Springtime is when the dormant trees and grass begin to show life, we again hear the sound of birds singing outside our window in the morning and the beauty of the butterflies return to fill the landscape. For many of us, it also means we are feeling the mental and physical effects of a long and seemingly endless winter living indoors less active and overindulging, especially during the holidays.
Springtime has long been held as the perfect time of the year to brush off those bad habits of the holiday season and start making a change toward a healthier lifestyle. One of the best ways to get the ball rolling and to keep it moving is to adopt a new morning routine. Anyone planning to embrace a healthier way of life is far more likely to remain devoted if they embark on their journey toward fitness and wellbeing early in the morning each and every day.
For the majority of us, by the time we arrive home later in the day, we are too exhausted or have too much going on by then to begin ever truly put an effort forth in trying to make a serious change toward a healthier life. The success rate is much higher and the payoff greater if adopted as part of our morning routine rather than any time later in the day or evening.
Getting Started
With Spring just around the corner, it is a great time to adopt a new morning routine. There are a variety of different ways to work toward becoming healthier. For most of us, having several new activities in our quest for a healthier life will likely begin to show a positive change within a few weeks.
If you stay committed to our new morning routine, you can feel confident knowing you are doing something to bring a transition that will have positive effects not only on yourself, but those around you.
Meditation
One great way to make a change to your morning plan each day is to spend twenty to thirty minutes for meditating on the day ahead. Sorting out those thoughts and giving your mind the opportunity to be prepared for the day ahead is a big plus. Doing your daily meditation routine first is a great idea because it can help you to mentally prepare and focus on all the other aspects of my morning routine and the day ahead.
Stay Committed
Let’s face it, life can be quite stressful. Having time to meditate each and every morning will give you a feeling of being in control early in your day. Making an effort to meditate in the morning may seem somewhat counterintuitive at first. All too often, your schedule is hectic and rushed in the mornings. Many people feel they just do not have the time for such things. But being committed to meditating each and every day as the first part of your morning routine will bring positive results.
Adopt a Technique
It is not uncommon for different people to have different ways of meditating, and discovering what really works for them. Everyone is different and what works best for one person may not necessarily work well for another person. One good way to start is by sitting in a quiet room in a soft backless chair with your feet bare and touching the carpet while your hands are turned upward toward the ceiling is a relaxing posture allowing you to focus.
What is Meditation?
One thing to remember here is that this is not about being lethargic, in terms of meditation. It is all about obtaining a level of focus and a relaxed state of mind. There is a difference between the two. While sitting in this position, you can control the rate of your breathing and make sure to inhale deeply enough to completely fill your lungs without overdoing it and excessively stretching my chest outward.
Keep your eyes closed and remain still throughout the session. Begin by first spending approximately ten minutes decluttering my mind of all the junk and negative thoughts you have from the day and evening before. During this time you can also try to forgive and forget anyone with which you are angry or unhappy.
This helps to clear your mind allowing you to focus on the positive aspects of the day. Try to spend the next ten minutes focusing on the potential of blessings and good vibes the day ahead has to offer. Then as the final step, focus deeply on the entire idea of being healthier and the remaining tasks and activities in your morning routine.
Focus on the Health Benefits
The health benefits of regular meditation are seemingly endless. Studies have proven time and time again that regular meditation decreases stress, lowers blood pressure, delivers a feeling of being more connected, improves brain function, reduces the effects of aging, increases attention span, improves immunity against diseases, improves overall health and provides a whole host of other mental and physical benefits.
Skip the Perfect Session
Another thing to remember is that meditation is not about achieving a perfect session. It’s about learning to focus through the stress and distractions of this life and not finding a way to escape or move around them. The ultimate goal is to be a source of positive energy in this busy world in which we live while allowing our mind and body to remain calm and in complete control during any and all situations throughout our day.
Healthier Drinks
Another good thing you might find helpful to include in your new morning routine is to introduce a new refreshment for increasing energy, nourishment, and overall health. You may find that consuming a healthy drink during your morning routine provides you with the needed energy and stamina to persevere with your regimen and remain fully charged throughout the day.
Dump the Coffee
Adopting a healthy drink in place of that morning coffee ritual can significantly turn your mornings in a positive direction. For many of us, our coffee is what has long been the fuel we used to get ourselves up and moving in the morning. Unfortunately, there is a long list of negative side effects of drinking coffee every morning. Studies have shown that with continued use, the bad side effects of coffee can become less noticeable causing one to consume even more of this questionable drink in an attempt to reap the same effects they seek.
Choose a Better Alternative
There are a whole host of healthy drinks available in the marketplace like apple cider, protein shakes and green juice to name a few. All of these do provide some level of health benefits through things like providing necessary vitamins and minerals not to mention the basic benefit of keeping the body hydrated.
Create Your own Health Drink
Making your drink fresh every morning is not just good for health purposes, but it helps you to get your day started in a productive way. The type of healthy drink you make and what you choose to include in it can be a personal preference, but here are some types of healthy drinks that help you to start your morning in the right way:
Smoothie – Not only does making a smoothie in the morning help you to get more nutrients into your diet, but it can also be a healthy breakfast.
Green juice – Green juice is made when you juice a variety of fruits and vegetables, allowing you to have something made purely of plant foods.
Tea – Having a warm beverage in the morning can be soothing on your stomach, which is what makes a morning cup of tea a great option.
Water with Lemon – Why not try some water with lemon? It allows you to hydrate right when you wake up, and you can add other ingredients like apple cider vinegar, if you choose.
Morning Exercise
Including exercise as part of your morning routine is sure to deliver undeniable results. Exercising outdoors in the morning is always best not only because it gives the body an opportunity to get the juices flowing early, but it also brings health to the lungs from breathing the fresh outdoor air. Aerobic type exercise, all styles of weightlifting and flexibility types exercise can all be accomplished outdoors in the early morning hours with noticeably positive benefits.
As spring approaches the morning temperatures will steadily increase allowing a comfortable atmosphere for working out. A combination of all three types of exercise throughout the week is the best way to be sure that all facets of a healthy morning routine are included.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic type exercise is great for increasing the health of the heart and lungs, boosting metabolism, energy levels, and endurance. A thirty-minute aerobic exercise routine performed every morning outdoors like jogging, bicycling, power walking or playing basketball will not only increase the overall health of your cardiovascular system but also can help with regulating blood pressure, reducing the symptoms of asthma, reducing weight and strengthening the immune system to name a few.
Including aerobic exercise as part of your daily routine will bring lasting results felt throughout the day and into the night.
Strength Training
If you are like me, you might enjoy the strength training side of exercising. For some of us, there is no substitute for the feeling after giving the muscles a brisk workout by doing some heavy lifting outside on our back patio or porch. There is also no need to try and break any records.
Simply undertaking a moderate thirty-minute workout with the weights is a great way to get started and keep those endorphins flowing all day long. Staying in shape by working a variety of different muscles in a short amount of time is possible by doing only a few quick sets for each muscle group.
Flexibility and Balance
Flexibility and balance exercises are great for boosting confidence and performance output. Whether it’s standing on one leg with your arms in the air or bending backward over a giant exercise ball, flexibility and balance exercises have their own unique benefits to overall health. A thirty-minute workout in the morning doing flexibility and balance exercises similar to these is a valuable tool for increasing strength, stamina and overall wellbeing for the entire day.
Accomplish your mission of being devoted to adopting a new morning routine for a healthier you. The payback is immeasurable. Your body, mind, and spirit will thank you.
