Many people wake up in the morning, chug some coffee and go to work. Unless you want to crash halfway through your day, this probably isn't the best solution. Trust me, I've tried. After reading the book "The 5AM Club" by Robin Sharma, I have learned a few things about morning routines. Being that nobody likes to read as much as I do, I will save you the time and give you a summary. This summary isn't going to be just what I read from the book, I am going to include my own personal view of what I've learned. Here it goes:
1. Get 6-8 Hours of sleep at night.
If you get less than this, your morning routine doesn't matter, it's gonna be a rough day for you. That being said, more DOES NOT always mean better. Studies show that 9 or more hours of sleep can actually make you feel more tired throughout the day. Sleeping with the TV on will also make you wake up feeling groggy, so turn the damn tv off before bed. Your best bet is to keep your body in rhythm and shoot for 6-8 hours of silent sleep every night.
2. Drink cold water upon waking.
This is something that I've been doing for years and it helps immaculately. Think about it, you just slept for 8 hours and the first thing you do when you wake up is probably take a piss. Your body is very dehydrated at that moment. Anyone who has ever been severely dehydrated knows that it makes your body feel like it's failing. A great example would be your hangovers. So first thing in the morning I drink a cup of cold water. It feels refreshing and it makes my body get going.
3. Get a sweat.
If you have time to wake up and get a workout in, you will thank yourself. Getting a sweat early in the day sets you up for success. It helps improve your energy levels and it relaxes your mind, which will help you focus on tasks better throughout the day. Now I'm not saying do a 90 minute session throwing weights around (unless you want to), but a 20-30 minute cardio or circuit training session in the morning will benefit you for the rest of the day.
4. Take a cool shower
After your body is all heated up and sweating, jumping in a cool shower is the most refreshing feeling in the world. It is another way to boost energy levels throughout your day, but it Is also a way to calm your body down so that your heart rate is not elevated for hours. I start with a cool temperature, but right before I get out I turn it as cold as It goes for 30 seconds. Starting the day with something difficult is a huge mental win. You feel like you can conquer anything.
5. Leave the phone alone
This is crucial to your morning. I used to roll over when my alarm went off and scroll through Instagram for 20 minutes, as if that was the most important part of my day. I felt like I needed to catch up on the feed. This not only left me with less time to get ready for work, but it was priming my brain for distraction from the second I woke up. Scrolling through emails or social media first thing in the morning can trigger a stress response. It leaves you stressed and overwhelmed throughout the day. The habit of immediately going to your phone can cause you to feel like you're missing out throughout the day. It makes you feel like you need to look at your phone, or else you'll be left out. This is never the case. When you wake up, leave your phone on the charger and go do your morning routine.
This is a winning morning routine. If nothing else, it will keep you in shape and ready to go for any situation throughout the day.
If this helps for you, let us know in the comments we would love to hear the feedback! Take care and as always, Dare to Venture.