10 Morning Rituals For The Healthy Entrepreneur
January 29 by Kavit Haria 11.8K Shares | Lifestyle
Most personal development and productivity experts suggest mornings as the best time for clear and focused results-driven work. I’ve experienced the same and form my days around just a few hours of work in the morning between 10am and 1pm. I also believe that different people work best at different times, but no matter when you’re productive hours are, it’s important you set up your day for greater wellbeing with some healthy morning rituals. Here are ten ideas:
- Wake up. Don’t hit snooze. Jump out of bed as if someone threw a bucket of cold water on you. Half of your day’s success is actually showing up and being excited. Rest time is over, get out of bed now.
- Drink a pint of water first thing in the morning. If you don’t like water on its own, squeeze some fresh lime into it. Water is great for you – you know that, mom said that and now we’ve got to do it!
- Make yourself a blend of fruits that excite you. I love a carrot-apple-ginger juice and drink it in the morning before eating and wait at least an hour or so before I eat.
- Go out and take in the sunlight. I wake up when I see sun. Its energy, invigoration and excitement is absolutely amazing. Get up and spend a minute outside looking up in the sky taking in the morning light. Wrap up warm if it’s cold, but make sure you do it.
- Spend time in silence. Be grateful for what you have. Mentally or on paper, plan the day out. If you don’t do the previous night, write out your to-do list of the most exciting and important things.
- Cuddle your kids (or find some to cuddle). Kids bring excitement and awe in the way they think and view the world. Spending time around them helps you to cultivate the inner child within you. And doing it from the morning is even better.
- Brush your tongue. Lose the morning breath and start off on a minty note.
- Go for a walk. Or hop on the treadmill for 30 minutes. People who walk in the morning have more energy than those who walk at night after a long day. Use the work to appreciate your surroundings and plan your day. In silence if possible.
- Drink green tea. Instead of coffee, have a cup of green tea. Boosts your energy, provides antioxidants and has been promoted as a great natural healthy option.
- Journal. A list of rituals without journaling in the morning isn’t complete. I find it the most exhilarating thing to be sitting down for a short period and just writing out whatever comes to my head, no matter whether it immediately makes sense to me or not.
What do you do in the morning as part of your “rituals”?
God, why does everything ‘good’ have to be in the morning? I hate morning! I can go to bed now (9:40 am) and sleep till 5am tomorrow morning and still have issues getting up.
Great post, will try some of these starting tomorrow as I try (once again) to reset my biological clock.
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I have a great radio station as my morning alarm. I stay in bed and listen to some great music (and the weather report) before getting out of bed. It puts me in a great mood. Also, if I stay in bed for a few extra minutes the kids come in and give me hugs!
Wake up at 6:00am-ish.
Half an hour to an hour of tai chi.
Half an hour to an hour of working on personal creative projects.
Get ready for work.
Walk to work if time permits.
That way, no matter how the rest of the day turns out, it started out on a high note.
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On the weekends I exercise first thing in the morning because I have time to, and I agree with what you say about it helping through the rest of the day. I usually listen to a podcast though instead of opting for silence. If I don’t have some noise to listen to then I focus on how much I really don’t want to exercise. And doing it first thing in the morning also means that if I’m a slug and watch TV for the rest of the day, at least I accomplished something.
During the week I can’t though since I have to be out the door by 6am and I really don’t want to wake up any earlier than 5am. So I exercise in the evenings after I get home which still helps me the next day. I can tell by how I feel each day whether I remembered to exercise the night before or not.
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I’m a big fan of the exercise/breakfast/shower routine. It gives me an energy boost and it’s great to know that I’ve gotten the day’s most important activities done before I start to work. ;-)
Hi all,
Anthony – wow, you sleep a lot. You’ve probably already done this, but realise that you’re sleeping a lot of the 24 hours we have in a day. How can you save more time by sleeping less?
Jacki – I’d love for my kids to do that when I have kids. I don’t at the moment so can only imagine. Music is great for shooting you out of bed to some good feelings.
John, Ryan – I love the plans. I think routine is very important. I enjoy tennis once I get up some days.
- Kavit
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Great tips, but I’m about to start working the night shift, 7pm to 7am, three days a week. How would these tips translate to that schedule? Any ideas?
Sun? In the morning?
You obviously wrote this for people in the south, not thinking about us poor b*st**rds in Sweden… ;)
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Wow… really? Find children to cuddle? If I started my morning with that ritual I’d probably get thrown in jail.
What you eat in the mornings is super important… I usually start with an 8oz glass of water and a protein shake that is 8oz of water, ice, and 1/2 cup of fruit. The green tea I leave for the evening (otherwise I’d spend the entire morning drinking stuff).
Eeek, in MN there isn’t sun in the winter sky until 8:00, I’m up long before that, any alternates for that suggestion?!? Thanks!
“Journaling” is for self-absorbed douchbags.
What does any of this have to do with being an entrepreneur?
