I don’t know about y’all, but my morning sets the tone for my day. There really is something behind the saying of waking up on the wrong side of the bed. If I am more prepared in the morning, everything seems to run a little smoother from there. I know not everyone considers themselves a morning person and I definitely used to be in that boat. Now, I love my mornings so today I’m sharing my tips for how to become a morning person.
Expose yourself to natural light.
I’m often up before the sun, but as soon as it rises I open my blinds. Getting in natural sunlight as quickly as possible reminds me that it is day time and triggers my brain and in turn body to wake up.
Find a morning drink.
If you think about it, you haven’t had water in hours since you’ve last been awake. Waking up and drinking (or chugging, as I do) one or two cups of water helps wake up my whole body. It also sets the precedence for the day and makes it easier to drink water throughout the day. I believe that the first thing you drink in the morning shapes what you’ll have the rest of the day. Start getting in your water intake early. I try to drink about 100 ounces a day, so getting a few cups out of the way first thing definitely helps.
During the winter months, a warm cup of water with lemon is also great! Green tea is another great option. If you’re really all in on starting your day out right, consider adding ginger or honey to your warm water or green tea in the morning. It helps your digestive system wake up and promotes weight loss! If tea isn’t your thing, have your morning coffee of choice if you must. Another thing I’ve been in to lately is starting my morning with a cup of bone broth! I sip on mine while I start to get ready.
Listen to some tunes or have the TV on in the background.
I’m often up before my husband (so exciting to say!), so I try to keep it quiet most mornings. Whenever he is up before me, I love to start my day off with some music or with the tv on in the background while I get ready. I try to keep it positive so my day starts out on a good note.
Get moving.
I LOVE to workout in the mornings if I can. During my Summers I do, but during the school year I am already up so early that I save it for the afternoon more often. I think that working out in the morning not only sets the tone for the day and helps me stay on track with other choices, but also wakes up my mind and body even more. I love knowing that is already crossed off the to do list for the day when I can knock it out first thing.
Eat a delicious and nutritious breakfast.
Breakfast is my jam. It’s seriously my favorite meal! There are so many amazing breakfast foods that I love and look forward to eating. Eating a fulfilling, satisfying, and good breakfast in the morning is essential to starting mhy morning out right. There is a reason breakfast is named the most important meal of the day!
One of my favorite things for breakfast for as long as I can remember is oats. Whether it’s adding them in smoothies, good ole-fashioned oatmeal, or most recently, overnight oats. If you spend any time at all on Pinterest or other social media channels, you’ve definitely seen overnight oats! Quaker has been the brand my Mom always used when I was growing up and I’ve continued to buy them as an adult. They most recently have come out with Quaker Overnight Oats, an easy and convenient way to wake up to a nutritious breakfast choice with no morning prep required. Overnight oats became and overnight sensation, and inspired Quaker to create the first-of-its-kind available nationally! This is the first time Quaker has created a product based on a consumer-driven digital trend. This is pretty cool if you think about it! This shows the power of social media and is so great that companies are listening to what we want and making it readily available and easy! All you do is pour in your milk of choice (I used an almond-coconut blend) and let your oats cold-steep over night in the refrigerator while you sleep, then voila! You wake up in the morning and your breakfast is ready to go.
Overnight oats are a mix of oats, other grains, fruit, quinoa, flaxseed, and nuts. They only need to steep for six hours and then they’ll be ready the next morning for you.
Having an easy breakfast choice like Quaker Overnight Oats means extra time for me in the morning. Whether it’s more snuggles with my sweet Maddie girl, catching up on some blog work, or even a little online shopping.
Double check or make your to do list for the day.
Think about what has to get done that day and consider others that could be completed another day. Sometimes people prefer to make their lists the night before, but I prefer to think about it that day, so my mind doesn’t start wandering or feeling stressed right before I go to sleep. Writing out a weekly and daily to do list can help organize and prioritize things. I keep my weekly to do lists in my notes section of my phone so it’s easy to reference or add to throughout the week. I keep my daily to do list at the top of it or on my calendar.
Have a little “you” time.
Catch up on a few events, read a little, meditate, do a devotional, whatever. Spend at least five minutes doing something for you. In graduate school I would always log on to Bloglovin’ and catch up on my favorite posts. Some mornings I love to set my intention for the day with a few positive quotes. Other times I find it’s the best time for my time with the big guy. Just spend a few minutes doing something that is for you.
The key here is planning ahead and prioritizing. On an ideal day I could do each of these things before starting my day, but some week days I have to pick and choose. I may have to wait until I’m driving to work to listen to music or postpone my workout to the afternoon. These are just a few of the tips for how to become a morning person that can help you look forward to the mornings, particularly on the week days. My non-negotiables are drinking water and eating a nutritious, breakfast. I wish natural light was, but unfortunately I don’t control daylight savings time. Although, if I could find a way to, I sure would.
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My barstools are c/o of Lamps Plus. Photos by Madison Kaitlin Photography
This post was brought to you in collaboration with The Quaker Oats Company. As always, all opinions remain my own. Sponsored posts like these help make A Lo Profile possible.
