10 Healthy Habits For Your Morning Routine

Starting your morning right is important as it sets the tone for the rest of the day. If you wake up in a good mood, there’s a bigger chance that it will last. In order to achieve that great start more consistently, below are 10 healthy habits for your perfect morning routine.

Since we don’t all have the same schedules and priorities, feel free to choose only those that will fit you. You can also do some of these activities on certain days, and the rest on others. The important thing is to choose the tips that will motivate and inspire you for a productive day ahead.

1. Give thanks for the day

The moment your alarm rings and you open your eyes, make it a point to be thankful. Be grateful you are alive for another day. Appreciate being able to breathe, be with your loved ones, and the opportunity to do things you enjoy. Give thanks, even for the little things. It only takes a moment, but the changes are more than substantial.

I started doing that this month and can attest to the difference it makes. I used to wake up and dread going to work. The bed was so inviting and the tasks ahead seemed so tiring, that thinking about it put me in a bit of a bad mood that lasted the rest of the day. I wanted to change that so when I woke up, I gave thanks for having a job in spite of the situation the world is in right now. I changed my mindset to think of all the things I could do for the day. Instead of dragging myself out of bed, I now feel motivated to get up.

Gratitude can truly work wonders, so it would be one of the best healthy habits to add to your morning routine. For more ways to incorporate gratitude into your daily life, check this blog post.

2. Drink a glass of water

You slept for probably 6 hours or more. That’s almost a whole work day without a sip of water. Your body is most probably dehydrated, so drinking a glass of water right after you wake up fixes that. Also, there are other benefits to doing this first thing in the morning, a faster metabolism and increased alertness included.

So before you reach for that cup of coffee, do yourself a favor and drink water first. You can do your morning duties like washing your face and dressing up before having your coffee and breakfast if you’re feeling too full right after.

Related: The 5 Basic Fitness Goals Everyone Should Have

3. Eat breakfast: a healthy habit for your morning routine

Some people skip breakfast, but some people also can’t function properly without it. I’m part of the latter group and even wake up a few minutes earlier in order to have time to relax while having my meal. Aside from giving me fuel to last the whole morning, breakfast is also a way for me to ease into the day by giving me a few moments to chill before diving into work. If you live with friends or family, it’s also a nice way to exchange a few words before you part ways to do your own thing.

Make sure to eat something healthy if you do have breakfast however. Skip the high-sugar cereals or pastries that can offset the meal’s positive effects. High protein foods like eggs or oats with fruits are a good choice.

It’s important to note that breakfast, though long-touted as the “most important meal of the day”, is optional. Some people, like those who practice intermittent fasting, find it more beneficial to skip it. Do whatever works best for you. But if you do like eating breakfast, it could be a healthy habit for your morning routine.

4. Jot down your tasks for the day

Don’t go overboard on your to-do list, however! Instead, a good practice would be to write only 3 major, doable things that you want to accomplish for the day. This ensures that you focus your energy on these things instead of spreading yourself too thin over multiple tasks.

You can have a list for your day job and a separate one for your passion project (if you’re doing it on the side like me!). Creating the list is also a way to ensure you are productive and get stuff done (instead of mindlessly sifting through emails or endlessly browsing on social media for hours, haha!).

For more ways to be productive even after your day job, check this post.

5. Pray or meditate

When I was a child, I was taught to pray before I slept. And though that has remained a habit up to now, I’m trying to develop another one: praying in the morning. I mentioned in the first tip to give thanks for the day. That in itself could be a form of prayer. But you can take it a step further by spending a few more moments to give thanks, set your intentions for the day, and ask for guidance.

If you don’t believe in prayer, then you can choose to meditate instead. Use it as a moment to quiet your mind and step back from all the anxiety and pressure of the full day ahead. These moments of calm can improve your focus and help you tackle your tasks afterwards.

Either way, finding these moments of stillness are very beneficial to make into healthy habits for your morning routine.

6. Make exercise a healthy habit for your morning routine

Whether it’s a 5-minute yoga stretch or a quick run, exercising in the morning is a sure way to wake you up and get the blood pumping. Some studies and articles even suggest that working out in the morning leads to improved focus and a better mood.

If you’re having difficulty trying to squeeze in an exercise routine in your schedule, try setting aside a few minutes in the morning to work out. This ensures you have some active time in and you can reap the benefits for the rest of the day.

If you can’t do it on your workday mornings, then try to at least incorporate it on your weekends when you have more time. Observe how your body feels afterwards. If it feels good, make it a part of your morning schedule.

7. Take a walk

Taking a walk is another healthy habit you can adopt for your morning routine. Aside from the obvious physical benefits such as better heart health and increased energy, walking can also be a form of self-care.

Walking in the morning allows you to breathe in fresh air, hear and see the sounds of nature, or if you live in a highly urban environment, the stillness and energy of a city waking up. This can be highly therapeutic and relaxing. Aside from that, you can also use the time to reflect and/or plan your day ahead, all without the distractions you’d normally find at home.

Read this for more ways of relaxing your body.

8. Read an inspiring quote for the day

There’s something about reading or hearing something inspiring that improves our mood. We either feel extremely motivated, going about our tasks with a spring in our step, or incredibly grateful, seeing an affirmation of our decisions and the things we now have.

If we read an inspiring quote in the morning, there’s a big chance that we go through the day with a better disposition. Think of it as your daily dose of inspiration.

Creating a jar with random quotes to pick from can be a treat. You can also look online for specific quotes about something you want to be motivated about.

Or change your phone’s wallpaper to something motivational to make you smile especially if checking your phone is one of the first things you do in the day!

9. Write a few words in your journal

Journaling has become very popular over the years. There’s a reason for that. Aside from being a form of self-care that allows you to spend some me-time, it’s an opportunity for introspection and expression, both of which can lead to mental and emotional benefits.

Writing a few words in your journal as you begin your day can be one of the healthy habits in your morning routine. Use it as an opportunity to set your intention, write about your dreams the night before, or a few musings. Whether it’s only a few words or a full essay, making time for this is also a chance to develop your writing skills, something you might find useful down the road or in your daily activities.

10. Make your bed: a healthy habit for your morning routine

And the last but probably most obvious healthy habit for your morning routine: make your bed! It can seem entirely insignificant, but doing this step is sort of a “wake up” indicator. Having a made bed helps you resist the urge to go back to sleep (very important if you’re working from home and right next to your bed). It also serves as a “reset button”, showing you that you just started a new day and can leave the previous one behind. When you go to bed later in the evening, it’s great to pull back the covers and tuck yourself in a clean bed.

Did you know that this simple habit can also improve your productivity? According to Navy Adm. William McCraven, making your bed is your first small accomplishment of the day. “It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.” he said.

He further explained that making your bed reinforces the fact that the little things in life matter. Even if you’ve had a miserable day, coming home to a bed that you made encourages you that tomorrow will be better.

Start making these healthy habits a part of your morning routine!

It’s not always easy to get up and out of bed. That’s why establishing these healthy habits in your morning routine is important. The longer you do them, the more they will become part of your system. Eventually, the results you see will be consistent, and the positive change in your mindset will gradually become the norm.

Don’t wait for the perfect time to start! Start implementing them today (or if it’s night, tomorrow morning). If you liked these tips, share them with your friends, and don’t forget to comment below!

Related: 11 Ways To Create A Relaxing Evening Routine For Quality Rest