10 Changes to Your Morning Routine That

Will Transform Your Entire Day

Caroline Praderio / Business Insider Web

Sep 11, 2017

Some people dread mornings, and other people relish them. No matter which
type you are, there's still a good chance that you can tweak your morning routine
for the better.
Next time you wake up, try a few of these 10 tips. Most take a just a few minutes,
and they'll help you feel prepared, relaxed, and ready for whatever's to come.

1. Go for a quick walk.

Going outside and exposing yourself to natural light prompts your body to reset
its internal circadian rhythm for a new day, giving you an energy boost,
according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Plus, a wealth of evidence shows that walking keeps you healthy. One study of
about 72,000 women found that three hours of walking per week cut the risk of
heart attack and stroke by about 35%.

2. Make your bed.

You don't need to do a heart-pounding workout to feel accomplished in the
morning. Instead, bestselling author and four-star admiral William McRaven
suggests something simpler: making your bed.
"It's not just about kind of throwing the covers over the pillow," he said in an
interview with Business Insider this April. "It's about making your bed right and
walking away and going, 'OK, that's good. That looks good. I'm [...] proud of this
little task I did.' And that is really what I think sets the tone for the rest of the
day," he said. "It doesn't take an hour to do, and yet you get this sense of
accomplishment."

3. Drink water.
We constantly lose fluid when we breathe and sweat— two things that happen
while we're sleeping. This loss of fluids can lead to dehydration, which can make
you feel dizzy, faint, or (in serious cases) confused. That's no way to kick off your
day.
Drinking a big glass of water in the morning ensures that your body stays
hydrated and your mind stays sharp for whatever's ahead. And, to help you stay
hydrated all day, there is a way to figure out the exact amount of water you
should drink every day.

4. Read a book.
Some research suggests that reading may reduce stress and boost empathy, a
quality that's critical for your interactions with friends, family, and co-workers
all day long.
Science aside, it's just nice to start the day with an activity that's calm and quiet
before the torrent of texts and work emails rushes in. And, for what it's worth,
many of the world's most successful people report voracious reading habits. Bill
Gates reads about a book a week, according to Business Insider.

5. Write down "three good things."

The "three good things" exercise is simple: Once a day, write down three things
that went well for you that day and explain why they went well.
It only takes 10 minutes, and it can have a big impact. The psychologist who
developed the exercise found that practicing it for just one week reduced
depressive symptoms and increased happiness for the next six months.
Some people complete the exercise at night, but you could try it in the morning
as a way to reflect on the previous day. It just might give you a sunnier outlook
on everything that's ahead.

6. Get some caffeine.

Yes, you already know that caffeine can make you more alert. (Or, if you're a
caffeine addict, you know that it's required for basic functioning.) But did you
know that its effects extend throughout the day? It takes about 5 to 6 hours for
just half the caffeine you've ingested to wear off.
Just make sure you're not taking in more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day.
Here's what that looks like in terms of actual drinks.

7. Do a tiny task that you would otherwise dread all day.

There's no real science behind this one, but it's easy to see how it works. Imagine
coming home to clean kitchen, or a bedroom with all the clothes folded, hung,
and put away. It sets the stage for a relaxed evening.

8. Clear your mind.

Plenty of health fads aren't backed by solid science, but meditation is. A growing
body of evidence shows that meditation's benefits are real and plentiful. Studies
have found mediation can improve focus, reduce feelings of anxiety, and
decrease blood pressure. Regular meditators also appear to fatigue less easily
and get sick less often.
Want to finally try it out? One popular (and doctor-recommended) app is called
Headspace. It guides you through the basics of meditation so you don't have to
go it alone.

9. Plan out your goals for the day.

Instead of just reviewing your schedule for the day, psychologist Travis
Bradberry recommends creating a super-specific list of goals that you want to
accomplish. Don't just say you're going to finish a task — write down how you're
going to do it and how long it'll take.
"When you plan out your day as carefully as possible, your chances of
successfully accomplishing your goals skyrocket," he once wrote on LinkedIn.
But make sure the goals you set are realistic. Otherwise, when you don't
complete them, you'll only feel dejected. Also, try to knock out the most difficult
goals early in your day.
"When you complete difficult tasks first, you carry positive energy and a feeling
of accomplishment into the rest of your day," Bradberry wrote.
Read more: Poor sleep can ramp up our insecurities — here's how treating
insomnia can help with mental health

