Your morning routine can make a serious impact on how the rest of your day —and life for that matter— plays out. It sets the tone for rest of the day and helps you get the hardest things out of the way so you can face your day in peace, rather than anxiety. Like with all sage advice, however, it is much easier said than done.
Luckily for you, we’ve put together a list of simple ways that you can shake up your morning routine to help you see and maintain the summer body you’ve been working on all year.
Get Enough Sleep
The most important piece to a winning morning routine is your sleep. You can’t get started on the good foot if you’re working off of 3 or 4 hours of sleep. Figure out what the sweet spot of sleep is for you, (this is typically 6-9 hours) and get to bed without phones, lights, or other triggers with plenty of time for the sleep you need.
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Once you feel well-rested, you’ll be much more likely to stick with your summer-body-focused morning routine.
Plan for the Day the Night Before
Another way to get the most out of your morning routine is to leave the planning for the night before. Lay out (or sleep in) your workout clothes, plan your workout ahead of time, and get your meals, especially breakfast prepped the night before.
Even just writing out a short to-do list and what you plan to eat can make the mornings run a bit smoother. Most of us don’t have the mental capacity to think efficiently when we first get out of bed, so this step takes that pressure off of future you.
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Start the Day Hydrating and Moving
If your summer body goals include losing a few inches, exercise will be essential to your success. To avoid missing out on your workouts in the midst of invites to happy hours and after work social events, get your sweat on first thing.
Start your mornings by doing a short (or full on) workout to jumpstart your metabolism for the rest of the day. If you’re not much of a gym person, plan to walk or run for about 20 minutes, or do a quick at-home workout. Even if you don’t have the time for a full-fledged workout, you can burn a good 200 calories to help you achieve a calorie deficit and a loss of inches over time.
Here’s a quick at-home workout you can do every day:
Plank Hold (30 seconds)
Supermans (30 seconds)
Push Ups (30 seconds)
Squats (30 seconds)
Mountain Climbers (30 seconds)
Diamond Sit Ups (30 seconds)
Repeat the entire circuit 4 times in total.
Get a Mini Morning Detox
Another key to any body goals is staying hydrated. Some people aim to drink a gallon of water on a daily basis, while others for 64 ounces. A good rule of thumb is to drink at least 6 cups of water a day, increasing if you are working out regularly, as temperatures rise, or if you’re still thirsty!
In addition to helping you reach your personal daily hydration goals, drinking water with some special ingredients can give you a mini detox and help you stabilize your blood sugar to control your appetite. The simplest way to make your morning hydration pack a powerful punch is to add 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (ACV) to your morning glass.
Apple cider vinegar has been tied to some major health benefits, but most important to your summer body goals is its ability to control your blood sugar. We crave carbs and sugar when our blood sugar drops low really quickly, but ACV helps us avoid this crash. This way you’re able to make healthier food choices all day long and stay on track for those summer body goals.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
While there are some fad diets that disagree, breakfast is a cornerstone to your healthy living and summer body goals. The term itself signifies breaking a fast since you are technically fasting while your sleep. And when you fast, your body slows down everything, including your metabolism, to preserve energy.
And your metabolism, which is essentially what allows you to burn calories for energy, is what really matters for those summer body goals. So what does this mean for you? It means, STOP SKIPPING BREAKFAST (insert claps between each word for emphasis).
If you’re not eating a regular breakfast, put this at the top of your list for your morning routine, If you are eating breakfast, but need help on what to eat, here is what the registered dietitians have to say. Your breakfast should be about 300-400 calories, less if you’re aiming to lose pounds, and more if you’re aiming to maintain or bulk up. Then, what you put on your plate for breakfast also matters.
Try to get a mix of carbs, protein, fiber, and fats to help you stay satisfied without a major spike in your blood sugar. For example, a breakfast burrito with 1 whole egg and 1 egg white, spinach, 1/4 cup of black beans on a whole wheat tortilla. Or, you can try a green power smoothie with spinach, greek yogurt, berries, and a half avocado.
Pro tip: if you really aren’t that hungry in the morning, you can split your breakfast into two meals. The first half within 1 hour after you wake up, and the second half about 2 hours later. Your body will thank you with fewer cravings later in the afternoon.
Add A Dash of Positive Reinforcement
Your morning routine isn’t complete without a little mental health exercise. The average person is often times stressed, anxious or lacking in self-confidence, which makes sticking to any goal much more challenging. To fight off negativity and boost your mental health, add at least 5 minutes to your morning for daily affirmations, prayer, meditation, or journaling. Every little bit helps!
Sharita Jennings is a fitness and travel enthusiast and creator of Get Fit Like That, LLC. She is a health policy attorney and ACE certified group fitness instructor and fitness nutrition specialist. She provides online fitness plans and leads group fitness classes in Washington DC. Check out her fitness tips and workouts at GetFitLikeThat.com.
