Morning Routines
Recently I made a post across my social media about three things I aim to do each day to set my day up, not necessarily to set myself up for success, though I do find I have more successful days than not. (It's up to you how you define your success). I began doing those things for my mental well being, to be more present and happier in the day to day.
And the more research I do into morning routines the more the statistics alarm me. In multiple studies 63% of people claim to check their social media upon waking up, 50% check their emails. This is not optimal and definitely doesn’t lead to healthier, happier lives.
I aim to share my experience here but also highlight the benefits and ways you can increase not just productivity but overall well being and performance.
My morning routines started way back in 2017/18 when I first read a book called ‘Make Your Bed’ by Admiral William H. McRaven based on his incredible speech to the University of Texas graduating class on May 17, 2014. Click HERE to see the speech.
What he says is to make your bed at the start of each morning as it sets you up to complete tasks throughout the day by starting small. He goes on to say that then no matter how the day turns out you will come home each night to a freshly made bed and know that tomorrow is another day.
This just made sense to me, it resonated with me, and at the time of reading my mental health was struggling, I urged for any way to improve it. I have made my bed every single morning since, even when traveling.
Then I proceeded down the rabbit hole of morning routines, breath work, cold showers, meditation, water with pink himalayan salt & lemon, light exercise, you name it. I've tried it. Some worked for me, others took an abundance of time and I’d inevitably fall out of routine because of it. So now my routine is simple.
Wake up
Glass of water
Cold Shower 60 seconds
5-10 minutes of journaling
Tell my partner I love her
Complete tasks (make the bed, empty dishwasher)
No phone for 60 minutes
This I have found for me has worked incredibly well to set myself up each day to be more productive with my time, improve my mood and how I perceive situation and as a by product increase my performance in training.
Though, does it actually create that much of a difference?
Much of the research has shown that those who have a morning routine vs those who don’t are
More likely to experience less symptoms of depression/anxiety
Increased productivity throughout the day
Better relationship with self and others
Experience more feelings of Gratitude
How to construct a morning routine?
There are so many things/habits you can include in your morning routine
Breathwork
Meditation
Journalling
Yoga
Light Exercise
Special Hydration Waters
The framework I use is simple
Hydrate
Challenge
Gratitude
Hydration is so important first thing in the morning, water comprises 75% body weight in infants to 55% in elderly and is essential for cellular homeostasis and life (Nutr Rev. 2010 Aug; 68(8): 439–458). After sleep we have essentially deprived ourselves of water for 6-10 hrs and wake up craving water yet 28% of us reach for coffee first thing.
As athletes during challenging exercise we can potentially lose 6-10% of our body weight through sweat loss, taking with it minerals. Poor hydration also relates to an average 2% performance drop. So if we have trained the previous night or trained early morning and not hydrated properly we can expect a big fluctuation in body weight, performance and fatigue throughout the day.
500ml-1L of water over the course of the first hour upon waking can drastically increase your well being, digestion and performance. You can add minerals and all the fancy stuff, but if you are like me and just need good habits, aim for just regular water upon waking.
I like the idea of challenging yourself first thing in the morning, getting uncomfortable first up to better regulate stress throughout the day. But also over the long term can really help adapt your nervous system to better regulate stress/anxiety.
I do this in two ways
Cold Shower
Not checking my phone for 60 minutes
The first one I am sure we have all heard of the benefits of cold showers first thing in the morning. In one study participants were asked to cold shower for 30, 60, 90 seconds in the morning over 30 days, what showed was a 29% decrease in sickness absence from work (10.1371/journal.pone.0161749).
With many more health benefits including
Reduce heart rate and cardiac output
Reduce inflammation / swelling
Decrease perceptions of pain
Reduce neural sensitivity
Decrease anxiety/depression
For more information search Wim Hof Ice Man
The other big challenge for me is/was checking my phone first thing upon waking. I had the thing glued to me and it has taken me a long time to not check it first thing in the morning. But gosh I feel better for it. I choose to ignore it no matter the notifications and get about my morning cultivating a healthy positive mindset.
The last one is gratitude, now this practice can come in many forms, affirmations, journaling, meditations or breathwork. I found journaling of a morning to be the thing that works for me and I urge you to find yours. Regular gratitude journaling has been shown to result in 5% to 15% increases in optimism and 25% increased sleep quality.
Each morning I write 3 intentions for the day, 3 notes of gratitude and how I feel upon waking.
This for myself has resulted in a huge increase in overall productivity alone! Now I can’t stop.
I hope this article has really helped or at least prompted you to take a look at your morning habits. This has just scratched the surface of how we can truly optimize our morning for better health and performance. My advice is to start small and add one habit at a time until you’ve got it down pat.
Brandon
