Dear Dad,
What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
The creator of the show, “The Biggest Loser,” said in an interview that a consistent symptom he observed when meeting show applicants for home visits was how messy their bedrooms were kept. He described some as complete chaos, making the point that the first thing these unhealthy people experienced when they woke up in the morning was an out of control life and their day got worse from there.
What you see, what you do, and how you feel in the minutes after waking up sets the tone for the decisions that you will make the rest of the day. This reality highlights the importance of setting a healthy tone each morning to strategically influence the rest of your daily decisions. Making this intentional choice is the third of 5 ways to change what you eat without changing anything that you eat.
Let’s recap.
3. Set The Tone
4. Meal Plan
5. Make It Yourself
The old adage, “Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” demonstrates anecdotally that peoples’ daily well-being starts instantly after waking. A healthy habit to start the day will enhance your mood and concentration throughout the rest of the day. Experiencing these emotional and mental benefits will give you the confidence to respect your health while reinforcing a healthy daily cycle…continuing to build your health snowball.
Q: So how should you wake up? And what should you do?
A: Integrate these three morning rituals: mental free time, movement, & fresh air.
Mental Free Time: Do anything that allows your mind to wonder freely. Some might call this meditation but that label is too narrow. There’s no need to limit yourself; instead engage in any activity that stimulates your brain and see where your mind travels. This could be reading a devotional and reflecting; listening to something thought provoking, or exercising. Providing your mind free time to parse your thoughts in the morning will narrow your focus for the rest of the day.
Movement: Intentional movement in the morning ignites your brain and enhances your mood. The biological benefits of exercising are too many to count; but two that specifically make your day better are brain function and endorphins. If you roll into your day without any physical activity, you feel groggy and reactive rather than alert and controlled. Additionally, endorphins are released by your brain during exercise to alleviate the “discomfort” from the physical stress of exercising. Having endorphins coursing through your body to start each day literally eliminates your pain. Imagine if there was a hack to starting each day feeling pain free; except you don’t have to imagine because there is—exercise.
Fresh Air: Get outside. Morning air and sunlight also trigger biological systems that refresh and ignite your body increasing your alertness. It’s also a soothing start to each day, best done in nature or at least around some trees. Fresh air is oxygen rich and crisp, preparing your body for what’s to come. Mornings are blank canvasses, quiet, and still. Spend time outside each morning and your body will rise to the occasion of the day.
When implementing these practices into a morning routine do your best to accomplish all three, but don’t worry if you find yourself singing a little Meatloaf, “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad.” Best case scenario; a walk or run outside checks all three boxes; it gets you outside, moving, and gives your mind free time to wonder.
The first choices you make each day sets the tone for all the rest. Just like the Biggest Losers’ messy bedrooms set them on a chaotic path leading to poor choices, how you spend each morning will set the tone for either a health promoting or health debilitating rest of the day. Believe me, taking the time to Set The Tone will not only lead to healthier choices, but will give you enhanced focus to be more efficient throughout your life.
Set a winning tone!
With Love,
JSR
