by Lewis Etheridge, Root Steady Yoga
Each morning when you wake up you have a fresh start, it’s a brand new day and you have the opportunity to improve and change your lifestyle and your circumstances. If you get each day right, you’ll get your life right.
Your life is on a spiral and every morning you have the choice to go right, climbing up and improving every day. Introducing a simple morning routine will help you optimise your day and be the most productive.
Everyone is different so everyone’s morning is going to look slightly different. There is no need to drastically change your morning schedule however, implementing the following three things will put you in the best position for a great day – and they won’t take you more than 15 minutes.
Make your bed
It may sound a bit amateurish and perhaps you were 16 the last time you were told to make your bed, but it’s pretty good advice and here’s why. If the first thing you do in the morning is to make your bed, you’ve already succeeded. The first thing you do in the day has been a success, the first box ticked. It will give you a small sense of pride and now the spiral is going upwards, and when you come home after a day’s work, you come home to success. It will encourage you to attempt more tasks. It also shows you that the little things are important. It’s the little things that count and it’s the little things that add up to the greater good.
Hydrate
When you wake your body has just had a 7-9-hour water fast. During the night your body has clicked into recovery mode and has been working hard healing, often using half a litre of water. So, give it back what it needs. The human brain is composed of 95% water, lungs are 90%, blood is 83%, muscles are 76%, and bones are 22%.
Drink more water. We’re told this all the time and so we should, it’s the most important single thing you can do to stay healthy and lose weight. Water is also the main component of blood, which supplies cells with vital oxygen and nutrients and carries waste out of the body. So, when you’ve made your bed, take a walk to the kitchen and get yourself a big glass of water. Or even better, have a bottle next to your bed so you can sip it in the night and it’s ready for you first thing.
Movement and light
Your body has just been asleep for quite a long time, so now that you are awake it’s great to show it that it’s time to wake up and start the day. Once you’ve got yourself that H2O it’s time to do a little movement with your breath to get some blood flowing and the body feeling fresh and alive. Have a stretch, do some lunges or a simple yoga sun salutation. Another great way to wake up your body and your mind is to get some exposure to sunlight. It doesn’t have to be a sunny day for you to do this, even when it’s rainy and cloudy there is enough light to tell your body that it’s time to start the day. Go in the garden, go for a walk, and if you can’t do this then go near a window and open up all your curtains. Even better, combine your morning movement with some light exposure.
So that’s it, three simple things in less than 15 minutes that give you the best start to your day and optimise your health and productivity.