What Is The Best Morning Routine? -To Activate The Mind And Body

The morning routine strongly impacts your mood and energy during the day. That is why attention to how you treat each beginning is significant.

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AN EARLY BIRD OR A SLOTH?

If you are the person who delays into bed after the alarm sounds or wakes up late, well… this usually, in no way, keeps the mind and body active, giving them energy and a good mood for the whole day.

You will feel much more tired and stressed and have to force yourself to keep up with alert activities.

When you wake up early and activate both your mind and body, right after you wake up, you will feel much more energetic, in a good mood, with mental clarity, improving your Self-Confidence and making you feel like you are on top of the world.

Therefore, I will reveal the main steps from my morning routine, which gives me vigor and keeps me at a high energy level throughout the day.

I am convinced that if you follow these steps or create a morning routine that will be efficient for you, you will see considerable changes in your mental and physical health.

Your professional performance will be higher, and your good disposition and energy will influence those around you, thus creating a conducive working atmosphere.

THE MORNING ROUTINE THAT ACTIVATES THE MIND AND BODY

WAKE UP EARLY

To have the time to create a healthy morning routine, you must wake up at least two hours before starting the activity itself.

My day starts at 5 or 6 am on the workdays and 8 am on the day off. Sounds harsh. It doesn’t happen initially, but everything follows naturally when you maintain consistency and perseverance to keep a great habit.

Start your morning with enough energy and time to prepare yourself calmly so you can enjoy the beginning of the day.

DRINK WATER

We are born water!

Did the phrase sound familiar? The association is made because the human body contains 70-90% water, based on the age category.

Through secretions and sweat, even during the night, about 2.5% of the water from our body is lost.

When you wake up, I recommend consuming a minimum of 500 ml of water in slow and small sips. The water is energy and must be consumed in large quantities and high quality.

It maintains a physiological balance of the body (it enters into the composition of organs, tissues, and biological fluids) and directly affects your brain, structuring the information from it, giving it clarity, power of focus, and concentration.

SHOW YOUR GRATITUDE

When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.
–Tecumseh –

Every morning when you wake up, show your Gratitude for the new day, for the restful sleep you had during the night, for the energy, power, and health with which your body is Blessed, for the health of your family, and for all the positive things that will come during the day, even if they have not happened yet.

Showing your Gratitude, you will start your day with an open heart, with an abundance of happiness, understanding, compassion, and kindness.

GRATITUDE is richer. A complaint is POVERTY!

So implement this step in your morning ritual, and you will see how your mornings turn into miracles.

I am sure you have “x” reasons to be grateful; seeing and feeling them is essential!

WORK YOUR BODY (EXERCISES EXPLAINED)

I know you may find it a burden for most who are not adept at physical work. But remember that successful people train before they start their day at work. It is essential to put your body in motion from the first hour of the morning.

This valuable strategy improves your memory, decision-making skills, health, and energy and gives you a sense of accomplishment, even if you do it for 10-15 minutes.

By creating this morning routine, you will see and feel the benefits they will bring you and notice your good mood and well-being.

That is why I provide simple and easy stretching exercises that can be done regardless of age and without professional assistance.

These will get your blood pumping and help you face a tiring day. The exercises can be done on the floor or even in bed.

STRETCH ALL YOUR BODY

• Lie on your back, with your arms parallel to your ears, and stretch all your body for a few seconds to the maximum, separating your fingers from your hands and feet.
• Feel your arms, spine, and legs stretching. Following or during exercise, you may yawn because the tension in the body, accumulated during the night, is eliminated.

EXTENDED PUPPY POSE

If you are the owner of a cat or dog, it is impossible not to notice stretching the muscles, which they do immediately as they wake up. It is straightforward, invigorating, and gives you complete control over your body. 

• Stand on all fours, knees at the hips, and arms at the shoulders. 
• Stretch your hands forward with the palms on the mattress, as if trying to catch something, without changing the hips’s position.
• Stretching should not be forced but done to the extent imposed by the body. Make it a comfortable position for you.
• If your body allows you to maintain a 90-degree angle made by the legs and hips.

• The head can be easily left on your back if you do not have cervical problems, or you can place your forehead on the mattress between your arms.
• Hold the posture for a few seconds and return to the starting position.

CAT/ COW POSE

It is one of my favorite postures, which helps to flex and expand the spine, gives it mobility, and eliminates tension in the lower back.

