5 Healthy Morning Habits Anyone Has Time For

Last Updated on December 27, 2019

Ah, mornings. A new day, a fresh start, a time to snooze your alarm and push the limit on how much time you can stay in bed before you’re ridiculously late.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have a specific morning routine.

At one point, I was able to cram in meditation, writing, reading, and exercising before 8am, but life got in the way and I gradually stopped doing those activities in exchange for more sleep.

5 Healthy Morning Habits To Start Your Day | You don't need an elaborate morning routine to have a successful day. These healthy morning habits take less than 10 minutes so anyone can start doing them!

That being said, I consider mornings to be the most important part of the day. They essentially predict how the rest of your day is going to go, which means your morning time is incredibly precious and you need to use it wisely.

I see lots of people posting about their morning routines, and sometimes I feel discouraged because I wasn’t able to keep up the step-by-step plan I used to follow.

But then I realized that you don’t need an elaborate routine in order to have a successful day. All it takes is a few minutes of your morning to incorporate some simple, healthy habits that’ll guarantee you feel prepared for whatever life throws at you.

If you also struggle to stick with a morning routine, here are five ways you can feel healthier, more awake, and totally prepared for the day before you even leave for work:

1. Drink 10 gulps of water.

Usually when I wake up my mouth feels like an Arabian desert, yet for some reason I pick up my phone and scroll through my notifications rather than hydrating myself. Instead of torturing yourself, drink 10 gulps of water before you do anything else in the morning. Why 10? Because it’s less pressure than drinking a whole glass, but more hydrating than only taking one sip like you’re probably used to.

Related Post: 3 Reasons You’re Losing Sleep & How To Quit Doin’ Them


2. Do a quick workout.

You knew this one was coming, but it’s how most successful people start their mornings. Don’t be hard on yourself if you can’t make it to the gym – 10 minutes of exercise is all it takes to to feel energized, healthier, and accomplished. Seriously, don’t you want to feel like you accomplished something before the day’s even begun? Heck yeah, you do!

Try a total body pilates video, the 7-minute workout, or just go for a walk and let the fresh air wake you up. Always remember that any exercise is better than no exercise.


3. Visualize your perfect day.

Sit down, close your eyes, and imagine what your day would look like if you accomplished everything you set out to do. Think about what you could do to make your day as productive, healthy, and enjoyable as possible. This can seriously help get you motivated for the day!

For example, you might imagine that:

  • You get to work on time
  • Work on your most important task first and make significant progress
  • Take a break and go for a walk
  • Eat a healthy lunch and feel good about yourself
  • Email that person you’ve been wanting to collaborate with
  • Get everything else done that you needed to

4. Eat an energizing breakfast.

Start your morning with a delicious and nutritious breakfast. You want something that has enough protein to hold you over until lunch time, like oatmeal, yogurt with fruit, toast with almond butter and a banana, or a smoothie with protein powder. My absolute favorite breakfast right now is a whole wheat tortilla with avocado, arugula, and tomato drizzled with some olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.


5. Stay away from your phone.

If I keep my phone near me in the morning, you can guarantee I’ll start watching youtube videos and lose all track of time. Try leaving your phone on do not disturb mode until you’re out the dooror put it in your in your bag as soon as you wake up. That way it’s out of sight and out of mind so it won’t interfere with your precious morning time. The same goes for all electronics – use the morning as a time to look after yourself, free from distractions.


What do your mornings usually look like? Leave a comment below!

Catherine Beard
Hi, I'm Catherine! I'm here to help you get out of your head so you can stress less and focus on what matters.

18 Comments

  1. Does running to class count as a quick workout? / I like putting a water bottle on my bedside to remind myself to drink some at the start of the day. I’m usually parched anyway. That’s probably not a good sign haha / The power of visualizing your perfect day is greatly underestimated! I learned of this tip only recently and still forget to do it sometimes (often times). Thanks for the reminder! -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s

    1. Hahaha I think a more purposeful workout might be better :P I learned about the visualization thing back when I was on dance team (we had to visualize the perfect performance), but didn’t think to apply it to my entire day until recently. Totally underestimated!

  2. These are wonderful tips. I never drink water in the morning, 10 gulps makes it seem much more do-able than an entire glass. Love the tip to stay away from your phone. I’m totally guilty of just laying in bed scrolling and losing track of time, too!

    Christine | DimesandDonuts.com

    1. Haha yes, it’s hard not to fall back asleep! I kind of prefer meditating at night.

      I should just take email notifications off my phone because I can’t resist opening them if I see them!

  3. I’ve lately been trying to drink a cup of cold water in the morning- for hydration, but also because the cold water wakes me up on mornings I’ve showered the night before!

  4. These things are so helpful because they are small simple things to add rather than completely doing a 180. Thanks for these fantastic tips! I always tend to check my emails right when I wake up, its such an addiction and I think I need to buy an old fashioned alarm clock so im not even tempted :)

  5. Thanks for the great tips! I used to be really good at #2, but I’ve been slipping recently. Number 5 is something I definitely need to work on though!

  6. The phone is a HUGE distraction in the morning for me. I’m so ready to start work and check emails, I forget to prepare myself before my day has started.

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