How to create the perfect morning routine
More than half of us are hitting the snooze button at least once in the morning before eventually pulling ourselves out of bed. Often, the first thing we do is look at our phone, then grab a coffee and dash out of the door. But it doesn’t need to be that way. Mornings can be a moment of calm, offering up a chance to reset, refuel and get organised for what lies ahead. Here, experts share how to set yourself up for the day.
Have a few sips of warm lemon water to speed digestion
“There are no hard and fast rules around how much water you should drink in the morning,” says Sammie Gill, a registered dietitian. However, a few sips after waking up can help work towards the recommended daily six to eight glasses (or 1.5 to 2.5 litres) per day.
It’s important to start drinking fluids in the morning, as even mild dehydration is enough to decrease our brain power, she notes. Whether the water is straight from the tap, chilled or warm is simply a matter of personal preference, Gill says.
However, opting for warm water or adding lemon can help with constipation. Research suggests that drinking 500ml of 60C water in the morning after a 10-hour overnight fast increases gut contractions, compared with drinking cold water at 2C. Meanwhile, lemon juice has been shown to speed up digestion, she notes.
Eat poached eggs and veg on toast for a dose of protein and fibre
“The consensus is that it’s probably a good idea to have a nutritious breakfast to set you up for the day ahead, to help regulate energy levels, to ward off hunger pangs and help with focus, alertness, and productivity,” says Gill.
There’s no one perfect breakfast but the meal should include plenty of fibre, a moderate amount of protein and complex carbohydrates, she says. This could be avocado and a poached egg on wholegrain toast, plain yoghurt with berries and nuts or a cooked breakfast with tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, beans and eggs.
Even cereal can be a healthy start to the day but stick to wheat biscuits, shredded wheat or fruit and fibre, over chocolate or sugar-laden options, Gill says. It’s worth avoiding protein bars, as these are full of sugars, sweeteners, emulsifiers and thickeners, she warns.
You don’t need to eat the second you jump out of bed. Incorporating a fast of at least 12 to 14 hours between your final meal of the day and your first meal of the next is becoming increasingly popular because of its links with weight loss, blood sugar control and heart health.
People who skip breakfast altogether are at risk of battling hunger pangs later and would need to condense a full day’s worth of nutritional requirements into fewer meals, which can be tricky to do, Gill notes. Studies have also found that people who eat breakfast are more active, slimmer and healthier.
“However, we need to be realistic and appreciate that we all lead different lifestyles, have different routines and preferences. I would recommend doing whatever works for you,” Gill adds.
Drink a cup of tea for an antioxidant hit
It doesn’t matter whether you prefer black or green, adding your tea of choice to your morning will benefit your health.
Black tea, such as English Breakfast or Earl Grey, was found to improve focus and attention span in a study from Newcastle University among over-85s who drink five or more cups a day. Separate research from UCL suggests that four cups a day speeds up recovery from daily stresses, which may offer some protection against heart problems.
Green tea comes from the same plant as black tea but is processed in a way that maintains more antioxidants. One of these, called catechins, is thought to reduce the risk of some cancers, a study suggests. Drinking six cups per week may also reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, another paper found.
While there’s no research on the best time to have your first cup of the day, starting in the morning can help with hitting the three to six cups per day sweet spot that research seems to have identified. However, there are caveats, Gill notes. “Adding sugar, sweeteners, syrups or cream to your tea can offset the health benefits,” she says.
Exercise for metabolic health
Whether you start the day with a brisk walk, swim or run, morning exercise will improve how your body metabolises your meals for the rest of the day.
“A bout of exercise can improve insulin sensitivity and can reduce blood sugar and lipid [fat] levels in response to foods eaten many hours later,” says Javier Gonzalez, a professor of nutrition and metabolism at the University of Bath.
Scientists don’t know for sure if it’s better to exercise before or after breakfast but research by Prof Gonzalez and colleagues suggests that people who exercise before breakfast burn double the amount of fat compared to those who workout after eating.
