Monday October 21st 6.30 - 7pm
It is ‘Move More Month’ and I thought I would use that as an excuse to discuss morning routines and the importance of movement in the morning and why it can be so important for our overall health.
But firstly lets consider the typical morning routine of Mr Average Joe. He wakes up to his alarm, hits the snooze button and rolls back over for some more, albeit very poor, sleep.
Eventually he decides to wake up and get up, rolling out of the bed and standing up to move to the kitchen (potentially via the loo). Kettle goes on and a cup of tea/coffee is the first thing that passes his lips. He then sits down for a bowl of his favourite cereal with the news on in the background, delighted by what he hears on the headlines, he takes his frown and sorrows with him to the bathroom, bends over the sink to brush his teeth, has a quick shower and rushes out of the door, sitting in his car on the way to work, only to sit down all day at work…
With jest I write this, but I think you can see it now. There is no movement in the morning except from bed to seat and from shower to car. There is no good nutrition, no hydration and nothing to positively stimulate the mind.
Why is that such a problem?
Well as we sleep the body is very stagnant, toxins build up over night and the body becomes very dehydrated from the sweat and breathing out of moisture. If we do not address this change in our physiology and state first thing, it will linger with us like a hang over for the day.
Then if we compound those issues day in and day out, it will eventually cause a big problem to our health. Toxic stress and dehydration both being big precursors to chronic disease and morbidity.
So, what can and should you be doing?
Let’s take the example of Mrs Exceptional Jo and her morning routine, then break it down into some practical steps to implement.
Exceptional Jo’s ‘calm alarm’ goes off bright and early. She calmly rolls over to silence it and sits up at the side of her bed. She grabs the pint of water that she placed next to the bed the night before and enjoys the refresh to her body as she drinks this before standing up. As she stands up and has a little stretch, she says to herself “today is going to be a great day”. She moves to the kitchen (via the loo) and before putting the kettle on she steps outside to take a moment to enjoy the dawn chorus of the birdsong. Standing there she starts to gently move her body and stretch, taking each limb through a gentle and slow motion, gradually speeding up and making the movements bigger. Her body begins to feel awake and alive as blood moves and begins to recirculate with ease and toxins begin to move toward their elimination from the body. Going back into the kitchen she cracks a couple of eggs into a pan and sautés some vegetables for her breakfast. Before eating she takes a minute to give thanks and slowly eats and digests her food. She then goes for a shower, freshens up and calmly walks to her car, making sure to park a small distance from her work on arrival to get a few extra steps in that morning. She thinks to herself, “what a great day to be living, thank you.”
Again, with jest I write this, but let’s break it down and see what you can implement.
Here are my Top 5 tips to moving better in the morning and improving your Morning Routine:
1. Get up when it is time. Start your day by winning! Snoozing the alarm will only fatigue your body and put you on the back foot.
2. Hydrate before anything else. You dehydrate considerably while sleeping due to the amount of moisture you expire through breath and sweat. Have a pint of water before you move on with the day.
3. Avoid news and negativity. In the morning your brain is very receptive to input, fill it with negativity first thing and there is no wonder you have a negative viewpoint on the world. Simply start by say this simple phrase, ‘today is going to be a great day’.
4. Move. March on the spot, walk up and down the stairs, take a stroll around the garden or local block. Movement is essential to get the blood moving, brain firing and bowels functioning.
5. Eat fresh. Have a colourful (I’m not talking lucky charms colourful) breakfast of veg and protein. Win your morning by starting it with great nutrition.
Put all these simple steps together and it will, compounded over time, considerably improve your health, wellbeing, and longevity.
With love,
Tom
