The Perfect Morning Routine: Start Your Day Invigorated and Relaxed

How do you kick-start your day? Do you just hit the snooze button and roll over? Or do you jump out of bed, right into your first push-up? Everyone has their own morning routine. But what does a good morning routine actually look like? So many questions; time for some answers.

Waking Up – Go-Time!

The ideal morning routine is a ritual that kicks off your day. It is your strategy for activating and preparing body and mind. Different things work for different people: exercise, nutrition, relaxation or a combination of these. A positive morning routine contributes to your fitness, health and overall wellbeing. In short, a good morning routine is the opposite of a bad habit, which is exactly the uninvited guest your routine should be designed to get rid of. Just like working out, this requires discipline, willpower and a small luxury called time. Take your time to gradually shape a programme that fits you; one that you can systematically integrate into your everyday life and does not cost too much effort on a daily basis.

This Is What Your Morning Routine Could Look Like

It’s best to plan your first workout of the day before breakfast – that is, assuming you eat in the mornings at all. “Energy use before energy intake” is the motto here, as this boosts your fat burning capacity. Plus, you will have a much more energetic start to your day if you kick it off with some exercise.

1. Drink a glass of water first thing after you get up. Our bodies tend to dehydrate throughout the night, so show your body some love!
2. Bananas are a good quick fix for when you wake up hungry.
3. Breathing exercises restore a sense of inner balance. Stand up straight and place the palms of your hands under your navel, one lightly resting on top of the other. Close your eyes, inhale through your nostrils and exhale through your mouth. Allow the breaths to flow gently and evenly and make them long and deep. Follow your breath all the way down to your navel and hold it for three seconds before exhaling again. Repeat this cycle 5 times.
4. Light strength training. With a few push-ups and crunches, you activate important muscle groups, stimulate blood circulation and strengthen your posture.
5. Don’t forget your stretches! Stretches are particularly beneficial if you have an office job and spend several hours a day sitting at your desk.
6. Of course, you can also visit a gym and make a training session part of your morning routine. Make sure to plan for some structured relaxation, either in between exercises or once you’ve finished. This even goes for when you’ve already had an intensive workout in the morning – especially then in fact.
7. If you are a breakfast person, don’t hesitate to make your morning meal part of your routine.
8. To stimulate your heart and blood circulation, alternate between hot and cold water in the shower. Start out with two minutes of hot water and follow that up with three minutes of cold water. This heats up the nervous and immune systems, and stimulates your metabolism and fat burning in the body.
9. Make sure to drink another glass of water before you jump on your bike to cycle to work.

Common Mistakes – How to Avoid Them

Regardless of whether it concerns breathing exercises, training sessions or breakfast – the first rule is to listen to your body and feel what works for you! Sometimes you will not see results until after you have repeated the action for a longer period – as is always the case with physical training. Don’t hesitate to try out other people’s morning routine ideas, but don’t just stick with the first programme you find. Question what you’re doing, try things out and adjust accordingly. Keep the things that help you and develop your own routine. Exchange ideas with friends and acquaintances. There’s also a good chance that your training partner has some valuable tips for you.

It’s a good thing to have your morning routine become just that – an automatic routine. However, be careful that it does not turn into a purely mechanical thing that actually no longer makes any sense for you. Continually check in with yourself and adjust individual components of your routine according to your circumstances and needs. Pay attention to the rhythm of your day and don’t make any extreme decisions. “Routine” does not equal “Higher, faster, further!” There’s no need for you to break any records. It’s about getting an active start to your day and finding a rhythm that feels good for you. In doing so, you should not be pushing your limits to exhaustion.

Less is More

Apart from being too intense, rigid routines can also completely drain you. Therefore, it is important to start simple and not make it overly complex. Incorporate useful elements one by one and adjust some here and there. If every morning you face a jam-packed programme awaiting you, your motivation is bound to fade fast. What’s more, you don’t have to impose the routine on yourself every single morning. Just be careful you don’t make a habit out of skipping your morning routine, effectively taking the routine element out of the equation altogether.

Some days you’ll probably struggle a bit more, which is why you might want to shape your routine in such a manner that doing a leaner version is always possible. Don’t hesitate to switch it up a bit, so you don’t get bored. Take a chance and improvise! Incorporate small changes or try an entirely new routine for one day.

The Secret is Perseverance

Discover your own routine and stick with it. You will soon notice that your body and mind are wide awake as soon as you swing yourself out of bed. Both will be conditioned to anticipate what’s next and you will be all set to have a great start to your day – even before you begin your morning routine.

Ready to do this? Have fun planning, testing and optimizing your own perfect morning routine then!