Healthy Morning Habits: Nourish Yourself

The amount of time, effort and money you spend on this post’s topic is completely up to you. By planning your meals in advance and researching ingredients and recipes, you can create affordable and healthy meals that help you be at your best. In any case, eating healthier now will certainly save you money on healthcare down the line. Read my post “Why We Shouldn’t Cut Corners On Health”.

Benefits of eating well balanced breakfast: 

• Studies suggest eating a nutritious breakfast helps prevent heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and metabolic syndromes.
• Having a well balanced breakfast also makes you less likely to snack on unhealthy, high-calorie food midmorning. 
• Eating at home in the morning means you have more control over what goes into your meal, so you can put as much effort as you like into making breakfast healthy.

Top left, clockwise: Oatmeal with chia seeds and maple syrup; vegan cheese and tomato on high-protein toast; quinoa flakes, banana and chia seeds; multi-seed mix, coconut yoghurt and mango.

What makes a nourishing breakfast: Complex carbs, protein and good fats. It is also important to get enough fibre in your diet, high fibre breakfast foods are a great way to start. All of these components (macronutrients) keep you fuller for longer and help your energy levels stay solid until lunchtime. Aim for a well-balanced meal that is roughly 50% complex carbs, 30% good fats and 20% lean protein. 

Some examples of well-balanced meals can be found here, here and here.

Steering clear of processed foods and going for “whole foods” (whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes) is crucial for optimal health. Why not take care of part of your daily food and nutrient requirements — add some banana to your oatmeal, have some baby spinach with your eggs or sprinkle some chia seeds onto your toast?

Not too much sugar in morning: Junky breakfast products such as pastries and sugary spreads are an obvious no-no. Also, watch out for sneaky sugar in popular cereals that are often marketed as “healthy”. Too much sugar causes your blood glucose levels to spike which can lead to feeling tired, moody, anxious, confused, weak, hungry and craving more sugar (idiopathic postprandial syndrome or reactive hypoglycaemia).

Don’t eat what you can’t stomach: Although for many people breakfast IS the most important meal of the day, some (adult) bodies do not need to “break the fast” first thing in the morning. Some function better when they do not eat until midmorning or even lunchtime. It is all about listening to your body’s needs because it knows better than anyone what is going to make it healthy. 

If you are someone who feels better eating later in the day it can be tempting to go for processed snacks (pastries, “healthy” sugar-loaded muesli bars etc) because they are easily available at work or uni. I suggest using the time in the morning that others would spend making and eating breakfast to prepare a nutritious meal to take with you. 

Save time, prep beforehand: For people short on time in the morning, look for recipes that you can prepare or make completely the night before such as overnight oats or chia pudding.

Healthy Morning Habits: Get Up & Get Moving

This post’s healthy habit suggestions are a little more challenging than drinking a glass of water. If you can push yourself to try even one of these you will undoubtedly see an improvement in the amount of energy you have in the morning and throughout the rest of the day. 

Get up as soon as you wake. Hitting the snooze button can wreak havoc on your body. Each time you hit that button and lie back down your brain thinks it’s not actually time to get up yet and restarts your sleep cycle. This increases the effect and duration of that groggy, “I-hate-mornings” feeling known as sleep inertia. 

By getting up at the same time every day (and going to bed at the same time) we also help to regulate our body clocks. After a while our body’s rhythms change so we wake up naturally at that time with less trouble, and get a better night’s sleep overall.

Get moving and stretch. One of the first things you can do after getting out of bed is to spend at least a few minutes stretching. This really helps to wake you up by getting the blood and oxygen circulating, loosening up any stiffness, aching in your joints and muscles, straightening your spine and helping your mind focus on waking up for the day. 

Tough to stay motivated? It's better with friends.

Get moving some more. If you have time in the morning, try getting in a little bit of exercise before breakfast. Going for a 15 minute walk can help your brain wake up even more by further improving your circulation. The time you spend walking can allow you to relax in preparation for your day, or you may use the time to plan the day’s goals.

If you are interested in doing a higher intensity workout like a run, it is a good idea to have a small piece of fruit or other light breakfast item beforehand so exercising doesn't leave you feeling drained.

Healthy Morning Habits: Hydrate

As a 20 year old university student I will be the first to say that mornings are a battle. I don't feel good about the day ahead if I wake up groggy, grumpy, or if I can’t bring myself to get going quickly. Having a healthy morning routine can be a huge help in setting yourself up for the day. Over the next few posts I will be writing about free and simple healthy habits you could add to your morning routine to start each day on a healthy foot. Think about which healthy habits might be doable to make your mornings a more enjoyable experience.

Drink one or two glasses of water upon waking.

We know eating in the morning is important for our bodies because we are “breaking the fast” our bodies go through while sleeping for hours. It is even more important that our bodies be given water as soon as possible! Water is needed for our bodies to function correctly and it can be hard to make sure you are drinking a sufficient amount.

By addressing your bodies hydration needs first thing you can lessen any morning grogginess you may feel. Hydrating as soon as possible wakes up your brain, helps your heart circulate more oxygen, kick starts your digestive system, and loosens up any achy joints or muscles.

Mild dehydration can cause fatigue, trouble focusing, headaches, dizziness and weakness. If you think you may not be drinking enough water and your energy doesn't improve after getting up in the morning, maybe consider dehydration as a contributing factor. By addressing your body's need for fluids first thing you can easily develop the healthy habit of keeping hydrated.

Bonus tip: add a squeeze of lemon and warm your water up a little to further help digestion, immune system and liver.