Quarantined or not, the morning is a very important part of your day. After all, it is the beginning of a new day!
If your morning was productive and refreshing, the rest of your day is guaranteed to be at least a little better than otherwise.
But do you really know what you should do in the morning?
Here are the 8 things you should include in your morning routine to start off your day right.
Drink Water
Drinking water should be the first thing you do after waking up! If you prefer to brush your teeth beforehand, that works too.
In my experience, warm water and cold water are both ok!
Cold water helps wake you up and actually burns more calories, while warm water (even better with some honey and lemon juice) helps boost digestion.
Take a Shower
Some students (me included) are literally unable to wake up early enough to take a shower in the morning. And that’s ok!
Night showers are great too. Taking night showers has its benefits, such as helping you go to sleep faster.
But morning showers also have science on their side. Studies proved that showering in the morning boosts your creativity and relieves stress temporarily.
I also say that morning showers wake you up. I mean, you’re literally being hit by water!
Quick Stretch
Some prefer to workout in the morning, while some would rather not. I am among the latter.
Rather than jumping around and sweating buckets first thing in the morning, I like to do some stretches while listening to music.
In the mornings, I am stiff AF!
By warming up my limbs with some lunges, squats, shoulder and lower back stretches, I feel a lot “looser” and ready to face the day – meaning about 9 hours of sitting.
Eat a Good Breakfast
A cup of coffee is not enough!
Black coffee does help get rid of bloating, but just drinking coffee is definitely not enough.
From what I’ve read, nothing you eat before 9 am will cause weight gain (unless you eat like half a dozen donuts or the equivalent). All the calories will be burned before the end of the day!
This means that you should really fill up your plate at breakfast! Some toast, one or two eggs (fried, scrambled, boiled, whichever you like) and some bacon; a bagel, some cereal and fruits; or whatever you like.
Listen to/Read the News
I like to do this while I make and eat my breakfast. But how I do it depends on how I’m feeling on the day.
Sometimes, I listen to podcasts (usually Up First from NPR).
Other times, I read the news. I just use the News app on my iPhone. Recently, I’ve subscribed to the New York Times’ The Morning, and I receive emails with the newest updates. I really like it!
You can probably get a subscription for free! Check out your local library’s resources and look for the Times, and you might be able to find a link/log in. That’s what I did!
Make a To-Do List
Especially in quarantine, time can fly by. You wake up at 9 am, go on TikTok, and suddenly it’s 3 pm. Anyone?
By making a to-do list and/or setting a schedule in the morning, you’re more likely to be motivated to actually do stuff during the day.
And usually, I like the put the most energy-consuming tasks first. According to common sense, you have the most energy and brain cells in the mornings. So why not put them to good use?
Do Some Last-Minute Studying
Your brain is the most active in the mornings. So use this time– either while eating breakfast or on your way to school (once quarantine is over, of course)– to do some extra studying!
By studying, I don’t mean reading through your textbook and taking Cornell notes. I mean reading through notes you’ve already done, going through flashcards, and watching review videos on YouTube. Chill studying.
Also, mornings are right before school! So whatever you study has a better chance of staying in your brain during the day.
Check out this post to find the best apps you can use to listen to podcasts, make todo lists, and do bite-sized studying!
Conclusion
Although we’re quarantined, it’s still important to keep up routines and habits. It’s a great way of keeping yourself together mentally, if that makes sense.
Which activity are you going to include tomorrow morning? And if you liked this post, check these out:
