Tip 1
Take a few minutes before getting out of bed to breathe deeply and activate your diaphragm and core musculature. Waking up to an alarm or loud noise may trigger a sympathetic response and boost cortisol levels in the bloodstream. This is not something you want to be doing first thing in the morning. You want to stay in parasympathetic for as long as possible as this is where the body will restore, repair and grow. So take 3-5 minutes before getting out of bed to practice your diaphragmatic breathing and you will take on the day with a new perspective.
Tip 2
Avoid coffee or other stimulants until at least 60-90 minutes after breakfast. Having coffee in the morning will trigger a stress response so the longer you can leave it the more you will prevent parasympathetic decline. Having coffee prior to breakfast will also shunt energy away from your digestive organs making it harder to digest your first meal of the day. If you give your body enough time to digest your food before having coffee then you will absorb the nutrients in your food better, be less bloated and still be in recovery/growth mode.
Tip 3
Exercise early. Get moving as soon as you can and as early as you can even if it’s only a small amount. This does not mean you need to get to the gym every morning at 6am but doing some air squats, mobility or 90 seconds of burpees may be what you need to kick start your day and get your metabolism firing.
Tip 4
Drink clean, filtered alkaline water from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. The body is 60% water so it makes sense that you want good quality. Tap water may contain high levels of fluoride, copper and chlorine which may have its place but high levels in the body may have a severe negative impact on gut health, your immune system and your ability to absorb nutrients. Best to avoid where you can and get a good water filter or buy filtered water.
Tip 5
Eat real food with your first meal. Breakfast while not essential for everyone is a great way to set up your day and get things off to a good start. If you are organised the night before and have things in your fridge there will be less excuses to make poor food choices as the day goes on. Go for fresh fruit, seasonal vegetables, pasture raised eggs or good quality muesli with yoghurt. Starting the day by eating real food with real intelligence will set you up for a productive, well balanced day.