10. Talk to someone you love.

That good feeling you get after chatting with a loved one isn't just a nice way to
start the day — it's actually good for your body.
More scientific evidence is showing that social interaction is crucial to our
wellbeing. People with more social connections live longer than those who are
more isolated, according to a review of existing studies done in 2010.
Additionally, people who are lonelier are more likely to have elevated stress
levels.
Spend a few minutes talking in person with a partner or roommate, or make a
call to a friend or family member who doesn't live with you.
24 Ways to Brighten Your
Morning
BY READER'S DIGEST EDITORS

The morning is probably no one’s favourite part of the day, particularly if you
stayed up the night before to watch Leno or Jaws for the seventeenth time.
Remember: Stress and anxiety wreak havoc on your immunity. Enter your day
happy and relaxed, and you greatly increase your chances of a healthy,
productive day.
Go to sleep with your blinds or curtains halfway open. That way, the
natural light of the rising sun will send a signal to your brain to slow its
production of melatonin and bump up its production of adrenaline, a signal that
it’s time to wake up. When the alarm goes off, you’ll already be half awake. Even
better: Go to bed early enough so that waking up when the sun shines through
your window still gives you the recommended seven hours of shut-eye. If you
maintain this routine, it’s likely that you can start relying on your biological
clock rather than an alarm clock.
Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier. This way, you don’t have to jump out
of bed and rush through your morning. You can begin your morning by lying in
bed, slowly waking up. Stretching. Listening to the news headlines. Mentally
clicking off what you’re going to wear, what you’re going to do, what you’re going
to have for breakfast. It’s just as important to prepare yourself mentally as
physically for your day. These few minutes in bed, before anyone else is up, are
all yours.
Stretch every extremity for 15 seconds. Try this even before you open your
eyes. Lift your arm and begin by stretching each finger, then your hand, then
your wrist, then your arm. Then move on to the other arm. Then your toes, feet,
ankles, and legs. Finally, end with a neck and back stretch that propels you out
of the bed. You’ve just limbered up your muscles and joints and enhanced the
flow of blood through your body, providing an extra shot of oxygen to all your
tissues.
Stick a chair in the shower and sit in it. Use one of those plastic chairs you
can buy at any hardware store. Let it warm up under the spray for a minute,
then sit in it and let the spray beat on your back. It’s simultaneously relaxing
and energizing, like getting a water massage. After a couple of minutes, you can
swing the chair out of the way and commence with washing.
 Read a motivational quote every morning. This can provide a frame for
the day, a sort of self-talk that keeps you motivated in the right direction as
opposed to the negative thinking of the morning news. Another option: Use a
motivational mantra that provides a meditation-like burst, or read or recite a
poem that helps you focus. A good one to use: Rudyard Kipling’s “If.”
Take a vitamin. Keep a multivitamin out on the kitchen counter right by
the coffeepot so you remember to take one every morning. More than 20 years
of research led to a major recommendation in one of the country’s premier
medical journals suggesting that every American take a multivitamin as part of
a healthy lifestyle.
Eschew any decisions. For truly relaxing mornings, reduce the number of
choices and decisions you make to zero. Go about this two ways: First, make
your morning decisions the night before: what clothes to wear, what breakfast
to eat, what route to take to work, and so on. Second, routinize as much of your
morning as possible. Really, there’s no need to vary your breakfast, timetable,
or bathroom ritual from one morning to the next.
Cuddle with your kids. Few things are more stressful in the morning than
waking up an overtired fifth grader or a snoring high schooler. Yet this is one of
the few times you can catch your child still vulnerable. Sit on his bed and gently
smooth his hair as you softly waken him. Or, if you’re dealing with a very young
child, lie beside him and gently hug him awake. Such a moment will send a quiet
surge of joy through your entire day and will become all too rare in all too short
a time.
Spend 5 to 10 minutes each morning listening to music or sitting on the
deck or porch just thinking. This allows the creative thinking that takes place
during the night to gel and form into a plan of action, grounding you for the day.
Wake to the smell of coffee. Really great coffee. Buy the absolute best
coffee you can afford — fresh beans are preferred — and put twice the amount
you’ve been using into your coffee maker, the one you bought specifically
because it has an alarm that can be set to start brewing times. The strong scent
of strong coffee will pull you out of bed like a fishhook in the back of your
pajamas. Plus, if you’re going the caffeine route, morning is the best time for it.