Clydicus, I’m totally with you. I mean WTF?!?!
first you have to get up early enough….
I’m working on it, I still find it hard sometimes. And I just seem to go to bed so late…no matter how early or not so early my intentions are/were. But good list, journaling is definitely good, although it’s easier to type…and I’m looking for a good app, because I’m not keen on journaling online if it were password protected and everything..
Great article. I agree with every point made up there and do almost all of those every day. However, I think your missing a very important morning ritual.
Just yesterday I posted something similar to this on my blog, only geared more toward item number 1 on this list: making the morning something you look forward to. In my post I referenced an article that I saved for a long time called The Aristocracy of Cardio from the magazine Men’s Health (link to the article is on my blog.)
I highly recommend cardio in the morning because not only does it burn more calories (proof of this is all over bodybuilding.com), but also, as Men’s Health and I testify, it increases your “brain power” for the entirety of the day. Countless CEOs said that their performance has increased since they started going for morning runs, walks, and swims.
There are plenty more benefits of morning cardio/workouts, too many to mention here, but they are easily found on bodybuilding.com. I encourage you to look into it.
Clydicus: Journaling is a great way to organize your thoughts and just clear your head. If you think it’s stupid and not worth it, you’ve obviously never tried it. Plus, as an entrepreneur, you’ve gotta be able to think clearly all the time.
Aurooba: I’ve been using a locally-installed version of WordPress as a journal.(Along with a MediaWiki to collect quotes I like, and a spiral-bound notebook for handwritten notes.) It’s really easy to set up and use. Believe it or not, I actually have another post on my blog about using a private WordPress to collect thoughts.
Those last two comments were total plugs for my blog, but it just so happens that I recently wrote about getting up in the morning and keeping a journal, so I thought I’d spread the love a little :D
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I’d do the brushing your tongue thing before going a-cuddling.
Thanks for the great post!
I’ve incorporated a lot of these morning habits (I thought I was a night-hawk but things change) and they work like a charm. Not only am I getting things done but stress rarely comes knocking on my door.
I’d just like to add to your water tip: when you get tired of limes, try lemons and then grapefruit. Keeps things fresh. :)
Kavit,
I think Anthony was saying that no matter how much sleep he gets, he’s tired in the morning, which as he probably knows, sounds more like there’s a problem with his circadian rhythm.
In which case, Anthony, you’ve googled it and done all the standard things like getting a light lamp in the morning, trying melatonin at night, getting quite a bit of exercise earlier in the day and ensured you’ve been practising really good sleep hygiene, right?
And while you’ll probably feel pretty groggy if you get too much sleep, have you actually tried getting ridiculous amounts of sleep (with exercise when you are awake), for a couple of days in a row to see if you’ve got a sleep debt you need to get over?
Best of luck!
(P.S. 5am? Urgh! Yes, I’ve been trying to do these things to have a better morning, but I’m also trying to do it at 7 or 8am instead. ;D )
@Kavit – Sorry, I was trying to say that no matter when I go to sleep I have problems getting up in the morning. My bedtime ranges from 10 pm tp 1am depending on how I feel. I try to go when I’m tired and stay up if I’m not, I get up at 5:30 to get into the office by 7:30.
Getting up that early already makes it have to add much time to the morning.
@Sangrail – I’ve tried just about everything, including keeping the room cold (thermostat set at 53 degrees).
And your correct, my circadian rhythm is off, by about 4 hours. Add to that the fact I don’t sleep all that much to start with and you get a sleep period of about 5-6 hours, usually 2am-8am. When I go on vacation I disable the alarm clock and if I stay up till I’m tired I will consistently get up, without help, between 7:45 and 8:15. It it’s been an exhausting day, mentally physically or whatever and I’m genuinely tired I can go to sleep earlier.
If I’m in my normal sleep pattern I still get up around 8.
Problem is, I need to be in the office around 7:30, not because I’m a diligent worker (which I am) but getting in that early lets me beat traffic into Boston in the morning, and I leave around 4-4:30, missing most of the traffic out in the afternoon. Otherwise it takes me almost 2 hours to get in.
Which means I have to get up at 5:30. There are other factors involved in the 2 hours gap which I won’t go into here.
I’ve been fighting this for *years*! :)
Great post!
I cycle to work in the morning and take a cold shower before starting work. It’s refreshing and good 30mminute cardio work out. The commuting is a side-effect while I’m having fun :)
I used to drive to work and had problem getting up in time. Since I dumped my car 5 years ago, I’ve been always looking forward to the morning cycling (to work). No problem in getting up early anymore.
Used to start the day with a cigarette, now I listen to some good music like miles davis – birth of cool.
I just want to say that coffee offers all of the benefits that you assign to green tea: anti-oxidants, energy (well caffeine) and helps to hydrate; just don’t overdo it. (I hate tea) And yes it is full of carcinogens but i challenge you to find even one case of someone getting cancer from coffee.
The Tai Chi idea is good, I’m going to see if I can persuade my company to start a morning class.
