It's easy to underestimate the important of starting your day the right way. In our fast-paced world, it's easy to fall into a routine of working long hours during the day, eating late then staying up all night sitting on Facebook or watching reality TV. But how does this affect you the next morning? And what can you do to make sure that you start your day the right way?
1. Get a good night's sleep
Making sure you start the day the right way begins the night before! It is so important to get a good night's sleep, no exceptions. If you are weight training, sleep is crucial for allowing your muscles to repair and regenerate. If you are working, sleep is crucial for mental alertness. How many times have you got to work on little sleep and felt really unproductive all day?
You will know how much sleep is right for your body, but generally eight hours of solid sleep is recommended. To make sure you get the best sleep, keep technology out of the bedroom! No facebooking in bed. In fact, research suggests that you should turn off technology an hour before going to sleep to allow the brain to wind down.
2. Get out of eternal snoozing
Do you set 16 alarms at ten minute intervals? Are you a chronic snoozer? STOP IT! When that alarm goes off, it's time to get out of bed. Sure, it's going to be hard at first. But humans are naturally programmed for repetition. Get into the habit of getting out of bed when the alarm goes off and over time it will become second nature.
Snoozing does nothing for you. That first alarm breaks your sleep and your body is ready to go. Crawling back under the covers for ten minutes achieves nothing, in fact it will most likely make you feel more tired and lethargic when the second alarm goes off because your body will become confused.
3. Exercise!
Look, winter is gone so now is the perfect time to get back into that morning exercise regime. The warmer mornings mean its a great time to lace up the runners and get out there for an early morning jog. Morning exercise is a great way to wake yourself up, turn on the brain and start the metabolism kicking over.
5. Eat positive
Your mum probably always told you that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day". Well, it's true! Make sure you fuel your body with something nutritious and sustaining before you leave the house. This will increase your energy levels and productivity, and kickstart your metabolism for the day after fasting during sleep. We will have more information on good breakfast fuel later this week!
And most importantly: THINK POSITIVE. Starting the day the right way means waking up and going into whatever you're doing with a positive attitude. So start the day with a smile, be ready to tackle the day's challenges, and make your day rewarding and productive!
How do you start your day? Leave us a comment below!
