Morning routines , everyone has one, consciously or unconsciously. There are countless ways to start the day. One person takes control directly when waking up, the other wakes up too late and immediately lags behind. I myself am convinced that the beginning is crucial for the rest of my day. I would like to give you an insight into my morning routine.
There's no right or wrong in morning routines
Every individual is different. One is a morning person, the other only comes to life in the evening. I have studied multiple morning routines, from top athletes to life coaches. No person, no day and no morning is exactly the same, but there are certainly patterns that stand out.
Quantity, quality…how much bedtime?If we are to believe the hardcore sleepyhead, 8 hours of sleep is just enough to function, while a workaholic with enough espresso can get by just fine with 3 hours of sleep. Who lives the healthiest? According to sleep experts, the answer is as frustrating as it is easy: it varies from person to person. It turns out that the number of hours of sleep you need depends on your genetic predisposition. This explains why one person needs 3 hours and another seems to be at the end of his tether after 10 hours.
Follow your gut. If you feel good during the day, you are getting enough sleep. If not, you should logically get more hours. However, if you wake up feeling worse than when you went to sleep, this could indicate that you are sleeping too much.
See what works for you: Vary the number of hours of sleep per night and see what works best for you.
You snooze, you lose“I function well on 7 hours of sleep. On 5-6 hours I felt really bad and on more than 7-8 I felt sluggish all day long.”
Get out of bed right away... or turn over? This dilemma lasts longer than your snooze. However, the body rests when we go through a number of sleep cycles undisturbed. If you have indeed already been woken up by your alarm clock, the sleep process has been interrupted and those extra minutes of 'snooze' do not benefit you.
Start with success“I still struggle with this myself, which is why I charge my phone on the other side of the bedroom. Then I have to get out of bed. Once out of bed - I start my day gratefully."
I make my bed every morning. It is the first task of the day that you can complete. It takes me 20 seconds, but I see it as a small victory that sets the tone for the rest of the day. This way I start with a small achievement and end the day with it when I see a made bed in the evening. Check this video for more motivation.
Regularity is the right measureWhat works well for me is getting up and going to bed at the same time every day. Research shows that people who do this sleep better than people who vary a lot in this. The body sees this regularity as reliability: I know that I get enough sleep and I know how to organize my day. Moreover, this means that I don't have to 'catch up on sleep' on the weekends.
How regular are your sleep schedules?
Fluctuations in sleep times cause the well-known jetlag feeling. Did you know that the body prepares itself for 60 to 90 minutes before you wake up? So when you sleep very irregularly, the body does not know when to wake up and cannot prepare itself properly, which can make you feel very sleepy when that alarm goes off.
Alarm clock instead of telephoneYour alarm goes off, you have 100 new messages on Whatsapp, Instagram, Facebook, countless emails from work and you receive news reports from all over the world... You are immediately tense with stress and you have lost control over your morning and the rest of the day.
Peace and mindset"That's why I start my morning proactively instead of reactively: I decide for myself how and with what mindset I start my day. I only check my phone 1 hour after I wake up."
The first hour of the day sets the tone and during the day it is difficult to find peace these days: emails, social media, group chats, friends, the phone ringing and so on. If you also oversleep, have missed 20 calls and are behind on countless emails, it can feel like you are already 1-0 behind. That is why I try to build in more and more rest during my mornings. Because my alarm goes off at 6:15 am I can - without being interrupted - always get into the same positive mindset, get a lot done and I am one step ahead of the day.
WalkingI see walking, besides exercise, also as a way to relax. I am a big fan of consciously thinking about my surroundings, about the things I am grateful for and about the goals I want to achieve that day. I also love nature, I completely relax after a long walk and I start my day feeling fresh and fruity. I make the distinction for my body between sleep and wake mode as clear as possible by going outside.
Others will find similar mental and physical health benefits from meditation, stretching, vigorous exercise, etc. Do what works for you. So take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk in circles while brushing your teeth. By making these small adjustments, you could end up walking a lot without even realizing it.
3 goalsI used to want to do everything at once, which made me do everything halfway. Since then, I try to set goals every morning. No more, no less. For me, that means today I want to take 10,000 steps, discover 1 new algae product, and create a personal to-do for next week.
For me, a walk is exercise and mindfulness in one. During the walk I try to get into a positive mindset, to be grateful for everything I have and I set 3 goals for that day. Putting everything in order and reflecting on how I feel is something that has a positive effect on my rest of my (work)day. In the future I will try to swim every morning in a local (open) pool, I will let you know how this works out.
Did you know that when we wake up, the body itself provides an alert mode by producing a stress hormone (cortisol)? This is our natural boost and after an hour the cortisol level drops again. I myself only drink coffee 1-2 hours after waking up.
No breakfast?! No, I don't eat breakfast right away, I just wait until I'm hungry. Because of my work in the hospital, I often couldn't eat until 12:00 - or later - for the first time. I noticed that I felt better, strangely enough had more energy and had less trouble with my intestines in the morning. This is usually called intermittent fasting, but I sometimes find this term to sound a bit strict. I don't forbid myself to eat at any time, but see it more as consciously listening to my body. When I used to eat my bowl of oatmeal right away at 06:16, I immediately felt sluggish and listless because of the 'after dinner dip' - or insulin peak in my blood. You've probably heard the term intermittent fasting before and many people get great health benefits from it. Some people consciously have a predetermined eating period: usually from 12:00 to 20:00. But for me it simply means: only eating when I'm hungry. That's usually 4-6 hours after getting up. During my 1 st meal I always take my plnktn . capsules. For me this works ideal and I experience positive effects.
In the future we will also write a blog about intermittent fasting.
RelaxWhile a good morning routine can have some wonderful benefits - cold showers, meditation, journaling, meditating, exercising, etc. - be careful not to overdo it... or it will cause unnecessary stress.
So do what feels right and let us know if we can help you get more energy !