Ninety minutes doesn’t sound like much, but quite a lot can happen in that time. It’s enough time for Spurs to inevitably lose. It’s enough time to fly to Nice. And it’s more than enough time to put a few simple morning habits in place that set you up for the day ahead.
Most people begin their day in a rush. The alarm goes off, the coffee goes on, the phone comes out and emails or messages start arriving almost immediately.
Before long the day is underway, but the body and brain haven’t really had a chance to wake up properly.
Over the years I’ve become a big believer in having a simple morning routine – a few small habits that help the body ease into the day before everything becomes busy.
It’s nothing extreme and doesn’t take very long, but done consistently it can have a noticeable impact on energy levels, focus and general health. This is something we regularly work on with clients who struggle with energy and consistency.
Start your morning routine with hydration
The first thing I do in the morning is drink around a litre of water with squeezed lemon, grated ginger and a little honey.
After seven or eight hours of sleep the body is naturally dehydrated. Rehydrating early helps wake up the system, supports digestion and generally gets things moving again.
The lemon and ginger add flavour and can stimulate digestion slightly, while the honey provides a small amount of natural carbohydrate. The main goal, though, is simply to get fluid into the body before anything else.
Support your immune system
Morning is also when I take the majority of my supplements.
What people take varies, but many include things like vitamin D, magnesium, omega-3 or other supplements that support the immune system and general health. For me personally, my morning stack includes a mushroom complex, vitamin D3, B2 and, from time to time, iron.
Supplements are obviously not a substitute for good sleep, sensible nutrition and regular exercise, but they can play a useful supporting role. As with most things, consistency tends to matter far more than constantly searching for the latest “super supplement”. That said, supporting the immune system where appropriate can be very important.
Hold off on the coffee
This is one habit that surprises people. Most of us reach straight for coffee almost as soon as we wake up, but there is actually a good reason to wait a little while.
When we wake in the morning the body naturally produces a surge of a hormone called cortisol, which helps signal alertness and wakefulness. This is part of our circadian rhythm and helps us feel alert and ready for the day. Scientists often refer to this as the cortisol awakening response.
If we drink caffeine immediately, we are effectively interrupting the body’s own wake-up system. Caffeine works by blocking a chemical called adenosine, which makes us feel sleepy, but early in the morning adenosine levels are already relatively low because sleep has cleared most of it.
Allowing 60–90 minutes before having coffee gives the body time to wake up naturally first. The coffee then tends to feel more effective, and many people notice fewer mid-morning energy crashes.
Avoid the phone for a while
Another helpful habit is simply delaying screen time slightly.
Many people check their phone within seconds of waking up. The problem is that the brain is immediately exposed to emails, messages, news and social media, all of which demand attention.
Instead of easing into the day, we suddenly find ourselves reacting to other people’s priorities.
Research in behavioural psychology suggests that starting the day in this reactive state increases stress levels and reduces focus later in the day. Even 20–30 minutes without screens can help create a calmer start to the morning.
Move the body
This doesn’t need to be a full workout. A few minutes of gentle movement is often enough to wake the body up properly. For some people that might be a short walk, some stretching or a handful of mobility exercises.
For others it may include specific rehab work for a shoulder, knee or back that needs a bit of attention.
Five to ten minutes is usually plenty to get the joints moving and the body ready for the day. Prioritising it in your morning routine also ensures it doesn’t slip the mind as the day progresses. Depending on the issue, activating certain muscles before a day at the desk can also be an important way to stop problems getting worse.
A simple morning protocol
None of this is complicated, but a simple morning routine done consistently tends to add up. Starting the day in a calmer, more structured way usually carries through into the rest of it.
