Every little habit, we have forms our daily routines. From our big habits to our small habits. Our unhealthy habits to our healthy habits. These daily routines play out without us having to think about them, almost like being on autopilot.
Setting a daily routine can be difficult, you need to understand your root behaviours, which habits are unhealthy and which are healthy, and which habits will lead to a more healthy mind and body.
Consequences of not having daily routines
We are creatures of habit, so our daily routines are essential to a healthier mind and body. They can dictate whether you are living a healthy or unhealthy lifestyle.
Through organisation and structure, our daily routines offer a way to promote better well-being.
If you currently have unhealthy habits, resulting in unhealthy daily routines, you may be suffering from:
Stress
Having no routines in place, you are always stressing over when something will be done or if you are forgetting something.
Poor Quality Sleep
When you have no routine to keep track of your to-do list, tasks will often get missed. Have you ever found yourself waking up at 2am because you remember you forgot to do something the day before? You will likely end up staying awake and not being able to switch off at the end of the day because you are worried about what didn’t get done.
Bad Diet Choices
Fast food becomes your norm when you have not scheduled a time to meal plan. You end up with: no nutritious dense food in your home; deciding each day what you will eat, running out of time at the end of the day, and suffering from decision fatigue. So, it becomes easier to order fast food — leading you down the rabbit hole of poor health and all the consequences that follow.
Lack of Exercise
When it comes to exercising, it is usually the last thing on your mind when you come home after a hard day at work. Except, it is the key to being physically able to get through a busy day. It also requires to be scheduled in so when you do not have a daily routine, it is easier to “forget” about exercise or to not do it at all.
Waste Valuable Time
Without a daily routine, you will end up sitting on the couch and watching TV all day while your to-do list is left uncompleted. Your time is one of the most valuable commodities you have, why waste it?
Benefits of having daily routines
Better Stress Levels
Your stress levels will come right down when you know what needs to be completed each day and tick off all your tasks on your to-do list.
Quality Sleep
We all know how important quality sleep is to our health – it impacts your mental awareness, emotional well-being and your energy levels. Your evening routine will also affect the quality of sleep you have. Choose a bed-time and a wake-up time that you can maintain. So, enjoy a full nights rest instead of that dreadful 2am wake up call worrying about an uncompleted to-do list.
Better Overall Health
Planning and scheduling can result in better allover health. You eat better foods – fuelling your body for the day, you become more active and exercise before or after work – resulting in more energy to get more done.
Basic Daily Routines
Upgrading your daily routine is a commitment and a step in the right direction to changing your life and becoming the best version of you.
Morning Routine
Stay Hydrated
Start your day with a glass of water; I suggest adding a squeeze of lemon as it adds a refreshing and energy-boosting kick to plain water. Lemon is an excellent source of vitamin C, improves skin quality, aids hydration and digestion.
6 to 8 hours of sleep is a long time to go without water, so having that glass or 2 of water is a great way to rehydrate the body.
Be active
Being active in general is great for overall health, but those working 9-5 may find it more beneficial exercising in the morning.
Exercising in the morning sets your day to be productive, helps establish a routine, so you are less likely to skip exercising. Exercise boosts your endorphins, serotonin and dopamine (your feel-good chemicals) so you start your day in a great mood and ready to take on the world. Extra bonuses of exercise are improving the quality of your sleep and even help lower your blood pressure.
Start your day stress-free knowing you have done right by your body. Breaking a sweat lowers cortisol levels (stress hormones) and helps relieve tension in the body, helping fight the negative effects stress can have on your body.
Try going for a 30-minute walk, perform a weight session, a circuit of body weighted exercises, run on the treadmill, go for a bike ride. The list of possible forms of being active and exercising is endless. Get your body moving!
Fuel your body and mind
By fuelling your body and mind in the morning, you set yourself up to be alert, provide your body with energy, aid processes of the body such as cellular repair and re-levelling your serotonin hormones.
Try starting the day with a protein-packed breakfast with slow-releasing carbohydrates and good fats. Greek yogurt with fruit and nuts, vegetable omelette or oats is a great way to fuel your body and mind.
Afternoon Routine
Stay hydrated and snack smart
When we become dehydrated throughout the day, we lose concentration, and our mood decreases. Invest in a 1L or even a 2L water bottle and try to finish one every few hours. If you need something a little sweeter or plain water starts to become too boring, add fruit to your water.
For a mid-afternoon energy boost opt for a prepped homemade snack. A slice of apple or celery sticks with peanut butter, or almond butter, hummus and carrot sticks are all great snacks to fuel that afternoon slump. Save your money and prep your snacks.
Energy-boosting lunch
Almost everyone will experience the 2/3pm slump. We start losing all that energy we have worked on providing our bodies during the morning. So, to gain it back, we need an energy-boosting lunch full of protein, slow-releasing carbohydrates and good fats, just like our breakfast.
Avoid processed carbs like pizza, sugar and fried foods. They will add to your sluggishness, not ideal for fuelling your body and mind.
Try foods like eggs, lean meats, beans, chickpeas and rice: a beautiful Buddha bowl or a vegetable-filled wrap.
Take some time to be active
To help overcome the afternoon slump, try to go for a 10-minute walk, perform a few stretches and step away from the screen.
Evening Routine
Make dinner simple
I cannot stress enough how important a colourful and balanced meal throughout the day is. So, it is no surprise that your last meal of the day should also contain protein (plant-based preferred), slow-releasing carbohydrates (sweet potato or brown rice) and good fats (avocado and nuts).
Be realistic with the foods you choose for dinner; try meals that do not require you to spend all of your evening in the kitchen. If you select meals that will take to long or are difficult to cook, you will inevitably end up with take out.
Schedule in you time
Everyone feels stressed now and then but having high levels of stress can impact negatively on your health.
Find an activity that helps you relax in the evening. It could be reading a book, journaling, spending time with your pet, kids and/or your partner.
Get enough sleep
If you want to feel amazing and energetic, then you need to get 6 to 10 hours of sleep. Figuring out how much sleep you need may take some time, but try going to bed at different times, 9pm for a week, and see how you feel waking up in the morning.
Upgrade your daily routine today
It is a real commitment to upgrade your daily routine, but if you are realistic and start small, you can develop daily routines and habits that help you get the most out of life.
Your body and mind will thank you for the extra care you have given it.
The Wellness Blogger x
