(can also be viewed with graphics at https://isolatorfitness.com/blog/)
What you do in the morning when you first wake up, sets the tone for the rest of the day. Begin your day with a healthy start and you set yourself up for a healthy day. But knowing how to wake up on the right side of the bed and become a morning person when all you want to do is snuggle up under the covers for five more minutes is HARD! We’re here to help, with 4 quick tips for a healthy start to your day that are simple and (mostly) painless.
The first step to starting your day on a healthy note actually starts the night before. Without a full night of restorative sleep, your goals for being healthy will likely be pushed aside for the day. Your age, gender, and activity level all determine how much sleep you need to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the challenges of a new day. Make a routine of your bedtime -- even on the weekends -- to enjoy maximum benefits.
If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night there are a few simple steps that you can try to make your sleep more restorative.
Studies show that more than half of all Americans hit the snooze button at least once every morning. With an extra 5-20 minutes of sleep everyday, why aren’t more people energized in the earliest hours of the day? It turns out that it’s this bad habit that’s destroying your morning motivation. A few extra minutes of uninterrupted sleep is more restorative than an hour of sleep interrupted periodically by the snooze alarm.
Set your alarm clock for the time that you actually get out of bed rather than hitting the snooze button 7 times before you get up, and you’ll wake more refreshed and ready to take on the day.
If you are sleeping soundly at night, it’s likely that when you wake up, your body has just been static for 6 to 8 hours with minimal movement. To get your blood flowing and jumpstart your energy spend five to ten minutes stretching first thing in the morning. Studies have shown that working out in the morning is more beneficial than working out during any other time of the day. Not everyone can bring themselves to wake up early enough to put in a full A.M. workout though so stretching is a great and quick middle ground.
You don’t have to be a morning person, or even get out of bed, to reap the rewards associated with stretching as soon as you wake up. Your muscles and body will be less stiff and your mind will be less cloudy.
You may not have the time or energy to make and eat a healthy breakfast right now, or any breakfast at all. But once you start going to bed at a decent time, waking up with your alarm, and energizing yourself with some morning stretching you might find that you have a little more time and energy on your hands for the most important meal of the day. A balanced and nutrient rich breakfast is the ultimate healthy start to any day.
If it’s still hard for you to find time or energy to cook in the morning, try to prep your breakfast the night before. Make healthy grab and go breakfast items ahead of time and say goodbye to every excuse you’ve ever had for skipping breakfast.
Lexi Cahill is a Penn State University graduate with a degree in Mass Communications & Media Studies. She is a humanitarian who is enthusiastic about giving back to her local and global community through both monetary donations and community service. She has sponsored a child from Ethiopia through Compassion and volunteered locally at both the Lititz Community Recreational Center (where she was a summer camp counselor for children), and the Lititz Moravian Manor (where she provided companionship to the Alzheimer's patients). Her dedication to helping improve the lives of others is what drives her. She has turned her passions for writing and humanity into a career with Isolator Fitness where she shares her knowledge of nutrition, fitness, and general health through articles published on their website. All of Lexi’s articles can also be viewed at the blog (https://isolatorfitness.com/blog/)