Best Morning Routine for Moms: 7 Easy Ways to Get More Energy with a Healthier Routine
WRITTEN BY OUR OFFICIAL SCIENCE STEEPER: ALLISON TANNIS, MSC RHN.
Best Morning Routine for Moms: 7 Easy Ways to Get More Energy with a Healthier Routine
Learn to love mornings again! Whether you’re a mom or a parent, you know a good morning routine can transform your entire day. Discovering the best morning routine can be restorative, nourishing, and energizing. A less frantic morning awaits you. Here are 7 easy ways to create a better morning routine that leads to more energy and amazing days for the entire family.
7 Steps to a Healthier Morning Routine & More Energy
1. Wake Up Earlier
Are you doing the wrong thing by hitting the snooze button? Rising about an hour earlier may improve your mood, suggests a 2021 study. You may find the peaceful early hours of the morning are the best time to put yourself first. That includes time to fit in an energy-boosting workout. Try a few earlier mornings with exercise – it’s the best morning routine for a good night’s sleep: exercise boosts energy levels during the day, helping you fall asleep earlier and sleep better all night, according to research.
2. Start with a Gentle Stretch
Even just a few stretches in the morning can improve your health, according to researchers at the University of Milan. Stretching 5 days a week for 3 months improved blood flow and reduced stiffness in the study participants’ arms and legs. These improvements may have implications for diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, which are characterised by changes in blood flow control. The best morning routine for your health probably includes some passive stretches (not requiring an outside force such as bands, or another person).
3. Sip on a Glass of Water
It’s powerful what a glass of water each morning can do for your body. It’s a healthy habit that could boost your metabolism, says research. Water promotes calorie burning through a process called thermogenesis. Plus, being hydrated can improve your cognitive function – drink up for more brain power!
4. Reset to Focus Better
Simple meditation practices are linked to a better ability to focus, be creative, and achieve goals in your day. Plus, meditation can boost your brain’s ability to generate new ideas, says research. Carve out a few moments in your morning to sit near a window, beside your indoor plants or outside while you mindfully take some deep breaths. Find a space to move through some gentle stretches or revitalizing yoga postures while working on being mindful and present. Resetting each morning with a mindfulness practice can enhance mood, improve mental health (less depression and anxiety), and generally cultivate better well-being.
5. Get Sweaty
More focused days start with a morning routine that includes a sweaty bit of exercise, says science. When adults participated in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each week (about 22 minutes per day) they had less difficulties concentrating during the day. Better yet, do that exercise outside for a better night’s sleep, says a 2017 study.
6. Eat Your Tea Leaves
Get more energy with the best morning routine for your health – which must include good nourishment. Vital for energy production, your body needs key nutrients, such as those found in tea leaves. Plus, the natural caffeine, antioxidants (EGCG), and L-theanine in tea leaves give you an energy boost without the crash. Steep it. Cook it. Blend it. Whatever way you choose, elevate your breakfast by eating your tea leaves! There are so many tasty ways to eat your tea leaves for breakfast: here are 5 delicious healthy breakfast ideas to help you create the best morning routine.
7. Make Space with a Plan
Preparing for morning success the night before creates space for you! Check the weather to help you pack, fill water bottles, and charge electronics. The best morning routine includes good nourishment no matter how fast you need to run out the door. Some of the healthiest to-go breakfasts are smoothies and overnight oats with tea leaves.
Here’s how you can easily stock your freezer with the best ready-to-use smoothie ingredients.
The Secret to Healthier Morning Routines
The secret to creating the best morning routine isn’t about perfecting a complicated pattern – it’s taking it one small step at a time. Choose one of these small changes you can easily integrate into your current lifestyle, say researchers in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. Adding in too many changes to a day can be difficult to sustain.
You’ve got this! Better mornings will start tomorrow.
Written by Allison Tannis MSc RHN – a mom of two and science geek who has fallen back in love with early mornings with a cuppa tea, a workout & these other research-backed tips and tricks.
References:
Genetically proxied diurnal preference, sleep timing, and risk of major depressive disorder. JAMA Psychiatry, 2021.
The effect of structured exercise on sleep during the corresponding night among trained older women. J Aging Phys Act 2019 Aug 1; 27(4): 482-488.
Evidence for improved systemic and local vascular function after long-term passive static stretching training of the muscoskeletal system. J Physiol 2020 Sept 1; 598(17): 3645-3666.
Relations between sleep, time of physical activity outdoors. PLoS One 2017; 12(9): e0182013.
The importance of creating habits and routine. Am J Lifestyle Med 2019 Mar-Apr; 13(2): 142-144.
Water-induced thermogenesis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2003 Dec; 88(12):6015-9.
Time of exercise specifies the impact on muscle metabolism pathways and systemic energy homeostasis. Cell Metabolism 2019 Apr;30(1):92-110.
Meditate to create: the impact of focused-attention and open-monitoring training on convergent and divergent thinking. Front Psychol 2012 Apr; 3:116.
Morning reattachment to work and work engagement during the day: a look at day-level mediators. Journal of Management March 2019.
