By just making a few small changes to my morning routine, I noticed a meaningful difference in my mood and energy levels throughout the day.

A goal of mine for a while has been to feel less sluggish in the morning. I am someone who is slow to wake up and doesn’t want the first thing I do to be very strenuous.

However, I began to wonder if there was a way to develop a morning routine that boosted my energy and mood levels, that felt sustainable and true to my natural preferences. I was on a mission to find out.

Historically, my mornings have started with rolling out of bed after snoozing my alarm clock three times and immediately making a cup of coffee. However, I found that my energy levels plummeted in the afternoon, which is a common experience.

I wanted to find a routine that would keep my energy levels up all day. After doing some research, I found that there are three important steps for starting your day off on the right foot:

  1. Eat a healthy breakfast with protein and fiber.
  2. Get your body moving.
  3. Spend time outside.

When it came to achieving these three goals, I spent a lot of time thinking about what was actually realistic for me. Here’s what that looked like.

Healthy breakfast

When it came to eating a healthy breakfast, I knew I didn’t want to spend time cooking in the morning, so making eggs with sauteed vegetables was off the list.

Instead, I found that there are still plenty of healthy breakfast options that require minimal effort. At Trader Joe’s, I found a bag of rolled oats that was filled with ancient grains and seeds, including amaranth, quinoa, chia seeds, and flax seeds.

I added frozen berries (raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries) and unsweetened almond milk and microwaved the bowl for 2 minutes. Then, I added a scoop of peanut butter (without any sugar or oils) as my main source of protein.

This breakfast is now my go-to. It’s easy to make, keeps me full, and helps me start my day with nutritious food. I also made one important change — I now drink my coffee after breakfast to give my body nutrients first.

If I have an early morning in the office, I simply make overnight oats the evening before so that I’m not rushing to eat in the morning.

Tip for motivation

It’s all about making switches that don’t feel like a sacrifice, whether that has to do with taste, time, affordability, or all three.

Find one or two breakfast recipes that you enjoy and don’t feel overwhelming to prepare, and stick with them every morning, at least during the weekdays. The key is to make this as easy for yourself as possible.

Movement and sunshine

I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was for me to develop a healthy breakfast routine. However, I knew getting outside and moving my body first thing in the morning would pose more of a challenge.

I am someone who loves to go on walks, but I often don’t have time during my workday. And by the time my workday ends, it’s already dark out half of the year. For this reason, I knew I wanted to start getting in a walk before I started work.

For me, motivation came from coming up with a purpose for my walks. Since I live in a city, this included scheduling activities for first thing in the morning, such as:

  • walking to the grocery store or getting other errands out of the way
  • going on a walk and scheduling phone calls to loved ones
  • getting off the subway a stop early if I am going into the office
  • treating myself to a coffee at a nearby coffee shop
  • meeting up with a friend to take a quick morning walk together
  • listening to my favorite podcast or audiobook

For others, taking your dog to the park or doing a simple workout, like bodyweight exercises or yoga, in your backyard can be great options as well. Or maybe it’s as simple as parking a little bit further from your office if you drive to work.

Depending on where you live, you may also be able to find morning walking or hiking groups in your area.

Tip for motivation

I found doing my grocery shopping first thing in the morning to be the most successful switch. It allowed me to get outside, move my body, and check something off of my list. This way, I had more time in the evening to do other things, like going to the gym or spending time with loved ones.

Developing a healthy morning routine has made such a difference in my life because how I treat my body has an immediate effect on my mood and energy levels. I don’t even think about what I’m going to have for breakfast anymore; it’s just instinct to go make my bowl of oatmeal.

This makes my life so much simpler, and having a meal that I know will make me feel energized and focused has helped me stay consistent.

It’s been harder to stay motivated to stick to a morning walk first thing before work because I often don’t get up in time for it to happen. However, if I can’t get it in in the morning, I am generally able to squeeze it in during an early lunch break, which I count as a win. I then eat lunch while I work afterward.

I also find the goal of reaching my 10,000 steps incredibly motivating because it gives me something to work toward. It also helps me make healthy choices throughout the day, such as walking instead of taking public transportation or choosing the farther grocery store simply to get extra steps in.

Beyond energy, these habits have improved my mood and self-esteem. I also noticed that I felt much more focused at work.

Instead of feeling sluggish and reaching for extra caffeine, I start my day feeling energized and clear-headed, making it easier to stay productive and engaged throughout the day. Taking care of my body leaves me feeling accomplished and optimistic, setting a positive tone for the rest of the day.

The key to developing a new habit is to make small, sustainable changes. I have realized that knowing yourself and what you enjoy (both when it comes to food and activities) is crucial for setting yourself up for success.

I am not a morning person, so expecting myself to get up an hour earlier to make an elaborate breakfast and do a full workout is not realistic. Instead, I found small ways to tweak my morning routine to prioritize my health and well-being, and that has made more than enough of a difference.

It’s all about making realistic adjustments that fit your lifestyle and help you feel your best every morning.