It’s not always easy to get up in the morning. But there are a few tips to get out of bed more easily or to start the day off on the right foot.
As if getting up early in the morning wasn’t hard enough… We make it even harder for ourselves, especially by letting ourselves be distracted on all sides, with our eyes barely open. While some of us practice morning rituals (e.g., ten minutes of yoga), others get in the way themselves.
In this article, we show you the 10 things you shouldn’t do in the morning when you wake up.
1 Press the “snooze” button
The snooze button, which allows us to delay the alarm clock by five minutes, is a real problem. It gives us the illusion of getting more sleep, when in fact it only disrupts our sleep rhythm. And that’s not all: “fragmented sleep”, i.e. sleep that is constantly interrupted, is bad for our health. It leads to obesity problems, mood swings, and severe fatigue.
2 Skip breakfast
It doesn’t matter what you eat in the morning: scrambled eggs with bacon or avocado with wholemeal bread. If you take the time to have a leisurely breakfast in the morning, you’ll be ready for the day and have all the energy you need. If you’re one of those people who can’t swallow anything in the morning, why not try a smoothie (homemade, store bought ones contain too much sugar!)? Although breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, forcing yourself to eat is not recommended.
3 Waking up at different times
The body would have no problem getting used to a rhythm if it was always the same. However, most of the time, we stay awake longer on weekends and sleep longer accordingly. For people who work in rotation, it is almost impossible to maintain the same sleep rhythm all the time. But, if possible, try to get up at about the same time (+/- 30 minutes) to make getting up easier in the long run.
4 Drink a coffee when you get out of bed
Bad news for all coffee drinkers: studies show that drinking coffee before 10 a.m. has very little effect. Caffeine doesn’t take effect until hours later anyway and only increases your caffeine intolerance a little more each day. Researchers have also found that caffeine taken in the morning can disrupt cortisol levels in the body. As a result, you are more stressed.
5 Make your bed as soon as you get up
For years, making your bed in the morning was a sign that you have your life in hand. It was the first task performed immediately after getting up. However, according to BBC News, a group of scientists has discovered that it’s best not to make your bed (at least for a while) to avoid dust mites. Dust mites feel much more comfortable in a freshly made bed than in a bed that has been undone.
6 All those things you could have done the night before
Basically, the fewer things you have to do in the morning, the longer you’ll be able to sleep, and the more relaxed you’ll be when you get up. Try to do as much as you can the night before: prepare your outfit for the day, pack your breakfast in Tupperware, and so on.
7 Do not look at your phone
I know it’s hard… the temptation to unlock your cell phone while you’re still warm and snuggled under your comforter is so strong, but if I assure you it’s possible.
Before, my phone was lying on the floor right next to my bed so that as soon as my alarm clock went off I took my phone without having to move from under my comforter and we would leave for 15 to 20 minutes of social networking, emails, blogs… I can’t even tell you how much time I was wasting in the morning.
But for a month now, my phone has been sitting on my desk which forces me to get out of bed to turn off my alarm clock so the urge to go on social networks fades and I go straight to the bathroom. And that’s how I save 15 precious minutes from the moment I wake up.
8 Wake up your body
Since you don’t look at your phone, you gain about 15 minutes to do some stretching, yoga, or a bit of sport. Take the time every morning when you wake up to wake up your body too, you’ll see that it will thank you.
Since I’ve been doing my 10-minute stretch every morning (for about a month now) I feel much more “awake”. My body and mind respond more quickly to what my brain is telling them to do, which gives me a nice boost.
9 Hydrate your body
After a few stretches, nothing better than drinking a large glass of water (lemon water for my part) to hydrate and purify your body and allow it to start off on the right foot.
Your body needs to be hydrated as soon as you wake up, so before eating or drinking anything I always try to drink my tall glass of lemon water to get my body going.
10 Organize your day
I love organizing, writing on Post-it notes, making to-do lists… so organized my day in the morning makes sense.
Personally, I organize my day in the shower. I think about all the things I have to do, my appointments, etc… at what time I have to do all these things to be as productive as possible, and I think about everything I can do to get ahead of the week. Then when I get out of the shower I take 2/3 minutes to write everything down on a planner so I forget nothing (because yes I am a real headstrong, it’s awful).
Once your day is organized in the main lines, you will see much more clearly. For that, you can use a small piece of paper found at the bottom of a drawer, or you can use a daily or weekly planner or a to-do list…
Sharing is caring
[mashshare]
The list is inconsistent, as it changes mid way from what to NOT do, to what you should do.