Early Morning Routine: Be energized to seize the day.

Do you always rush in the morning that you could not even feel grateful for waking up? Or do you feel irritated or tired first thing in the morning even before starting your day? Are you one of those mean zombies lining up in a coffee shop near your work? Is this because mornings are such hassles?  Or maybe you need an early morning routine?  

I mean, sure. Maybe you always wake up late because you just need to sleep a lot later for other reasons. But, are these reasons worth the stress in the morning? It is definitely okay if they are! Of course, it is all right to sleep and wake up late if this coincides with your lifestyle and work. (Jeez, stop being so defensive!)

But, since you are here, let’s talk about mornings. Specifically, why it is important to have an early morning routine. 

Waking up early can be such a challenge but it can also be rewarding! If we wake up early, there are so many things we can do before going to work, especially when it’s an 8 to 5 job plus travel hours. We can do things for ourselves, and for our family if we are living with them. Also, we can do these things calmly. Aside from all this, we can get a chance to see the sun rises! 

There are so many great things about waking up early but these are only possible if we have a routine. Or else, our bodies won’t just cooperate since we are so used to waking up late.

An early morning routine helps our bodies get used to these. And then, we could easily feel energized in the morning, and enjoy it more.

How to start a morning routine?

First of all, we have to set how much time we need before work. As a result,  we will know what time we will wake up. From here, we reset our body clock and slowly build a routine. 

Now, what should we include in our routine? Actually, we can do anything we want to do before work. Let’s just think of positive ways to start our day. 

Is eating a healthy breakfast a positive way to start our day?

Or maybe drinking cola is? (ahem, sarcasm) 

We do whatever makes us feel happy, energized, and even hopeful for the day.

When starting, it is advisable to make a simple morning routine and then add things to the routine later on. If there are a lot of things that we want to be done in the morning, then we better wake up early.

10 things to add to your early morning routine.

Listed below are guides on what we can add to our routine. Check it out to see if there are some things you might want to add to yours. These are done with research to fully utilize your mornings for your health and productivity.

1. Wake up on time.

First is waking up at our desired time, and this is the hardest in my opinion. It is so hard to wake up early especially when we are not used to it. Sometimes, we are still dreaming when our alarms go off, and we subconsciously turn them off.

So, the first thing we should get used to is waking up early. This is our number one priority because if we can’t do this, we really can’t do the rest. Waking up late can be the start of a stressful day. To illustrate this:

We rush to our work or school because we wake up late. We try to do our tasks even if we are hungry and we can’t really concentrate. And then, we become irritated with the people around us. And so on…

If waking up early is really impossible, try resetting your body clock. 

You may want to read this: How to Reset Body Clock: Follow these 8 Tested Methods.

2. Tidy up the bed.

The second hardest to do after waking up is actually getting off the bed. 

I know that there are a lot of us who check our phones the moment we wake up. And then, we scroll through our social media until we realize that we are going late. Or there are also times that we try to remember how many absences we already have. And then, we start contemplating life and try making excuses. 

If we keep on doing these, our efforts on fixing our body clock and waking up early would all go to waste. What’s the point if we’re just going to be late without doing anything productive at all? So, instead of just lying down and thinking about how hard life is, we can fix our bed while thinking. 

Aside from not just laying down, making up the bed can make us feel organized and productive first thing in the morning. A clean bedroom also clears up our mind, making us feel calm and relaxed. Also, if we end up having a bad day due to different reasons, it is comforting to have a clean home to go to or a tidy bed to cry on. 

3. Drink water.

We all know the amazing power of water. But, why drink water first thing in the morning? 

Overnight, our body loses water and it needs to be hydrated when we wake up. Many of us don’t drink water unless we are really thirsty but that does not mean we don’t need hydration. As a result, we go on with our morning, not drinking water until we get thirsty from hurrying to work. 

Aside from avoiding dehydration, which can be dangerous, drinking water in the morning has many benefits. For example, it makes our skin and hair glow. It also aids our metabolism and makes us think we are full (you know those times where we thought we’re hungry but actually we’re just bored and thirsty). 

Although we know these, it can still be hard to follow through. When I first tried this, I felt like I would vomit. I was not used to drinking water in the morning, especially when I just woke up. But now that I’m used to it, I am so thirsty when I wake up. Maybe this is psychological, but it also makes me think that this signals my organs that I’m awake. Drinking water now makes me feel refreshed!

4. Stretch and cheer yourself up!

Now that our mind and maybe organs are awake, it’s time to wake up our muscles and bones. 

Stretching helps us to be flexible, maintain good posture, release tension, and so many more. In addition to these, especially when done in the morning, stretching makes us feel more energized. It is like warming up our bodies for the incoming tasks of the day. 

If we add some cheers for ourselves while stretching, it can make us feel more excited or determined for the day. This is a really great time to say those affirmations out loud to ourselves. 

Here are some stretches that you may try.

5. Drink coffee.

Or drink tea, whichever wakes you up!

