Life is busy. It can feel impossible to move towards your dreams or goals, says a recent article written by Benjamin Hardy in The New York Observer. Hardy says that, If you dont purposefully carve time out every day to progress and improve- without question, your time will get lost in the vacuum of our increasingly crowded lives. So where do you start? Like anything, you start from the beginning of course. Hardy believes that with a short morning routine, of 8 simple steps your life will quickly change.
1. Get a Healthy 7+ hours of Sleep Let’s face it, Sleep is just as important as eating and drinking water. Getting a healthy dose of sleep is linked to a longer life, decreased inflammation, decreased fat and increased muscle mass with exercise, lower stress, decreased dependence on stimulants like caffeine and a decreased risk of depression. The rest of this list is useless if you dont make sleep a priority.
2. Meditate Upon waking, after a restful sleep orienting yourself toward the positive is crucial for your day. If you start every morning putting yourself in a space of gratitude and clarity, you will attract the best the world has to offer.
3. Hard Physical Activity According to The Center for Disease Control’s National Health Interview Survey, only 1/3 of Americans between the ages of 25-26, engage in regular physical activity. GET MOVING EARLY!! Exercise has been linked to greater career success and increased happiness.
4.Consume 30 Grams of Protein Most nutritionists recommend 30 grams of protein for breakfast and eating at least 40% of your first meal as protein. One egg has about 6g of protein. If you dont like eggs, try turkey bacon, pork sausage, cottage cheese or a simple protein shakke. Protein rich foods help keep you full longer because they take longer to leave the stomach, keep blood sugar levels steady preventing spikes in hunger and reduce white carbohydrate cravings.
5. Take a Cold Shower Cold water immersion radically facilitates physical and mental wellness.When practiced regularly, it provides long lasting changes to yur body’s immune, lymphatic, circulatory and digestive systems. it can also increase weight loss by boosting your metabolism.
6. Listen to/Read Uplifting Content Ordinary people seek entertainment, extraordinary people seek education and learning. Taking even 15-20 minutes every morning reading uplifting and instructive content, changes you. It puts you in the zone to perform at your highest level.
7.Review your Life Vision Your goals should be written down, short and long term. If you read your goals every morning, you will think about them every day. If you think about them every day and spend time working toward them, theyll manifest. If you follow a plan, you can accomplish all your goals, no matter how big they are.
8. Do At Least One Thing Towards Long Term Goals The Worst Comes First. Do the hard stuff, the important stuff, first thing in the morning. Will power is like a muscle that depletes when it is exercised. Similarly, our ability to make high quality decisions becomes fatigued over time. By the end of your day, youre exhausted! No matter what you have for the rest of your day, youll have done the important stuff first.
Although, this list may seem daunting at first, it certainly is do able and worth a try. Hardy believes that its impossible to have mornings like this consistentlywithout experiencing a positive change.
Benjamin is the foster parent of 3 children and the author of Slipstream Time Hacking. He’s pursuing his Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology.
http://observer.com/2015/06/8-things-every-person-should-do-before-8-a-m/
