We’ve all experienced it – we set our alarm for 7 AM with the best of intentions, but when the time comes, we hit the “snooze” button repeatedly and start our day much slower than we hoped.
Starting the day sluggishly sets a disappointing tone for the rest of the day. It’s hard to feel motivated and upbeat when you start your day behind schedule. Everyone wants to wake up with energy, but most of us start our mornings on a slow note.
Fortunately, it is possible to wake up early and have high energy to start your day. By making a few small changes to your morning routine, you can shake off sleep inertia quickly and tackle your day with enthusiasm.
Exercise as Soon as You Can
It sounds counterintuitive but exercising soon after you wake up is a great way to energize yourself for the rest of the day. Exercising when you wake up energizes your body and mind, and helps you shake off feelings of grogginess.
Ideally, your morning exercise routine should take place outside (if possible). Sunlight and fresh morning air can play a role in waking up your mind and body, but indoor exercise can work just as well.
Exercising puts your metabolism in gear, which helps maintain your energy levels throughout the day. Any type of exercise will help you wake up in the morning. Whether you prefer jogging, yoga, or lifting weights, exercising after a night of quality sleep will refresh your mind and energize your muscles.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Think of it like you’re fueling up your car before going to work. Your body burns calories overnight, and you need to replace them with healthy calories in the morning to maintain high energy throughout the day. If intermittent fasting, you can start your eating window with breakfast and end with an early dinner.
Don’t see this as an excuse to pack on empty carbs when you wake up. If you fuel your body with sugar and other empty carbs in the morning, your body will burn through its energy supply quickly, and you’ll feel worse once it does.
Eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, and turkey-based proteins are excellent choices for breakfast. By a large, nutritious breakfast in the morning, you’ll feel your energy levels rise quickly, and stay at a manageable level throughout the day.
Don’t Hit That Snooze Button
We’re all guilty of hitting snooze when our alarms go off before we feel ready to get out of bed. Even though hitting snooze means we only get to sleep for a few more minutes, it can have detrimental effects on our energy levels for the rest of the morning.
Our brains release serotonin when we fall asleep, giving us a warm, comfortable feeling. When we wake up, our brains counteract this feeling by releasing dopamine, which wakes us up. By hitting the snooze button, our brains are filled with two hormones trying to counteract each other, making it difficult for us to feel awake and alert once we do get out of bed.
It isn’t fun, but get up with your first alarm. You’ll thank yourself when you notice increased energy levels throughout the morning.
[RECIPE] KALE POWER SLAW
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch kale stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot shredded
- 1/2 orange juiced
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1/2 red onion very thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
- Toss kale with carrot, orange juice, and lemon juice in a large salad bowl, using your hands to rub orange and lemon juice into kale leaves. Let stand a few minutes.
- Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and stir onion into boiling water; cook just until starting to soften, 15 to 30 seconds.
- Drain and immediately immerse onion in ice water. Drain ice water, blot onion dry on paper towels, and add to kale.
- Stir olive oil into kale mixture and toss to coat. Can be made several hours ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy!
To Your Health,
Patti
