A morning routine is important for weight loss. It can be as simple as starting your day with a glass of water and some fruit, or it can include more elaborate rituals like meditation. I believe that a consistent morning routine for weight loss is cornerstone to success.
Why Morning Activities Promote Weight Loss?
Research shows that morning activities can promote weight loss to a great extent because we get more encouraged to perform our daily activities and duties.
Motivation makes us more productive and therefore, can lead to improved health, better-eating habits, better sleep cycle, and increased energy. We also feel more encouraged to work out and make a fitness routine if we wake up with a positive mind.
There are many people who plan a weight loss regime but fail to achieve it. One of the biggest reasons for not being able to achieve the fitness goal is a poor morning routine. If you wake up late, start your morning with an unhealthy beverage, skip your breakfast, and don’t plan for the day, it will be really difficult for you to hit the gym in the evening.
In contrast, if you perform all your morning activities, chances are more that you’ll end up performing all your daily activities that include eating the right food, exercising, and many more which I’m going to explain below.
Effective Morning Routine For Weight Loss
Here’s a list of morning activities that I’ve found from my online research on weight loss:
Ensure a Proper Sleep
A healthy morning routine doesn’t require you to compromise your sleep and wake up much before you do otherwise. You can always prioritize your beauty sleep if you want to maintain a weight loss routine.
At what time you wake up daily goes on to show when you go to sleep and hence, it’s essential to complete your 8 hours sleep. While ensuring that you get proper sleep, also make sure that you get sound sleep.
When you don’t get proper sleep, your body becomes fatigued, which can hamper your weight loss goals. Research shows that poor sleep is one of the biggest factors that lead to weight gain. Extra sleep can reduce your cravings and encourage better eating habits in us.
This is an awesome video of an effective morning routine for weight loss:
Weight Yourself as You Wake Up
The first thing you need to do after waking up and going to the washroom is to weigh yourself. Measuring body weight after waking up can show you more accurate results than checking it later.
That’s because the foods you eat in a day and the fluids you drink can have an impact on your body weight and hence, it can change the results. As you check your weight early in the day, you will be able to make a reminder of it every day and follow your eating and lifestyle plan throughout the rest of the day.
It will help you to control your cravings for unhealthy food and stay motivated in the long run if you want to see the best result.
Drink a Glass of Water
This tip is not only for those who want to lose weight but for everyone who wants to stay fit and healthy. Drinking one or two glasses of water on an empty stomach increases our energy for the day and enhances our calorie-burning capacity for more than 60 minutes.
Our metabolism also improves by it and the chances of feeling bloated also reduce. There has been plenty of research on the impact of drinking proper water and most of the subjects have reduced a good amount of weight throughout the courses.
One study showed that drinking at least one glass of water in the morning has helped individuals to make healthier breakfast decisions. Fortunately, I have seen all of these results as I started to drink enough fluids.
Workout before You Eat Breakfast
Though there is a huge debate on when you should exercise in a day, the oldest and most conventional concept is to do some moderate workouts before eating breakfast. When you exercise on an empty stomach, it gives you better results than doing it later in the day.
Many studies have shown that doing prebreakfast exercises has more chances of burning body fats. When it comes to which moderate exercises you should do, there are so many options. You can try jogging, walking, cycling, spot running, stretching, golfing, and more.
I prefer taking a walk for 30 minutes and doing stretching exercises on some days when the weather is poor.
Do Some Meditation
Following a fitness goal is dependent on how mindful you are and therefore, practicing some meditation in the morning can be beneficial.
In case you’re not sure about what meditation or mindfulness is, it’s a process of focusing on your present moment and becoming aware of your feelings and thoughts.
After your workout session, you can assign only ten minutes for meditation to see its positive results. Mindfulness can promote weight loss to a great extent as it makes you switch to healthy eating habits.
Get Enough Sunlight
Weight loss can be promoted as you let some sunshine in your room or spend some time outdoors in the morning. Studies show that exposure to sunlight can influence your desire to lose weight and perform daily activities.
There are plenty of other benefits that sunlight ensures you with such as better digestion, low blood pressure levels, and stronger bones. Sunlight, being one of the greatest sources of Vitamin D, can help you to stay healthy when you are following a low-calorie diet.
Go for a High Protein Breakfast
Which foods you eat can determine how well you are following your weight loss routine. When it comes to breakfast, skipping it will be the biggest mistake. Instead, go for a heavy one that will keep you energized for a few hours.
Choosing a high-protein breakfast is the best way to lose weight while ensuring nutrition in the body. The main reason for choosing a high-protein breakfast for weight loss is that your body needs more calories to break protein down than it needs for digesting fats and carbs.
Hence, you end up losing extra calories and following a healthy diet. Some good options are eggs, milk, yogurt, protein shakes, nuts, and berries.
Eat Fruits or Juice
Fruits are the sources of essential vitamins and minerals that improve our immune system. A weight-loss diet can lead to a considerable deficiency of these nutrients. Hence, while on a weight loss regime, it’s crucial to eat fruits in any form you can.
However, eating fresh fruits is safer than choosing canned diced fruits or packed juices. If you love fruit juices like me, you can make some at home because they will be free of sugar and preservatives that packed juices usually contain. Also, use a juice glass that’s smaller than the serving glasses.
Plan for the Day
This tip can be a lifesaver especially when you are struggling to follow a daily routine. Planning ahead gives you a reminder of your daily tasks and hence, provides you sustenance in life.
Hence, you can consider writing up a quick list of things that you will do and the foods that you will eat each day. You will be able to follow the same routine while reducing the chances of snacking or skipping meals, both of which are extremely unhealthy options.
Use Measuring Spoons and Cups
Tracking your daily calorie intake will be easier when you switch to measuring spoons and cups. If you prepare your own meal, you must know the importance of the right proportions of the ingredients.
It’s more important in baking than preparing other types of foods. Now, as you are following a weight-loss routine, the right proportion of ingredients will not only let you ace some recipes but will also help you to consume the right portion of meals.
Avoid Sugar and Gluten
Sugar can be the biggest enemy when you are following a weight loss routine. Sugar releases sucrose that gets directly absorbed in our bloodstream. Hence, eating extra sugar can affect your calorie intake hugely, leading to weight gain.
Another agent gluten is found in certain grains like wheat, barley, and triticale, which adds no essential nutrition to our body. Hence, you may not see any positive results when you continue adding sugar and gluten to your coffee and meals.
Pack your Meals for the Day
You need to start packing your lunch and snacks as you go out after breakfast. Or, in case you are working at home or simply staying indoors, prepare your meals at home.
When it comes to some healthy lunch meal options, I would suggest protein-rich meals like eggs, salmon, chicken breast along with vegetables, beans and legumes, leafy greens, and soups. You can have a little portion of carbs but not more than a cup.
Change your Commute
Finally, you need to change your commute as that can have a great influence on your metabolism. Say no to long car rides and instead, prefer walking.
The smartest way to do it would be to find shorter routes by checking some traffic apps. Or, if you really need to cover a higher distance, try parking your car a few blocks away and walking the rest of the distance if the weather is good.
Conclusion
Now that you know all about my morning routine for weight loss, go ahead and make the most of it. These methods have worked for me and I’m sure you’ll get some amount of benefit from my experiences. I lost about 40 pounds in the last six months just by sticking to the above weight loss plan. However, make sure you get enough sleep as that will keep you motivated in the long run.
