5 Things to Do Before 8 A.M. Every Morning (for a healthier life)

I’ll start this off by saying: I am not a morning person. It’s never come naturally to me to want to wake up early and I don’t think that it ever will. I would always rather stay up late at night than wake up early in the morning. I get most of my energy at night as well, so that makes going to bed early and waking up early even more of a challenge.

5 Things to Do Before 8 A.M. Every Morning

That being said, I feel 10x more productive when I get up at a decent time in the morning and start getting s*** done. Whether that be a workout, a healthy breakfast, or just getting ready for work in the morning. Having a productive morning (where I’m not rushing around at the last minute and grabbing a granola bar) always feels better physically & mentally.

I wanted to share my morning routine and 5 things that I try to do in the morning to have a healthier & more productive day.

*I don’t do these things every morning. Not even close. But on days I accomplish even a few of them, they set me up for a much better day than on days I hit snooze and sleep in.*

PS: If you want to really start crushing your health & fitness goals – let us send you our FREE monthly health & fitness planner! Get your freebie right here and start improving your health & fitness today.

1. Eat a Healthy, Balanced Breakfast

I know, I know, you’ve already heard this one a million times before, but it’s so important! Unless you do intermittent fasting (check out my article on that here) starting off your day with a healthy breakfast will drastically improve your day.

It not only helps you to fit in nutrients that your body needs in the morning, eating breakfast helps to boost your energy levels and metabolism throughout the entire day.

If you eat a healthy breakfast, you’re also less likely to get hangry mid-morning and munch down 5 donuts. 

Breakfast helps to support your metabolism, muscle mass, your heart, blood sugar, and a healthy weight (source).

You can make a balanced breakfast by making sure you’re getting carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein. Yeah, I said it, carbs are a *good thing*!

One great option is whole-grain toast with peanut butter and a smoothie with fruit, protein powder, and non-dairy milk. I use almond milk and vegan protein, but if you’re more of a dairy person, feel free to sub whey protein and regular milk!

If you’re looking for an amazing smoothie recipe to amp up the nutrients, protein, and healthy fats you’re eating in the morning, check out my (secretly green) vegan protein smoothie recipe!

2. Squeeze in a Workout (or go on a Walk)

Working out in the morning is incredible if you have the motivation to do it. It gets one of your hardest tasks out of the way first thing, and leaves you feeling great!

It’s not easy for anyone to get up at 5 a.m. and complete a workout. Not even people who seemingly do it daily without breaking a sweat.

It’s challenging and takes a lot of dedication. But the feeling of knocking out a workout first thing in the morning and being energized all day is definitely worth it. 

Make things easier for yourself by laying out your workout clothes the night before, so you don’t have to think about it in the morning. If you’re a pre-workout snack person, set out a healthy snack as well. 

Related: 5 of the Best Pre-Workout & Post-Workout Snacks

If you take pre-workout, set that out too! As well as your headphones and any other workout gear you need.

If you don’t want to do a full workout in the morning, that’s fine too! Even going out for a 20-minute walk is going to do amazing things for your energy levels.

Fitting in activity in the morning helps to improve your metabolism, sleep, self-discipline, and mental & physical wellbeing (source).

3. Drink Water!

As important as healthy food and fitness are for your health, water is absolutely essential. We all constantly hear that we should be drinking more water, but do we actually listen?

I’ve been tracking my water intake for the past few weeks and trying to hit 3 L every day. It’s been challenging, but I have honestly never felt better. My energy levels, productivity, and sleep have all improved. I’ve also seen improvements in my skin, hair, and nails (which I wasn’t expecting, but a nice addition!).

Every morning when I wake up, I drink 16 fl oz of water in the half-hour. I wouldn’t recommend chugging it when you first wake up like some people recommend (that just gives me a stomach ache). But drinking a glass throughout the first 30 minutes to an hour will definitely help you to wake up and get moving!

You can read my full post on the benefits of drinking enough water here. To sum it up, water hydrates you after a night of dehydration (you’re not drinking anything for about 8 hours). 

Water has been shown to improve gut health, brain health, immune system, skin, metabolism, and much more (source).

So make it easy on yourself and just start your day with a big glass of water. It makes it so much easier to keep that trend going throughout the rest of the day.

4. Meditate or Journal

The first few points I’ve made have focused mostly on physical health, but your mental/emotional health is just as important. I get that there are people out there that are anti-meditation or anti-journaling. Both are great for your mental health, but they’re not always the most fun thing to do.

Whichever one you prefer, try to fit in 10 minutes of meditation or journaling in the morning. Both have been proven to have numerous health benefits and they’re a great way to start off your day.

They help with stress management, self-awareness, creativity, patience, and learning to deal with negative emotions (source).

They will both help you to start off your morning with a sense of calm and carry that throughout your day. As boring as it may sound to sit and stare at nothing for 10 minutes (or write whatever comes into your mind) they’re both so good for your health. 

They start to get easier and feel more natural after you’ve been practicing them for a while. Just try it out for 10 minutes, every morning for a week. See how you feel.

5. Stretch! (Every Morning)

A huge part of hitting your fitness goals and maintaining your physical health is stretching. I know, this is another boring and not super exciting one, but also incredibly beneficial!

I’ve never been a big stretcher. Even though I’ve been active, in sports, and worked out my whole life, stretching always got pushed to the backburner. It just never seemed as fun as doing a workout or playing a sport, so I ignored it unless I had to do it.

But over the years I’ve learned that stretching is just as important for your physical health and fitness as keeping up a fitness routine. 

Stretching helps with your flexibility, muscle strength & repair, and preventing injuries (source). 

By fitting in a 10 minute stretch in the morning (especially if you work out), you’re greatly improving your body’s health & flexibility.

Since I will often get bored with static stretching, I love doing this 10-minute dynamic stretching routine from Natacha Oceane. If you’re like me and get bored just sitting in different poses for 10 minutes, this is a great option for you! It makes it more fun and I never get bored doing this routine.

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Comment below with:

1. What do you include in your morning routine?

2. Do you eat breakfast every morning?

3. Are you a coffee or tea person?