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Early Mornings and Healthy Routines

Writer's picture: QCMHAQCMHA

By Jordan Deep, Logistics Director


Growing up, I was never really a "morning person". I found waking up at 6 AM for early hockey practices challenging, and I could not be mentally alert for the first 1-2 hours of being awake. For a lot of my life, I had always only been awake in the morning when I absolutely had to. However, in the past year, I've learned that having a strict, structured, and regimented morning routine can have life-changing effects in the long run. Before you read any further, I'd like to preface by saying that I am by no means an expert, and everyone has different strategies that work for them; this is just a routine that is partially backed by science and happens to work well for me.

 

Every morning, I follow a simple and effective routine to quickly transform from my groggy self when the alarm goes off, to an alert, mentally clear, and motivated person ready to tackle the day. I generally follow 5 steps:

 

The first step is to GET UP. Getting out of bed immediately after the alarm goes off and not allowing your mind to tell you to go back to sleep is very important to start your day off the right way. One way to do this effectively every time is to use Mel Robbins' famous "five-second rule". In your head, count down from 5 to 1 and perform whatever the action is before your time runs out. It may sound weird, but when you practice this, your brain will become accustomed to doing anything that requires you to push yourself, within 5 seconds.

 

The second step is to make your bed. It may seem naggy from those negative memories of a parent or guardian telling you to make your bed as a chore. However, in the military, making the bed is the first thing the Armed Forces do, for a reason. This is a great way to feel that you've accomplished your first task (hopefully of many) for the day, and is just a constant form of discipline. A ton of military veterans praise this tactic and have never gone back.

 

Step three is to then drink 8 ounces (one cup) of water. This is not only a great way to hydrate after a full night of dehydration, but it also wakes up your body and mind very efficiently. This effectively fights off that feeling of drowsiness that you'll experience.

 

The fourth step is to practice mindfulness for 5-10 minutes. This can involve meditation, box breathing (I do this every day without fail), and/or journaling. All of these methods are scientifically proven to improve your mental health, mental clarity, and sense of motivation towards accomplishing your goals. This effect lasts not only in the morning but for the entire day! Why not spend just 5-10 minutes a day on them?

 

The fifth and final step is to perform some form of exercise. Going to the gym or going for a run for at least an hour would be ideal from a fitness standpoint. But, if times are busy, even one minute of intense exercise is proven to impact your well-being significantly. For me personally, I do a set of 50-60 push-ups (started a lot lower, trust me) to get this minute at the start of my day.

 

Following this five-step morning routine has been an eye-opener for the past year. I have seen huge improvements in my day-to-day mental health, motivation levels, and daily work ethic. I would highly recommend at least trying some if not all of these steps and incorporating them into your routine. That being said, different things work for different people, so I would also recommend doing your research to see if there are other tactics that are worth following. All in all, I can definitely call myself a morning person now!

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