Win the Morning
Click here to receive insights in our weekly newsletter.
A lot of you have communicated that the area you’re struggling with the most right now is maintaining focus, motivation, and productivity while working from home. A lot of you are still working from home at least part time, and for those of you who are back at the office, there are still a lot of uncertainties which can lead to a lack of focus and motivation.
One of the ways in which you can set yourself up for a productive day (in work or in another area of life) is by winning the morning. The first hour of your day sets you up for success - provided you do it right! Prioritizing your morning and starting your day right allows you to be focused, creative, alert, and perform at your very best for your family, coworkers, and everyone who depends on you.
Here are four practices you can incorporate into your morning to set yourself up for success for the rest of the day.
Meditation/mindfulness. We’ve talked about the benefits of meditation a lot throughout these emails. Meditation has been shown to decrease stress, anxiety, and depression. It’s also been shown to boost focus, memory, problem solving, and help with emotion regulation. Meditation is a great way to kickstart your day. If you’ve never meditated, you might want to start out by using an app to guide you through your practice. There are many meditation apps that you can use, including Calm, Headspace, Aura, Smiling Mind, among others. (add links). While formal meditation is the most impactful, informal mindfulness practice can also yield benefits and can be a simple addition into your day. For example, during your morning shower try to be present and non-judgmental of your experience. Or, while you’re eating breakfast, focus on the taste and the experience of your meal instead of being on your phone (remember mindful eating!). Just bring your attention into the present moment.
Set daily intentions/priorities. The next part of your morning routine should be setting daily intentions and priorities. Take five minutes to determine the top three or four priorities for the day. Make sure that you’re allocating time every day towards your important activities, whether these are professional or personal. By shifting from time management (living by the calendar) to priority management (doing the most important things well), you can create a wave of focus, productivity, and wellness.
Move your body. Starting the day with a workout is an ideal way to get your brain waves and blood flowing. Exercising in the morning not only improves your physical health by lowering your risk of certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and many more diseases, but it also improves your mental health and performance by flooding your brain with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which stimulates the growth of new neurons to facilitate learning and memory. Exercise also activates the part of your brain associated with creativity and problem solving. It makes you sharper and more capable of concentration. So prioritize moving your body in the morning to give your brain a boost! Some people like to get in their hard workout at the beginning of the day, however just doing a 15-minute yoga or stretching routine is great too! For those who work from home, going for a 15-minute walk in the morning is a great way to get outside, get the blood flowing, and create that separation between “home” and “work”.
Power fuel. Finally, you want to make sure you’re fueling your body with the nutrients it needs to concentrate, stay alert, and focused for the whole day. Avoid processed foods and high-sugar foods like syrups, candy, junk foods, cereal, fruit juice, pop, foods with added sugars, and refined carbohydrates. Instead nourish your body with foods that will give your body the nutrients it needs to perform at its best, including protein, fibre, and healthy fats. One way to pack some of brain foods into your day is through a morning breakfast smoothie. Here is an example:
One banana
2 hand fulls of spinach or kale
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
½ avocado
1 teaspoon grated ginger
about ½ teaspoon of turmeric root
about ¾ cup of almond milk (a little more or less depending on your preferred thickness)
Add a scoop of your desired protein powder. Biosteel makes a great plant based protein as does Living Fuel and Vega.
*optional: adding one kiwi or 1/3 cup of raspberries gives a little extra sweetness if desired
Also remember to hydrate! You lose a lot of water throughout the night by just breathing. So make sure you’re having a lot of your daily water consumption in the first half of your day.
What are we finding in the research?
As mentioned above, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) stimulates the growth of new neurons to facilitate learning and memory. Acute exercise increases circulating levels of BDNF, which means that even a single bout of exercise can improve mental clarity!
A group of researchers from Sweden were interested in the effect of exercise on levels of BDNF compared to cognitive training and mindfulness in aging adults. They found that one 35-minute bout of physical activity increased BDNF levels significantly more than a bout of cognitive training or mindfulness in the same person.
While cognitive training and mindfulness are very important practices for cognitive health, exercise appears to have greater immediate benefits! So make sure you’re moving your body first thing in the morning to reap the benefits for both your body and mind.
Check out this link to read the full article.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6135088/
