The way you start your morning can set the tone for your entire day. Imagine waking up feeling refreshed, energized, and ready to take on whatever comes your way. While it’s tempting to hit the snooze button and rush through your mornings, making time for a mindful routine can do wonders for your beauty, health, and overall well-being. Here’s how you can begin your day with positivity and energy, feeling beautiful inside and out –
- Stop Hitting the Snooze Button
The primary reason why people get up in the morning and start their day in a rushed manner is because they simply can’t get enough of the snooze button on their phones or alarms. Hitting the snooze button may feel wonderful, those extra minutes of sleep in the morning feels euphoric but how long can that high last? You wake up and bam! You are already running late! A few extra minutes of sleep has been successfully traded with a rushed morning which has already contributed to your anxiety throughout the day. So, give that snooze button a rest and wake up.
- Freshen and Gear Up for a Productive Day
After winning the fight with your snooze button, freshen up for the day. Brush your teeth, wash your face with a gentle face cleanser and finish a brief scalp massage or hair massage to wake your sleepy brain up. To gear up for your day, start with hydration. Hydrate your inner body by drinking an ample amount of water. This morning water restarts your metabolism, aids digestion, promotes clearer skin and gets rid of all the toxins that have built up in your body while sleeping for the last 6-7 hours.
- Reignite your Body
The best way to get rid of any leftover sleepiness is to get moving! A brief yoga session will help you release some of that built up muscle tension mass and lazy joints. Engaging in light physical activity in the morning helps increase circulation, reduce stress, and boost endorphins (your body’s natural mood-lifters). Make sure to get some morning sun before starting the day. Contrary to popular belief, the morning sun does not contain vitamin D but it helps your body in producing it (sufficient amounts of UVB triggers the Vitamin D3 synthesis in our body, which is an active form of Vitamin D in our bodies).
After stretching, rearrange your space by making the bed and keeping things neat and tidy so that you don’t come back to a messy room at the end of the day.
- Fuel up: Eating a Nutritious Breakfast
Eating a well balanced breakfast is very important and a non-negotiable issue. You have to have your breakfast before you start your battle with the world. Eating healthy means keeping a good proportion of nutrients in your meal (44-55% of carbs, 15-25% of proteins and 20-30% of fats of the total breakfast calories).
- Morning Skincare Routine
Skincare is a completely different conversation. Although the basics of skincare have and will always remain the same, the skin concerns for each individual differs from one person to the next. People with oily skin will want to keep their skin matte throughout the day whereas people with dry skin would want the opposite. To get a routine that works for you, identify your skin type and construct a routine addressing your specific skin issues (hyperpigmentation, acne-prone, enlarged pores etc.).
After cleansing your face with a gentle face cleanser (popular ones are Cerave cleansers – Cerave SA Cleanser, Cerave Hydrating Cleanser, Cerave Foaming Cleanser etc., Cetaphil Cleansers – Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser etc., Neutrogena Face Wash, The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser etc.), apply a toner using cotton pads or simply your hands (both techniques work the same)! Use a face serum which addresses your specific skincare concerns and moisturize using a face cream. After completing all these steps, make sure to apply sun protection of minimum 30 SPF and reapply after every 2 hours throughout the day. Sun protection is very important in the world of skincare. Without sun protection, your every attempt at skincare won’t be effective!
- Dress Right, All Day Brights
It’s not about being overly stylish or trendy, but more about how you feel in what you’re wearing. Choosing the correct fabric in accordance with the weather is important. If it is sunny outside or the forecast shows higher temperatures for the day, wear something made out of cotton which is flowy and light in color. This will ensure that you feel comfortable throughout the day. And if it is cold and windy, opt for something thicker in material, such as something woolen and wear darker colors. The choice of colors has a relation with the amount of heat absorbed by your body (and it’s scientifically proven!). The ideal method to follow here would be analysing the weather forecast a day prior and picking out your outfit before going to bed. This saves your time and effort (at dressing) in the morning.
- Agendas for the Day
Setting out your objectives for the day or sketching out an itinerary will keep you focused and goal oriented. Before setting your agendas, check your mails and messages for any important update or change of plans in the day. Figuring out what your goals are for the day will keep you grounded and will ensure minimum loss of time. You can accomplish your goals for the day and use the time saved for socializing, trying out new restaurants and shopping malls or simply for binge watching the new Netflix show you are obsessing over!
The morning is your kickstart to the day and a task people don’t really bother planning out on. But the morning sets your mood for the day and guides you throughout the day. There are no hard and fast rules that you must follow for your morning routine but a rough sketched out plan will help you perform your best all day. So go ahead, start with a slow and steady morning and keep shining throughout the day!
