The way we spend our time before breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day. It even influences the way we will sleep at night.
Especially in these challenging times of the Coronavirus, it’s tempting to get sloppy. Not just with the things to do before breakfast but also in spending the rest of our day.
I can assure you from my own experience that when you give in to feeling down, it is the start of a slippery slope downwards. You will not care about your plans anymore, about how you look, or about what you eat and drink.
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Great things to do before breakfast
Whether we are part of the workforce or pensioners, what we do before breakfast influences the rest of the day and even our sleep. Successful people tend to have a list of things to accomplish before breakfast.
What works in your favor? What will work against it?
One out of every three mobile owners looks at their phone during the night. Almost 50% of people look at their mobile, first thing in the morning.
In reality, this means that other people – the journalists or the ones sending you WhatsApps or emails – decide what your mood will be.
For instance, you get frustrated because the news isn’t good (as it never is, because otherwise, it wouldn’t have made it to the news).
Or someone asks for your help. And now you’re distracted to think of ways to comply. Mind you, it’s great that someone cares enough about you to ask for help.
And you should help. But most of the time it’s not good to be informed in the middle of the night or in the early morning. You’d better start the day right and help yourself first.
Every day is a great day!
Then what are smart things to do before breakfast? Of course, I know what my best start is (look at my infographic), but I am not that arrogant to want to impose my best start on everybody else. Yet, I DO want to inspire you with some possibilities:
Stretch your body in all directions
Have a look at a cat’s behavior. The way they stretch when they wake up is magnificent.
Breath mindfully
Breath in 10 times through your nose on a count of 4 and out through your mouth on a count of 8.
Drink 3 glasses of water
Our body is dehydrated after a night of sleep. Even more so, if you practice intermittent fasting and haven’t drunk at all since the previous 5 pm.
Make a list of 26 things to do before breakfast
It’s a great way to keep you physically and mentally healthy. 😉
Make a cup of herbal tea
If you don’t like tea and are a coffee drinker, research suggests you wait with that until after breakfast. Coffee, including decaffeinated coffee, stimulates the production of acid, which can damage the stomach lining when consumed repeatedly in the absence of food.
Related: Can Coffee Make You Smarter? A Fairytale or Tested Reality?
Read a chapter in a book about finances
Reading a novel is relaxing, reading in a financial book will probably keep the grey matter working harder.
Walk your dog or the neighbor’s dog
Walking is one of the safest and healthiest ways to improve your immune system.
Related: Walking for Health Benefits that will Reward You Immediately
Have an exercise routine of 20 minutes
Alternate the different types of fitness. Strength training, endurance training, stretching, with or without aids such as weights or an elastic band, are all fine.
Walk the stairs up and down 10 times
If you don’t have a staircase in the house, like Tom and I, you can also take steps on the first step of a kitchen stairway or a low stool.
Write 10 thank-you notes to people that played an important part in your life
This is a fantastic way to feel good. You don’t have to sign your card or letter. It’s not about response or gratitude from others, but about your own state of mind.
Wish your neighbor a good morning
A cheerful voice in the morning lifts everybody up, whether the sun is shining or not.
Make a plan for a day trip and collect all the stuff you will need then
This is one of my favorite activities. The anticipation is just as much fun as the day itself.
List 10 things you are grateful for
I’m not religious so I don’t pray. However, being grateful is a good attitude for everyone.
Call your child(ren) or grandchild(ren) and tell them you love them
In the US, people are more used to say to each other “I love you” than over here in Europe. It’s a good habit.
List 30 things of how you can earn some money on the side
Worrying is a bad way to start the day. If you have money concerns, it helps to make a list of how you can earn (extra) money.
Draw a comic about your ideal day
You really don’t have to be an artist to draw comics. A circle with a few lines or points can serve as a self-portrait. Some blocks or curls next to it make it a situation.
Meditate for 10 minutes
If you have trouble with this, download a free app like Calm or Insight Timer to guide you.
Related: What is the Influence of the Chinese Meridian Clock on our Body?
Make the outline of the book you want to write
The first step for a big project is always the hardest. If you’ve always wanted to write like a book, start with an outline.
List all the places you want to visit or revisit
Writing down a list is great. Amp up the fun by creating a dream board with photos you find in travel guides or on the internet.
Write down 3 negative thoughts and rewrite them into positive ones
We are usually starring at putting ourselves down. Much more difficult and all the more valuable it is to be positive about ourselves.
Smile to yourself in the mirror
Difficult to do if you got out of bed on the wrong foot, yet very healthy.
Related: 10 Remarkable Health Benefits of Laughing and a Sense of Humor
Decide what the most important task of that day will be
And start doing that right after breakfast or even before that.
Set a goal for the number of kilos you want to weigh in 6 months
Make your goal achievable. Half a kilo or a whole kilo per month is really enough to lose weight in a healthy way. With the added advantage that your skin and complexion continue to look good.
Swim for 15 minutes
Be a real Wim Hof and swim daily all year round.
Work in the garden for half an hour
I don’t work in the garden every day. Yet I walk around at least once to see how everything is growing. A wonderful start to the day.
Lift weights for 5 minutes
The older you get, the more important it is to do strength training.
More things to do before breakfast
This was a list of 26 different things to do. I have had a morning routine, including a number of things from this list, before breakfast for quite some years now and I really love it to start the day like that.
Do you have a morning routine? Tell us in the comment box below.
