“To simply wake up every morning a better person than when I went to bed.” – Sidney Poitier 

I’m not a morning person and it’s kind of sad, because I remember the days when I used to wake up at 5am with ease. Now, it’s a struggle to make it out of bed by 7am.  I chalk it up to old age, I guess lol, but I know ultimately, the way I start my mornings, usually determines what kind of day I’ll have.  So when I’m dragging at the beginning of the day, I usually have no time for breakfast, morning chitchats, etc. I’m always late, which consequently gives me less time to get things accomplished. So I’ve decided to alter my morning routine.


If your morning routine is also feeling like a “mourning” routine here are a few tips to help you begin your day on a more positive note.  


1.  You Snooze You Lose
I have a terrible habit of setting my alarm to 5:30am, but not actually getting up until an hour later.  The more I snooze, the more I lose time from important things like eating breakfast, watching the news and actually being on time.  I have recently decided to break this bad habit, by getting up when my alarm goes off the first time.  I know this maybe difficult initially, but after sometime you’ll get used to it and if this is still not working, try putting your alarm away from you bed, so you actually have to get out of bed to turn it off.  


2.  Give Thanks
When I think of this, I always think about my 8 month old nephew who passed away in his sleep last year and that more than ever inspires me to give thanks each morning. You don’t have to be religious or deeply spiritual.  Just take a few minutes out of your morning, before you check your e-mails, before you turn on the TV, to meditate, pray or just to reflect on what you’re grateful of.  This will definitely have a positive impact on the rest of your day.


3.  Work it Out
Remember, your body hasn’t been active in the 8,7,6 or how many hours you have slept, so a great way to give your mind and body a boost is running or jogging or even something as simple as stretching in the morning.


4.  Breakfast
They always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and studies have shown that people who eat breakfast, not only perform better throughout the day, but are more able to maintain a healthy weight.


5. Get Beautiful
Whether it’s taking the time to put on your makeup, styling your hair or painting your nails, do something that makes you feel beautiful.  By doing this, it will not only make you look fabulous, but feel it as well!


Let us know about your morning routine.  Is what you’re doing in the morning working for you? How can you improve it?