The 10 steps to the ideal morning routine

You may have seen similar videos on YouTube titled “My super productive 5 a.m. morning routine” or “Why I wake up at 4 a.m. every day and love it!”. While waking up at 5 and 4 a.m. may be a pretty drastic measure, there are significant benefits to having a productive morning routine.

According to Erin Engle, Columbia University clinical psychologist, a morning routine that includes a specific wake-up time, a healthy breakfast and light exercise is the best way to start your day.

And so that you don’t have to struggle and search from here and there to find the ideal routine, we present you the 10 steps to conquer it.

1. Fixed bedtime and wake-up time

The morning routine does not start in the morning, but the night before. The time you sleep is crucial to maintaining a morning routine. Consistency is the key element to any habit you want to incorporate into your life. Enjoying the hours of sleep you need each day to be functional and productive is the first step in starting your day. Biology confirms this, as well, as the fixed hours of sleep-wakefulness regulate the circadian rhythm, what we call the biological clock and lead to better quality sleep and more rest.

2. Consider how much time you have

To establish a successful morning routine, you will need to organise your time… upside down. What time do you leave the house for your first commitment or to get to the office? Now start calculating backwards how much time you need for each activity you want to include in your morning routine. Adjust your schedule accordingly so that you wake up at the time you want to, but also take time for you in the morning.

3. Don’t press the snooze button

The snooze is the wrong way to start your day. According to Engle, the snooze may seem like a small victory, but it doesn’t contribute to the long-term goal.

If you find yourself unable to resist the snooze, then you will need to reconsider your wake-up time. Your body may need more sleep than you anticipated.

If you want to wake up earlier, use the following system: Set your alarm to go off 10 minutes earlier for a week. The following week, 20 minutes and so on until you get up at the time you want.

If, on the other hand, the reason you can’t wake up is that you’re stressed by the day ahead of you, then try starting your day with an activity that will bring you peace of mind, for example. Meditation, breathing, journaling, etc.

4. Get out of bed

The temptation of the bed is great. Grabbing your phone and staying in bed 10 minutes longer is, I guess, our instinctive reaction. Engle recommends getting out of bed immediately: “Leaving the bed is the first step. Choose an activity you can focus your attention on.”

According to Engle, following a set routine can help manage stress, improve our ability to meet challenges and have a better, more productive day.

5. No Phone!

Scrolling through the home pages of Social Media distracts us from being productive. Engle says that starting your day with such activity before we wake up well, and filling our brains with such stimuli puts us in a passive attitude towards our day when we want to achieve the opposite.

6. Try to reaffirm yourself!

Using positive affirmations, either spoken out loud or written down, helps build self-esteem and confidence, counteracts negative feelings and improves our relationship with ourselves and others in the long term.

You can find the phrases that work best for you or try one of the following:

– I’m smart, strong, capable, beautiful

– Today will be a good day

7. Drink water

Starting your day by hydrating your body as soon as you wake up is the best gift you can give it with your good morning. Opt for water instead of coffee or tea. You can keep your water on your bedside table so you can see it as soon as you wake up and program your brain in the direction you want it to go.

8. Light exercise or stretching

If you’re not the type to do an intense workout as soon as you wake up (who are you, really? We’re looking for you!), don’t worry! There are other alternatives! Light exercise can regulate your circadian rhythm, contribute to weight loss and most importantly…wake you up! If you don’t have time to exercise in the morning, you can do some stretches to prepare your muscles and joints for the rest of the day.

9. Eat breakfast within the first hour of waking up

Eating food in the first hour after waking up in the morning activates the metabolism. A good metabolic rate means your body burns more calories as the day progresses and can help to distribute energy more evenly throughout the day.

10. Make healthy choices for breakfast

The best choices for breakfast are those that contain fibre and are unprocessed, high in protein and good fats, so you can give your body all the nutrients it needs when you wake up. Oats, fruit yogurt, eggs, vegetables are some healthy options. At the same time, don’t forget to take vitamins and all other supplements, which arm your body with valuable substances. We recommend LactoBiome, the innovative symbiotic formula with probiotics, prebiotics and B vitamins, which restore the balance of the intestinal microbiome, with innumerable benefits for the body, but also strengthen our immune system, protecting our gastrointestinal system from infections.

Learn more about LactoBiome here www.microbioma.gr

Take-home message: starting your day with an appropriate morning routine & proper habits makes you feel more in control of your life and therefore more productive. The important part of being able to build a morning routine is to start in the evening so you wake up rested and ready for the day.

If you’re not a morning person you can start more conservatively. Even a new habit in the morning can change your mood and confidence.