Getting up in the morning can be difficult and the snooze button is tempting, but setting a structured morning routine can help set the tone for your day. Small, intentional habits can have a big impact, boosting your energy levels, focus, and overall sense of wellbeing. Natural wellness elements can enhance this routine, whether that be CBD, supplements, or natural health-boosting elixirs like matcha and wheatgrass. This article covers the key points to consider when developing a morning routine that helps you become a healthier, happier version of yourself.
Wake up with intention
Waking up with intention is quite a broad and often misunderstood topic, so let’s break down the key factors that go into it:
- Consistent wake up time: Waking up at the same time each day helps regulate your circadian rhythm, improving sleep quality and boosting energy levels. It also enhances mood, mental clarity, and productivity while supporting a healthy metabolism and immune system. Additionally, you may find that it reduces stress, promotes discipline, and helps you maintain overall well-being by aligning your body’s natural functions.
- Reducing use of the snooze button: Avoiding the snooze button helps regulate your sleep cycle, preventing grogginess caused by fragmented rest. Avoiding the snooze button and getting up to your first alarm allows your body to complete its natural sleep phases, leading to better energy levels, improved focus, and a more refreshed start to the day.
- Gentle transitional practices: Incorporating gentle transitions like stretching or deep breathing upon waking up helps ease the body out of sleep, promoting circulation and alertness. These simple practices signal to your system that it's time to start the day, reducing grogginess and improving overall wellbeing.
- Natural light exposure: Getting some exposure to natural light in the morning by simply opening your curtains or blinds helps regulate your circadian rhythm, further signalling to your body that it's time to wake up. This can improve mood, boost alertness, and support a more consistent sleep-wake cycle.
Hydrate and nourish your body
Among the first steps of your morning routine, make sure to include hydration and nutrition:
- Drink water first thing: After several hours without hydration, your body wakes up slightly dehydrated, which can lead to sluggishness and reduced cognitive function. Drinking water first thing in the morning helps rehydrate your system, kick-start digestion, and support energy levels.
- Infuse your water for extra benefits: Enhancing your morning water with lemon or herbal infusions can provide additional benefits, such as improved digestion, a natural vitamin boost, and gentle detoxification. Ingredients like ginger, mint, or chamomile can support gut health and promote a sense of calm or invigoration. Matcha and wheatgrass are also popular morning pick-me-ups that pair with hydration and nutrition.
- Eat a nutritious breakfast: Starting your day with a balanced breakfast rich in protein, healthy fats, and fibre provides sustained energy and mental clarity. Foods like oats, nuts, berries, and whole grains help stabilize blood sugar levels, keeping you focused and energized throughout the morning.
Get your body moving
Moving your body gently in the morning can provide a myriad of benefits and help get you ready for the day ahead:
- Incorporate gentle exercise: Engaging in gentle movement like stretching, yoga, or a short walk helps wake up the body by loosening stiff muscles and increasing blood flow. Even a few minutes of movement can enhance energy levels, making it easier to start the day feeling refreshed.
- Mental & physical benefits of morning movement: Morning movement boosts circulation, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the brain and muscles, which improves alertness and concentration. Exercise also triggers the release of endorphins, helping to elevate mood and reduce stress for a more positive start to the day.
- Easy ways to add movement: Incorporating movement doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Simple activities like stretching in bed, doing a short yoga flow, or taking a brisk walk while sipping your morning coffee can make a difference. Even something as simple as standing and stretching while brushing your teeth can help activate your muscles and promote better circulation.
Practice mindfulness for mental clarity
It’s not just your body that needs to wake up, it’s your mind, too:
- Add mindfulness practices to your routine: Starting the day with mindfulness practices like meditation, journaling, or deep breathing helps reduce stress and create a sense of calm. These activities encourage self-awareness, allowing you to approach the day ahead with focus and clarity.
- Express gratitude and set intentions: Taking a moment to express gratitude and set positive intentions can shift your mindset and improve your mood. Acknowledging what you're grateful for and outlining small goals helps create a sense of purpose and motivation.
- Reduce morning screen time: Avoiding screens first thing in the morning minimizes distractions, reduces stress, and prevents information overload. Instead of immediately checking emails or social media, allowing yourself quiet, screen-free time promotes mental clarity.
Incorporate CBD & supplements
CBD is a popular element in many morning routines as it’s versatile and can fit around any schedule or preference, and supplements can help give your nutrition a boost:
- Let CBD bring balance to your morning: Incorporating CBD into your morning routine can be a simple way to support overall balance and wellbeing. By interacting with the body's endocannabinoid system, CBD may contribute to homeostasis, complementing other healthy habits like hydration, nutrition, and movement for a more aligned start to the day.
- How to incorporate CBD: CBD can easily fit into any routine, whether taken as an oil under the tongue, a convenient SoftGel, a tasty gummy, water-soluble CBD added to a morning smoothie, or a CBD-infused tea. Choosing a method that suits your lifestyle makes it effortless to include CBD as part of a wellness-focused start to the day.
- Supplements and nutrition: Vitamins and supplements are a simple way to help boost your nutrition and support overall wellbeing. Whether you prefer a multivitamin to cover all your bases, or specific vitamins like B12 or minerals like iron to help fill gaps in your diet, supplements can be useful for meeting your nutritional goals.
Plan and prioritise your day
Give your morning and the rest of your day some structure with a list of plans, goals, and intentions:
- Write your goals and to-do list: Starting the day by writing down your goals or a to-do list helps create a clear direction and sense of purpose. This simple habit keeps tasks organized and makes it easier to stay on track throughout the day.
- Take a structured approach to your morning: Having a plan in place minimizes decision fatigue and prevents feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities. A well-structured morning routine allows you to focus on priorities, making the day more manageable and productive.
- Leave room for flexibility and balance throughout the day: While planning is essential, allowing room for adjustments helps maintain a healthy balance. Being flexible with your schedule ensures that unexpected changes don’t derail your day, promoting a more adaptable and stress-free approach to productivity.
Key takeaways
Here are the key points to remember about creating your ideal morning routine:
- Waking up at the same time each day helps regulate your circadian rhythm, improving sleep quality and boosting energy levels.
- Drinking fluids first thing in the morning rehydrates the body and kick-starts digestion, and proper nutrition helps get your body ready for the day.
- Light exercise or stretching in the morning boosts circulation, improves mood, and increases focus.
- Practicing mindfulness through journaling or deep breathing creates a calm start to the day and improves overall mindset.
- Incorporating CBD and supplements into your morning routine may help support balance and wellness alongside other healthy habits.
- Writing down goals or a to-do list in the morning provides clarity and sets a positive tone for the day.
