Are you feeling tired in the morning? Do you struggle to get up? Do you need some stimulants such as coffee (or worse: energy drinks)?
You’re not alone. So many people struggle to be on form in the morning. So many people find difficult to start working and be efficient in their actions when being tired after the night.
And unfortunately, many people start using substances such as coffee or energy drinks in order to cope with fatigue. Sure, that might help them cope with fatigue in the short term, but it makes them tired over time. When you take too much caffeine, your sleep deteriorates, and as a result you feel more tired, which leads you to take even more caffeine, which in turn leads you to be even more tired, and so on… That’s a vicious circle.
Sure, caffeine makes you feel focused in the moment (up to a few hours after you take it). But after that, you experience a drop in your energy level. Like you would if you were taking cocaine or another stimulating substance (this example is a little bit extreme, but this is actually a good illustration).
The less you take caffeine, the better.
Sure, there might be some studies that shows the benefits of it on your health, but bear in mind that these studies are often funded by the big companies that sell coffee. Their goal is to sell. That’s why they only focus on the benefits of coffee and don’t talk about the negative aspects of it.
I’m not telling you to never drink coffee (I personally like to have a good coffee sometimes, especially in the morning or before working out), but my advice here is that you just limit your comsumption of it, so that you can see by yourself the benefits associated with this limitation.
And in this article, I’m going to suggest alternative ways to be (really) on form in the morning. You must understand that it is often quite hard to just stop doing something you’re in the habit of doing. It gets much easier when you replace this thing by something else.
Below I’m going to introduce you to three things you can do in the morning to be on form. These things are pretty healthy. They have only positive aspects on your health and your energy level. It will make you fresh in the morning, and not leave you tired in the afternoon (or short before noon).
Let’s go:
Power Smoothie
Instead of drinking a coffee right after bed, why not drink a delicious smoothie full of vitamins and micro-nutrients? Such a smoothie will really bring you the energy you need to be efficient during your day.
It won’t be just an impression like it would be with coffee (despite coffee contains some antioxydants, it won’t provide you with the vitamins and micro-nutrients you need to be plenty functional).
With a smoothie filled with vitamins and micro-nutrients, you get some real energy. You don’t borrow energy from your body only to have to give it back later in your day (like this is the case with coffee).
In order to make the perfect smoothie, use a variety of fruits and vegetables, but also some seeds (great for the healthy fats).
Smoothies can also replace the bread and cereals you may eat in the morning that causes an insuline spike that is going to make you tired (and hungry) 2-3 hours after your breakfast.
High intensity exercise
Doing high-intensity exercise right after bed is a great way to really feel awake. It activates your brain and releases a variety of hormones that will make you feel good and awake.
Doing 10-20min of high-intensity training after waking up is a great way to start your day. It will make you more efficient through your day and will have positive benefits on your health in the long term.
You’ll have more energy, you’ll and in better shape, and you’ll be more charismatic.
Cold showers
Taking a cold shower right after bed is another powerful thing you can do to feel awake and focused. It will activate your brain and improve your blood flow.
If you find difficult to jump into a cold shower straight away, you can start by a hot shower, and then end with a cold shower. You’ll find it much easier, especially during the winter 😉
After your cold shower, you’ll feel ready to start you day and to take action in order to do what needs to be done.
But there’s more…
Getting used to take a cold shower on a regular basis is a great way to get used to step out of your comfort zone. Because taking a cold shower right after bed (or switching to cold after a few minutes under hot water) requires some willpower.
When you get into the habit of doing this every day, you realize that’s it’s not so hard. And it has a positive impact on the other areas of your life.
Final thoughts:
In order to get the most out of what we just saw, you can combine these habits.
Sport + shower + smoothie
It’s the best way to be on top for the rest of your day.
