Losing weight shouldn’t be a chore, it just takes some desire and disclipine for the first few weeks.  Once the healthy habbits are created it’s just a way of life.  In my opininon the way in which you set up your day can have a big impact on weight loss and overall happiness.  In this article we are going to share 5 simple things to include in your morning routine that, 3 of which you could start tomorrow.

Firstly a disclaimer.  I am not a medical doctor, personal trainer or nutritionist.  I do have a cert IV in food coaching.  More importantly, I am passionate about helping people improving their health.  I practice everything that I write about, I am 50 years old and have had scans that say I have a “bio age” of a 40 year old.  I don’t belong to the “team extreme” camp.  I believe in keeping things simple and practical.

1. Water, Water, Water..

You wake after several hours of sleep and most of us have not drunk anything all night, you are in the early stages of de-hydration.  This is the first tip because it’s the first thing you should do.  The aim is to drink 1 litre of water as soon as you can after you wake.  Start with a large glass  as soon you can after you wake.  It will wake the organs up, satisfy any hunger you have without spiking an insulin response and help “get you moving”.  It may take a bit of getting used to and time to build up to a litre, but stick to it.

2.  Gratitude and setting intentions.

What’s this got to do with losing weight you ask?  A lot.  It’s now been proven that we can only experience one emotion at a time.  If you are showing gratitude you can’t be anxious or worried at the same time.  Feeling, stressed, worried, anxious etc will lead the body to produce cortisol which has a negative effect on weight loss.  Setting your intentions for the day means that you have a goal, something to aim for.  This gives you purpose for the day.  We all need something to strive towards, no matter how small it big it might be.  My suggestion (and what I do) is keep a journal.  Every morning write at least 3 things you are grateful for from the day before then read them back to yourself and say at the end of each one “thank you”, “thank you”, “thank you”.  Then write 3 things you want to achieve for the day, “Today I am looking forward to…”  Do this after the 1st big glass of water:)

3. Get moving

If you are not a morning person, or have not been one for morning exercise then this will be challenging, if you want to make some changes you are going to have to do some things you haven’t done before.  The aim for exercise in the morning should be to raise your heart rate and at least start to sweat.  It might be a 30min brisk walk or a 10min high intensity session, or maybe even a sauna session!  Then when you get back drink more water!

4. Delay eating breakfast

If you have been doing any “Googling” about weight loss you would no doubt had heard of “intermittent fasting”.  It works, however it can be a huge leap for a lot of people.  Why do it you might ask?  Basically it delays the body’s need to produce insulin and forces the body to look for other forms of energy and will start to burn fat reserves.

My tip is to delay breakfast for as long as possible.  Take it to work and have it for morning tea.  If you think you are hungry,  just drink more water.  And black coffee or tea is OK.  Eventually you will find that you will push the first meal out later and later.  We will do another article on this subject.

5.  Update what you eat for breakfast.

If you are currently eating cereal and toast with juice from a bottle, stop it!  If you are a cereal person, start eating rolled oats,  I like this recipe for overnight oats.  There are many on the internet, just watch the sweetener you use, no processed sugar.  Another good thing to start the day with is some protein and some fresh fruit.  Just avoid the cereals and juices, they are full of over processed ingredients and sugar.

What next?

Start with 1, 2 & 3 (or all 5 tips if you can).  Then incorporate all 5 over the next week or 2.  The important thing is to do something.  And I believe that this morning routine is a good start.  I promise you will feel better for it.