My weekday mornings start at 6 am when my alarm clock brings me back to reality. I have exactly one hour before I greet my first client of the day so there’s no time to delay. It’s taken a while to get myself into a good, organised morning routine; while I used to find getting ready to be a painful experience, I now don’t mind it at all. It helps that I do a job I love, and that I get a lift to work with my husband Dave, so I don’t have to worry about public transport.
I’ve mentioned before that sleep is really important. It’ll be difficult to wake up happy if you’ve not gotten enough sleep. Before we look at morning tips, we need to recap on sleep tips.
- Stick to a sleep schedule of the same bedtime and wake-up time, even on the weekends as much as possible, this helps to regulate your body’s clock and could help you fall asleep and stay asleep for the night.
- Engage in some form of movement daily. Vigorous exercise is best, but even a light walk is better than no activity.
- Try supplementing with Magnesium. The most powerful relaxation mineral available, I take this most nights going to bed. Clients who suffer from disrupted sleep find it makes a massive difference to sleep quality, contributing to a deeper night’s sleep.
- Wind down. Your body needs time to shift into sleep mode, so spend the last hour before bed doing a calming activity such as reading or take a bath. If you have trouble sleeping, avoid using a laptop or phone in bed. The type of light which emanates from these devices down-regulates sleep hormones and up-regulates hormones which will keep you awake.
After a good night’s sleep, my early morning starts are made easier with a few tricks, though, these help me hugely!
- Keep your alarm away from your bed. Having to get up, walk across the room and hit the alarm means you are already up and awake, now try resist getting back into bed! I have removed the snooze option from my alarm too; this makes it harder to relax and drift off again. Snoozing does not help you feel better rested.
- Avoid your phone. I know this is hard. Nearly all of us check our phones first thing. But checking emails can stress us out before the day has started, checking social media can distract us, make us run late and really make our mornings stressful.
- Make time for breakfast. Whether you eat before leaving the house or once you get to work, breakfast is so important. I have a protein and fat based brekkie that gives me more energy throughout the day, and it definitely keeps me fuller for longer. Try two boiled eggs and half an avocado. Here are some more breakfast suggestions.
- Prep your outfit. I’ve often wished for Cher’s wardrobe in Clueless, but until I get that, I have to manually pick out my own clothes. I often lay them out the night before so I don’t have to worry about choosing an outfit in the morning, if I’m struggling to wake up then picking nice clothes is a massive effort. Better to pick them the night before when I’m in the mood to do it.
- Prep your lunch. If you bring lunches to work then making them the night before is ideal, leftover dinner is always a great time saver. Having your lunch ready means you won’t have to worry about grilling chicken before you’ve even had time for a coffee. Bringing lunch in saves money and unhealthy deli choices.
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I like to do my planning and prepping the evening before when I’m more awake and have time. This makes my mornings calmer and less rushed. Try a few of these and see if they make a difference to your day. Your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day, so start it well.
Until next time…
Fi x
Metabolic Fitness Trainer
