Mornings are not always for everyone, but they can be. How you start your morning often dictates and sets the tone for your entire day, so making a few intentional but powerful changes can have a huge impact on your productivity, mindset and overall well-being for the day and for the rest of the week. Many people want to make this change; however, they struggle to either implement changes into their morning schedules or they don’t know what changes to make to their morning routine to help to boost their routine, between waking up and getting out the door.

This is why this blog aims to help you. If you think that making change is too hard, or you have no idea where to start, this blog lays out 4 change steps you can make or add into your routine to boost your morning and make you feel happier and healthier overall.

1. Start with a consistent wake-up time

Consistency matters more than what you think in your routine, whether that’s creating a constantly healthy diet or a consistent skincare routine. However, nowhere does it matter more than in your sleep routine. When you constantly sleep and wake up at the same time, although it may feel hard at first, it helps to regulate your body clock, which can have positive effects not only on how you feel but also on other health benefits. Other than an improvement in focus and mood, waking up consistently can help to regulate hormones, which can affect the health of your gut, skin and help with muscle recovery. 

To implement this into your morning routine, you can do several things, such as restricting technology usage at night and adopting a book for easier sleeping. Placing alarms across your room to encourage you to get out of bed, and also keeping curtains open to let the sun shine through. 

2. Hydrate and fuel your body

Whilst sleeping, you let your body rest and recover, but 8 hours of sleep means that you lose a lot of water, leaving you dehydrated in the morning. This highlights the importance of hydration when you wake up through early morning habits. This can include leaving a large glass of water next to your bed at night to drink in the morning, or adding lemon or even adding hormone balance supplements into water in the morning to add flavour and extra health. In addition, it’s important not to skip breakfast as this can impact your energy and concentration, which can lead to crashes later in the day. To avoid this, ensure that you include sources of protein, carbs and healthy fats.

3. Incorporate movement or exercise 

Incorporating some kind of movement or exercise into your morning routine can transform your day. By adding some exercise to your morning, you can help to boost your energy throughout the day, increase circulation, clarify your mind, and also benefit your fitness, which can keep you healthy in the long term. Depending on the amount of time you have in the morning, it will affect which exercises you go for. If you work from home, you have time to do an hour gym routine or fitness class in the morning, or alternatively, if you have minutes spare in your morning, you may opt for stretching or walking to work. 

Mentally, this can be as powerful as the physical activity, as fitness can reduce stress, anxiety and depression as it releases endorphins and balances brain chemistry. To stay consistent at this, you can do a few things, from laying out clothes the night before to reduce time in the morning and reduce the stress of finding a gym outfit, whilst also holding yourself accountable through tracking and running with friends. You may also want to buy some new workout clothes when you first start, to encourage you to take the first steps in fitness and give you confidence. 

4. Set intentions for the day

Starting your day with purpose and direction can boost your morning, giving it a sense of purpose and direction. You can do this through several methods. Where some may choose to journal when they wake up, others may choose to create a to-do list that they can follow and tick off. This can make you feel productive, as at the end of the day, you have a record of what you have achieved. Ensuring that you prioritise which tasks are most important helps to reduce stress around them and get the most important things done first and foremost. If you prefer more spiritual practises, instead of writing, some may choose to meditate or practise deep breathing to calm their mood and set the tone for the rest of the day.