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    Home » Healthy Lifestyle and Weight Loss » Healthy Morning Habits

    Healthy Morning Habits

    Published: Oct 22, 2016 · Modified: Oct 29, 2024 by Tammy Overhoff

    A couple of months ago, I talked about eight nighttime habits to organize a healthier lifestyle. Now, I want to talk about habits you can do when you wake up to achieve the same thing.

    woman with pillows making the bed

    If you can master your morning, then, I truly believe, you can master your day. What do I mean by mastering your day? I mean controlling your day instead of letting it control you.

    Making intentional choices instead of survival decisions in the hot zone. You know, the hot zone? I’ve talked about the hot zone before, but let me say again, the hot zone is when you feel overwhelmed, completely disorganized, and in survival mode. Your decisions become more about short-term fixes instead of long-term goals.

    Living in the hot zone day after day will keep you stuck and far away from your goals. Making positive healthy changes is impossible if every day is filled with chaotic hot zone moments.

    With that said, our goal is to stay out of the hot zone most of the time. Of course, we are humans, and life happens, but if you find yourself in the hot zone, more often than not, it’s time to reevaluate and make changes.

    Taking control back over your mornings is a great place to start. In my experience, the first couple hours of waking up will set the tone for the rest of the day.

    Please don’t misunderstand; I’m not saying we shouldn’t have lazy mornings or days we sleep in. Trust me, I can be lazy with the best of them. But, if your days are out of control and you struggle to achieve goals, taking stock of your mornings is a good place to start. Remember, change does not happen without change.

    I know many people don’t have a traditional schedule. That’s okay. Adapt these tips to your schedule. The result is still to create better organization and peace so you can move throughout your day intentionally and live a healthier lifestyle.

    Also, my goal is not for you to feel overwhelmed by these habits. It might not be possible to implement every single one for whatever reason. Maybe take 1-2, try it out, see if it works, and add a couple more. At the end of the day, it’s important to create healthier habits that are sustainable for your lifestyle.

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      Healthy Morning Habits

      Here are 9 habits that I try to do every morning to keep out of the hot zone so I can make healthier choices throughout the day.

      #1. Wake up early

      I’m a morning person. I love to wake up around 5:00am and get my day started. Yes I know that’s early but it works for me. I go to sleep no later than 10:00pm and most days I try to get to bed by 9:00pm. I wake up refreshed and ready for coffee. By waking up early I add hours to my day and create a block of time to get things done that I wouldn’t be able to do during the day.

      Again, I know 5:00am is early and might not be the time that works for you. My suggestion is to start waking up ½ hour earlier than you normally would. Use that time to do something that would make the rest of your day better. After you get used to that time then wake up a little earlier. It’s hard to wake up early at first but after a couple days your internal clock will start to set and it will become easier.

      #2. Make bed

      I talked about this habit before, but I definitely think it’s worth mentioning again. I think making your bed every day is very important. It provides an immediate sense of peace. When my bed is made, my room looks clean put together, and I love knowing after a hard day’s work I’ll slide into a freshly made bed. Heaven!

      Making your bed also sends signals to the brain that it’s time to wake up and get moving. There’s no crawling back into bed after it’s made. Making my bed is the first thing I do when I wake up and it only takes about 5 minutes. I feel it’s a simple habit that serves me well and is worth trying if you’re trying to take control back over your mornings.

      #3. Get into exercise clothes and sneakers

      After I make my bed, I get into my exercise clothes, go downstairs, and put my sneakers on. Again this signals my brain that exercise is in my future and not a bravo marathon on Hulu. Like I said earlier I can be lazy with the best of them so I need to do things like this to keep my mind focused on exercise. We all know losing weight is more of a mind game than anything else so little habits, like putting on your exercise gear, can help wrap your brain around the bigger weight loss goals you are reaching for.

      #4. Drink a HUGE glass of water

      Water consumption is a huge part of weight loss. I try to start the day by drinking a huge glass of water. This is an intentional choice for a couple of reasons. One I’m not good at drinking all the water I need to every day so starting my day with a big glass of water keeps me on track. Again, your habits in the morning program your brain for the rest of the day. If you start your day by drinking a smoothie or water, you are more likely to keep those healthy choices throughout the day. At least, that’s been my experience. Second, I’m heading to the gym, and I plan to get sweaty and gross and to have a great workout, I need to be hydrated.

