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We’ve all experienced it – we set our alarm for 6 a.m. with the best of intentions, but when the time comes, we hit the snooze button repeatedly, and our day starts much more slowly than we had hoped.
Starting the day sluggishly sets a disappointing tone for the rest of the day. It’s hard to feel motivated and upbeat when you start your day behind schedule. Everyone wants to wake up with tremendous energy and ready to tackle the day, but too many of us start our mornings on a slow note.
Fortunately, it‘s possible to wake up early and have high energy to start your day. By making a few small changes to your morning routine, you can shake off sleep quickly and tackle your day with enthusiasm.
- Exercise as Soon as You Can
Exercising soon after you wake up is a great way to energize yourself for the rest of the day. Exercising when you wake up helps you shake off feeling of grogginess and energizes your body and mind.
It would be wonderful if your morning exercise routine could take place outside (if possible). Sunlight and fresh morning air can play a role in waking up your mind and body, even if it’s just a brisk walk around the block. Indoor exercise can work just as well though, and remember that some exercise is better than no exercise.
Exercising puts your metabolism in high gear, which helps maintain your energy levels throughout the day. Any type of exercise will help you wake up in the morning. Whether you prefer jogging, yoga, or lifting weights, exercising after a night of good quality sleep will refresh your mind and energize your muscles. In addition, you will have checked your exercise for the day off your “to do” list.
2. Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Think of it as putting good quality gas in your car before going to work. Your body burns calories overnight, so you need to replace them with healthy calories in the morning to maintain high energy throughout the day; eating for maximum productivity is key.
Avoid eating empty carbohydrates when you wake up. If you fuel your body with sugar and other empty carbs in the morning, your body will burn through its energy supply quickly, and you’ll feel worse once it does. You’ll crash mid-morning and will be more likely to reach for a bagel or a muffin when you do.
Eggs, oatmeal, fresh fruit and berries, and vegetarian beans and whole grains are excellent choices for breakfast. Adding one-quarter avocado to your breakfast gives you protein and high quality fat with your meal. It will help you feel fuller longer.
When you eat a medium sized nutritious breakfast in the morning, your energy levels will be more apt to stay at a manageable level throughout the day.
- Don’t Hit That Snooze Button
We’re all guilty of hitting the snooze button when the alarm goes off before we feel ready to get out of bed. Even though hitting the snooze means we get to sleep for only a few more minutes, it can have detrimental effects on our energy levels for the rest of the morning.
Our brains release serotonin when we fall asleep, giving us a warm, comfortable feeling. When we wake up, our brains counteract this feeling by releasing dopamine, which wakes us up. By hitting the snooze button, our brains experience these two hormones trying to counteract each other, making it difficult for us to feel awake and alert once we do get out of bed.
It may not be fun, but get up when your alarm first goes off. You’ll thank yourself when you notice increased energy levels throughout the morning. Once you make this a habit, it will be increasingly easier to do this on a regular basis.
This article was originally published on https://thinstronghealthy.com/maximize-productivity/
Helping You Achieve Major Wellness
Cheryl A Major
Cheryl A Major lives in Westford and is a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. Her TV show, Thin Strong Healthy, airs on WestfordCat and is an offshoot of her blog http://ThinStrongHealthy.com Cheryl offers ongoing information, live and online courses and personal health coaching to help you feel better and be healthier. Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CherylAMajor. She is also a full time residential Realtor with Coldwell Banker with more than 25 years experience.
Her new book, “Eat Your Blues Away” in which she chronicles her recovery from depression is now available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback! Join me on May 9th at 7 pm when I will present a reading of “Eat Your Blues Away” at the Fletcher Library!
If emotional eating is an issue for you, be sure to pickup my new focus guide that will help you rid yourself of the cues that can set off eating a bag of chips or cookies http://EndYourEmotionalEating.com
