Healthy Morning Habits for the New Year
Not everyone is a morning person and it’s certainly not meant to be that way. However, creating a daily routine can help you feel motivated and more refreshed in the mornings.
The first thing we always want to do as a part of a morning routine is pull open the curtains. For me, personally, the first few moments of this can be painful in the morning. I notice, however, that pulling open the curtains eventually motivates me to get up and start moving around my apartment home. If I had it my way, I would stay comfortable in bed under the covers until sunlight became inevitable. It may not seem like much but opening the curtains in the morning is extremely helpful. Although it is the winter season, if it’s warm enough in your area, it may be even better to step outside and breathe in some fresh air for a while.
Photo by Eduard
Photo by Massimo Rinaldi
I’m personally a religious tea drinker. I think loose leaf tea is the perfect way to sort out what your body needs for that particular day. Loose leaf teas allow you to add and take away different herbs and spices and adjust them to your preference. Drinking the tea isn’t the only helpful part of this routine, the activity of creating the tea itself gets you moving around and using your brain early on in the morning! I plan to incorporate several of my own tea recipes and there are many helpful ones on Pinterest as well. Take a couple of days to try out different ones and see which ones make you physically feel a difference.
Music can always help get you moving! I personally find that classical music helps my brain to begin thinking and making connections early in the morning. No matter what genre of music brings you energy, this is an excellent way to start your day off in a fun way. During my morning commute, I enjoy listening to rap or trap music. Sitting in rush hour traffic is an everyday nightmare, but listening to music is my personal way of escaping from the chaos surrounding me. Creating different playlists can be helpful, so you can quickly go to your favorites depending on whatever mood you’re in.
Photo by Sixteen Miles Out
Gratitude lists are something I’ve tried on and off over the years. This year, I’m hoping to add one a week to my diary pages as I go throughout life. Expressing gratitude is one way to remind of what you have in front of you, as it can be easy to focus on what is not. With the advancement of technology, social media, and targeted advertising, the world around us is quick to remind what we may want but not necessarily need. I also like listening to ambience soundtracks any time I’m writing. I normally listen to ‘Harry Potter’ or the ‘Skyrim’ soundtracks/ambience. They’re very moving and relaxing to me. It’s necessary to remind ourselves fairly often what we are grateful for. It’s easy to feel discontent with life in general, writing down everything we are grateful for is a great way to ground and center ourselves in the morning.
Lastly, there’s the most important meal of the day: breakfast. I tend to go by the saying, “garbage in, garbage out” when deciding what to eat for any of my meals. Breakfast is the most commonly skipped meal, so it is important to choose foods that will give you energy to last throughout the day, just in case you don’t find the time to refuel within the next few hours. I find that a combination of fruit, breakfast sandwich, oatmeal, and tea all give me a steady stream of energy as I work throughout the day. Finding what works for you and what gives you energy in the morning is important. For me, eating meat early in the morning usually makes me feel sluggish, so I try to incorporate meat into my lunch or even dinner. Take a couple weeks and try different things; see what works best for you.
Photo by Mariana Montes de Oca
These are just a few of the many wonderful things to try incorporating into your morning routine. Try a couple of them and let me know how it goes in the comments!
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog article! Be sure to leave a comment, like, and share this content if you enjoyed reading! Please tell me what you would like to see next in the comments as well!
Love,
—H.DENAË
Photo by Rolando Yera