I know that life can be exhausting and we just need a little help to make it a little easier. And that is coffee. 

Coffee can make us feel more energized and it can definitely lighten our mood. Its aroma alone can make us smile. There are so many benefits that we can get from coffee such as improving our physical performance, helping us burn fats, lowering risks from certain diseases, and many more. 

Coffee can be such a lifesaver especially when we drink the right ones. No, not those iced coffees and frappes that are made of small coffee and a lot of sugar. And absolutely no, it can’t substitute water. 

I like to drink coffee while reading something. And I really need it before the next routine because sometimes, I fall asleep while doing it.

6. Meditate.

Before we go out and face this really loud world, it is nice to prepare in silence. Before the stress we will surely get, it is good to quietly calm ourselves and direct our focus to our priorities. And we can do these through meditation.

Meditation in the morning helps set our mind and emotion for the day. Just like any battles, we have to mentally prepare ourselves for the challenges of the day. 

Now, I know that meditation can be hard. Sometimes, our minds are louder than the outside world which makes meditating more important. We have to face our demons one way or another, and it is better if we confront them voluntarily and first thing in the morning. By consistently doing this, we will know ourselves more and realize that we are stronger than we thought.

Also, there are many ways to meditate and we just need to find out which works for us best.

Note:  If you don’t want to be like me who falls asleep midway, you may try meditating outside your bedroom. Just not in your bed.

7. Quick morning workout.

Before you scroll past this, are you sure you’re going to workout in the afternoon after a long, tiring day? 

If you’re not, then you’re not alone. Personally, I love to workout in the afternoon but there are just days that I am too tired to do it. And it’s so comfy to rest at home after school. 

This is why we need to add a quick workout to our early morning routine. Even a 10-30 minutes workout has so many benefits. The most important one is that it can definitely improve our energy and mood from all the hormones released while doing it.

Fun tip: Workout outside and get some sunshine for optimal benefits! Those exchanges of greetings and smiles when we see others who are also exercising is a bonus.

You may want to read this: Lack of Motivation to Exercise: How to Beat it.

8. Eat breakfast.

They’re not kidding when they say “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Eating a healthy breakfast is a must especially when we will be facing a hectic schedule. 

We mainly get energy and vitamins from our food, and it will be best if we get it early in the morning. Eating breakfast also boosts our brainpower. If we skip breakfast, it will be difficult for us to focus and be active. Here, when students don’t respond to the teachers or just don’t participate in class, they’ll ask us if “nag-almusal na ba kayo” or “have you eaten breakfast.”

To add, it is important to take note of the word healthy breakfast. There are some who will just eat whatever. They think that it does not matter as long as we have something in our stomach. You know that this is not right. Right?

And for some who skip breakfast because of diet, it is okay as long as you’ve consulted it with a doctor, and/or you’re making up for the nutrients you did not get in breakfast.

9. Check your to-do-list.

Checking our to-do-list or our goals for the day helps us focus on our priorities for the day. This will also be a great time to adjust our schedule accordingly. 

During this time, we can create a mind map of how we will tackle all these tasks and optimize our day. Maybe, we can divide the major goals into smaller ones. Or rearrange them to how we see fit. 

By doing this, we will know exactly what to do at a certain point. And this also helps us not to forget what we have to do.

10. Make yourself presentable.

Now that we’ve done a lot of things for ourselves, it is time to prepare ourselves physically for work. And this would be to tidy up ourselves. 

By doing this, we are sure that we look good and smell nice. Looking good makes a better impression on other people. Also, this helps us feel confident and this can really affect our success. 

This is not just to look pretty, okay? This is personal hygiene. And what if it is to look pretty? It really does not matter as long as we feel good.  

If you are working at home, it is still advisable to look good. This sets a sense of boundary between being chill and being productive.

Go out and continue having a great day!

Having an early morning routine can be fun, right? In our usual time, we would still be sleeping. But with this, we’ve already done ten things. The day is just starting but we’ve already warmed up and prepared for more. 

Of course, an early morning routine is only possible when we have a good night’s sleep. As they say, a good morning starts in the evening. So, it is not enough to just wake up early. We also have to sleep early. We could still be able to do these but we would be tired in the afternoon or sleepy at work.

Remember that everything we do has consequences. Sleeping and waking up on time can have great results. And if we do our best to be healthy and improve ourselves, sooner or later we will definitely see good results and we will look back and thank our current selves. 

It is also nice to note that what I listed is just a guide. You can mix things up. For example, you want to eat breakfast and at the same time check your to-do-list. You can also omit others and change it to something you prefer. Like, instead of a quick workout, you do a full workout because you’re sure that you won’t be able to workout later. It really depends on you and what you see fit for you.

Don’t forget to share in the comments section how you keep your mornings fun and productive. Others might get inspiration from you! 

Always rooting for your growth,

Meredith Blaise ♡

You may also want to read these: 

How to Improve Yourself: Start with these 10 Habits.

Know and Conquer Mental Resistance.

5 Tips on How to Start Your Self Improvement Journey.