Many of us see the first waking moments of the day as more of a plague than a moment of enjoyment or welcoming. We’re groggy, tired, and in most cases would want nothing more than to crawl right back under the sheets and sleep off some more life. If you’ve been hitting the snooze button a bit more often than usual, it might be worth changing your morning habits for the better. The billion dollar morning routine listed below is one of the best ways to start your day for maximum health, happiness, and productivity.
#1. Stretch copiously.
Waking up usually means stiff joints and stiffer muscles — two things that a little rigorous unwinding can fix almost instantly. So, instead of jumping (or crashing and crawling) out from beneath that comforter, take a few seconds to stretch your arms and back, and shake your legs a little. Even just a few moments of stretching can be enough to warm your body up a bit, get your muscles going for the day and, most important to waking up: get your blood flowing a little better.
#2. Listen to music — the right music.
If you want to start the day right — that is, energetic and ready for anything — you need the right tracks. Make it pumping, make it groovy, make it something that’ll make you shake. You can start the day with Mozart just as well as you could start it with bossa nova, or pop. Or free jazz. Whatever you’re into, as long as you know that by the time it’s done playing, you’ll be shuffling in your steps and popping your head to the rhythm of your toothbrush.
#3. Don’t check your emails, messages or notifications.
For one, we check our phones and emails way too much. So much so that it’s killing productivity. Instead of working, we distract ourselves and procrastinate with notifications. So start your day doing what you need to know and then start checking and replying to all those less urgent emails and messages. Better yet, leave your phone as far away from your bedroom as comfortably possible (unless it’s your alarm clock) to make sure you don’t feel the urge to tap around on your screen late at night, or first thing in the morning.
#4. Drink something.
When you actually get up from bed, the first thing you want to do is get to the nearest available water source. And then drink. Half a liter of water will kick your system into hyperdrive (in a good way) — it’ll get your body going by forcing your metabolism to work, it’ll help flush out all the toxins that your organs have been working to metabolize and store in your urine, and it’ll hydrate you (important when you consider that you haven’t had water all night).
#5. Think happy thoughts.
If you have issues with being in a terrible mood in the mornings, then literally thinking happy thoughts may be an amazing remedy. Think of a handful of things you’re grateful for, things you’re glad exist. Like waffles. And rainbows. And newborn kittens. If you’re fresh in love, the best thing you can do when you wake up is think about that one special person — your brain on love is pretty damn interesting, and it really is a high.
#6. Tank some sun, son.
The sun is a massive ball of energy within just a perfect distance for us to exist. The sun gives us both psychological and physical benefits — and rising with the sun is simply amazing. Why? Well, think about it — you get up, you look outside, and you see a beautiful little fire in the sky slowly bleeding over the horizon. You’ve woken with the very thing that tells you: “it’s day now.” And you’re ready for that day.
#7. Get a workout in.
Working out early in the morning jump starts your metabolism (like drinking water does) — and gives you a boost of energy that lasts all day. It’s also more efficient for the body, as working out on an empty stomach boosts your body’s production of growth hormones and testosterone, both of which help build lean muscle mass. An increase in lean muscle means your body burns more calories on average while standing still (your basal metabolic rate), meaning you lose weight that much faster as well. It’s a win-win-win!
#8. Make your bed immediately.
It takes seconds, and you’ll be incredibly grateful you did it — and best of all, you’ll have an instant feeling of accomplishment early on in the morning.
#9. Write something.
If you live somewhere nice and quiet, then wake up at a time when the world around still seems slumped in its stupor. In that moment of pre-rush bliss, write to warm up the day with a paragraph or two.
#10. Learn something.
A good habit for waking up in the morning is learning something new — and preferably actionable. The world is filled with useless trivia — fill your head with things that count, instead. If you’re learning a foreign language, a perfect idea is to learn a new phrase or concept every day — if you’re not learning a new language, why aren’t you?
#11. Purge.
It’s a pretty simple process. When you wake up in the morning, the first thing you do is go to the bathroom. But your biological waste isn’t the only thing you get rid of — first thing in the morning is also a great time to throw out something useless before you come up with an excuse for keeping it later on in the day. If you can’t see why you should have something in the house early in the morning, then you probably don’t need to have it in the house at all. Clothing especially. Bundle up your old and unused closet items and donate them, or sell them if you wish.
#12. Smile at the day to come!
Smile! It’s the simplest thing you can do, yet it might also be the most powerful. Even if you’re in a really bad mood, a look in the mirror and a smile can brighten the day a bit. Don’t force it too much, though — if you’re feeling legitimately down, then suppressing it with a smile will just cause you to spill your negativity onto other aspects of life.