      #5. Take a moment to yourself

      It’s really important for me to take about 10 or 15 minutes in the morning and just enjoy a cup of coffee (after I drink my water), listen to music, and cruise Pinterest and Facebook. I think it’s better to leave social media alone during this time but I haven’t broken that habit yet. These few minutes allow me to wake up fully and just relax without any responsibility. My life is busy and I’m always running around and though I work for myself, I rarely take time during the day to just sit and relax. My days are filled with cooking, writing, and kids, so I cherish my 15 minutes of peace in the morning.

      My only caution is don’t get too comfy on the couch or you might not get up. If this happens, then try taking that time after exercising and before your shower.

      One more thing. Some of you might be wondering when I eat breakfast. I don’t eat before going to the gym. Sometimes I’ll drink a small smoothie but mostly I’ll eat when I’m done exercising.

      #6. Review calendar

      In the morning, I review my calendar for the day. I try to do this the night before but will look at it again in the morning. I put everything from silly hat day to doctor’s appointments in my calendar, so I like to check the schedule first thing in the morning so there are no surprises. Surprises equal hot zone.

      I also check my meal plan at this time to see if I need to take anything out of the freezer or place in the crockpot.

      Often, I will check my calendar while having “me time” with coffee since it only takes a few moments.

      #7 Review TO DO List

      I aim to create a to-do list the night before, but that doesn’t always happen. However, my day does not function without one. I can be very unfocused and if I don’t have a list guiding my day, I’m like a chicken with her head cut off. So basically, if I want to be productive and accomplish anything, I need to have a to-do list.

      My to-do list is broken into work, chores, and personal. I start my day with work-related things because I’m most productive with writing in the morning. By 2:00pm my brain is fried so I move on to chores or any errands I need to run. I know the amount of time I need for certain tasks to plan my day accurately.

      Again, this is another way to program your brain to think ahead of time and stay out of the hot zone. It helps you stay intentional with choices and prioritize the important things in your day. If you feel like nothing gets done at the end of the day then I recommend trying a to-do list. This lets you see what’s been done and what needs to be moved to tomorrow.

      My go-to way to create a to-do list is simply using pen and paper or the notes section on my phone. I tried using all the fancy to-do list apps, but at the end of the day I prefer old-school methods.

      #8. Empty dishwasher

      I know it might seem weird to see this on the list but I find cleanup after dinner to be a million times easier when the dishwasher is empty. After dinner, I have other things to do so taking the time to empty the dishwasher in the morning is one less thing I have to do at night. At night I’m preparing lunches and possibly prepping ingredients for dinner the next day. An empty dishwasher simply makes this easier. Is this going to make or break your weight loss? No. But it will help make the night go smoothly and stress-free. Any little bit helps, right?

      #9. Exercise

      I exercise first thing in the morning to get it out. Afterward, I come home, get ready, and then can go about my day without exercise hanging over my head. Remember that I work from home so I have a flexible schedule. However, even when I was working a 9-5 job outside the house, I tried to get 45 minutes of exercise in 4 times a week. I also made my weekends count. Today, I try to exercise 4 to 5 times during the week and then rest on the weekends.

      If you have kids, then getting to the gym before 9:00am is tough. Yes, most gyms open at 5:00am but that might not be possible with little kids. If this is the case, then I recommend investing in a treadmill or other cardio equipment, a yoga ball, and/or some exercise bands. You can get just as good of a workout at home as in the gym. There are tons of exercise apps and you can even find awesome videos on YouTube. There are plenty of home exercise options. The goal is to find a way to exercise 4-5 times a week in the morning.

      I find it easier to make exercise a habit if you work out in the morning. There are so many distractions during the day, and it’s easy to put your run or exercise class on the back burner because you have an emergency meeting, doctor’s appointment, or whatever else. If this is the case, I highly recommend carving out time in the morning to exercise. It might be just what you need to make and keep exercise a habit.

      To complete everything on this list I need about 2 hours, including getting showered and ready for the day. Everyone is different and has their schedules, but if you adopt some or all of these morning habits, you will soon see healthy changes unfolding.

      What’s your morning schedule like? Do you think any of these habits would make a difference? What’s holding you back from doing any of these habits?

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      Healthy Lifestyle and Weight Loss

      About Tammy Overhoff

      Hi, I’m Tammy Overhoff, a busy mom, wife, and entrepreneur. I am the owner, author, and recipe developer here at Organize Yourself Skinny. Since 2011 Organize Yourself Skinny has become a trusted resource for clean eating recipes to meal prep, reviews, and lifestyle hacks to help you fit healthy habits and routines into your busy schedule. Check out my online shop Reset & Flourish for all of my eBooks, Guides, and Bundles!

