Have you ever noticed how much smoother your day is when you sleep well and wake up feeling rested? This is because the way you start your day really sets the tone for the rest of your waking hours.
Certain morning routines will leave you feeling scattered and stressed all day long. So, here are some examples of bad morning habits you should avoid – as well as what positive morning routines you should establish instead.
1) Don’t Eat Dessert for Breakfast
You should avoid eating cheesecake or cookies, of course, but a lot of breakfast staples – like cereal, waffles, and muffins – are high in sugar and carbohydrates, as well. Despite the fact that these ingredients taste delicious, once you come down from your sugar high (which happens much sooner than you may think! ), you will be left irritable and hungry for more food.
Healthy smoothies are a great substitute for sugary, carb-heavy meals. It’s a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth and get in some veggies along with healthy fats and protein via coconut milk, bone broth protein powder, collagen, or other healthy mix-ins.
2) Eat Only If You Are Hungry
Breakfast is believed to be the most important meal of the day, and for some people, it is. However, others prefer not to eat in the morning, and forcing them to do so would probably cause more harm than good.
Instead of beating yourself up for not liking breakfast, try intermittent fasting (IF). One of the easiest types of IF is time-restricted fasting, or 16/8, where you fast for 16 hours (typically from dinnertime through lunchtime) and eat only for 8 during the day. The benefits of intermittent fasting include weight loss, reducing inflammation, maintaining heart health, and stabilizing blood sugar.
3) Morning Workouts Are Important
Not everyone likes mornings. If you enjoy working out in the evening – or if you avoid it altogether – you may want to set an alarm clock.
The best way to boost energy levels first thing in the morning is to get your blood pumping. Evening workouts can leave you tossing and turning if you do them too close to bedtime, but switching to morning sweat sessions can improve your sleep quality.
Additionally, morning workouts increase your metabolism, helping you burn more calories throughout the day and increasing your productivity. You’re more likely to choose healthier foods at mealtime if you exercise first thing in the morning.
Start your morning routine the night before to make waking up easier. For instance, you should have your lunch packed and ready to go, your workout clothes laid out, and any other preparations you need to make for the next day. When you reduce your early morning tasks, you’ll get more sleep and be less likely to hit snooze and miss that all-important workout.
4) A Day Worth Of Calories And Sugar In A Latte Is Not Good For You
Do you like your coffee with a little milk? That’s a good way to start the morning. Adding all the sugar, cream, syrups, and other ingredients to your daily drinks can add up to a lot of calories without you even noticing. This is before you even eat anything.
As a result of all the sugar and preservatives, you end up snacking on food, even though you have already eaten the caloric equivalent of a meal (or more). You can imagine how much it adds up when you multiply that by all the coffee drinks you are ordering.
If you still need caffeine in the morning, consider bulletproof coffee. Here, black coffee is mixed with a healthy fat like grass-fed butter or ghee and then combined with MCT oil. This way, the cup of coffee isn’t filled with empty calories. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. While healthy fats give you a boost, they also make you feel full.
Once you eliminate these bad habits, you’ll soon find you have established the best morning routine that will keep you energized throughout the day.
