Improve Your Health with These 6 Things

The way we rise and shine is just as important as the amount of hours we sleep. Here are six things to do in the morning that positively contribute to your health and well-being: 

Take a moment to practice gratitude before starting yoru day. (Photo: Shutterstock)

1. Take a moment to appreciate something in your life

Every week, we fill our minds with a set schedule, to-do lists and never-ending obligations to fulfill, and rarely leave room for any other train of thought. Studies show that slowing down from a busy mindset, staying in the present and practicing gratitude is actually good for our health. That is because gratitude not only has a positive and chronic effect in shaping our attitudes over the course of our life, but people who are constantly appreciative in comparison to those who aren’t have 23 percent less stress!

2. Practice positive affirmations to reach your goals for the day

Before you can reach a goal, you need to believe you can accomplish something in the first place. Positive affirmations are statements that enable you to take courses of action to succeed. If you take the time each morning to practice positive affirmations, you can develop an optimistic and motivated mindset that impacts emotional well-being by decreasing stress levels, maintaining muscle strength (because negative thinking diminishes our physical strength and energy levels) and lowering your risks of developing depression and anxiety.

Eat a healthy and nutritious breakfast. (Photo: Shutterstock)

3. Eat a delicious healthy breakfast

A cup of coffee and an energy bar doesn’t count. Wake up about 15 minutes earlier than your usual rise-time to prepare a satisfying and healthy breakfast. You can save some money by having a homemade super fruit bowl and getting in those necessary antioxidant vitamins that you should never forget to take. Breakfast is brain food. Without a proper nutritious meal to kick-start our day, we won’t have any energy to function. Skipping breakfast or eating unhealthy in the morning leaves us feeling sluggish, unmotivated and unable to perform to the best of our ability.

4. Set aside time for a workout

Exercise never fails to make us look and feel great. Thanks to a run or heavy lifting session, we release rushes of endorphins throughout our body that diminishes stress levels and reduces the chances of developing heart disease and diabetes. In the long run, we are continuously building our body’s physical strength and keeping our mind in an uplifted and clear-sighted state, which makes us always ready to learn and create new ideas.

Set aside time for a workout. (Photo: Shutterstock)

5. Avoid technology and emails first thing in the morning

It is inevitable to avoid technology and emails as a hustling girl boss. However, don’t automatically reach for your phone to check what messages you missed from the day before or reply to texts when first waking up. Immediate technology use in the morning can actually stimulate anxiety because your brain might possibly kick-start into a fight-or-flight response due to the sudden urgency.

6. Get some vitamin D in the form of sunshine

Fresh air and sunshine? Yes, please! Instead of waking up to artificial light from your lamps, open up the windows or step outside as you sip on your coffee or tea. It is definitely a lot easier to greet the day ahead if lamp light isn’t prying your eyes open. Also, sunshine has its delightful advantages besides warming you up. Sunshine can actually elevate your mood, reduce the chance of future cardiovascular issues and even gives you a kick of energy that is superior to a cup of coffee.

Article by Rachel O’Conner