You First 30 Minutes: How to Start Your Day Right

 

I believe that the first 30 minutes of your day is by far the most crucial. It all starts with how you wake up - if you wake up poorly then that's just going to set you off for the rest of the day. I recommend some other type of alarm clock other than your phone. You don't want to use your phone or have it anywhere near you when you sleep because smartphones produce blue light which can mess with your natural sleep cycles. What I use and recommend is the Hatch alarm clock. I know it can be pricey but I can assure you there's so many other good dupes out there like the sunrise alarm clock on amazon and it does practically the same thing. 

The one I use and absolutely ADORE is the Hatch restore 3 - It has so many different things available within the app like, a wind-down routine and a sleep routine that you can create yourself to your liking. Not to mention my favorite part which is the wake up alarm options, they have so many you can choose from - if you want to be peaceful or wake up with a little more pep in your step there's your annoyingly disciplined trainer to get you up fast. 

Besides waking up on the right side of the bed, the other most important thing to do as soon as you wake up is to hydrate! People tend to forget how much hydration affects you in your day to day life - hydration not only effects how you feel physically but it also effects how you feel mentally. 

I like to keep a water bottle on my bedside table, and before I go to bed I make sure to fill it with some ice and water so that when I wake up its right there for me to grab. I make myself drink at least 2-3 cups of water as soon as I wake up which is 24 fluid oz which is my whole water bottle so I just make sure to finish that before doing anything else. When you wake up your body is naturally dehydrated from sleep so drinking water first thing in the morning helps rehydrate the body, flush out toxins, and get rid of that morning fatigue. 

My next absolute go-to that I love so much is my vibration plate. I know that there's a ton of mixed emotions on if it actually works or what people use it for, but let me tell you why I feel that this is life changing for me. I usually have the worst trouble waking up so it's hard for me to feel awake even when I am (if that makes sense). 

I walk downstairs and step on this plate and stand there for 10 minutes. when I tell you that these 10 minutes are the best part of my day I mean it. Not only does it just feel good to feel everything start to get woken up but it actually does also have some benefits such as, improving muscle strength and flexibility, enhances blood circulation and it increases bone density. Some also say that it helps with circulation and lymphatic drainage. 

After I do my 10 minutes on the vibration plate I like to set my yoga mat down wherever there's a lot of space. Sometimes I do it in the middle of my living room or even outside on a nice day, no matter where it is make sure it's comfortable for you and you have space to stretch out. Once my mat is laid out I like to start in Childs pose and just notice how my body is feeling, while subtly moving around to get a deeper stretch in my hips.

 Then, I like to do some basic cat and cow stretches just to really get my body moving and feeling looser. Ill do that for a couple minutes and then slowly turn into downward dog, and ill walk myself up and down like that for a couples minutes. I like to either just do these basic stretches for myself or out on a quick 20 minute yoga video on YouTube to follow along to. No matter what you do in the morning my biggest piece of advice is to always stretch. I feel like it helps your body perform so much better throughout the day and gives you time to practice mindfulness for your mind and your body. 

No matter what time I end up waking up, I like to incorporate all of these things into my routine to help set up my mind and body for success throughout the day. You don't have to do these things exactly but I do believe that hydrating and moving your body first thing when you wake up is one of the most important parts of your day, and will leave you feeling productive and satisfied with yourself.