Healthy Ways to Start the Day

The way you start the day can make the difference in whether you have a great day or not.

It’s hard to concentrate when you feel sluggish. It isn’t easy to be kind and understanding to co-workers when you’re irritable. Keeping up with the busy pace at work is near impossible when you don’t feel well.

If your morning experience is less than desirable, there’s several ways to improve how you start your day.

1. Get plenty of sleep. According to the Sleep Foundation, adults usually need between 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.

2. Drink 8 ounces of water after awakening. Warm water helps the digestive tract wake up. Dietary recommendations from the Mayo Clinic suggest women drink 9 cups total of beverage daily. Choosing water instead of caffeinated and sugary drinks is the healthiest choice.

3. Practice a 10 minute yoga routine. This will gently wake up your muscles, tendons and joints and will energize you for the day. You will also notice an increase in flexibility over a period of time.

4. Eat a healthy breakfast – a chopped apple and ¼ cup of sliced almonds is my favorite.

The benefits of eating breakfast include having more strength and endurance, as well as better concentration and problem solving abilities through out the morning.

5. Avoid caffeine and sugar – chamomile tea or peppermint tea are good morning teas, both are calming to the digestive tract. Tea has half the amount of caffeine compared to coffee, and it’s also a good source of fluoride and antioxidants.

6. Spend some quiet time in God’s presence. Keeping a spiritual journal is a great way to see God at work in your life. Keep it private, just between you and God. Jot down your prayers, worries, and thoughts about a scripture or personal experience during your quiet time. As you write God will lead you to discover things about yourself and show His Truth at a deeper level.

7. Establish your morning routine and stick with it. Consistency and commitment are the keys to successfully establishing a healthy morning routine. It takes six weeks to create a healthy habit and it takes determination to reach your goal each day.

Each one of us is different in what our preferences are. Some may need eggs and toast instead of a chopped apple and sliced almonds. Some might prefer vegetable juice rather than herbal tea. Some might choose black tea over green tea. An important thing to remember is to stay away from donuts, cookies, candy, cake or sugary cereals. These are not healthy choices for breakfast and the result will be a drop in blood sugar mid-morning which will drain you of energy and make you cranky.

Some of us may have more time to spend doing a yoga routine than others, but just 10 minutes each morning can make a difference in how you feel. Don’t deny yourself this special time.

Preparing the night before will add to your success the next morning. Laying clothes out and preparing lunch for the next day will save you time and stress. Doing a bedtime yoga routine followed by a nice warm bath will relax your body and prepare you for a good night’s sleep.

All too often, we get so busy taking care of other things we forget to be kind to ourselves. Deciding to improve the way you start your day is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself. I challenge you to mark today as a new beginning with this motto: Great days begin with healthy ways.

By Sherry Hunt

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