Master the Morning: How to Create a Daily Routine That Will Make Your Jump Out of Bed

Morning and Night Routines to Help You Live Better

Does the following scenario sound familiar to you? You sleep through the alarm and wake up in a panic. You have to rush around the house to get ready, and with no time for breakfast you just grab a cup of takeaway coffee on the way to work. You arrive feeling stressed and underprepared which sets you up for a challenging day. After work, you get home exhausted, flop down on the sofa and watch bad TV all night. You don’t get to sleep until late and then wake up several times during the night, so you sleep in again in the morning. Is that you? Do you find that you’re completely burned out longer before the week’s over, but don’t know how to get out of the rut? A routine is what you need. Having a healthy morning and evening routine primes you for a successful day and better well-being. You’ll achieve more, be able to think more clearly and, most importantly, you’ll feel better. They key is discipline, and if you take the time to set up healthy and structured routines to get your day started and ended well, you’ll soon see the difference.

What Is A Routine?

The definition of a routine is a sequence of actions which you repeatedly carry out. For example, if you wake up at 6am every day, that’s a routine. If you always read the newspaper and eat toast before heading out of the door, that’s a routine too. Routines set the rhythm of your life, however just because they are a routine doesn’t make them a healthy routine. Routines have power, and if you choose to have unhealthy routines, you will end up trapped in an unhealthy cycle. Conversely, if you choose healthy ones, your life will change for the better.

So, what kind of routines are beneficial for our lives?

Good Morning Routines To Kick Off The Day

Rather than your old unhealthy routine of sleeping through the alarm and rushing around like an idiot, you can replace it with a healthier schedule to prepare you for success.

Get Up Early

Getting up early will help you to prepare adequately for the demands of the day. It will prevent you from experiencing the stress and panic of running behind, and will help you to put in place other healthy routines that will set you up adequately for the day ahead. What are the benefits of rising early? For a start, you are naturally more creative as your mind has been refreshed from sleep, and there are fewer things to distract you early in the morning. The early exposure to sunlight increases your feelings of well-being and positivity and if you use some of that extra time to meditate or work out, you will feel less stressed and more energized too.

Recite Affirmations

As part of your morning routine, you should set aside some time to recite some positive affirmations. These statements can be used to reframe the way you think and feel about yourself and the day ahead. They can help you to overcome negative feelings and will help you to visualize the good things that will happen. By saying simple statements such as:

“I will be successful in everything I do today.”

“I am a strong and beautiful person.”

“I am liked and respected by those who know me.”

By visualizing and affirming the things that you would like to happen in your life, you are focusing on them and believing that achieving them is possible, and this, in turn, enables you to act on them and make them become a reality.

Take Some Exercise

Exercise is one of the best things to introduce into your morning routine. By boosting your blood flow, releasing endorphins and strengthening the body, exercise prepares you physically and mentally for the day while also keeping you healthy. By helping to fight anxiety and depression, and by keeping your body fit, introducing daily exercise into your morning routine will improve your well-being.

Eat A Healthy Breakfast

When you were running late, you probably grabbed an unhealthy fast food snack on the way to work, or just ate nothing at all. Both of these scenarios were bad for your health. Consuming the right fuel at breakfast time has a major impact on your day, so schedule in time for a healthy breakfast that is low in sugar and low in fat, such as a smoothie, oatmeal or yogurt and fruit. This will help to curb food cravings and give you energy to set you up for the day ahead.

Good Evening Routines To End The Day Positively

Ending the day well is just as important as beginning it properly. By putting in place a healthy evening routine, you can prepare yourself for a good start the next day. Here are some suggestions for good evening routines that will set you up for a restful night.

Prepare Your Goals

Before going to bed, determine your goals for the day ahead. This will help to get the tasks that need to be achieved clear in your mind, and will allow your brain to start thinking about how you will accomplish those tasks in advance. You’ll be well prepared in the morning.

Reflect On What You Achieved

An important part of every evening should be to reflect on all of the things that you achieved during the course of the day. It can be all too easy to forget about the positives if just one or two things went wrong, however taking the time to celebrate your successes will put them into perspective and encourage you in achieving your goals.

Clear Your Mind

You can’t sleep well if your mind is still buzzing with all of your worries, stresses and fears. Before you go to sleep, you need to clear your mind and put aside those challenges for the night. You can do this by reading for a short while, listening to some calm music, meditating, writing a journal or watching a relaxing TV show. Focus on something completely unrelated to work before bed.

Be Prepared

To minimize the rush and panic of the morning, take the time before bed to prepare things in advance. Choose your outfit, make your lunch, get the coffee maker ready to go and pack your work bag. By doing these simple things, you’ll be freeing up a lot of mental energy.

Tidy Your Home

A messy home means a messy mind, and waking up in an untidy room can leave you feeling unmotivated. Put aside 10-20 minutes every night to do a quick clean up, to wash the dishes and to wipe the sink and you’ll feel more refreshed in the morning.

Sleep Properly

The key to a good night’s sleep is to stick to a set schedule for going to bed and waking up. If you have a mobile device that has a night mode, you should select this in the evenings, and minimize any blue light from device screens. Set your bedroom temperature to between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit and make sure your room is kept as dark as possible. Quality sleep means quality rest, and quality rest means that you feel much better the next day.

Introducing a routine into your everyday life may not be the easiest thing to do, but it can make a huge difference to your day. Although it will require some dedication and discipline at first, you will soon become used to it, and will begin to notice the difference.

The longer you stick to your routine, the easier it will become to stick to it, and soon it will be ingrained in your life. You will find that each day flows more smoothly, and you will become more productive, more healthy and, essentially, more happy.

Last Updated on 30 November, 2017 by Chiropractic Sports Care