7 Healthy Daily Habits Before 7 AM to Jumpstart Your Day

The morning has gold in its mouth.

– Benjamin Franklin

How many times have you tried to imitate successful people’s morning routines and rituals and failed?

I need more fingers to count all my past attempts.

And here I am, talking about seven healthy daily habits before 7 a.m.

Yep, after a lifelong habit of hitting the snooze button for “just 5 more minutes,” I finally became a morning person.

It happened literally overnight!

The funny thing is, there is no trick to becoming a morning person.

It all started with money worries that kept me up, thinking about ways to make more money and find opportunities to get out of debt that has been like a life sentence.

I couldn’t sleep.

So, one night, I ditched sleep (instead of trying very hard to fall asleep), got out of bed, turned on my laptop, and made a plan to get myself out of my pitiful hole.

It started with my first budget.

I thought it was a temporary thing. But it went on for a few days. That’s when I noticed I got lots of things done.

My brain was far more fresh in the morning, more focused, and more productive.

Or maybe because I was so desperate!

Whether you desperately want to change for a better life or want to get out of certain situations that you’re in (like me), adopting these daily habits will set you on the right path.

Morning is Our Time

I truly feel and echo the popular view of successful people.

Morning is our time.

For a lot of us, the morning is the only time we can afford to nurture our body and mind before being pulled into a day’s demands and responsibilities.

It’s time to get things done that really matter for us.

In doing so, we set the right tone for the rest of the day.

Whoever said “if you win the morning, you win the day,” I salute him.

If you win the morning, you win the day.

Here is the first of seven healthy daily habits you should establish before 7 a.m. that will help you kick-start your day, as they help me every morning.

#1 of 7 Healthy Daily Habits: Make Your Bed

When I watched the below video and heard about “making your bed,” just like the students in the audience, I laughed.

To be honest, I snorted—how rude of me, right?

Do you know what crossed my mind next?

I thought:

What a big deal!

So, I don’t blame you if you had the same reaction when you read “Make Your Bed,” and had a giggle.

But wait—it hit me when I learned the real meaning behind making your bed:

How can you expect to handle the big things if you can’t handle the little things in life?

After all, how you do anything is how you do everything, right?

Watch the below inspirational video and see what you think.

When I wake up, I start off by making my bed.

I give it my full attention as if it’s the most important thing to do. It’s almost therapeutic!

#2 of 7 Healthy Daily Habits: Drink Warm Water

One of the best things I did for my health was find warm water enjoyable to drink.

It replaced my silly amount of coffee intake—up to 6 cups a day. My caffeine addiction is now under control at 3 cups a day.

If you don’t like water as much as I used to, try warm water.

Lime or lemon didn’t do the trick for me, but try either of them.

You’ll almost always see dark urine in the morning.

Our body works hard throughout the night, which results in dehydration in the morning.

It’s signalling for more water. You’ve got to give what your body wants!

Not only does warm water warm up your body, it also helps you stay hydrated. It helps your digestive system run smoothly.

I won’t go so far as to say I’m having a love affair with my toilet.

But there’s no more “wartime” in the morning (um, TMI, sorry!).

The point is, I feel so much healthier and happier since my body gets rid of toxins naturally and regularly.

#3 of 7 Healthy Daily Habits: Make a To-Do List

Keep a Daily To-Do Planner notepad next to your bed. Or use your phone or tablet.

Make your To-Do list when you get up.

Sometimes, I make my To-Do list the night before going to bed and re-read it in the morning.

Swap things around. Add something to the list. Or remove.

Label each task with a number on a scale of 1 to 10.

The number 1 represents a low-value activity. The task labelled “10” requires heavy lifting; it’s the most important task on your list.

Do all “the most important tasks” first to get closer to your overall goal.

For example, I want to make my blog successful.

Writing and publishing a blog post (labelled 10) is far more important to achieving my goal than reading about writing well (labelled 5).

Your to-do list determines how productive your day will be.

#4 of 7 Healthy Daily Habits: Make a Gratitude List

We live in one of the richest countries in the world.

But there’s no shortage of people moaning about their lives throughout the day (or throughout their lives!).

Sometimes, it feels like a bunch of people should be thrown into a war-torn zone or countries struck by natural disasters (hurricane, earthquake, or wildfire) to realise just how much we already have and how many opportunities there are if we look for them.

Don’t get me wrong. I was one of them!

The massive debt paralysed me. I had spent many days wallowing in self-pity and blaming myself.

But when I look at the poor children covered in blood in a horrific war zone, I remind myself that no matter how bad my life is, it could be worse.

It’s an absolute truth.

It doesn’t solve our debt problem or life problems.

But it changes our mindset to focus on problem-solving instead of dwelling on past mistakes and doing nothing.

Start your day by writing a gratitude list.

Cultivate a positive mindset and the right attitude by practising gratitude exercises every morning.

Be truly grateful for everything you can think of.

Trust me: you have A LOT!

#5 of 7 Healthy Daily Habits: Make a List of Ideas

Are you looking for side hustle ideas, self-improvement ideas, blog topic ideas, or ways to make extra money to pay off debt?

Our memory is fleeting throughout the day. Ideas pop up. They then disappear as quickly as they came.

Make it a habit to make notes of your ideas as they come. Sit down and write down all the ideas. Aim for a minimum of 10 ideas a day.

This exercise gives you clarity and guides you throughout your day.

There were many times when I struggled to remember the bright idea I’d had a few hours ago.

They wouldn’t come back.

I no longer rely on my limited memory. I jot down everything as it comes.

#6 of 7 Healthy Daily Habits: Move: Exercise or Walk

We all know our increasingly sedentary lifestyle is dangerous to our health. Yet we spend so much time sitting.

Think about the past few days.

How many hours have you spent watching TV, playing video games, reading, working on a project on your computer, or eating—far more than you’d like?

Give your full attention to your body before you’re pulled into your daily life’s demands.

You may opt for vigorous exercise, light stretching, or strength training.

Or pop out for a walk.

I start with some light stretching and do a few rounds of squats, push-ups, and sit-ups.

If you struggle with exercise, read this one trick I used to make exercise super easy.

#7 of 7 Healthy Daily Habits: Eat Breakfast

Oprah Winfrey summed up the importance of breakfast well:

No one would ever mistake me for an expert on engines, but I know one thing: they don’t work without fuel.

Oprah Winfrey

You may feel tempted to power through the day with sheer willpower.

But with the right fuel, you can perform far better: your focus and productivity increase.

Give your body the fuel it needs so it can serve your mind to its maximum capacity.

Final Thoughts

When you incorporate the above into your morning routine, you not only win your morning but also your day.

And as Annie Dillard said:

How you live your day is how you live your life.

So, yes, win your day with these 7 healthy daily habits before 7 a.m. and win your life.

You May Also Enjoy…

• 8 Things I Stopped Wasting So Much Time on (and Start Living Better)
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