• Stay on all fours, knees at the hips, and arms at the shoulders.
• Inhale slowly, and when you exhale, bend your spine. Straighten your head in the direction of the chest without pressing your neck. This is the cat’s posture.  

• In the same initial position, inhale slowly, but this time, when you exhale, arch the spine, let the head slightly back, and raise the tailbone toward the ceiling. This is a cow posture.
• You can repeat the exercise a few times, feeling how your spine works.

BIRD DOG

• After completing the previous exercise, you can return to the original posture.
• Stand on all fours, knees at the hips, arms at the shoulders, and your spine neutral.
• This time, extend one arm forward and the opposite leg back without moving your hips.
• Stay in the posture for a few seconds, and then you can change your hand and foot.
• Repeat the exercise three times on each side.

• If you find this exercise difficult, you can only lift one leg at a time, without hands, keeping the rest of the body in its original position.

PELVIS TILTS

This exercise will strengthen your pelvis.

• Sit on your back, bend your knees, and separate them, keeping your hips lined with the soles on the mattress.
• Pull inward your stomach while the pelvis is raised, and the back and spine remain on the mattress.
• Keep the posture for a few seconds and return to the initial posture.
• You can do a set of 6-8 pelvic lifts.

SEMITORSION

• Sit on your back with your knees bent, but this time closed.
• Bend both knees on both sides until they reach the mattress.
• Keep the posture on every side for a few seconds.
• Hold your hands out to the side.
• Repeat the exercise 6-8 times.

KNEES TO CHEST

• Sit on your back and bring your knees to your chest.
• Hold them with your hands without pressing.
• Keep the posture for a few seconds, relaxing your spine.
• You can also make a slight balance on both sides.
• This exercise produces maximum flexion of the hips and knees.

MINDFULNESS MOMENT

Immediately after the physical exercises, standing in the meditation position (or sitting position), do a set of ten deep and slow breaths, assimilating the experience of working your body.

Notice every part of your body if it is tense or it starts to relax, paying attention to the breath if it is accelerated or it starts to slow down.

Creating this Mindfulness moment will give you clarity and mental discipline, thus preparing you for an exceptional cognitive performance for the entire day.

You will connect with yourself and know your body and emotions better, helping you improve your relationships with others.

TAKE A COLD SHOWER

Taking a cold shower is not a pleasant routine, I know. Not only does it have a beneficial effect on body health and aesthetics, but it is also revigorating and stimulates brain oxygenation.

It wakes you up, increases the adrenaline and testosterone, and will train your discipline.

It is a practice used in the tradition of several countries such as India, Finland, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand, and we know very well their physical endurance.

That is another reason to recommend using the cold shower.

Make the transition in small steps if it will be difficult for you to implement this practice in your routine.

Initially, shower with hot water; at the last minute, take it with cold water.

Then, you can switch to the Irish shower version, alternating hot and cold water.

After a while, you can come to the full version of the shower only with cold water.

The sensation that you will feel will be exceptional. You will feel your body more light and energetic with a clear mind. An extraordinary state with which to start a new day!

ENERGY BOMB

Another essential step in the morning routine is a consistent and healthy breakfast. Many people I know often skip this meal, replacing it with coffee and a cigarette.

It is the most important meal, and the ratio of vitamins, minerals, and proteins consumed during the day will give you the necessary complex even if you are late for lunch.

In the morning, I have a nutrient breakfast, which I complement with a combination of nutritional juices or a smoothie, an energy BOMB, as I like to say, which balances my digestion, activates the metabolism, and provides a good mood.

I will share with you the ingredients, and the quantities can be used as you prefer, depending on the number of people who will consume it.

Ingredients:

– 1 or 2 bananas;

– a few fresh spinach leaves;

– 1 Tbsp chia seeds;

– 1/2 Tsp of cinnamon;

– 1/4 glass of coconut milk;

– 1 raw carrot;

– 1Tbsp of spirulina powder;

Finally, I add fresh orange juice enough to mix all the ingredients.

Depending on the season, I also prefer to add strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or watermelon.

BOTTOM LINE…

This is my morning ritual, which keeps me active all day long. Please drop me a comment or a note of your morning routine through the comment below.

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Till next time…

Keep Your Body Healthy And Your Mind Happy!

Diana O. Debreczeni

Founder of  Dare & Be.

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