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Diabne says

        October 01, 2017 at 9:31 am

        I wake up early and at work by 5. Then I walk of th mornings about 3 miles. Then work and then lunch time walk then a couple of miles then back to work. Then go home and do nothing. I don’t feel that eat right. Sometimes I feel that my life is messed up.

        Reply
        • Sue Mansueto says

          January 12, 2019 at 5:54 am

          I too get up early, I am up at 2am and leave the house by 3:30 am. There is no way I can exercise before work and by the time I get home I am exhausted from being on my feet all day and being run in to the ground and stressed out I hit the couch and can’t move!
          How do you work around that. Plus I’m 63 and in constant pain from lupus. I have 30lbs to loose and don’t know where to begin.

          Reply
          • Denise Rollick says

            June 01, 2023 at 9:28 am

            I have Lupus too – and 7 other autoimmune conditions, including R.A. and Hashi’s. For me, eating Carnivore combined with Intermittent fasting has been wonderful for pain control. I also add no extra exercise. I garden and do yard work and also walk a lot during my daily activities. I have lost over 100 pounds. I highly recommend you find another job. No one with Lupus can recover with a schedule like that. I am 60. ANA went from 1:10,240 to 1:160.

      2. KarenO says

        April 06, 2017 at 10:31 am

        The FIRST thing to do before even getting out of bed in the morning is to thank God for another day. The LAST thing to do before doing to sleep at night is to thank God for another day. The rest is easy to do!

        Reply
      3. Stephanie says

        February 22, 2017 at 3:04 pm

        I am an educator. Working out before work is very difficult. I find that I get a lot of walking in while at school just walking to and fro in the classroom, down the halls, and everywhere. I try to take the steps instead of the elevator. Some of the teachers walk around the playground during their lunch time. Also – a group of teachers walk after school just for about 15 minutes just to get their exercise in. I find that taking a water aerobics class in the evening helps calm my nerves from the busy day while still giving me a great workout. During our school class time we do “brain breaks”. Brain breaks are what the students do to help them get the “wiggles” out so that they can focus better. Brain breaks are exercises that are done for 5 – 10 minutes. It could be dancing, jumping jacks and squats, running in place, or any kind of movement. I try to do brain breaks with my students, not just watch them. These are just a few things. Hope this helps someone.

        Reply
        • Tammy Kresge says

          February 24, 2017 at 12:44 pm

          Thanks so much! These are great tips!

          Reply
      4. Amber says

        February 14, 2017 at 11:44 am

        Take some short run in the morning is the best ways for me to keep active all day. If I miss it, that day of me is terrible :). Your suggestion about wake up earlier in the morning is great. I try some but fail all the times :D. Thank for your tips a lot.

        Reply
      5. Larissa says

        January 29, 2017 at 4:41 pm

        While these are good ideas…they aren’t truly adaptable to all schedules. I am at work by 5 am so getting up 30 minutes or more earlier would put me close to 3am. Not to mention being quite enough to not disturb the rest of the household. And as it is…I get to bed around 9-9:30 pm most days. Wish I could implement these tips 😕

        Reply
        • Tammy Kresge says

          January 31, 2017 at 11:15 am

          What would you recommend for tips with someone with your schedule? I know not everyone has a 9-5 so I would love to hear some of your ideas for a future post. Thanks so much!

          Reply
          • Torrye says

            February 06, 2017 at 1:37 pm

            I am out the door by 5:20 a.m. I find packing my breakfast/ lunch/snacks the night before really helps me stay focused during the day. The workout tips helped tremendously, i.e. dress for exercise before you leave work and leaving an extra pair of ear buds in the car.

      6. Shawn Beam says

        October 30, 2016 at 8:48 am

        With my job, teaching, most of this isn’t feasible for me in the morning. Ugh!!!! How do I handle that?

        Reply
        • Debbie says

          April 16, 2024 at 11:26 pm

          I taught for years and had to be at school most days at 7:00. I would also get up at 5:00 to start my day with exercise and a little bit of quiet time. I usually went to bed at 10:00, and I did okay with 7 hours of sleep. I did sleep in on the weekends. Occasionally I would skip exercising and sleep 45 minutes longer. I never felt as good when I did that, but at some point you have to listen to your body and get some extra rest.

          Reply

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