Say no to the snooze button. Jump out of bed as if someone threw a bucket of cold water on you. Half of your day’s success is actually showing up and being excited. Even if you still feel foggy, get out of bed the minute your alarm rings.
Drink a pint of cold water first thing in the morning. If you don’t like water on its own, squeeze some fresh lime into it. After being without fluids for several hours, your body is dehydrated – you need fluids and the cold water will also stimulate your metabolism.
Bright light will help you energize. Exposure to light, especially sunlight is invigorating. It signals the brain that it’s time to get going, and turns off the production of melatonin, a sleep-regulating hormone.
Enjoy the silence for a few minutes. Be mindful of your blessings. Think about the day ahead, and if you don’t do the previous night, write out your to-do list of the most exciting and important things.
Stretch and move. Research shows that a morning workout triggers positive endorphins and lowers stress hormones for most of the day. Every other day, make it an interval session of fast bursts of activity to turn on fat-burning hormones for the net 36 hours.
Brush your tongue as well as your teeth. Lose the morning breath and start off on a minty note.
Aromatherapy in your shower. Scents like mint, citrus, and eucalyptus are a great pick-me-up.
Drink green tea. Instead of coffee, have a cup of green tea. Boosts your energy, provides antioxidants and has been promoted as a great natural healthy option.
Eat breakfast within 30-60 minutes of waking to get your metabolism going. All research points to breakfast being the most important meal of your day. Make sure you include protein, healthy fats and some complex carbs to help with appetite control for the rest of the day and prevent the mid-morning slump.
Journal. I find that writing things out helps me be creative and problem solve, especially in retrospect!
Take care of yourself, before the rest of your world wakes up! Once kids, spouses and pets are awake, it’s harder to give yourself time to get a great start. Setting the alarm for your own personal power hour makes sense!