7 HEALTHY SELF CARE HABITS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR MORNING ROUTINE

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Creating a morning routine is the best thing that has ever happened in my life. It allowed me to overcome depression and create the life that I have always wanted. The more I incorporated healthy habits each day, the healthier I became. My productivity increased and I cut out my visits to the physician just by practicing these 7 simple healthy self care habits and I want to help you get the same results too.

In this article, I will walk you through 7 healthy morning habits to practice after waking up. I will explain to how to perform  each one of them,their advantages and the best tools to help you when you are doing them. I will also explain to you what a morning routine is and why you should create one. As a bonus, I will be gifting you with a FREE morning routine planner to help you start your morning routine with a plan. Download it down below for FREE!

Let’s jump right in.

Here are a few articles you might want to read too:

• 5 Best Essential Oil Blends to Diffuse for Deep Sleep.
• 13 Night Time Self Care Ideas to do Before Bed.
• 6 Hacks to Help You Sleep Instantly at Night.
• How to Create the Best Self Care Routine that Actually Sticks
• 8 things that you should never do in the morning.

What is a morning routine?

A morning routine is a set of actions you perform in the morning usually before starting your day’s main activity. It can be as simple as praying or jogging to reading a book. Whether you are consciously aware or not, you have a morning routine. Those things that you perform immediately after you wake up make up for your morning routine. The bottom line of everything is that what you do after waking up affects how your day turns out.

If you wake up tired and you do nothing about it, chances are, you are going to be tired for the rest of the day. On the flip side, if you wake up feeling energized and motivated and you perform a set of activities that boost your mood, chances are, you are going to have a great day and you are going to handle challenges positively.

Why should you have a morning routine?

The way you start your day defines your mood for the rest of it. When you accomplish things soon after waking up, however small the action, your brain produces dopamine which is much needed to keep you happy.

Self care is an important aspect of your life and it also dictates that you have a morning routine in place.Every day, we are constantly running late in the morning barely having time to catch a breath or checking in with ourselves. Below, I will highlight why you need to stop running late and create some time to check on yourself:

• It reduces stress. Having a morning routine in place, is going to help you do things in the morning which reduces the likelihood of you to stress and think about it. If you were supposed to read a book and you actually read it in the morning, chances are, you aren’t going to keep thinking about it afterwards.
• You gain time. The more you are aware of what activities you need to do and in which order, the less you spend time wondering what activities to do after completing doing something. You will create order in your life which in turn helps you create more time.
• You will be less likely to forget something.When you take enough time to plan for your day, you are less likely to leave for work without your car keys or wallet because you took the time to ensure that everything is in order.
• You will take care of yourself. Morning is the best time to take care of yourself. The kind of world we live in has left us with minimal time to cater for our own needs. However, waking up early and ensuring that you are in a good place is the best way to go. You have enough time to take a relaxing shower, apply moisturizer on your skin, de-tangle your hair and style it just the way you like it instead of a messy bun.
• You will eat healthier in the morning. We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.As opposed to always be running late and eating in your car, having a morning routine will help you take enough time to feed yourself with a healthy breakfast.

What are the ten healthy morning routine ideas to do before 8:00 am?

1. Get some quiet time

If you want to begin your day feeling calm, peaceful and significantly reduce your stress levels then silence is all that you need. During the simple hours of quiet time, you can  meditate, pray,reflect on your life,practice gratitude and deep breathing. the reason why quiet time is important is because, we begin our day rushing from one corner to the other trying to get things done in such a short time which can be frustrating.

Getting some quiet time is important for your mental health since it gives you a small haven to check on yourself, replenish your soul and help you appreciate yourself. One of the best antidote for depression is gratitude which is best practiced during your quiet time. The more you think about all the goodness in your life, the more happier you become. So how should you practice silence?

• Get into the right mindset. It is important for you to get into the right mindset that you are taking some time off from everything to practice either meditation,reflection,gratitude,prayer or deep breathing. Remember that it is not time to think about your work or problems.
• Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit.
• Sit upright and cross-legged.
• Focus on your breath ,taking slow paced ,deep breaths.
• Now start pacing your breath.
• Depending on your choice of activity to do, focus your thoughts on what you choose whether it is prayer or meditation.

2. Drink at least 3 glasses of water

In my article on 8 things that you should never do in the morning, I discouraged you from drinking coffee immediately after waking up. This is because your body is dehydrated and needs water.

Your body is composed of about 60% of water. It is an essential nutrient meaning that the body cannot produce enough of it through metabolism. All your organs and tissues depend on water to function.Since your body losses water regularly, you need to compensate for the losses to avoid dehydration. That’s why you need to drink water immediately after waking up. It has a lot of benefits apart from being a healthy option. The other benefits are:

• Rehydrating your body.
• Increasing your level of alertness.
• Fuel your brain which improves productivity.
• Fight sickness.
• Jump start your metabolism.

The best way to get the most from drinking water in the morning is to drink three glasses of water immediately after waking up. You should do this before brushing your teeth and on an empty stomach. If you find it difficult to start with four glasses, start with one and gradually increase the amount. Do not eat anything for the next 45 minutes. After 45 minutes are over, you can eat and drink as normal.

3. Exercise

The Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus declared that,”A happy man is one that possessed a healthy body, a resourceful mind and a docline nature. Later on, Plato emphasized the importance of physical exercise for developing the mind. Exercise not only impacts your mental well being but also your physical aspect as well.

