This article could easily be one cute drawing of five cups of coffee, based on the way many mornings have started for me. But, let’s face it, after the university years, stumbling into your day in sweatpants, bleary-eyed and grunting just doesn’t cut it anymore. I’m not always (read: ever) the most pleasant person in the mornings, but these five steps make me almost fully human”along with those coffees, of course.
Keep your alarm away from your nightstand
Admittedly, I’m the queen of hitting snooze on my alarm when it’s within arm’s reach; even more so since the increased prominence of dry shampoo in my life. Once I started putting my phone (note to self: get an actual alarm clock) on my dresser instead of my nightstand, forcing me to drag my body out of bed to turn the damn thing off, I realized it was humanly possible to get out of bed without snoozing! No snoozing equals no wasted time of half-sleep-but-not-really-sleep, which usually sucks anyways because it’s not a good quality sleep.
Start with a big glass of lemon water
I highly recommend slicing the lemon the night before (wielding a knife un-caffeinated is just plain dangerous) so you can just pop a wedge in your glass and fill it up with good old H2O. Since you need to drink eight glasses of water daily anyways, you may as well get the first one in early! Your skin will thank you. The lemon in the water helps cleanse your liver, which is responsible for detoxing your body. It also promotes the production of bile”very sexy”which aids your digestion, so do this before your breakfast. Which leads us to step three.
Eat a proper breakfast
No matter how many times you still might hit snooze (no judgement here), make sure you leave yourself enough time for breakfast. You don’t have to Martha Stewart the thing, but eat something healthy and filling! Eat something with protein and fibre to keep you full for the morning, so you’re not caving for a muffin when you’re in line for your third coffee at Starbucks. Besides avoiding those hangry feelings, eating breakfast also helps regulate your metabolism and will help you concentrate in those dreaded 9:00am meetings.
Prep your outfit the night before
How many times have you stood in front of your closet in the morning and thought what the hell am I going to wear? Take the five minutes before you go to bed to assess the wardrobe situation”bonus points for checking the weather forecast, too. The fewer decisions you have to make in the wee hours, the better! Plus, you won’t run the risk of confusing black for navy or any similar wardrobe malfunctions due to morning brain, which is totally a thing.
Stretch and take five
Although not everyone has a nine-to-five job these days, most of us are still sitting for long periods of time during the day at a desk in some capacity. All of that sitting during the day can leave the muscles in your back, neck and shoulders in one tangly knot. Taking a few moments in the morning to do some simple stretches or yoga poses can help ease that tension, and essentially prepare your body for the day ahead. Besides physically preparing your body, it’s also a beautiful way to ease into your day mentally. Make your lists, set your priorities and figure out what you need to make your day a successful one.
