Starting out the morning correctly can help set the rest of your day up for success.

What mother doesn’t need that extra boost of energy in the morning? It doesn’t matter what you’re doing – you could be getting the kids ready for school and dropping them off before heading to work, or it could be a day of running errands that awaits you to make sure the household runs like clockwork – we always wish we had more energy! If this sounds like you, check out my top tips for getting that early morning boost…

Prep yourself the night before

One of the main reasons people have difficulty getting to sleep is because they lay there thinking about everything they must do the next day. A good night’s sleep is essential to your get-up-and-go attitude, so use that wasted energy to get yourself prepped for the day ahead; take 10 minutes to write down a list of everything you need to do tomorrow and in what order. This will help to clear your head of all those little anxieties. If you have difficulty choosing what to wear to work, plan your outfit the night before and lay everything out so that all you have to do is put it on, saving you half an hour of standing in front of your wardrobe panicking.

Start the day with a cold shower

This may not sound very pleasant, but studies have shown that by lowering the temperature of your shower, it increases alertness, as the shock of the water increases oxygen intake, speeds up muscle recovery if you have any aches from the day before, and even stimulates weight loss. You could lose up to 9lbs a year just from having a cold shower each day! You can learn more about this by checking out this infographic on the health benefits of bathing.

Always have breakfast

Plenty of mothers end up skipping breakfast to save time, but this means we end up reaching for those sugary foods and cups of coffee to give us an unnatural boost of energy. Having a good breakfast will take away that craving, so stick to foods that are high in fiber and protein, and take healthy snacks like nuts and berries with you to snack on wherever you’re headed, to keep you going until lunchtime.

Light exercise helps

Most people won’t have the time to go to the gym first thing in the morning, but doing some simple stretches and light exercises can really help to wake you up and get you ready for the day ahead. Try doing just 10 minutes of Yoga or Pilates in the morning before breakfast, and not only will you start to feel more positive, but you should see a difference in flexibility, balance and any pain you usually have will start to ease.

I hope you found these tops tips useful. I’d love to know about your own morning routine and how you keep your energy levels up, so please leave me a comment!

Written by Natalie Bracco for Working Mother and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.