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that acts in many ways like other
stimulant drugs such as amphetamines, waking you up and increasing your
muscular activity. Even better: A study of 18 men found that caffeine improved
clear-headedness, happiness, and calmness, as well as the men’s ability to
perform on attention tests and to process information and solve problems.
Brush your tongue for one minute. There’s no better way to rid yourself
of morning breath and begin your day minty fresh and clean. After all, more
than 300 types of bacteria take up residence in your mouth every night. You
think a quick brush over the teeth is going to vanquish them all?
Take a baby aspirin. There. You’ve just significantly reduced your risk of
a heart attack. In one study of 220,000 doctors, those who took an aspirin every
day for five years slashed their heart attack risk nearly in half. Of course, check
with your doctor first to make sure this is okay for you.
Use real sugar in your coffee, or drink a cup of orange juice. When
researchers at the University of Virginia tested the memories of healthy 60- to
80-year-olds, they found those who had a small amount of sugar in the morning
(the experimenters compared sweetened to unsweetened lemonade) even
before breakfast had better memory recall that day on into the following day.
We’re talking small amounts, however, about a teaspoon or less; so put down
that doughnut.
Check your morning calendar. This is the large calendar or white board
you’ve hung in a prominent position in your kitchen. On it, you write everything
you need to know for that particular day, from kids’ activities to whether the guy
is coming to service the furnace to whether it’s time to pay bills. Check it out
carefully while you sip that first cup of coffee or morning tea; it will help you
structure your day in your mind and avoid the stressful effects of forgetting
something important.
Swallow 500 mg of calcium citrate. Your body is better at absorbing this
form of calcium than the other commonly used form, calcium carbonate, found
in antacids like Tums and Rolaids. You’ll need at least another 500 mg before
you go to bed.
Drink eight ounces of water. You’ve been fasting all night and you wake
each morning dehydrated.
Create a checklist for your kids. If you don’t have kids, skip this one. But
if you do, this is a biggie. To cut down on morning chaos, hang a white board in
the hallway or kitchen and list all the things that must be done before the kids
can leave: brush teeth, eat breakfast, get backpack together, make bed, and so
on. Have them check off or erase each item once it’s completed. You can do the
same thing with lists printed out from your computer. Set a consequence: If all
items aren’t checked off 5 minutes before you need to leave, there’s no TV,
PlayStation, dessert, or computer time that night.
Keep a wicker basket for yourself and each child by the front or back door.
Into it go your keys, wallet, purse, and the child’s backpack, papers, gloves, hats,
etc. This will prevent that frantic last-minute scouring of the house as you look
for lost items.
 Split up in the morning. That means you use one bathroom and your
partner uses another. Even if you are still madly in love, bathroom time should
be private time. It makes for a calmer, less stressful start to your day.
Wash more efficiently. We spend an average of about 12 minutes in the
shower. That’s fine when you’re preparing for date night. But in the morning,
you need to get in and out quickly. If you’re not into showering the night before
(we do understand about bed head) try using two-in-one products like a
cleanser that both cleans and moisturizes or a combination shampoo and
conditioner. When you wash your body, just hit the hot spots, i.e., your groin
and underarms. Everything else can just be rinsed off. The health benefit:
reducing stress by saving time.
Prepare an emergency outfit in your closet. Include socks, jewellery, hose,
etc., so on those mornings when you sleep through the alarm or simply need an
extra 10 minutes, you can just pluck it off the hanger and go.
Dry more efficiently. Start with an oversized, 100 percent cotton bath
sheet for maximum blotting. Towel-dry your hair and let it air-dry while you do
your makeup or put on your underwear. Then, if you use a blow-dryer, make it
a high-energy one, at least 1,600 watts. Anything else is just wasting precious
time.
Hop on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Studies find that people who work
out in the morning are more likely to stick with their exercise regimen because
they get it out of the way and don’t have all day to come up with diversions and
excuses. Plus, you will produce endorphins that will last most of the day.
Kiss all the people you love in your house (including the dog and cat)
before you leave. Connecting with the ones you love soothes stress and provides
you with a positive start to your day, as well as keeping you focused on what’s
really important says therapist Barbara Bartlein, L.C.S.W., author of Why Did I
Marry You Anyway? 125 Strategies for a Happy Marriage.
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