It’s safe to say that 2020 will be the year we remember for all the wrong reasons. As the world learns to adapt to the new way of living, it’s never been more important to pay attention to our mental wellbeing – starting with our morning routines.
Our work and social lives have been turned upside down, and we’ve been forced to put our plans on hold as we wait for life to return to normal – whatever ‘normal’ looks like in the future.
Thankfully there are ways we can combat the stresses of life. There are countless things we can do to each day to improve our mental wellbeing, starting with these 5 morning routines.
Practice gratitude
It can be hard to see the glass as half full right now. But there are still things we take for granted, and often we don’t realise how lucky we truly are. Taking time to show gratitude by writing it in a journal at each morning can improve your mood, and change your overall outlook on life.
If you’re new to this, try by writing down 3 things each morning that you are grateful for. This will slowly start to program your subconscious to look more positively at the world.
Avoid sleeping in
Creating good sleeping habits is important when it comes to mental health, with experts recommending between 7-9 hours of sleep every night. What’s more, people who are naturally early risers are less likely to develop mental health problems than people who stay up late, according to scientists. A genetics study found being biologically programmed to wake up early is linked to greater happiness and a lower risk of schizophrenia and depression.
If you’re a troubled sleeper, or find it hard to fall asleep, then try switching off all devices before hopping into bed. You might take it one step further by implementing a radical ban on devices in the bedroom altogether.
Eat a good meal
As the saying goes, you are what you eat. If you think about it, what you put in your body will determine how you feel. Fuelling your body with the right foods and nutrients such as, fruit, health fats, protein, grains and plenty of greens, will leave no room for binging, and eating the wrong food. The variety of food groups included in your diet is essential to support you with your body composition goals.
Nutritional adequacy also ensures that you feel ‘fighting fit’ and have great energy, and is essential for maintaining our health long-term. Try not to swap snacks and meals around as this may lead to an inadequacy for that particular day.
Meditate
Or even give meditation a go, a great platform we like using is, Soul Alive, Australia’s first live streamed meditation service that aims to help introduce meditation in a convenient and relatable manner.
The service currently offers live guided classes throughout the week. The structure is designed to make it easier for people to stick-with meditation all from the comfort of your own home.
Get moving
As we have all been told time and time again, moving your body releases endorphins, chemicals in our brain which helps us release stress and boost our mood. Exercising daily can help you both physically and mentally, turning a bad mood into a better mood and reducing stress and anxiety.
The thought of a gym class for some may be very daunting so, if you’re one of those people, why not do something different, like tennis, swimming, barre or yoga? The most important thing is to create a routine and find an exercise that works best for you.
Step out of your comfort zone
The feeling of discomfort is important to grow as a person. Many of us tend to panic when we feel like we’re doing something beyond our comfort zone, however professional athletes do the opposite, and this is what makes them grow. Challenge yourself by trying something new, such as boxing.
12RND Fitness, offers boxing and strength workouts, with coach support so they’re perfect for beginners, and those with little to no boxing experience. Their training methods have been designed to maximise results, delivering a functional and highly varied strength program, progressing through sports-specific training cycles that are guaranteed to get you in fighting shape.
If you master experiencing discomfort, you’ll be better prepared to handle whatever situation is thrown at you in life.
About 12RND Fitness
Amassing to over 90 locations globally since 2016, they are the fastest growing boxing and strength provider in the world, with serial entrepreneur and founder of the brand, Tim West at the helm as Managing Director, and Danny Green – four time world champion professional boxer as his Co-Founder.
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