Evidence supports that some people are night owls and others are early birds. If you are a creature of the night, it may be because of your body’s internal clock. Creating the proper morning routine can help improve your productivity and make you feel more energized in the early hours of the day.

Keep reading to learn five things you should include in your morning schedule to jumpstart your day.

1. Drink a Glass of Water

Unless you habitually sip water throughout the night, you are mildly dehydrated in the morning. So before sipping your morning coffee or tea, drink a full glass of water. You may find it adds a little pep to your step and helps you feel more awake.

2. Get in Some Exercise

Getting up and doing some cardio or going on a brisk jog probably seems like the last thing you want to do when you first roll out of bed in the morning. However, whether it is a run or something more gentle like yoga, it is a great way to energize your brain and body for your day ahead. Start small.

Begin with a brief jog around your block or a 10-minute session on a treadmill. As for yoga, begin with some sun salutations. Sun salutations are a morning-specific sequence of poses that stretch the whole body, helping you become grounded and focused.

3. Begin a Morning Skin Care Routine

Even if you have a multi-step skin care routine at night, you will want to add a few steps to your morning routine for the best results. Basic morning routines include an oil or water-based cleanser, toner moisturizer, and sunscreen. Avoid products that cause excessive drying as you prepare your face for exposure to your environment.

If you tend to wake up with dry eyes, redness, or inflamed eyelids, add a hydrogel cold compress to your routine. Take ten minutes to relax with a cooling eye mask. You can get a cold compress here for the best eye and eyelid care.

4. Do Some Mental Housekeeping

Similar to how you take care of your living space, you should take care of your mental space. Take a few minutes to reflect on your dreams, how well you slept, and what the day ahead of you looks like.

Are you holding onto any negative emotions from yesterday or the past? Write down the feelings in a journal and allow yourself to let go of that negativity. Then, write a list of what you hope to accomplish in the day or what you look forward to.

5. Avoid Looking at Your Phone

If your phone is perched on your bedside table and your first instinct is to reach over and browse social media, maybe reconsider. Checking your phone before you’re fully awake allows you to get distracted easily and spend more time in bed than you want.

If your phone is also your alarm, put “Do Not Disturb” mode on before bed so you do not wake up to a screen full of emails, texts, and notifications. Replace the time you would spend on your phone with another activity like making breakfast, reading, or exercising.

Amplify Your Morning Routine With These Tips

Your morning routine influences the rest of your day. If you lie in bed on your phone for an hour after waking up or drink only coffee, consider integrating some of our tips into your day. Additionally, ensure a few minutes to clean, tone, and moisturize your skin.

If you’ve found our advice for improving your day helpful, you can find more informative posts like this one on the rest of our blog!