How you begin your morning impacts the rest of your day, so it only makes sense to try to start it in the best way possible. There is a far better chance of that happening if you resolve to stick to a morning routine, one that comprises habits that are as healthy and sensible as possible.
While it’s never bad to have big goals in life, making your healthy morning habits as simple as possible will have a bigger impact, if only because you’ll remember to do them more consistently.
To help you begin to plan better mornings here is a look at five healthy morning habits everyone can benefit from, whatever else their day may bring later.
Morning Stretches
If you have, or even know, a cat you will have noticed that whenever they wake up from a nap they stretch. And they are onto a good thing. According to health scientists from the American College of Sports Medicine stretching in the morning can improve your posture, reduce chronic back pain, increase blood flow to your brain for better focus, and energize you all at once. And it's also a great way to ease into a wakeful state more easily.
You need not do anything complicated and the report we just mentioned suggests focusing on hamstrings, hip flexors, calves and chest muscles as these are the ones that are tightest after a night in bed.
Get Your Tea On
Rather than starting your day with coffee try replacing it with your tea of choice instead. It does not matter if that is green tea, herbal tea, traditional milky black tea or even a tall glass of iced tea, they all offer plenty of the antioxidant Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) which fight free- radicals in our bodies to relieve inflammation, prevent diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and promote brain health.
Get Some Sunshine
Greeting the sun first thing in the morning helps to regulate circadian rhythms and encourages greater wakefulness by stimulating the neurotransmitters involved with arousal in our brain.
You don't have to head outside immediately - although an alfresco breakfast is always nice - allowing plenty of natural light to flood your home is enough, which is why east facing dining rooms are considered the 'healthiest'.
No sun around when it is time for you to wake up? Simulate its healthy benefits with a light therapy lamp. These lamps offer the same light as full sunlight are relatively easy to add to a bedroom or kitchen without ruining your home decor.
Have a Fruity Breakfast
We all mean to eat healthily, and we all know that fruit should play a part in any balanced diet. Research shows however that our resolve to eat well fades as the day wears on, so adding fruit to your breakfast menu is a good way to help keep your healthy eating habits on track.
Don't feel like a fruit salad for breakfast? Try mixing up a fruit laden smoothie instead, or adding chopped banana to your regular bowl of cereal.
Don't Forget Your Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is important to your body's overall healthy function in a number of different ways. It is crucial for maintaining the insulation of our nerve cells to protect our neurological and cognitive functions and responsible for breaking down amino acids and fatty acids to supply our bodies with energy.
Yet research shows that most of us don't get enough of it. The amounts of B12 found in a standard multivitamin supplement are often rather low, so adding a dedicated B12 supplement to your morning menu can be beneficial for almost everyone.