When you exercise, your brain releases endorphins, a chemical that fights stress, which reduces the perception of pain and releases other mood enhancing hormones such as serotonin and dopamine. Endorphins is the reason why exercise makes you feel good. It  has a similar and addictive behavior like nicotine and morphine but it is good for us. The feeling that exercise gives is known as “runner’s high.” However, unlike morphine, the activation of receptors by the body’s endorphins does not lead to addiction or dependence.

Exercise has several benefits for the physical body. It help in:

• Reduction of obesity.
• Increase cerebral blood flow and nutrient delivery.
• Improved brain health.
• Overall enhancement of immune function and anti-inflammatory processes.

The benefits are endless. Research shows that 30 minutes of exercise three times a week is more effective when it is done consistently. However, I recommend you to consult your physician to determine the best exercise for you especially if you have an underlying health condition. Some examples of moderate exercise are:

• Biking
• Dancing
• Gardening
• Housework
• Jogging
• Swimming
• Walking
• Low impact aerobics

Joining a group exercise class may be beneficial for those undergoing depression. They benefit from the physical activity and emotional comfort.

4.Eating a healthy breakfast

They do not say that breakfast is the most important meal for the day for nothing. After spending more than seven hours being asleep, your body hasn’t had any meal and it is replenished meaning that it needs a boost.

Eating a healthy breakfast gives you energy because your glycogen stores are low due to the long period of time that you have spent without eating any food. Research shows that breakfast eaters tend to be more physically active in the morning than those who do not eat until later in the day.

A healthy breakfast provides a lot of your day’s total nutrient intake.Most people who eat breakfast are more likely to meet their recommended daily intakes of vitamins and minerals.People who regularly eat breakfast are also less likely to be overweight or obese.This is because it prevents large fluctuations of your blood glucose level which helps you control your appetite and fills you up before you become really hungry which prevents you from just eating anything.Eating healthy breakfast also helps by boosting brainpower,reduce the risk of illness and help you make better food choices.

Some ideas for easy to make breakfast include:

• Porridge made from oats. When choosing oats , go for the plain ones because flavored oats tend to have a lot of sugar.
• Wholegrain cereals with milk,natural yogurt and fruits.
• Fresh fruits and raw nuts.
• Smoothies made from fresh fruits,vegetables,milk or natural yogurt.
• Natural yogurt with some fresh fruit added and some raw nuts for crunchiness.
• Wholemeal or wholegrain toast.

Remember not to eat immediately after waking up. Give yourself enough time to fully wake up before chunking down food to your body.

5. Take a shower

There are two type of people when it comes to taking showers; those who take one in the morning and those take one at night. There has been a lot of debate concerning when it is the best time to take one. Some people love the night showers because it helps them relax after a long day while others  prefer morning showers for their ability to wake you up fully.

However, there are various benefits of taking morning showers:

• Morning shower’s improve your blood circulation.
• Cold morning showers help to decrease stress.
• It increases your immunity by stimulation your body to make new white blood cells.
• Morning showers have a more positive effect when it comes to balancing your skin’s natural oil and improving acne.
• It relieves cough.
• Washes away toxins.
• Taking showers in the morning can easily help relieve muscle aches and pains and relax your body , making you feel less tense and more comfortable while starting your day.

With all that said, I recommend you to always have a morning shower. But it won’t hurt to have one in the morning and evening because as ladies, hygiene is paramount.

6. Read

When you read in the morning, your mind is rested and fresh. This helps you to retain more information since your mind is most active.If you do it every day  without fail, it becomes a habit which in turn becomes part of your morning routine.

It helps you start your day feeling inspired. Whenever I read a book in the morning, I feel  motivated to implement all that I have read during the day.

Reading also gives you new ideas and insights to implement during the day. The awesome thing about books is that you can learn in a few hours what it took the author years to learn. If you take your time to read the book in one week, you will carry along years of knowledge. That’s how much power reading books has.

Diseases can be prevented and managed by reading books. Reading can prevent more than just diseases by letting one know how to avoid them before they become sick.

7. Journal

Whenever I feel anxious, I always take my notebook and start writing what I feel. After a few minutes, my mind calms down and I feel better. When we were kids, most of us had journals where we wrote how we felt because that was what every girl was doing. As we grew older, we quit keeping journals.

But one principle still remains; you always feel better after unloading your mind from all the thoughts and emotions. I perceive journaling as  away of telling my best friend all my thoughts without fear of feeling judged or discriminated.

One main reason why most people suffer from depression is because they keep holding on to things that happened in the past without allowing themselves to move on. The more you keep thinking about the past and living in it, the more you destroy your present. Journaling is effective because it tells your mind that what has been written should not be constantly repeated in your mind.

Also writing what you appreciate gives you happiness. Constantly reminding yourself of the good things that have happened to you gives you a positive outlook of life and reminds you that there is so much good than bad.Writing your goals helps you stay focused on what is important for you.

Journaling your thoughts is one of the best things that you can do for your mental health.

Should you create a morning routine in your life? Maybe you struggle with making an effective morning routine because :

• Your life is busy and finding the time to follow a morning routine seems impossible.
• As a woman,you’re used to caring for others and making time for yourself causes you to feel guilty.
• Spending time in your morning routine for yourself doesn’t feel indulging.
• You don’t know what morning routine activities to do and how often to do them,

If you can relate to any of these morning routine struggles, I have the perfect solution for you and I am giving it for FREE! Click below and get your morning routine planner.