The importance of a morning routine
Want to know the secret to good health? Read on to discover how to set yourself up for the day the right way, and why your waking hours can make or break your day.
It’s simple: the secret to health and well-being is setting healthy habits, and one of the best ways to achieve this is to start your morning well. The right routine not only sets you up for the day, it also puts you in control of your mood and behaviour, helps establish consistency and can manage anxiety and stress.
We live in stressful times, so it’s not surprising that 60-80 per cent of doctor visits are reported to be stress-related. Many of these stressors aren’t the major events you might think, but rather a series of 'micro stressors' – something as simple as spilling a carton of milk at breakfast or sleeping badly the night before – that accumulate until the effects tip the balance. As stress levels rise, your muscles tighten and breathing becomes shallow. These physical changes send information to the brain and influence how you're likely to respond to your next stressful experience or minor irritation.
Next, read about the symptoms of stress, why you're always tired and the benefits of exercise on mental health.
Why are morning routines important?
We all know mornings can be manic – whether you have kids to get to school, a dog to walk or an early meeting, there are bound to be a few unexpected mishaps.
By practicing a series of familiar and habitual steps at the same time every day, you’ll subconsciously tell your body that you’re in a place of safety – this helps shift your mindset to one of thriving, rather than surviving.
By creating this habitual structure, you’ll help relieve stress and stimulate your brain for a more productive and creative day ahead. Getting your morning routine right (for you) will help you manage your response to stressful situations, and in turn may improve both your emotional and physical health. What’s more, you may reduce your risk of conditions like high blood pressure.
What are the benefits of a morning routine?
When you stick to a morning routine, you’ll benefit from fewer negative thoughts, be calmer with the people around you and likely sleep better, too – especially if part of your morning routine involves exposure to morning daylight. Studies show it also helps improve physical function.
How can I start building a morning routine?
The secret is to start small. Introduce one or two elements and aim, in the first instance, to stick to them for a period of about 10 weeks. Within this time, you should find that you do the activity automatically without thinking. When you do, you’ve created a habit! These activities needn’t be complex or time-consuming – it could be as simple as doing some light movement, practicing breathwork or reading positive affirmations.
To set yourself up for success, make your new activity easy. The best way to do this is to follow these tips:
- Make it an action you do at the same time and place, every day
- Pick a time that triggers you to do the behaviour
- For a successful outcome, stack the new behaviour onto an existing one. For example, while you wait for your tea to brew, take 5 minutes to journal or do a short burst of body weight exercises, like push-ups
What is the best morning routine?
To help you rise and shine, we asked our team to share their morning routines. The key to success is finding what works for you, so be inspired by the ideas below.
“The night before, we put the coffee machine on a timer for when we wake up, and make lunchboxes to take to work. We wake up to the smell of freshly ground beans and enjoy our coffee. I don’t exercise in the morning, as we’re on the nursery run, but classical music is on while we get ready. I love the mindfulness this brings – it adds a little relaxation to what could be the chaos of leaving the house.”
Why it works
• You can reduce feelings of overwhelm by organising the day ahead
• Soothing melodic sound activates your ‘rest and digest’ nervous system
“I set my alarm for 6.30am, but I’m usually woken earlier by my kids – it can be hectic, so I have a strict morning routine for myself to feel in control despite the wild, child-related variables. As I brush my teeth, I set an intention for the day, then have my supplements – omega-3 and an effervescent vitamin C tablet. I try to get outside within 30 minutes to take in air, plus I get a few steps in on the school run. I do stretches and inversions to get the blood flowing. I’ve been trying to shrink my eating window, so will hold off on breakfast for as long as possible. I drink plenty of water until then, and sometimes a green tea. Later, I’ll have baked oats with Greek yogurt and fruit.”
Why it works
• Setting an intention for the day can help you maintain course, despite unexpected disruptions
• Getting exposure to morning daylight sets your body’s circadian rhythm and may help you feel more energised
“I hold off on having my coffee until 9am, in order to let my body wake up naturally. I find I savour it more, and it means that the caffeine has a more noticeable impact. A few times a week, I do a 5k run before work – I’m a morning person in general, and find that exercising earlier gets my day off to a good start. I follow my run with a healthy breakfast of avocado on toast with pumpkin seeds.”
Why it works
• Using caffeine strategically may help improve your focus, alertness and energy levels
• The key to sticking to an exercise routine is knowing when it works best for you
“I used to listen to the radio news first thing, but it can make you feel depressed, so I’ve switched to a more positive start to the day. I spend 15 minutes dozing to a meditation or yoga nidra body scan. As homemade bread is infinitely better when cold-proved in the fridge for at least 10 hrs, I leave it overnight to bake in the morning. I get up a little earlier to preheat the oven, but by the time I’m out of the shower and ready, I have warm, super-fresh bread ready for work sandwiches.”
Why it works
• Techniques like yoga nidra that use guided mental imagery can promote a profound sense of relaxation and calm
• Tasks like bread-making can awaken the senses
“On weekdays, I wake up at 7am, have a cup of tea in bed and check the news on my phone. I wake up my kids, get dressed and head downstairs to get the kids and dog their breakfasts. There will be inevitable rushing around, trying to hurry everyone along, while I make a packed lunch and have a small coffee. After trying to cajole the teenager out the door in the correct uniform, I’m usually quite stressed. I walk my younger daughter to school and feel more peaceful. If working at home, I have breakfast of muesli with nuts and seeds and full-fat milk, or plain yogurt, blueberries, seeds and granola… and another coffee. I’ll spend 10 mins in the garden to feel calm before tidying up the breakfast stuff and starting work."
Why it works
• Combining physical exercise, such as a walk with daylight, may have a positive effect on mood and help dissipate stress
• Understanding what makes you feel stress, and taking action to calm yourself, helps prevent it building up
Want more like this? Now try:
What are the symptoms of anxiety?
How to lower cortisol levels
How to get to sleep
10 foods to boost your brainpower
Kerry Torrens BSc. (Hons) PgCert MBANT is a BANT Registered Nutritionist® with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including Good Food.
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