This doesn’t lead to any extra weight loss but, by forcing the body to use fat for energy, it does mean that the body can better respond to insulin, keeping blood sugar levels under control and lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Another benefit of including exercise in your mornings is that, generally, it’s easier to stick to. “If left until later in the day, people may be more likely to decide to do something else instead,” Prof Gonzalez notes.
Have a mid-morning coffee for an energy jolt
A morning coffee can help shake off any feelings of drowsiness and offer an injection of focus and alertness. This is because of the caffeine that it contains (typically around 100mg per cup) blocking adenosine – a chemical produced in the brain, which makes us feel sleepy.
However, it may be worth putting your coffee off until you’ve had breakfast. Scientists at the University of Bath found that drinking coffee before eating can worsen blood sugar control (which, if repeated over time, can contribute to the development of Type 2 diabetes).
Additionally, pushing back your coffee can also help maximise the energy jolt it offers. This is because our levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) peak just after waking up, which makes us feel alert, Gill explains. “If you wait until mid to late morning [when cortisol levels start to decline] before having your morning coffee, you can capitalise on the caffeine kick,” Gill says.
Beyond these immediate health benefits, coffee has also been shown to improve gut, heart and brain health. However, “you can have too much of a good thing”, Gill notes. Having more than 400mg of caffeine per day can lead to headaches, irritability and stomach problems such as diarrhoea, she warns.
Try a micro workout to release tension
“I firmly believe that your mindset for the day ahead is often dictated by the way you spend the first 15 minutes,” says Liz Joy Hardie, a yoga therapist and the head of wellness at MoreYoga. “Start the day with gentle stretches to help wake up your muscles and mind.”
She recommends the downward dog pose, which involves going into a tabletop position with your wrists stacked under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, then tucking your toes and straightening your legs as you lift your tailbone towards the sky.
“You might like to peddle the feet to ease into your hamstrings and you might need to walk the hands out slightly further in front of you to create a triangle shape with your body,” Hardie says.
“This is the perfect all rounder,” she says. “It strengthens and stretches the whole body including the arms, abdomen and hamstrings while stimulating blood circulation and helping calm your mind.”
Another option is the cat-cow pose, which involves going into a tabletop position, then rolling your shoulders back and lifting your chin, gaze and chest while arching your back (the cow pose), then slowly reversing the movement by rounding the spine upwards towards the sky (the cat pose).
“This all rounder also helps to release tension in your neck and upper back, helping to gently wake up your entire system,” Hardie says.
Try breathing and gratitude exercises to reduce stress
Mornings can be hectic but making time for deep breathing can help support the nervous system, reducing stress and helping you to feel more relaxed and present, says Hardie.
She recommends box breathing, which involves inhaling, holding your breath, exhaling and then holding your breath again, and making each equal in length, such as for five seconds. Once you have become comfortable with the exercise, you can increase the count of the breath, Hardie notes.
She also recommends trying a morning gratitude practice, which can be as simple as thinking of or writing down three things that you’re grateful for at the start of each day.
“When we practise gratitude, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin – neurotransmitters that instantly boost our mood,” Hardie explains. Daily practice can help to reduce stress, improve sleep quality and build emotional resilience, she adds.
“They say you can’t be stressed and grateful at the same time, so try spending a few minutes each morning reflecting on the things you’re grateful for that day and notice how it shifts your mood,” she adds.
Get 10 minutes of daylight for bone health
Exposure to daylight in the morning helps send a signal to the brain that it’s time to wake up and helps to regulate our circadian rhythm – the body’s internal clock that regulates our energy, immune system, hormones and metabolism.
On top of this, our bodies need exposure to sunlight to create vitamin D. Just 10 to 15 minutes of time in the sunlight each day is enough to maintain our supplies of the vitamin. Deficiencies can lead to weakened bones, teeth and muscles.
Another reason to get outside is for our heart health. Scientists have found that sunlight alters levels of nitric oxide in our skin and blood, which has the knock-on effect of reducing blood pressure, as well as heart attacks and strokes.
