Waking more in the morning to a new day is a blissful experience. After waking up, you will likely follow a regular routine. Each person’s daily routine after waking up is different. Some people choose to fall back to sleep, or others choose to get up and immediately prepare for the day. Nonetheless, there are some healthy habits you should add to your morning routine. Here are 10 healthy things to do after waking up.
1. Meditate
There are a few people who meditate first thing in the morning, right after they wake up. Meditating can increase your ability the focus and pay attention. Meditation also releases the “feel good” chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins put you in a good mood which helps us to be happy and effective as we begin our daily activities.
2. Stretch
One of the simplest and easiest things you can do after waking up in the morning is stretching. When you sleep, muscles relax, blood flow decreases. Stretching will help to remove muscular rigidity and improve circulation in your body. It also helps with physical alertness and spontaneous body response.
In addition, stretching right after you wake up can help your muscles relax. Sleeping for a long period can cause you to have tense muscles, which leads to poor posture. Stretching after waking up will relax, and lengthen your muscles, which keeps your posture in better shape.
3. Drink water
Another very healthy thing to do after waking up is to drink water. Drinking water first thing in the morning after waking up has lots of benefits. First of all, your body is starved of water while you are asleep. Drinking water will help your body to rehydrate, which allows for better digestion when you do eat.
Also, drinking water in the morning flushes out the stomach and therefore balances the lymphatic system. A balanced lymphatic system will give you a strong immune system, which prevents you from getting sick often.
4. Excrete
According to Dr. Kenneth Koch, a gastroenterologist, the best time of day to poo is first thing in the morning after waking up. Excreting in the morning after waking up is recommended because the colon is most active around that time. It also flushes out all the excretory products from the previous day.
If you want to make it a habit of excreting when you wake up, you can try sipping on some coffee, which is said to stimulate movement in the colon. Additionally, drinking warm water with lemon also works, or check out other healthy ways to make yourself poop.
5. Exercise
Exercising after you wake up will help you start the day with more energy, sharpness, and positivity. In fact, after exercising in the morning, you are more likely to eat healthy and be productive throughout the day. You can do light cardio exercises immediately you wake up and make it a habit. However, not everyone finds it easy to exercise in the morning after waking up. Maybe, they lack motivation. Well, you can find out how to motivate yourself to work out in the morning.
6. Go out in the sun
Research has shown that getting an hour of sunlight in the morning can help you sleep better. Sunshine regulates your circadian rhythm because it tells your body when to increase and decrease your melatonin levels.
Don’t just see the beautiful morning sunshine as a cheery way to welcome a new day, which should be admired. Rather, understand that getting inside the mild morning sun is a physiological human need. A study found that exposure to morning sunlight results in greater alertness. You can spend 30 to 45 minutes in the sun to derive its benefits. You can also use that opportunity to exercise or meditate.
7. Eat healthy
I’m sure you’ve heard people say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Hence, eating a healthy breakfast is undoubtedly one of the healthy things to do in the morning. Consuming a nutritious, well-balanced breakfast will give you energy and prevent you from eating too much throughout the rest of the day. Some healthy foods you can eat in the morning include eggs, fruits, oatmeal, and nuts.
Additionally, you can also plan your meals in the morning. Planning your meals ahead of time will prevent you from eating unhealthy food.
Bottom Line
The first step to having a great day is by having a great morning. And that starts with making wise choices after you wake up in the morning. We have discussed some of the most healthy things to do after waking up. It’s left for you to adopt them into your morning routine.
