Grey skies, dull commutes, and early daybreak blues — simply put, mornings can be tough. Why not allow yourself a moment of happiness in your morning routine with a few quick and easy exercises that are bound to brighten the day and start you off fresh.

1. Drink Lukewarm Lemon Water

Upon waking, your body can become dehydrated. Drink some lukewarm water with fresh lemon in the morning to increase your metabolism. This early morning habit will help burn fat while keeping muscle, and also helps alleviate the need for caffeine. It is a refreshing start to the day and helps cleanse the throat.

2. Be Mindful for a Moment

Mindfulness and meditation can help you start your day in a peaceful and happy way. That being said, some meditations can take awhile and time is often tight in the morning, so here are a few quick mindfulness exercises to get your day started. First off, do a mindful check-in. Take a moment to assess how you feel at that very moment and meditate on it. After taking time to do a mindful check-in, open your mind to good intentions for your day. Recall what you are grateful for and what your hopeful intentions are.  These short exercises will help you feel ready to conquer the day.

3. Have a good breakfast

After digesting your lemon water for about 30 minutes (if possible), eat a healthy breakfast. Quick and easy ideas are smoothies that were prepped the night prior for a quick meal full of fruits and veggies. Homemade granola with dried fruits and hemp seeds is also an easy grab and can be eaten as a cereal as well. Rushing out in the morning, try making overnight oats with almond milk, bananas, and walnuts. It’s important to fit fresh fruit in your morning routine and a protein so that you can start your day full and energized.

4. Stretch

The body has been in a restful state for hours and stretching helps to reintroduce movement in a slow and relaxing way. First stretch your arms and legs prior to stepping out of bed, then do a few standing stretches to wake yourself up. Sitting cross-legged and turning your body from side to side will help stretch your spine. Yoga moves such as the cat and cow position on all fours and downward dog are quick and energizing movements to do after sleeping.

5. Be Prepared

Being prepared before the morning will not only help you sleep, but it will also create less stress when you wake up.  By setting out your clothes the night prior, it saves a lot of time and energy you’d usually spend picking out an outfit for the day. Preparing smoothies or meals ahead of time will make it easier to eat healthy foods instead of rushing to Tim Horton’s for a bagel. Having completed tasks will provide enough time for a moment of mindfulness or stretching.

Hope you have a great morning!

Do you have any morning rituals that leave you feeling warm and fuzzy? Share them in the comments below!