Wake Up To Healthy Habits and Be Healthier All Day
I once wrote a post on 5 Ways to Boost your Willpower to Exercise , and top of my list of must do’s was to get enough quality sleep. Then I wrote another post on how Sleep helps reduce Obesity.. as you can see, sleep is the all essential ingredient to staying and keeping fit (and trim) that many people over look. And what better way to get enough sleep, than to sleep early right?
Well today, my buddy Molly, who lives all the way across the globe, in San Francisco, shares her tips on waking up early to healthy habits.. and stay healthy all day.
Picture with me, if you will, these TWO scenarios..
Morning Number 1
- You wake up bright and early thanks to your early night to bed. You hear the birds chirping and see the soft light of morning, peeking in your windows.
- You lay in bed for 5 minutes, giving thanks and planning out exactly how you want your day to go.
- Next, you get out of bed, take out your yoga mat and do 15 minutes of sun salutations, followed by 20 minutes of meditation.
Feeling pretty awesome about yourself, right?
Okay – keep going.
- Next, you make yourself 32 ounces of green juice. You decide on ginger, kale, lime, collards, cucumber, celery, and apple. You drink it down, feeling every cell in your body perk up.
Now that you have nurtured your mind and body, you’re ready for your day to begin.
You know that whatever obstacles come your way, you will be on solid ground to negotiate and be in control of your footing.
Now take that serene and nurturing morning and compare it with this one:
Morning Number 2
- You wake up only 20 minutes before you have to be out the door so you quickly shoot out of bed, stumbling to the bathroom to take a “ho bath.” (you know the ho bath. Don’t tell us you don’t. The one where you wash only the essentials with a washcloth and keep it movin’).
- You don’t have time for breakfast so you grab a donut and coffee at the corner store and proceed to sit in traffic.
- You’re grumpy, tired and hungry and it’s only 8:50 am.
- The rest of your day follows suit and you don’t stop until you come home, exhausted.
I know that I have experienced both of these days (ho bath and all!)
I can tell you firsthand that when I set aside time for myself in the morning, my entire day benefits from it.
With morning number 1, I am more likely to:
- Work out after work
- Make really healthy food choices all day
- Consume less sugar
- Drink no coffee
- Drink more water
- Go to bed earlier
- Have a sense of gratitude throughout my day
- Be all around a more pleasant person
With morning number 2, I am more likely to:
- Save my workout for another day
- Drink coffee
- Eat more processed foods
- Consume more sugar
- Drink less water
- Go to bed later
- Be all around more irritable and grumpy.
At the end of the day, I like moring number 1 person better.
I know that it can be tough to set aside time, but there is always an extra 30 minutes that you can spare for yourself. A clear, calm and relaxed mindset will will truly set the tone for the rest of your day.
Because you DESERVE it!
About this week’s guestwriter:
Molly Patrick is Co-Author of Bold Vegan – Food of South East Asia.
She was born and raised in the United States and has been vegetarian her whole life.
She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Molly has opened and ran vegan restaurants in California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.
Follow her on twitter: @BoldVegan
i love this, thank you so much! x
no worries!