day.
Exercise
Exercising is a great way to wake up in the morning. It will get your out of that half-asleep feeling and get you feeling good. And, you want to look and feel good anyway, right?
Studies have shown that exercise makes you feel good and reduces feelings anxiety and depression. It does this by releasing endorphins which produce positive feelings. Also, studies have shown that over time exercise will give you more energy. In some studies there was an extreme reduction in fatigue.
So make sure to add a work out to your morning routine!
Cold Shower
Having a cold shower seems like a bad idea until you hear that a lot of very successful people do it. The cold water hits your skin and you start releasing endorphins, which will improve your mood quite considerably.
One of the strongest cases for having a cold shower in the morning is taking yourself out of your comfort zone. You are putting yourself in a freezing cold shower instead of a nice warm one. It’s almost like a minor challenge every morning, that gets you ready to take on harder challenges through out the day. It will also make your next morning task look easy. Plan my day before I leave the house? Sure, no problem. Can’t be worse then the cold shower!
If you want to learn more, check out our Benefits Of Cold Showers article.
Read For An Hour
I know what you’re thinking: You don’t have time to read in the mornings! And why? How would that improve my day? Well, whether reading a chapter in the morning improves your day or not is debatable. However, it will certainly improve you.
I always make sure to get up an hour earlier then I need to and after I have eaten, worked out and had a cold shower, I read for an hour. First of all, it’s good to get your brain working and ready for the day. Secondly, If you read something in the morning you have the whole day to think about it.
I like to think about what I’ve read in the morning through out the day, not just for fun, so I definitely remember it. Read something useful or interesting. I am currently reading Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Death by Black Hole And Other Cosmic Quandaries. It’s a book about astro physics for us non-scientists. I love reading about space in the morning and thinking about what I have read through out the day. Suddenly, I’m a guy that has interesting scientific facts and knowledge at the ready.
Think about what you need. If you’re learning a new skill or have a new hobby, read about it in the morning. If you’ve always had an interest in Ancient Rome and would like to know more, grab a book about it. It might be a long and complicated book but by just reading a chapter and thinking about what you have read through out the day, you’ll be an ancient historian in no time.
Be Creative
Being creative is much easier in the morning. You haven’t had a long day of tasks that have drained your willpower and energy. Waiting until you have finished your normal work before you start your creative work isn’t the best idea as you have used your energy during the day.
Creative work doesn’t have to be drawing, writing a book or painting a picture; it can be planning your day ahead, planning a trip or putting a plan in place for your day at work. Do this in the morning when you still have all your creative energy at your finger tips.
Plan Your Day
Not only do you want to be looking forward to your day, you want to be well prepared for it. Sit down and think about the day in front of you. What work do you have to do? Who might you bump in to, what do you need to talk to them about? If a certain situation arises at work, how shall I deal with it?
It’s a good idea to be as detailed as possible with your plan. Sit down and plan your day hour by hour. What tasks do you need to get done, at work or at home? Put together a time table and plan out your tasks hour by hour.
You can even put a little time table together and plan out your morning routine in detail.
With a strong morning routine and a strong plan for the day, you’ll be unstoppable!
