Helpful tips for a productive morning

Ah, yes. The Perfect Morning Routine. Maybe you've seen YouTube videos of someone propping their camera on their nightstand and pretending to wake up. Well-rested and ready to take on the day, they proceed to show and narrate their "everyday" routine that they do for a productive day.

9 times out of 10, they don't do it every single day. Things come up, plans fall to the wayside, and you have to adjust. However, the importance of a semi-consistent morning routine should never go overlooked.

I've managed to scavenge some helpful tips to add to your morning arsenal. Whether you're a morning person or not, these tips can and will change your morning mood for the better.

1.) 😴 Sleep is your friend...

Did you know that the average American only gets less than 7 hours of sleep every night? That's below the recommended average, which is around 7 to 9 hours.

Sleep has been one of the leading causes of numerous mental and physical issues. To name a few:

Lack of energy

Trouble remembering things

Reduced attention span

Slowed thinking

I'm the poster child for not getting enough sleep. 100% due to my inability to stop scrolling TikTok at 11 pm. It didn't bother me as much when I was younger, but as I got older I found it affecting my day-to-day a lot more. I became irritable and could work for more than a few hours without becoming lethargic. It really had a negative impact on my life.

Take a look at the positive things adequate sleep can do for:

Increased performance

Increased cognition

Appetite and weight loss regulation

Trust me, I get it. It's Friday, you just got off of work, and you and your friends want to unwind with some drinks at your local bar until morning. Once in a while, that's fine to do but you should strive to minimize it as much as possible.

So get some shut-eye. Your body will thank you, and your friends won't have to give you a Snickers because you aren't acting like yourself.

2.) Prepare a healthy breakfast 🥗

There's plenty of science to support the idea of breakfast being the most important meal of the day.

According to Foodnavigator-usa.com, only a third of Americans eat breakfast daily. It's found that nearly all toddlers and pre-schooled aged children eat breakfast daily, but consumption falls as US children grow older. That's nuts!

Eating a well balanced breakfast in the morning can skyrocket your daily routine.

One reason someone may skip out on it is to save time. More often than not this always backfires. Running on empty can lead to fatigue which can result in some serious irreversible health problems. It only takes a few minutes to fuel up that tank we call a stomach.

Adults who skip this meal are at greater risk for obesity and weight gain as opposed to those who don't. A few reasons for this are listed below:

Reduced hunger. Eating breakfast may reduce hunger throughout the day, which may make it easier to avoid over-eating.

Healthy choices. Eating a healthy meal in the morning can put you on track to make healthier choices throughout the day. Keeping you more mindful of your diet.

More energy. A healthy breakfast refuels your body and supplies your muscles with immediate energy. Resulting in increased physical activity.

Some preparation tactics you can implement could be: planning out breakfast each evening after dinner and adding breakfast items to your shopping life so your kitchen is well-stocked.

3.) A quick workout couldn't hurt 💪🏽

Everyone is different and some may benefit more than others from exercising in the morning. But I'll be the first to tell you that working out in the morning has been a game-changer for me.

I used to thrive on going to the gym in the evenings. Being around 100+ people doing the same thing I was doing gave me that much-needed push after a long day at work.

One day I decided to go early. And boy do I mean early. I went as soon as they opened up which was at 4 in the morning! It definitely was a culture shock seeing only two people there, but I actually loved it! I got my workout done a lot faster than I used to, giving me more time for other things.

I mean look what you can accomplish:

Fewer distractions

Increased alertness

More overall energy

Better focus

Better mood

Weight-loss support

Appetite control

Healthline.com goes more in-depth on these benefits.

You really have nothing to lose

Just these few habits I mentioned can be the difference between an okay morning and a great morning. From getting enough sleep, eating a healthy breakfast, and exercising in the morning, the activities you implement can have the potential to transform you. Body and Mind.