The Winner's Morning Routine
Your daily habits have a huge impact on how your days, weeks, and months play out. In this blog, I’m going to outline the best ways to begin your day with optimal performance in mind.
Avoid the snooze button - we’ve all done it. Smacked that button for 5 more minutes which becomes another hour, only to wake up feeling worse than we did when the alarm first went off. The scientific data on this is limited, but there are some studies that show after the snooze button is hit, the body will go back into REM sleep, as a REM cycle was likely just completed (this is based on circadian rhythm - especially if the alarm goes off at the same time each day). The minor inconvenience of getting out of bed the first time far outweighs the foggy feeling by laying in bed half awake, or disrupting a sleep cycle.
Drink a full glass of water - drinking water first thing in the morning helps to rehydrate. After a period of fasting, the body needs to have water, and it is better absorbed on an empty stomach. It’s also good for the kidneys, colon, and bladder, as it flushes out toxins.
Exercise - to the best of your ability, try to begin your day with movement. Maybe this is a moderate intensity walk, or something as intense as CrossFit. For many people, working out in the morning is unappealing because it requires time, but it is well worth it to set yourself up for success. Working out in the morning ensures that the workout gets completed, and in general, people find it easier to eat healthy after exercising.
Eat a healthy breakfast - make sure to eat in the morning to feed your metabolism. For the average person, eating by 8am gets the body going and provides the energy needed to perform well at work. Fasts should always be broken with protein and carbs/fiber. For instance, whey protein mixed with water and an apple. This could also look like eggs, yogurt with berries, or even a protein pancake. There is some wiggle room here, but I find that choosing a few things and sticking with them consistently works the best. Minimize the guesswork and reach your goals faster!
Meditate and/or recite daily affirmations - you’ve heard it said that the game of life is largely mental. This is also true for fitness as well. The majority of the battles you will face are mind over matter. For this reason, it is important to increase self-awareness and be in tune with your body. You can talk yourself in or out of anything, so practice positive thinking and talk yourself into something amazing!
Prioritize daily tasks and set yourself up for success - we all have those daunting to-do lists, but learning how to make them work for you is the real flex. From a long list of to-do’s, choose a few things each day to accomplish and time block to make it happen. It’s okay to have one or two big “must-do’s” and then prioritize the rest based on urgency. Planning to achieve a long list of tasks is often unreasonable and leads to disappointment when expectations aren’t met (even in ourselves).
There are other small habits you can adopt - reading 10 minutes in the morning, making your bed, etc., that lead toward a productive day, but the ones listed above are non-negotiables in my habit list that will set anyone and everyone up to have the best day possible.
If you snooze, you lose! You got this!