My ritual seems to work fine : wake up, check email, rss, drink 4 cups of coffee…what do you think?
Hi all,
@Freelancer’s Store – just use these tips during your awake time. At least you’ll still get good sleep in the day, which is important for a night job.
@Sam – a protein shake is a great way. Wheatgrass juice is also good too. I prefer the tea in the evening too!
@Clydicus and @New World Order,
Journaling is awesome. Try it, clear your head, enjoy a focused day, then let me know. I think it works wonders.
@Spade – thanks for your 2 comments. I LOVE IT!
@JohnnyBoy – good point. Infact, very good point.
@Anthony and @Sangrail,
Thanks for the clarification on your part. Good discussion. Circadian rhythm is some interesting stuff. Remember reading it back at college.
@Michael – I LOVE MILES DAVIS, too. Check out Acoustic Alchemy as well.
@Tim – Tai Chi, tried it a few times, loved it. Don’t do it any more as there’s too much to choose from and I just prefer playing tennis.
@Emile – 4 cups of coffee? Hmm…
Keep up the comments!
- Kavit
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COFFEEEEEEEEEE!
Then running…3 to 7 miles.
If you go really early in the morning and leave your ipod at home you can get some great quiet time. I usually plan my day out and evaluate what I’ve gotten done so far that week.
Great advice. I am a morning person too, my first ritual is to do stretching and some cardiovascular activity like skipping rope or running.
Do you know about the http://www.YoungEntrepreneurSociety.com? A useful resource for entrepreneurs.
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I will try some of this, the first 5, all upcoming mornings.
Thanks for the list.
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I’m trying to make a good healthy plan but I don’t know how to start it but surprisingly I got a suitable article on this how to start an effective healthy plan and I’m happy now because I got a small solution for my problem, so thanks.
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Sex
Coffee
Sunshine
Exercise
Chilled Eyedrops
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i cannot drink 1 pint of water in the morning. it’ll make me puke later. maybe because my stomach’s so used to drinking coffee in the morning!
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This is a wonderful article. Think Ill try it.
I like the list, but I can’t find any kids to cuddle. OMG. :)
Get Real….I am up with the alarm ,in the shower .a glass of juice in my hand and on the way to work..each minute is accounted for.usually because I stayed up the night before longer than I should.But to juggle my Job , Home , Family , and the fast paced technology of constant education ,and my Social Life. I find being constantly productive more apleasing..Kevin from Oklahoma.
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Good tips … thanks for your tips..Another time I will visit again
Great article! Thanks for giving such wonderful 10 morning rituals for health. I am sure if one follows these 10 rituals and make it a routine, it will do a miracle to ones health. They can stay fit and live long healthy life. One can observe good results in few days by following this 10 morning rituals.
Great article! Thanks for giving such wonderful information on 10 morning rituals for health. I am sure if one follows these 10 rituals and make it a routine, it will do a miracle to ones health. They can stay fit and live long healthy life. One can observe good results in few days by following this 10 morning rituals.
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Stretching, it is VITAL! =] and centering meditative breathing.
I am a coffee lover. Just love the everloving rush of coffee. Love the taste. If I don’t get coffee in the morning I either sleep for 13 hours a day, or become incredibly irritable. I think coffee is the best luxury item to be imported to Europe of ALL time. If I had to choose between sex and coffee, I might have to actually think about it for longer than ten minutes.
First, I dispute that coffee is a carcinogen. I am unaware of any such studies showing that. I do know that it actually acts to prevent colon cancer. I think anyway. And Alzheimers!
If it is a carcinogen, which means that it tends to cause cancer, it is illogical to shift the burden on another person to show a case of someone getting cancer from coffee. Because cancer can occur from a wide variable of causes, it is probably a healthier bet to um, avoid all carcinogens.
Second, it is a contradiction to say that something is both carcinogenic and an anti-oxidant. I think that green tea probably actually has greater health effects, and is not as harmful to the adrenal system as coffee.
Third, I would like to add that coffee does not hydrate the body because it is a diuretic. This means it sends water to the bowels, with the net effect of dehydrating one’s body.
Fourth, I agree with you that as long as one does not overdo it, coffee can make life a great and beautiful world. As I type this I’ve only had three hours of sleep but I am super cheerful due to my morning coffee.
Great article! Cheers to Coffee and Routine!
It really does make a difference – getting up – just getting up instead of dragging the getting up out
Now are all these to be done before a full cooked breakfast???
I get up, drink some water, meditate, eat a light breakfast (most days), go for a walk. It depends on you though, and what you prefer to do. It’s hard for me to meditate or drink a good amount of water if I’ve already eaten.
Now this is some advice that I can actually use. It is refreshing to have this reminder of some healthy routines to get into. I really like the #6 cuddle with your kids. :) and I really need to begin to do #10 Journal. Thank you so much.
Adam
I love these ideas! Much better to enjoy your morning than rushing around in a hurry :)
I drink a tall glass of water and that suits me just fine.