Simple tips to kick-start your day
Not a morning person? These tips should make it easier to get up and go
IT’S said the best days start with the best mornings – although if you really aren’t a morning person this might sound like the most annoying statement you’ve ever heard. But there are ways to kick-start your day to get the most out of your waking hours. Give them a go and who knows – you might be a little less grouchy by the time you get to work.
DRINK UP
“One of the biggest indicators of lethargy or low energy is that you’re dehydrated,” nutritionist Rania Batayneh says. She believes everyone should start their day with a glass of water.
“You’ve just gone for a long stretch without drinking anything. Water perks you up and gets your muscles and organs working.”
LET THERE BE LIGHT
Whether it’s natural or artificial, light is significant because it tells the brain the day has begun and sends signals to the body to stop producing melatonin, the hormone that helps regular sleep, says Dr Christopher Winter of the Sentara Martha Jefferson Sleep Medicine Centre in the US.
“If it’s still dark when it’s time to wake up you can fool your brain into thinking the sun is up by using bright indoor lights.”
KEEP YOUR PHONE OUT OF REACH
Grabbing your device as soon as your alarm goes off is bad because you immediately start your day in defence mode. Notifications and emails draw you into reacting to other people’s issues, and it’s a lot better to start your morning at your own pace.
Research has found that if you don’t turn on your phone until after you’ve made breakfast, washed and dressed you’ll be more productive.
TAKE A COLD (OR COOL) SHOWER
This improves the circulation of the blood and lymphatic system, and even promotes and speeds up muscle recovery if you’ve been exercising hard. Cold showers also offer psychological benefits such as increasing alertness and lowering stress levels, and have been recognised to help reduce depression.
DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
Don’t waste time or brainpower making lowlevel decisions, such as what to wear, eat and do as soon as you get up. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has built this strategy into his routine by wearing a uniform of sorts every day – a grey T-shirt and hoodie – and he’s not alone in this approach.
Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, has a routine of two boiled eggs for breakfast followed by a seven-minute exercise regime repeated three times down pat.
“I look to build a lot of consistent routine,” he says. “Same thing every day.”
GO BAREFOOT
Endurance athlete Eric Byrnes swears by a morning mood enhancer he calls “grounding” – he goes outside shoeless and grounds himself in soil or grass.
Earth’s magnetic pull has an effect on the functioning of all the systems in our bodies, according to a study published in the US Journal of Environmental and Public Health. “Variations in the intensity of Earth’s magnetic pull are important for setting biological clocks and regulating daily body rhythms, such as cortisol secretion,” the study found.
Cortisol is the stress hormone – so it stands to reason that if it’s regulated we’ll be happier.
BE ORGANISED
It might sound obvious but making sure you know where everything is (your keys and bag, for instance) before you go to bed saves you stress and time in the morning.
“Stress and happiness are opposites,” wellness expert Elizabeth Lombardo says. “Being prepared will automate morning decisions and reduce stress.”